Online AP Physics 1/2 Classes?

[BlessedMomto3]

Does anyone have any online class recommendations for AP Physics 1/2?  We are looking for something rigorous and challenging!  Right now I’m looking at the PA Homeschoolers class, and I don’t see many reviews for physics?  Anyone have any recs?

[8filltheheart]

What is the purpose behind taking alg-based physics as AP? Just a heads up that if the student is planning on a STEM field that alg-based physics does not qualify as course credit.  Any good alg-based physics is an equally valid option.

[Farrar]

The point is that it looks good for colleges and is hardly a nothing course, even if the student is going to have to go farther if they're interested in most STEM fields. It's typically more challenging than other algebra based physics courses. Students have to start somewhere. And for students not going into fields with physics requirements, AP Physics 1/2 actually is accepted for credit to cover a gen ed science requirement at many schools. 

The PAH course is good. I've had students find it to be pretty overwhelming though. There are reviews of it on this board, but you may need to dig to find them. The teacher is Jack Kernion, so try searching his name.

[freesia]

1 minute ago, Farrar said:

The point is that it looks good for colleges and is hardly a nothing course, even if the student is going to have to go farther if they're interested in most STEM fields. It's typically more challenging than other algebra based physics courses. Students have to start somewhere. And for students not going into fields with physics requirements, AP Physics 1/2 actually is accepted for credit to cover a gen ed science requirement at many schools. 

The PAH course is good. I've had students find it to be pretty overwhelming though. There are reviews of it on this board, but you may need to dig to find them. The teacher is Jack Kernion, so try searching his name.

I agree. And even if the dc is going into STEM, if they won’t have Calculus until senior year, the algebra based class is an option to signal rigor. 

[8filltheheart]

16 minutes ago, Farrar said:

The point is that it looks good for colleges and is hardly a nothing course, even if the student is going to have to go farther if they're interested in most STEM fields. It's typically more challenging than other algebra based physics courses. Students have to start somewhere. And for students not going into fields with physics requirements, AP Physics 1/2 actually is accepted for credit to cover a gen ed science requirement at many schools. 

The PAH course is good. I've had students find it to be pretty overwhelming though. There are reviews of it on this board, but you may need to dig to find them. The teacher is Jack Kernion, so try searching his name.

More details would allow for a better answer.  There is no background information provided on grade level, math level, major goals, or colleges.  It could very well be that an AP alg course is the best fit option. It could be that there are plans for cal-based physics sr yr and then alg-based physics as AP is moot.  

FWIW, not all schools are going to see AP physics 1&2 and give it any more weight for admissions than any other standard physics course.   There isn't a single universal answer to that question, either.  I have a college sophomore who is a STEM major who didn't need any AP science courses to be accepted into the honors college with scholarship. 

[Farrar]

I agree that more details would allow for a better answer here. But I dislike the whole idea that one shouldn't do AP just because it's AP, which is something that leaks into comments on these boards pretty regularly. I also don't like the stranglehold the CB has on education. And I also think people default to AP when they really shouldn't. But, practically speaking, if you want an outside course, it's where the better courses are in some cases. Most algebra based physics courses (like the Derek Owens course, the Clover Creek one...) are taking a strong physics first approach. They're not light exactly, but they're not geared toward kids who are further in the math sequence and interested in a challenge. My only point is just to say, AP Physics 1/2 is not pointless. And usually is more challenging than a basic algebra-based physics course. Which one is right will depend on the student. But since the OP asked for AP, I figured they knew their goals.

[Porridge]

7 hours ago, BlessedMomto3 said:

Does anyone have any online class recommendations for AP Physics 1/2?  We are looking for something rigorous and challenging!  Right now I’m looking at the PA Homeschoolers class, and I don’t see many reviews for physics?  Anyone have any recs?

Jack Kernion was my AP Physics teacher a gazillion years ago and he is an excellent teacher. Of course, I had him in-person in a brick and mortar high school. So I don't know how the online experience is. But I do know he's an excellent teacher who knows his stuff, explains things clearly, and cares about students.

