2nd year Physics?

[jhschool]

DS has done Abeka Physics (which is Algebra-based) with DH. They had a lot of fun

(although the text was not very exciting). They also prepared for AP

and SAT II test (we'll see what the scores end up being!)

 

 

They will have finished

the whole textbook by mid-June and will have done all the problems,

so I will award 1 credit on the transcript and call it: Physics (Algebra-based)

 

DS would like to continue doing Physics with DH. DS has not

taken Calculus yet (probably will his Junior year, which will be in

two more years.)

 

What curriculum / textbook / materials could they use to do a 2nd year Physics that might

count as Intermediate Physics or something?

 

DS is planning on taking Calculus-Based Physics his Senior year, and we will probably

call that either Advanced Physics or Physics (Calculus-Based).

 

He will also have Chemistry, and Biology by the end of high school, so a 2nd year Physics class

won't get in the way of those classes.

 

What Second Year Physics Course could he do next year that would be

Algebra-based but above the level

of a First Year Physics course? Harder problems? (where?) Other topics? (which?)

 

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[AngieW in Texas]

The level right below calculus-based is AP Physics B. Giancoli's Physics: Principles with Applications is a good text for that.

 

I have never seen Abeka Physics, but if that prepared your ds well for the AP Physics B test, then he has already taken that level of physics. I don't really know what to recommend as a bridge between this and calculus-based physics.

[regentrude]

If your son has completed an algebra based physics course and plans a calculus based physics course senior year,, I would strongly recommend not to beat the horse to death and not to cover mechanics and electromagnetism once more - but to do something different. Spend a semester or even a year on studying Modern Physics in more depth (this typically gets short changed), or include a semester of astronomy and cosmology. Nonlinear physics and chaos is a cool topic, too, and some things can be done without calculus.

As much as I love physics (after all, I teach it for a living), I see little benefit in spending three years going over the same material, just at different levels with harder problems, when there is so much other science out there. Even so much other physics.

[StephanieZ]

Maybe you can convince him to consider Astronomy? Or some kind of engineering course?

[jhschool]

Thank you, everyone! I looked up several Astronomy books.

Next fall he will go through the Schaum's Outline Astronomy. It seems

to have a lot of problems similar to what he learned

in Algebra-based Physics this year, but with super-cool applications!

(We will probably not count

it as a separate course, unless he takes more Astronomy later.)

Thank you again!

[elegantlion]

Another few options, I have zero experience in these as I'm still planning our year.

 

21st century physics - According to the site, the units are self-contained. You could pick what you want to study

 

MIT Open Course classes

Excitatory Topics in Physics & The Big Questions

 

Upcoming fall Coursera class From the Big Bang to Dark Energy

 

Open Yale course of "Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics"

[jhschool]

Thank you Elegant Lion!

These look great!