Stuff We Didn't Cover-Should I Be Concerned?

  • Thread starter TomServo
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In summary: The school you go to follows the OSU curriculum. At OSU, you do the three...fluids, waves, and thermodynamics in trimester 1, then oscillations, gravitation, and thermodynamics in trimester 2.In summary, you should be prepared to cover the topics skipped over in your CC course if you transfer to a university with a different course curriculum.
  • #1
TomServo
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Stuff We Didn't Cover--Should I Be Concerned?

I'm going to a CC before university, and since it's quarter based I sometimes wonder we are rushing through things and not fully covering what would get covered at a different school. In my Physics I class (calc-based), we did not cover oscillations, gravity, waves, thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, and one or two other things that many "classical mechanics" courses seem to cover (if course descriptions are to be believed). In my E&M class (which is very nearly over) we aren't getting into light or any modern physics (that's for next quarter, but I believe there is a chapter we skip over in that class).

Given that these are the general calc-based classes, am I worrying about nothing? Or am I unprepared for the diff-eq-based classes on these same topics I'm going to face after transfer?
 
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  • #2


Best way to know is check with the department to where you are transferring, and find their course description and even the course outline, if possible. If some prerequisite is not covered from the courses you studied at your community college, then you will need to have studied them. The professors or instructors of the school where you plan to transfer will expect you to have studied them already and will not care if you are lacking; they will not cover the material for you.

Some of the topics missing from this list seems incredible:
In my Physics I class (calc-based), we did not cover oscillations, gravity, waves, thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, and one or two other things that many "classical mechanics" courses seem to cover (if course descriptions are to be believed).

If Physics I means the fundamental mechanics course of beginning university Physics, then at least Gravity, and Oscillations MUST be included.
 
  • #3


Yea my class went over all of that + fluids.

Are you a physics major or something else? I know for me (E.E) I have to take dedicated class to waves and thermodynamics.
 
  • #4


Well, does your CC have 3 semesters of introductory Physics? I'm in a quarter based school, and my oscillations are second quarter, but gravity was definitely necessary.
 
  • #5


A word of advice from an experienced transfer student: never go into a course blind. Always check the course description at school B to see if school A covered what you will need to know.

If you find a deficiency, don't panic; but be prepared to catch yourself up. That's what winter and summer breaks are for. ;)
 
  • #6


TomServo said:
I'm going to a CC before university, and since it's quarter based I sometimes wonder we are rushing through things and not fully covering what would get covered at a different school. In my Physics I class (calc-based), we did not cover oscillations, gravity, waves, thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, and one or two other things that many "classical mechanics" courses seem to cover (if course descriptions are to be believed). In my E&M class (which is very nearly over) we aren't getting into light or any modern physics (that's for next quarter, but I believe there is a chapter we skip over in that class).

Given that these are the general calc-based classes, am I worrying about nothing? Or am I unprepared for the diff-eq-based classes on these same topics I'm going to face after transfer?

My CC physics class pretty much skipped the same thing. We spend about ten minutes on gravity (we could learn outside of class for extra credit), about the same on thermo (again extra credit), and kinetic theory of gases wasn't even mentioned. Between that and my joke of a math class I transferred the next semester. :)

discrete* said:
If you find a deficiency, don't panic; but be prepared to catch yourself up. That's what winter and summer breaks are for. ;)

Yep!

We are skipping a lot of stuff in my physics II class...which I'll learn over the break instead.
 
  • #7


Then it's as a feared. They are trying to cram in one quarter what other schools do in a semester and the class suffers as a result. And yes, it was the introductory mechanics class. We used the Halliday book and studied up to chapter 13, equilibrium and elasticity. The chapters on gravitation, oscillation, thermodynamics, waves, fluids, kinetic theory of gases, and entropy we skipped over.

Do you think if I just read these chapters on my own, without doing any of the problem sets or anything, I'll be prepared for the later more-in-depth courses?
 
  • #8


My school ran out of time so we skipped oscillations and fluid mechanics (and ultimately thermodynamics)
 
  • #9


Is it imperative I study those chapters on my own, or can I just wait until they're covered in the more advanced, in-depth classes. The school I go to follows the OSU curriculum. At OSU, you do the three intro classes, and then you do two "particles and waves" classes that cover classical mechanics and a class each on electricity and magnetism, all using diffy qs. So can I relax or should I use winter break to read those skipped chapters?
 
  • #10


I think many schools skip fluid mech and thermodynamics because there just isn't much time.

Oscillations wasn't even in the curriculum for mine.
 
  • #11


Fluid mechanics and thermodynamics was basically my entire third semester of general physics. I don't know how your school does it, but it wouldn't be an issue at my school. I also transferred from community college, and we skipped oscillations and spent about 20 minutes on gravity.

I'm now in the junior-level Classical Mechanics class, and I don't think it has been a major setback at all.
 
  • #12


The school I'm going to is on a quarter system and we skipped Equilibrium and Elasticity. We did discuss Gravitation but not as in depth as we covered other concepts. I have a feeling that it's easier to grasp the general concept of gravitation (what is it, how it's working, and how to work with it). Of course there's more to it, and we brushed on that, but that's it.
When I asked my professor about it, he said it's normal to skip a subject and that it'll be covered in the future. He then related a story about how the university he attended for his undergrad skipped a certain subject, and they were told it'll be covered in gradschool. Then in grad school (same university - UC Berkeley) they skipped the same subject again. I asked him what did he do and he said "I got a book and read".
 
  • #13


My school is covering everything up to chapter 18 in the Halliday book. I suggest doing at least that much. Chapters 19 and 20 seem very oriented towards chemistry. I think you should be concerned. Sounds like your CC department is screwing you over.
 
  • #14


Angry Citizen, that's for just your first General Physics class? I just found out that General Physics III next quarter will pick up on chapter 15, even though we finished with chapter 31 in GPII. So I guess it covers the needed wave stuff and whatever else is necessary before moving back up to 33 and beyond. The teacher I have for this and next quarter is more thorough than others, he told us he covers gravitation in GPI.
 
  • #15


Angry Citizen, that's for just your first General Physics class?

Yes. Next semester is the electricity and magnetism part. Don't know how far we'll cover in that one though.

Your school has a pretty unusual system. I wouldn't even consider breaking up classical mechanics like that. Better just to get it all over with in one go, to be perfectly honest.
 
  • #16


I use Serway and Jewett, we covered everything till chapter 13. We skilled stress, but we did equilibrium and stuff
 

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