[BlessedMomto3]

Thank you all for the input!!  To give more details - this is for a younger (rising 8th grade) student who has completed through geometry in aops - very strong in math but we haven’t gotten to calculus yet.  He wants to take physics next year, and we have worked through conceptual physics before, but I’d like to (1) have an outside teacher bc it’s not my strength and (2) dip our toes into the ap class situation.  He will definitely take the ap physics calc based in the future, but maybe not until he’s completed calculus (as I’ve seen recommended here).

it sounds like ap pa homeschoolers is a liked course!   Thank you all!

[Farrar]

Huh. Well, with that in mind... I would reconsider and think about starting with a slightly gentler course. AP Physics 1/2 at PAH is definitely not a "dip your toes in" AP.

[freesia]

And it sounds like he will have plenty of time to do calculus based physics. This wouldn’t even count on his transcript. Also, the test itself isn’t that easy and good students test low.   I’d look at Jetta’s class. I hear it’s wonderful.

[8filltheheart]

Well, my answer remains the same.  A solid alg-based physics course does not need to be AP. 🙂   I agree that I wouldn't have him take it.  

I have a ds who sounds similar to your ds.  He took AoPS intermediate alg and his first physics class in 8th grade.  He absolutely fell in love with physics then and it became his first interest above math.  He ended up graduating high school with multiple advanced physics classes that he took DE at a local 4 yr U.    My recommendation would be to look at DO's honors physics.  I believe it is a solid alg-based physics course that prepares students for an easy transition to cal physics. My ds didn't use his course, but if he were one of my younger kids, it is the course I would have him take.

FWIW, AP chem and cal BC were his only AP courses. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by 8filltheheart

[kokotg]

My son did the Jack Kernion self-paced Physics 1 last year, and had a pretty good experience with it (https://physics-prep.com). My understanding is that it's the same material as PAH, but much cheaper without the live component/grading/etc. He only did Physics 1, not 1/2 in the same year, which made for a much more relaxed pace. He did it pretty much entirely on his own, although his calc teacher dad was available for any math help he needed, which happened occasionally but not often (he was taking Calc AB concurrently). While some places, like PAH, combine Physics 1/2 in one year, the college board calls Physics 1 a full year course and many schools teach it that way. 

[freesia]

57 minutes ago, kokotg said:

My son did the Jack Kernion self-paced Physics 1 last year, and had a pretty good experience with it (https://physics-prep.com). My understanding is that it's the same material as PAH, but much cheaper without the live component/grading/etc. He only did Physics 1, not 1/2 in the same year, which made for a much more relaxed pace. He did it pretty much entirely on his own, although his calc teacher dad was available for any math help he needed, which happened occasionally but not often (he was taking Calc AB concurrently). While some places, like PAH, combine Physics 1/2 in one year, the college board calls Physics 1 a full year course and many schools teach it that way. 

That's good to hear.  I am thinking of having ds take Physics 2 that way next year through the self-paced option.  Both my sons have done Physics 1 as a full year course (but not through physics-prep.)

[Roadrunner]

2 hours ago, kokotg said:

My son did the Jack Kernion self-paced Physics 1 last year, and had a pretty good experience with it (https://physics-prep.com). My understanding is that it's the same material as PAH, but much cheaper without the live component/grading/etc. He only did Physics 1, not 1/2 in the same year, which made for a much more relaxed pace. He did it pretty much entirely on his own, although his calc teacher dad was available for any math help he needed, which happened occasionally but not often (he was taking Calc AB concurrently). While some places, like PAH, combine Physics 1/2 in one year, the college board calls Physics 1 a full year course and many schools teach it that way. 

Does it have built in test prep? How does one grade FRQs without a teacher? Is there MCQ practice? 
He also says on the website that his materials aren’t enough and need to be supplemented with a textbook and problems. If so does he at least outline what textbook and which problems for each units?

if I were going to use his self paced one, those would be the questions I would like answered. However if taking an exam isn’t the goal, then maybe what he has on that site is more than enough. 

[kokotg]

10 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

Does it have built in test prep? How does one grade FRQs without a teacher? Is there MCQ practice? 
He also says on the website that his materials aren’t enough and need to be supplemented with a textbook and problems. If so does he at least outline what textbook and which problems for each units?

if I were going to use his self paced one, those would be the questions I would like answered. However if taking an exam isn’t the goal, then maybe what he has on that site is more than enough. 

