AP Physics C: Mechanics (Part 1)

So far this class has been one of the best classes I have taken in high school. I’ve learned lots about the history of physics and physics itself, not to mention numerous interesting tidbits about the physicists themselves (Newton especially). The problems are moderately challenging, and although I’ve taken Calculus 1 and 2, the application of the calculus concepts is more difficult than I anticipated. Not everything is as black and white as it was in BC Calc, and doing some calculations (like moment of inertia) have been rather annoying and frustrating.

But despite the challenges, the class itself is fantastic. The teacher teaches very well and he not only teaches the concepts, but the history behind it, as well as throwing in some fun jokes and facts. So far, we’ve covered vectors and kinematics, Newton’s Laws and their applications, work, energy, and momentum, and rotational dynamics. The first three sets of topics were easy enough; I’d just seen them in less detail and without calculus in the honors physics I’d taken over the summer at CTD. The last topic, rotational dynamics, was the hardest for me, probably due to the lack of homework and practice problems I completed. I can only hope that the last section, gravitation and simple harmonic motion, will be better.

The best part about this class is, in my opinion, is how much I want to be there, and the general atmosphere of the class. It seems strange to me, but unlike some of my other classes like English and Spanish, I actually want to be in the class. Maybe it’s the science, maybe it’s the teacher, maybe it’s being in a class with seniors and not juniors like me. It’s the first time in a long while that I’ve wanted to be in a class, and didn’t have a bunch of people screwing around and causing distractions. Maybe they don’t screw around because it’s an AP class; the people who are taking it genuinely want to take physics, or maybe it’s the teacher. Regardless, this class is one of the best I’ve taken, and I look forward to completing the semester and taking Electromagnetism second semester.