AP Physics C

AP Physics C

Department	Science
Length	Year
Credit type	Weighted
Teacher(s)	Mr. Sheth

AP Physics C is a calculus-based advanced physics course.

Course Catalog Description

Traditional AP Physics C is a calculus-based, college-level physics course with a compulsory laboratory component taught at an accelerated pace. It is equivalent to a course taken by physics majors and engineers at most universities. Traditional AP Physics C concentrates on Mechanics in the first semester (3859A) AND Electricity and Magnetism (3859E) in the second semester. The course prepares students to take the two (2) Advanced Placement physics examinations in both Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. Students must sign up for both semesters. (Students who have previously taken Yearlong APC Mechanics (3859 Y) are able to sign up for second semester E&M (3859Y) only).

**** Important Note: By selecting this course, level change requests will be considered ONLY at the end of the 1st Progress reporting Period in September.

• Prerequisite(s): Open to grades 11 and 12. Concurrent enrollment or completion of a calculus course (BC Calculus recommended) and a high confidence in problem-solving skills. Previous physics course recommended.

• Homework Expectation: 4 to 7 hours uninterrupted time per week

• An assessment of core prerequisite skills will be administered within the first two weeks of school.

Summer learning materials will be provided to support this assessment

Units

This class is structured in two parts: the first semester covers Newtonian mechanics, and the second is about electricity and magnetism. These correspond to the two separate AP Physics C tests that are offered by College Board.

Structure

Students are technically supposed to do pre-reading in the textbook, Physics fo Scientists and Engineers, though in practice many skip this with varying consequences. In class, students receive lectures, do practice problems, and occasional labs, though these are not graded very heavily. Grades are determined by summative assessments, which consist of free-response sections from AP tests; early in the year students may have difficulty completing the problems within the time limit, even when it is extended by the teacher.

Should I sign up for this course?

This course is very fast-paced and requires strong math skills, including Calculus; it can be argued that this is a math class as much as it is a physics class since explanations, proofs, and so forth are more often based in math than physical principles. Successful completion of Calculus BC is a good sign, as the course catalog entry mentions (its accuracy may be disputed), though if you're concurrently enrolled in Calculus and doing well you should still be fine. However, be aware that certain topics like integration are used earlier in the year in Physics than they are taught in Calculus.

It is also helpful to have taken some physics course prior APC, especially if you don't plan on reading the textbook. Many concepts aren't explained in great detail in class, so students may have difficulty getting a complete understanding from lectures alone.

This course uses Evidence-Based Grading, which is particularly bad for Physics C due to the difficulty of the problems. Thus, you will likely have a very low grade at the beginning of the class. However, you will likely still do well on the AP Exam. If you do not want to be stressed about grades as much, choose AP Chemistry or AP Biology instead.