Honestly, he didn't supplement with a textbook or extra problems, and he got a 4 on the exam, so it worked out fine (I believe there is a specific free textbook recommended, though, with extra problems). It was a last minute substitution for us; the original plan was that he'd take a DE science class in 11th grade and then DE physics senior year, but covid thwarted that plan. So then he did the physics-prep course with the idea that if wasn't successful and he bombed the exam he could still do DE physics senior year. But with the motivator that if he DID do well on the exam, he could go lighter on senior year science (which is what he's doing--a course on the science of music that we put together). If he were planning on a STEM major we would have gone a different route, but this worked for our purposes--which was, basically, to get physics done and also show he could handle a higher level science class. 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by kokotg

[regentrude]

19 hours ago, BlessedMomto3 said:

Thank you all for the input!!  To give more details - this is for a younger (rising 8th grade) student who has completed through geometry in aops - very strong in math but we haven’t gotten to calculus yet.  He wants to take physics next year, and we have worked through conceptual physics before, but I’d like to (1) have an outside teacher bc it’s not my strength and (2) dip our toes into the ap class situation.  He will definitely take the ap physics calc based in the future, but maybe not until he’s completed calculus (as I’ve seen recommended here).

I would recommend rethinking that plan to take AP Physics 1&2 if he had already conceptual physics and will be taking calc based AP. It covers the same material, just with a different level of math. Three runs through kinematics and Newton's Laws are unnecessarily boring, considering there is such a wide world of science out there.

FWIW, I am a physics professor and have been teaching algebra and calculus based physics for 20 years - so I understand the importance of physics. But I question the point in making a kid cover the same content three times. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by regentrude

[8filltheheart]

13 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I would recommend rethinking that plan to take AP Physics 1&2 if he had already conceptual physics and will be taking calc based AP. It covers the same material, just with a different level of math. Three runs through kinematics and Newton's Laws are unnecessarily boring, considering there is such a wide world of science out there.

FWIW, I am a physics professor and have been teaching algebra and calculus based physics for 20 years - so I understand the importance of physics. But I question the point in making a kid cover the same content three times. 

Agreed.  I didn't really think about it in terms of him already having completed a conceptual physics course. I also don't believe that gifted kids need to spend 2 yrs covering alg-based physics the way that AP physics is currently designed.  That would be even more mind-numbingly boring.  

OP, there are tons of interesting physics topics they can study outside of a standard physics course.  My ds took 2 yrs of astronomy plus self-designed a black hole/time warp course.  He has stacks of notebooks full of thought experiments that he designed during high school as he worked his way through different ideas.

[regentrude]

Just now, 8filltheheart said:

Agreed.  I didn't really think about it in terms of him already having completed a conceptual physics course. I also don't believe that gifted kids need to spend 2 yrs covering alg-based physics the way that AP physics is currently designed.  That would be even more mind-numbingly boring.  

OP, there are tons of interesting physics topics they can study outside of a standard physics course.  My ds took 2 yrs of astronomy plus self-designed a black hole/time warp course.  He has stacks of notebooks full of thought experiments that he designed during high school as he worked his way through different ideas.

This. Astronomy is a great field to study, there are tons of resources, even at conceptual level. (It's a shame astro isn't a standard part of the highschool science curriculum).  Another fascinating field is particle physics. Those are topics that excite young people (none of my incoming freshmen ever said they chose physics because they were excited about condensed matter physics - it's either particles or astrophysics.

[JennyD]

For what it's worth, my oldest DS did AP Physics 1 and 2 at home in 9th grade.  We used the Knight text, regentrude's syllabus (which is available somewhere on this site) and a lab kit the brand of which currently escapes me.   (DH did modify the syllabus somewhat to select more difficult problems.)   I did AP Course Audit so we could list the class as AP on the transcript.  DH has the relevant qualifications and was willing to supervise DS, but we probably could have done it with a tutor.  We used Barrons and Princeton Review books for test prep, and DS got a 5 on the AP Physics 1 exam.  More importantly, he really enjoyed the class and learned a lot.  He is looking forward to doing calculus-based physics his senior year; we will probably do that at home as well.

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by JennyD