lisabees Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 So, I'm not sure what to do for next year. DS will be an 8th grader. He is a bright, motivated student who is interested in being a physicist. He is currently on Chapter 16 in AoPS Intro to Algebra and will continue through the summer. I am looking for an algebra-based physics text. I am familiar with the options, thanks to other threads. Can someone explain the differences between the Giancoli and Knight texts? What kind of kid would prefer one over the other? Which would I prefer? I need lots of support. He will be doing much of this on his own. Because of 8's recent suggestion, we will do a 30-day trial of Kinetic Books physics as well to see if it's a good fit. Would next spring be a good time to do AP Physics B and SAT Physics? I know there will be changes to this AP course the following year (and I'm not sure if they're welcomed changes or not). In addition, would it be too much to add another science elective? I would leave this up to him. He has a lot of specific interests and enjoys self-directed learning. He finds much joy in this. I am a bit torn, since it is only 8th grade. But - he insists on challenging himself. He loves science and would do it all day, if he could. I could just let him loose with books and the computer and he would run with it. But, I also realize that he needs plenty of documentation and science classes for future opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 tagging a question on this.. how long are AP and SAT subject test scores valid for most colleges? I know I see things on admissions pages about SAT/ACT within 3 years. and CLEP claims 20 years or something.. in light of LIsa's situation, I'm curious on SAT subject and AP scores... do those "expire?" or anything? I can find info that they are archived after 4 years. just curious.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 tagging a question on this.. how long are AP and SAT subject test scores valid for most colleges? I know I see things on admissions pages about SAT/ACT within 3 years. and CLEP claims 20 years or something.. in light of LIsa's situation, I'm curious on SAT subject and AP scores... do those "expire?" or anything? I can find info that they are archived after 4 years. just curious.... If your child takes an SAT II Subject Test prior to 9th grade, you need to write the College Board and request that the score be retained. Otherwise, the score will be purged. Carnegie Mellon is the only college I have found that requires Subject Tests to have been taken in Junior or Senior year of high school. I am not sure what the policy is for AP scores. My son took the AP Physics B exam in 8th grade, but none of the schools on his list award credit for this AP, so I never checked into the policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I am nor familiar with the algebra based Giancoli text (but I know his calc based one); I use Knight. Honestly, all those intro texts are pretty much the same, the differences are rather small. If your son is interested in majoring in physics, I would skip the AP Physics B test because he will not get any college credit for it anyway; he will have to take calculus based physics. So, I'd take only the SAT for outside validation/ to fulfill the requirements of some schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Our plan next year is for dd, as an eighth grader, to take algebra-based physics with the AP exam and the SAT physics. She may take only one of those, however. She is a motivated, advanced student in math and science. The Giancoli and Knight texts are basically the same. I was able to get both from the library to compare. I chose Giancoli for these reasons: --I found a like-new Giancoli text for a very good price used on Amazon. --I found more websites for high-school teachers using Giancoli (I found more college profs using Knight). I'll use those websites as guides for problems to assign, good demos and simulations, and examples of labs. --The sixth edition of the textbook (the one w snowy mountains) has a free companion website. Dd most likely will be majoring in math or science in college, so will almost certainly be taking AP Physics C in high school. I know AP Physics B won't count for college credit. I want her to have external validation for competitive summer programs, should she decide to go that route in the future. I think I'm going to go through the process to have the College Board approve my syllabus. That way I'll have access to teacher discussions and resources, including another free Physics B exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 My ds loves physics, and he will also be studying it next year in 8th using either Knight or Giancoloi. Because I know he will want to complete the entire textbook (most AP courses leave out a few topics to squeeze it into one year) and because he is young, I will give him 2 years so he does not have to rush. Because I think this will be a 1.5 year course spread out over 2 years, I will be including a 1/2 class in biochemistry (his choice) to run concurrently. He will take the NZ physics exam at the end of 2 years, having covered much more than will be on the exam. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Lots of food for thought. Ruth and Luckymama, I'm glad to know I won't be alone next year. Luckymama, thanks for the details on why you chose Giancoli. Snowbelt, thanks for the reminder that College Board will purge scores. Interesting that Carnegie Mellon requires that Subject Tests be taken during junior/senior years. We are not interested in taking the AP class for credit. It is more for validation and summer opportunities. Fortunately, we can see how the year goes before deciding. I checked out Kinetic Books. DS would like to try it, but there is no solutions manual. Hmmm... Regentrude and other physicists, you'll be on-call for us next year, right? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I checked out Kinetic Books. DS would like to try it, but there is no solutions manual. Hmmm... You can get the solutions manual through Kolbe Academy if enrolled. Single course enrollment fee is $45. http://www.kolbe.org...rse-Enrollment/ (Here is where it discusses the availability of the SM http://www.kolbe.org/documents/science/Physics11thGradeSample.pdf ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Pretty much all solution manuals for all the standard textbooks are now available through cheating websites like Chegg (formerly cramster). They require a fee for a subscription. As much as I regret the existence of these sites: maybe they are useful to you. (and it's not as if I can make them go away if I just don't tell you about it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 You can get the solutions manual through Kolbe Academy if enrolled. Single course enrollment fee is $45. http://www.kolbe.org...rse-Enrollment/ (Here is where it discusses the availability of the SM http://www.kolbe.org...GradeSample.pdf ) Ahh - great news. Thank you. Pretty much all solution manuals for all the standard textbooks are now available through cheating websites like Chegg (formerly cramster). They require a fee for a subscription. As much as I regret the existence of these sites: maybe they are useful to you. (and it's not as if I can make them go away if I just don't tell you about it) This is good to know, regentrude. Thank you. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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