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Physics - algebra or calculus based?


Kassia
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My dd is a rising senior doing dual enrollment full time.  She is taking physics in the fall and is torn between algebra-based and calculus-based.  For her current college/career path she does not need calculus-based physics but there's a tiny possibility that she'll add a double major in computer science and then would need the engineering physics.  

She is comfortable with calculus so the math isn't a problem.  She doesn't particularly like science. 

The engineering physics works much better for her schedule than the general physics but she's concerned that the engineering physics will be a much harder class than the general physics class.  She asked the professor, who teaches both classes, for a syllabus for each class but he just told her that both classes cover the same content and just use different math for the problems. 

So, my question is whether the engineering physics would be a tougher class for her in terms of the content than the general physics if math isn't an issue for her.  Taking the engineering physics would save her two hours of driving a week but she doesn't want to take it if it's a much harder class.  

@regentrude I was hoping you might be able to help?  

 

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personally, I found calculus based physics easier to understand.   I took alg-based physics in HS and calc (engineering) physics in college.  The latter just seemed so much more clear.  mechanics without at least basic calculus just seems.....weird.

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3 hours ago, AEC said:

personally, I found calculus based physics easier to understand.   I took alg-based physics in HS and calc (engineering) physics in college.  The latter just seemed so much more clear.  mechanics without at least basic calculus just seems.....weird.

 

Thank you!  This is what I keep reading - that the calculus based is actually easier if the math isn't an issue.  

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it kinda makes sense - math, generally, is invented because the individual is lacking a way to solve a problem or express a thought. Newton pioneered calculus and mechanics because he needed the math to express systematically the physics.

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We faced this exact question last year. Oh my. It was only agonizing. DD was a senior applying to top tier engineering schools.  After much debate, DD chose the algebra based physics. We felt it was the right choice for a number of reasons... (And "we" was her making the decision with our adding ideas... At the point of the decision she was making all the calls about her academic career...)

1. She'd be taking calculus 1 concurrently and we felt it would be better to have the math before the calculus physics class. 

2. If she took physics 1 (and wanted credit for it), she'd be about 2 years away from physics 2 (she wasn't continuing to dual enroll in the spring). With that we would have encouraged her to retake physics 1 later anyway, so there wasn't a hugely compelling reason to take the class now. 

3. We felt seeing theory and concepts would be a good base before calculus based physics. 

4. On a certain level, we felt there wasn't a need to make EVERY class the hardest possible she could take this making high school college. Yes, "strength of schedule" and all that can be tough to balance as a homeschool student looking at top tier schools. She wanted to be challenged, and we felt college physics with the lab was decidedly more challenging than high school physics (or AP due to the speed of instruction). In the end she felt that saving some harder courses would not be unreasonable. 

So, there was our reasoning. In the end, she liked the class though it was easy for her. She did get in the top tier school and she excited about it and I think the DE was a fabulous transition. Feel free to PM any questions.

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On 6/4/2019 at 9:02 AM, Kassia said:

  She asked the professor, who teaches both classes, for a syllabus for each class but he just told her that both classes cover the same content and just use different math for the problems. 

 

Calculus based physics was easier for both my kids to score well. However, my kids took AP Physics C and not DE. Both my kids took the sat physics subject test as well as they may apply to engineering school.

Syllabus can usually be found online for a particular college even if it’s not the same lecturer’s syllabus.

e.g. 

ASU phy101 (algebra based) http://www.public.asu.edu/~gbadams/f18/101/syllabus.pdf

ASU phy121 (calculus based) http://www.public.asu.edu/~gbadams/spr18/syllabus.pdf

Both courses linked have the same lecturer but the textbooks used are different and can usually be found at Half Price Bookstore. 

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When faced with decisions like this, I put a lot of weight on what provides the most choices going forward.  She won't find the calculus based course much harder than algebra based physics since she is already comfortable with calculus and it leaves more doors open in the future if she decides to pursue something that requires the higher level course.  The better schedule is just icing on the cake!

Both of my DD's took calculus based physics concurrently with calculus. I thought it odd but it was at two different schools so I guess it isn't uncommon. It did cause some angst because they ran into math in the physics course that they hadn't yet reached in the math course.  Both managed it just fine with a little extra study and judicial use of office hours/tutoring center.

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Interesting to read everybody’s take. My daughter is interested in Physics. The way her school has it all set up is that she would take the two trimesters of AP Physics 1, and the first trimester of AP Physics C Mechanics during her Junior year; then the remaining trimester of AP Physics C Mechanics, and the two trimesters of AP Physics C A & M during her Senior year. Her math courses would be AP Calc AB Junior year and AP Calc BC Senior year. I am not sure why exactly it is set up this way. Maybe to give more students the opportunity to take at least one AP Physics exam but still let more interested students take all AP Physics C exams?

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Frankly I would look also at the professor and go from there.

At the small community college mine attended, mine took algebra-based. Both professors that they had were superb. The calculus-based professor just wasn't very good at all. 

Mine aren't STEM majors but still talk about that class. They loved it.

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