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Help...my son enjoys math and we want to launch into physics. I would have to use a tutor and really want him to understand the material. I think he will love it if he works hard. so Is Apologia the best? What other texts have people used? Has anyone done the SAT subject test along with working in a particular text? Which is the easiest for self study? Which is best using a tutor ? Thanks so much

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How much math has he had? Barely surviving Algebra 1 or half way through Calculus?

 

And what approximate level of text are you looking for? Is he a beginning high schooler or a senior or some other level altogether?

 

Different books are better for different situations.

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Giancoli's Physics is my favorite non-Calculus text, and Conceptual Physics is great for a younger (less math-able) student.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Has your ds studied basic triangle trigonometry already? If so, I'd select the Giancoli text. It is aligned with both the SAT subject exam and the AP Physics B test.

 

My best advice is to start early - there's a lot of material to cover!

 

~Kathy

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those of you who've used this Giancoli's, did you guys self-teach, did your students self-study? Did you have a tutor? Just want to know how you carried out the course and if your student was required to do hands on lab work, etc.

Also, where can one get the Giancoli's and what components go with it or are necessary?

 

Thanks.

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We used an older edition of this Giancoli. My kids self-studied from the book, with me as tutor when needed (and I checked their work). There are components available, though, if you wish - on that Amazon page I saw under "related materials" that there were a student solution guide and a study guide for sale.

 

For chapter quizzes, we used those available on the publisher's website.

 

For labs, we purchased Castle Height's Experiences in Physics manuals and lab supplies from Home Science tools.

 

hth,

 

~Kathy

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Guest Barb B

Did you assign all or some of the questions at the end? Did you use any other tests beside the publisher site or do you think they were enough. I must admit I need to go and explore the publishers companion site more! I did call and obtained permission and a password to enter the teachers site - very valuable since they solutions to the text book questions! I like the castle height's lab books (I think I have seen the chem. one). I bought the physics lab manual and kit from Quality Science Labs. It looks good but more expensive then castle heights.

 

Barb

Edited by Barb B
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We can't afford a tutor, and are going to use Conceptual Physics. I would love to take 2 years with this to do every single thing and every single lab, but since dd is more into Biology & Chemistry, we'll have to see. She may suddenly find she likes Physics when she gets there, and may double up on her sciences in order to do that. Of course, dd will be taking this the same year she does Algebra 2 with Trig, so that has influenced our decision in part.

Edited by Karin
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Guest Barb B

Coopers5:

I haven't done this text yet (will be doing it this year), but with saxon advanced math (and the rest of math), as well as saxon physics - we do a little of both self study and Mom "taught". I guess I am more like a mentor, supervisor and co-learner rather then teacher! It does work though. A typical day will entail ds and I meeting to grade the previous days work together (and him redoing what was wrong). For Giancoli's physics I will probably have him read the next section alone (for advanced math and saxon physics we read the lesson together) then he will do the assigned problems with that section. The deal is - At night I do the lessons too. Crazy I know, but it works. He sees how I do it, we can talk about the difficult problems. . . The most time consuming part for me is me reading and doing the problems myself at nigh. The rest doesn't take too much time for us to do together. And the rest of the kids work independantly and help each other while ds and I meet.

 

Kathy, the quizes online do seem like enough. I do have the test file and think if DS takes SAT II physics they might be helpful to review. As far as daily problems - I like how the text uses roman numbers I -III to denote difficulty! It was suggested in the intro to use III only as extra credit - so I can pick a variety of I and II problems each day. I also like how the questions are labeled to correspond to each reading sections - that makes planning each day's reading and problem's much easier!

 

Karin: sounds like a good plan. My ds did saxon physics last year and is doing Giancoli's this year - I will probably call it honors physics or something.

 

 

Barb

Edited by Barb B
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Ok, so, I'm going through the posts, here - have your kids, then, taken the subject test for physics after using this text?

 

If you don't mind my asking - how well-prepared did they feel, if so? And/or, I guess, how well did they do? (I'm not asking for scores, just a ballpark idea, or clue, of course.)

 

Thanks for your patience.

 

Jo

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Guest Barb B

Kathy, That is encouraging. DS took SAT physics after Saxon physics. He did prep alot with prep books so he knew that the problems were more conceptual - even so, after a year of Saxon he was very comfortable with the math part of physics but the type of questions on the test still gave him trouble. He didn't do well. As I look through this text, it does seem like a better preparation for the SAT physics.

