Physics at a local College: What should I be thinking?

[Candid]

Next year is Physics for us. I need a basic honors course does not have to be AP. I am looking at two online classes. I have not found anything we could do independently like we did this year.

 

I had a small brain storm about maybe having him take a semester of physics at a local college. Here's the deal where I am: First the community college system does not offer physics to high school students. But the town I live in has 5 colleges, two state universities and three LACs. So I am considering seeing if one of them would be willing to have him take the course with them this fall.

 

The advantages to this are:

• he performs in a standard classroom
  
• he gets the physics done by Christmas which is great since we do debate and baseball both of which are heavily in the early part of the next year
  
• he gets a true college credit on his transcript
  

 

This is my older, mature and independent child. He is doing AoPS pre-calculus this year with no trouble and the Chang General Chemistry course the Regentrude has posted, again with no problem. He has also held his own in his one online class with Lukeion in Latin I.

 

The disadvantages are:

• he is doing two other online classes next year Lukeion Latin II and probably Laurel Tree writing.
  
• physics in a semester!
  

 

What should be my concerns with this?

[Cinder]

Do any of those colleges have a dual enrollment program? My ds is taking physics at the local U. In full disclosure he attends a small private school and is dual enrolled at the U for calculus and physics (trig-based); he has 3 classes at his high school. His school doesn't offer physics except for an online option, and dh wanted ds to have a hands-on lab program. Ds had to take a math entrance exam, but I think this was just to take the calculus course since the physics is the trig-based course.

 

Taking physics at the U has worked very well for ds. The dual enrollment program had a big orientation day for the students so that made the transition a little easier. Ds did not feel overwhelmed with the course load. Taking college courses has helped ds learn to manage his study schedule since he really didn't have to study much for high school. Our only real issue is this semester's scheduling. His physics course is at 5:30 pm; last semester it was at 2:30. On lab days he's there from 2:00 - 6:45. The you have to add in travel time which adds in more time than you'd expect--35 mins driving, 5 mins to park, 10 mins to walk to class. But he drives himself so it hasn't been burdensome.

 

I hope something good works out for you!

[lmrich]

What grade is he?

[regentrude]

Look at the syllabus to find out what exactly the physics course entails. I am not aware of any college or university physics course that covers the entire introductory material, i.e. mechanics and electromagnetism, in a single semester. The courses are typically a two semester sequence (or sometimes three, if Modern is included). So, IMO he needs to plan on taking both semesters.

 

Is the course calculus or algebra based?

Is there a lab? I would strongly recommend making this a lab science and taking the lab component at the college as well, if it is a add on (some courses have a stand-alone lab component, others have the lab built in.)

 

My DD has taken a two semester algebra based college physics course in 9th grade and is currently finishing up a two semester calculus based Engineering Physics course in 11th. She loves it and is doing great.

[Candid]

What grade is he?

 

He'll be 11th.

[Candid]

Do any of those colleges have a dual enrollment program? My ds is taking physics at the local U. In full disclosure he attends a small private school and is dual enrolled at the U for calculus and physics (trig-based); he has 3 classes at his high school. His school doesn't offer physics except for an online option, and dh wanted ds to have a hands-on lab program. Ds had to take a math entrance exam, but I think this was just to take the calculus course since the physics is the trig-based course.

No, that is not available, but I would plan on getting their transcript. Our state has fairly draconian rules about the state schools and dual enrollment.

 

Taking physics at the U has worked very well for ds. The dual enrollment program had a big orientation day for the students so that made the transition a little easier. Ds did not feel overwhelmed with the course load. Taking college courses has helped ds learn to manage his study schedule since he really didn't have to study much for high school. Our only real issue is this semester's scheduling. His physics course is at 5:30 pm; last semester it was at 2:30. On lab days he's there from 2:00 - 6:45. The you have to add in travel time which adds in more time than you'd expect--35 mins driving, 5 mins to park, 10 mins to walk to class. But he drives himself so it hasn't been burdensome.

