Gratia271 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I am wondering when would be the best time for my daughter to take this exam. She will complete Giancoli by end of summer and then take AP Physics her junior year. There will be a one-year gap between Giancoli and AP Physics, as she is taking AP Chem this fall for her sophomore year. Is it more advisable for her to take it after Giancoli or after Physics C? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 My son is taking AP Physics B this year (using the Giancoli book) and will be taking the SAT II Physics exam tomorrow. She should be able to take it in the fall after finishing the Giancoli book. You can can a book of SAT II subject tests so she can practice before she takes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Physics Exam: ready.... set.... just started. My dd#2 is taking this exam today, too. She didn't do very much extra prep above and beyond the PA Homeschoolers PhysicsB class ... she ran through a couple of practice tests and figured out where the holes were and then studied a few extra formulas. DD#1 did the same and scored in the very high 700s, so it seems like the Giancoli is adequate prep. I would not skip the test prep part - just to get used to the style and nature of the questions likely to appear on the test. If you are sure your dd will take physics 2x, you could always have her prep and take the test after the first go around to get it out of the way. If she is dissatisfied with the results she could take it again after her second go around with the physics concepts.... (Although, I *think* PhysC has calc, which isn't on the subject test....anyone have an opinion on that?) ETA: 10:13am.... just got back and dd#2 thinks the exam went well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 If you are sure your dd will take physics 2x, you could always have her prep and take the test after the first go around to get it out of the way. If she is dissatisfied with the results she could take it again after her second go around with the physics concepts.... (Although, I *think* PhysC has calc, which isn't on the subject test....anyone have an opinion on that?) The old AP Physics B syllabus and the Physics SAT II topics are more similar in content than the Physics C courses and the SAT II. I agree with Jen, and would take the SAT II now. Calculus is definitely not needed for the Physics SAT II, and a calculator is not permitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted May 3, 2014 Author Share Posted May 3, 2014 Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Yep to all the above advice! Giancoli physics is well-aligned with the SAT 2, more so than AP physics C texts. Ds took the physics subject test in June after working through Giancoli & did super well. Dd jumped right into Physics C without algebra-based physics first. She decided to take the physics subject test in June & did equally well, but she first had to spend a lot of time between May's AP exam and June's SAT 2 filling in the gaps (waves, light & optics, etc) from Giancoli. AP Physics C only covers mechanics & electricity/magnetism, albeit at a higher calc-based level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in NY Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Totally off topic but OMGoodness Kathy.... I didn't realize your daughter is graduating this year! Congrats to both of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Totally off topic but OMGoodness Kathy.... I didn't realize your daughter is graduating this year! Congrats to both of you! Thanks, and yep, graduation is next month already! Jen, you'll see just how fast these college years will fly by :-) I still can't believe it when I see dd listed as an AoPS instructor. It was just yesterday that I signed her up for their intro classes, right?! Also off-topic: I love seeing your photo! (Note to self to get around to putting up a new one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattarrattat Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Dd jumped right into Physics C without algebra-based physics first. She decided to take the physics subject test in June & did equally well, but she first had to spend a lot of time between May's AP exam and June's SAT 2 filling in the gaps (waves, light & optics, etc) from Giancoli. AP Physics C only covers mechanics & electricity/magnetism, albeit at a higher calc-based level. Kathy, Was calculus-based Physics your DD's first physics course? Had she had other physics background before taking C? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Kathy, Was calculus-based Physics your DD's first physics course? Had she had other physics background before taking C? Thanks! Hi Tattarrattat, Yes, calc-based physics was dd's first course in physics. Other than a brief exposure during junior high physical science, it was new material for her. She had already finished Calc BC the previous year, though, so that made for smoother sailing. Dd used the Resnick, Halliday, and Krane textbooks in Physics C, studying with me at home. In case you're interested, I wrote up the details of what we did in an older thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattarrattat Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Kathy, thanks so much for the clarification and the link:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Ds took the test this morning and felt the Giancoli book used with his AP Physics class prepared him well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 FWIW, my daughter took the SAT physics test as a freshman last year after completing the Apologia physics course and Derek Owens precalc course. She did fine, scored a 730. Seems to me that a good time to take it is when the physics is fresh :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.