Each new year sparks new changes, including new efforts to enhance academics. One such change falls within District 203’s science curriculum.
Currently, students who are looking to challenge themselves in physics tend to streamline through either regular Physics or Honors Physics before advancing towards AP Physics B or AP Physics C. AP Physics C teacher Hans Muehsler discusses what he believes to be the distinction between these two current AP courses.
“One of the big differences between Physics B and Physics C is math level,” Muehsler said. “For Physics C, students need to be taking Calculus concurrently if they have not already successfully completed the course, but Physics B is not Calculus-based.”
As far as the topics covered in class, AP Physics C only covers mechanics, electricity and magnetism. Alternatively, AP Physics B covers mechanics, electricity, magnetism, waves and atomic-nuclear thermodynamics of fluids. Ultimately, students taking AP Physics B will explore a wider array of topics, but will neither utilize math at quite a rigorous level nor will cover the topics in as much depth.
Although it appears these courses are effectively preparing students for college, the College Board doesn’t entirely agree, and as a result, this will be the last year AP Physics B will exist. To add onto the list of changes, Central will be integrating two new courses: AP Physics 1 (replacing Honors Physics) and AP Physics 2 (replacing AP Physics B).
Muehsler believes the change was inevitable.
“I think what prompted the change was that all the other curricula were changing as well,” Muehsler said. “The [sequence] of the classes, for instance, changed, putting chemistry first, biology second, and then physics third. A lot of this is coming from next generation [Common Core] science standards and trying to meet those standards.”
Students need not fret, because the prerequisites for AP Physics 1 will remain the same as Honors Physics, and the prerequisites for AP Physics 2 will remain the same as AP Physics B. The classes are anticipated to continue similarly, but the addition of a few topics will occur, including rotational motion.
Fortunately enough, AP Physics C will remain untouched for students wishing to pursue a physics-related field in the future or the student passionate about physics. Its prerequisite of the concurrent enrollment of Calculus will also remain in effect.
These changes will not be effective until the 2014-2015 school year, but teachers and administration are making sure that students are informed during the course selection process.
