Courses Can I Take 213 and 214 with Mechanics: Advice for Balancing Physics Courses?

[confusedguy]

I am planning on taking 4 physics undergraduate courses: Phys 211 (mechanics), 212 (electric/magnetism), 213 (fluids and thermal), 214 (waves and quantum)

Is it possible to take 213 and 214 concurrently with mechanics without much trouble? How much mechanics and electricity/magnetism material do you have to know to do well in 213 and 214? Thanks!

 

[Howers]

Is this your first mechanics course?

If so, you won't be able to do waves or fluids. If you've already had a term of mechanics, you can go ahead.

 

[Asphodel]

I have no way to answer this without being intimately familiar with your school's curriculum.

In general, taking all of those simultaneously sounds like putting yourself in for a lot of pain and probably not doing as well in them as you could otherwise.

 

[lisab]

My humble opinion: you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt. The basic courses of phyisics are tremendously important if you want to be successful in further physics (or engineering) study.

Your efforts should go toward thorough learning, rather than fast learning.

 

[ks_physicist]

Hard to say, not knowing the school and your previous classes, but if I had to give a recommendation I would say take the E&M and mechanics course now, and the thermo/fluid and wave/optics class later.

If you want to take a third physics class with E&M and mechanics, I would suggest something like an advanced physics lab class. Something hands-on.

 

[vociferous]

I made the mistake of taking too many difficult math and physics courses simultaneously. You might want to try to take one math and one physics course per semester for your first two years, then, if you feel up to the challenge, begin loading them up as a junior. Besides, you do not want to be a fifth year senior and have to spend one or two semesters taking GE courses that you failed to take as an underclassman in order to graduate.