Dual Enrollment Physics - without prior physics?

[ktgrok]

As I said in another thread, my teen aspie and I are at the point where he needs to be dong schoolwork for someone else. We have constant battles for pretty much no reason at all, other than he likes to argue with me and push back and although I've gotten pretty good at handing him after 16 years, it is effecting my younger children to have that kind of drama in the house. So we will be outsourcing most or all subjects as of next year (junior year). 

 

In good news, he's quite bright (was in gifted classes in public school/honors classes/etc). In bad news he's lazy and has poor time management. He also dislikes doing schoolwork ,in general. Anyway, he will most likely dual enroll for all subjects (other than Latin, which is an online class he likes, but normally he doesn't like online classes). My only real concern with this is Physics. He did a cobbled together Chemistry program at home with some extra co-op stuff but I'm not worried about that as he LOVES chemistry and is good at it naturally (didn't get that from me!). He is doing Biology now with Apologia, and after a rocky start (it isn't as easy for him as Chemistry and he had to actually learn to study, which was a first for him) he's getting an A. If we HAVE to we can do Physics at home next year with Apologia. (we are not young earth but the way Apologia is structured works very very well for him.) Or he could take Physics at the community college. They have a "for majors" course and a regular course. He'd obvious take the regular one. 

 

Would it be a disaster to take a dual enrollment physics course without previous physics? (it's algebra based not calc based). If so, I'll break the news that we will have one more course together at home. 

[AngieW in Texas]

As long as he does the algebra-based course and he is strong in math, he should be fine.

 

Math is what students have the most problem with in physics.

 

He needs to be especially strong in scientific notation, unit conversion, and manipulating equations to solve for different variables.

 

Crash Course is starting a physics series that is going to be AP Physics B level (college algebra-based physics).

That would work nicely as an intro for him, but they are just starting the series. They did their intro video just last week.

[Mike in SA]

It really depends on his mathematical maturity more than anything else.  Precalculus is not required for college physics, but it is recommendable due to the kind of content which overlaps the two.  At the very least, I'd expect a very high degree of comfort with material up to and including algebra 1, and decent grades in geometry and algebra 2. 

[ktgrok]

It really depends on his mathematical maturity more than anything else.  Precalculus is not required for college physics, but it is recommendable due to the kind of content which overlaps the two.  At the very least, I'd expect a very high degree of comfort with material up to and including algebra 1, and decent grades in geometry and algebra 2. 

He has gotten A's and B's easily 8 in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2, so that should be okay then. 

[regentrude]

An introductory physics course is designed to begin from the beginning and does not assume any prior knowledge. About 30% of my  students taking calculus based Engineering physics and most of my students in algebra based College Physics never had any physics in high school;

I much prefer students who did not have a bad high school physics course where they acquired bad habits they have to unlearn.

 

What is important is math. Algebra and beginning trig must be absolutely solid.

 

Edited March 5, 2016 by regentrude

[MarkT]

As long as he does the algebra-based course and he is strong in math, he should be fine.

 

Math is what students have the most problem with in physics.

 

He needs to be especially strong in scientific notation, unit conversion, and manipulating equations to solve for different variables.

 

Crash Course is starting a physics series that is going to be AP Physics B level (college algebra-based physics).

That would work nicely as an intro for him, but they are just starting the series. They did their intro video just last week.

Why Physics B which is obsolete?   

[Carol in Cal.]

I took physics for scientists and engineers (calculus, fast-paced) in college without ever having taken physics in high school.  It was difficult but doable.

I would have had a much easier time if I had been exposed to some of the concepts before hand, particularly in mechanics and electricity/magnetism.

I'm guessing that anyone with a good solid homeschooling general ed background would be more familiar with those than I was, but if not you might want to have him review 'Conceptual Physics' during the summer beforehand for an introduction to those concepts without having to engage in all the math.

 

Having said that, even if you don't do this he will probably be just fine if he's taking the non-major class.

[ktgrok]

I took physics for scientists and engineers (calculus, fast-paced) in college without ever having taken physics in high school.  It was difficult but doable.

I would have had a much easier time if I had been exposed to some of the concepts before hand, particularly in mechanics and electricity/magnetism.

I'm guessing that anyone with a good solid homeschooling general ed background would be more familiar with those than I was, but if not you might want to have him review 'Conceptual Physics' during the summer beforehand for an introduction to those concepts without having to engage in all the math.

 

Having said that, even if you don't do this he will probably be just fine if he's taking the non-major class.

He definitely does have a basic understanding of those concepts...he actually does soldering and such, so read up on such things, and we did NOEO back in the day which covered both. 

[AngieW in Texas]

Why Physics B which is obsolete?   

Sorry. It's called Physics 1 and Physics 2 now. I'm used to Physics B.