 

Not to hi jack this thread but - Kathy, what other prep books did your kids use to prepare for the SAT physics and for how long before the test date?

 

Barb

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Barb,

 

Our prep books were Barrons (OK) and REA (not so hot). Dd just took this last month and didn't start prepping till mid-May for the June test. She reviewed topics from Giancoli, tried any problems in REA that corresponded to the topic of the day, and finally took practice tests from the Barrons book. Just before the test date she took the practice physics exam in the Real SAT Subject test book.

 

~Kathy

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Well, my ds used this text for a full year of physics. He followed it up with the SAT subject test that May and scored 800. My dd used the text as a fill-in-the-gaps text after completing AP Physics C this year so that she could take the SAT test (she had the same score).

 

 

"this text" being Giancoli?

 

Your dd used Giancoli after AP Physics C? For some reason, I had thought Giancoli was an AP Physics B text (as in, before AP Physics C). What did she use for AP Physics C, and what gaps needed filling in for the subject test? (Did she take the AP test too?)

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Yes, I meant Giancoli. My dd studied calc-based physics as her first physics class this year and took the Physics C AP exams in May. Although it is a higher-level physics, it covers only mechanics and electricity & magnetism (albeit in depth!). She used the Halliday, Resnick and Walker text, which is wonderful. Then she wanted to take the SAT II in physics in June, which includes topics such as nuclear physics, light & optics, thermodynamics, etc. While she could have studied the additional topics from the Resnick text, it was more direct and efficient to use the Giancoli book (which we already had on the shelf) to fill in these gaps when she only had a few weeks to do so:001_smile:.

 

~Kathy

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Thanks for clarifying that. Was your dd happy with the Halliday text or did she wish she had used Giancoli the whole year?

 

Oh yes, Halliday is wonderful for calc-based physics! It's just that Giancoli is much more aligned with the Subject exam, and it was more efficient to use it for that purpose. My daughter enjoyed both books.

 

~Kathy

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I do like Apologia that we've used before in other subjects - I was wondering, as I am gathering information here, have you used the physics of theirs before, or will you be using it coming up for the first time?

And if you've used it before w/a child, did that child take the physics subject test afterward?

I'm just gathering info and working on a decision here......

Thanks!

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I do like Apologia that we've used before in other subjects - I was wondering, as I am gathering information here, have you used the physics of theirs before, or will you be using it coming up for the first time?

And if you've used it before w/a child, did that child take the physics subject test afterward?

I'm just gathering info and working on a decision here......

Thanks!

hi,

we started apologia physics about 1 month ago. this is the first time. my son is 3/4 way through apologia biology. that is the only other apologia that we have done previously.

Not sure exactly what you mean by the physics subject test. we are doing all the tests in the physics book. I am in Australia and don't have a STAT test or anything. we are planing to do Apologia advanced physics after finishing this book, as my son is really keen on physics and Has a burning desire to be an engineer.

sorry, I am not really much help.

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Guest Barb B

Melissa, Sorry about the confusion. We are taking about the SAT tests given by college board (collegeboard.com). They give SAT I tests which most colleges here use for admission purposes. They also give SAT Subject tests in various subjects that a few colleges require or reccommend. I do know that their web site refers to dates the test is given in other countries, but I don't know much more then that.

 

Barb

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Could someone clarify:

What if you're using an edition which is not the current one? Will the publisher's website still be available/applicable to you?

Also, questions or problems in the text - where are answers for these? Are they in the back of the text or is there a teacher book or answer key of some kind?

Thanks for your help; I really need to find out all of this because this text is quite expensive and I want to be sure of what I am getting into.

 

Thanks!

Jo

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Guest Barb B

I found there were some solution manuals on the internet when I searched. I also searched and looked through some syllabus's of classes at high schools and colleges for a list of which problems to do (not realistic to do all!). I think if you buy the text through the publisher, you can have access to thier site which has teacher resources including solutions to text problems. They don't give out access unless you buy it through them I think?

 

Barb

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and may change EVERYthing for me.....if I can't buy the book from some other source, I'll have to drop this idea.....

Ugh.

Oh well. Just too much money for my budget.

 

Well, if nothing else, maybe this resource (in some "used" form) will be a nice "extra read" for my daughter as she prepares fully to take the subject test in physics......

Thanks ALL for your time and attention!

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Guest Barb B

Maybe you can find a used solution manual on the internet. Also, you can call the publisher and ask about obtaining permission for the teacher web site. You never know until you ask.

 

Barb

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