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Do you guys think it's a good idea to take both E&M and Mechanics at the same time in the summer?
Well, not really...Angry Citizen said:Because it's simply not covered properly in the timeframe of a summer class. Someone I know took a summer E&M class, and the instructor was bypassing all kinds of stuff just so that some of those individuals could put in the 'effort' and complete the class. It's not about whether you can earn the grade. Remember, if you're taking calc-based physics, then you're probably going to be using calc-based physics in the rest of your education, and probably in your job too.
Angry Citizen said:Mechanics is used constantly in E&M. Physics is not math. The analytical thinking you do in math is not the analytical thinking you do in physics.
jtbell said:Will your university even allow you to take both courses at the same time? They're normally taught as a sequence, with the first semester (mechanics) being pre-requisite for the second semester (E&M). In fact, I'd be kind of surprised if they're actually offered at the same time in the summer, unless you're at a very large university. They're most likely offered during consecutive half-semesters, with each course taking six or seven weeks. I've taught that sort of course: an hour and a half of lecture, five days a week, and two labs per week. I called it "Firehose Physics."
E&M does extensively use concepts from the first semester. As AC noted, you'll be using vectors right off the bat in E&M, and when you get to electric potential (voltage) and circuits, you need to be familiar with energy and power.