 

I hope something good works out for you!

 

Good to know especially the bolded part.

[Candid]

Look at the syllabus to find out what exactly the physics course entails. I am not aware of any college or university physics course that covers the entire introductory material, i.e. mechanics and electromagnetism, in a single semester. The courses are typically a two semester sequence (or sometimes three, if Modern is included). So, IMO he needs to plan on taking both semesters.

Exactly what I need to know. This kind of blows my save time in the spring semester idea.

 

I'll see if I can hunt down a syllabus to compare.

 

 

Is the course calculus or algebra based?

Is there a lab? I would strongly recommend making this a lab science and taking the lab component at the college as well, if it is a add on (some courses have a stand-alone lab component, others have the lab built in.)

Yes, I forgot, but I would make it a lab.

 

Let me ask a question on the calculus part. If he is taking calculus at the time of the course will he survive a physics class that is calculus based or would it be safer to go with algebra based?

 

 

My DD has taken a two semester algebra based college physics course in 9th grade and is currently finishing up a two semester calculus based Engineering Physics course in 11th. She loves it and is doing great.

 

 

This is good to know.

[regentrude]

Let me ask a question on the calculus part. If he is taking calculus at the time of the course will he survive a physics class that is calculus based or would it be safer to go with algebra based?

 

 

He needs to ask the instructor. Some courses have calculus as a co-requisite, others as a pre-requisite - it depends on the setup and the target audience.

In the calculus based physics course I teach, the student will need to be familiar with the concept of derivative and integration in the second class when we study kinematics. I let students enroll who had some calculus but did not complete the entire course; I do not let students enroll who are just beginning to take calculus for the first time.

But it is entirely possible to design a class where calculus is taught concurrently; you need to ask and find out.

[Handmaiden]

Have you checked out Derek Owens' honors physics course? It is a self-paced, algebra-based course. (Some trig is involved, but Derek covers it as needed. AoPS pre-calc covers it too.) My son took the course and thoroughly enjoyed it. He felt it prepped him well for taking upper level physics courses in the future.

[Sunshine State Sue]

We used Derek Owens for Physics in 9th grade. It is distance learning. The cost is per month and the student can work at his own pace, so it can be done as quickly or as slowly as you like. You can start and finish when you like as well. The math pre-requisite is Algebra 1 and he teaches what trig is needed. He has a regular and honors option. My son worked hard in it and earned a B in honors. It sounds like your son, older, more mature, more math, would find it very doable. You may read my review here.

[Teachin'Mine]

If he wants to take only one semester of physics, I'd suggest that he take one of calculus based physics after he's completed calculus I, but that would put it in his busier spring semester. As Regentrude mentioned, this will only be "half' of a physics course, but if he's going into anything with STEM, it's highly unlikely that he would get credit (possibly for an elective?) for the non-calculus physics courses offered at the college. I'd also check with an advisor at your local college about whether they'd give credit for both an algebra based physics and a calculus based physics as some colleges won't. Since he'll only be in 11th next year, he'd still have time in his senior year to take the "second half" of the calculus based physics. IMO I wouldn't suggest a calculus based physics with the calculus concurrent as the more comfortable the student is with calculus, the more they can focus on the physics.

[Teachin'Mine]

If he wants to take only one semester of physics, I'd suggest that he take one of calculus based physics after he's completed calculus I, but that would put it in his busier spring semester. As Regentrude mentioned, this will only be "half' of a physics course, but if he's going into anything with STEM, it's highly unlikely that he would get credit (possibly for an elective?) for the non-calculus physics courses offered at the college. I'd also check with an advisor at your local college about whether they'd give credit for both an algebra based physics and a calculus based physics as some colleges won't. Since he'll only be in 11th next year, he'd still have time in his senior year to take the "second half" of the calculus based physics. IMO I wouldn't suggest a calculus based physics with the calculus concurrent as the more comfortable the student is with calculus, the more they can focus on the physics.