Can You Self-Study AP Physics in 5 Months?

[Simpleshot]

so At my current school they do not offer ap physics, and i need to take ap physics b to get into university!

Does anyone know who has taken the exam if it is possible to teach ap physics to yourself in 5 months?

 

[G01]

so At my current school they do not offer ap physics, and i need to take ap physics b to get into university!

As a Physics PhD student who never took AP physics and still got into university and majored in physics, I disagree with your statement. Why do you think you NEED AP Physics?

Also, if you plan on majoring in physics, most schools will just make you retake the intro sequence anyway. (And that is a good decision, since AP courses don't necessarily do a great job of teaching college level material, in my experience.)

As to answer your question, 5 months is usually what is spent on Mechanics to Thermodynamics in a intro physics sequence. (The remainder is spent on waves and E&M.) The answer about whether it is enough time will depend on what AP exam you are taking and whether it involves E&M.

 

[Simpleshot]

Well, I do need to take it since i am applying the uk and need a certain number of points.
i was just wondering if i still make a chanch of doing well on the exam! if i study 4 days a week 2-3 hours a day do you think it will be enough?

 

[staddum]

It really depends on how well you study and how is your mathematical brain working.
But hey, whatever answers you get, you'll still do it right? So, why are you asking?

Remember to do as much exercises as possible.

 

[axiomatic7777]

Just a sole data point: I self studied AP physics C, just the mechanics part, in about a month, and got a 5 on it.

Caveats: I did take a rather crappy high school physics course before; and my inadequate grasp of some concepts (even though I did well enough in others to get a 5) haunts me a few times later in my undergrad.

My take on your situation: yes it's possible, depending on who you are (are you motivated to study on your own? do you have a good grasp of math? etc.). It certainly does not hurt to try since the worst is you will learn the material again later.

 

[vela]

One of the biggest obstacles to learning physics is the difficulty many students have in applying math to solve a problem, that is, doing word problems. If you've struggled with word problems in the past, it will be a big problem in trying to teach yourself physics.

Have you taken calculus yet? Knowing some basic calculus can help with understanding some physical concepts, but it is still possible to learn intro physics with knowledge of just algebra and trig.

I just looked at the topic list for AP Physics B, and that's a lot of material to cover. It sounds like the typical algebra-based intro physics course that lasts an academic year. I think it's doable for some people, but it'll be a lot of work. Roughly speaking, you should be going through a chapter of a typical textbook in two days.