AP Physics C, previously a one-year program, was split into two year-long courses: AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism (E&M) this year. Depending on their math level, students can now take AP Physics 1 or AP Physics C: Mechanics their junior year. Both courses allow students to move on to AP Physics C: E&M their senior year.
This change was implemented out of concerns for curriculum pacing and students’ own mathematical needs.
Traditionally, AP courses are one-semester college courses, spread out over a whole year in high school. In the past, AP Physics C was the one exception. The class was a two semester college course, giving students limited time to learn a massive amount of material.
“The neat thing about splitting it up is that we have a lot of time,” Joseph Vanderway, M-A’s only AP Physics C teacher, said. Vanderway also mentioned the introduction of new labs in both courses. “There’s more time in C classes to say, okay, let’s slow up a little bit. Let’s do some extra labs. Let’s make sure we’re all understanding. Last year, we didn’t have time to do that. It was just rush, rush, rush.”
In addition to the improved pacing, the course restructure was implemented to accommodate students’ varying mathematical backgrounds. While before, students couldn’t enroll in AP Physics C if they hadn’t completed Calculus AB, now, students are recommended to take Mechanics if they’re currently taking Calculus AB or higher.
Despite the intended benefits of the course, some students still carry mixed feelings regarding the new structure.
When asked about his opinions on the course split, senior Aaron Chung, a student in E&M, felt that the decision didn’t end up making a big difference. “It ends up being kind of pointless, since [Physics 1 and Mechanics] just sit next to each other instead of being a progressive class,” he said.
There are also concerns regarding how the course split may be discouraging to students who aren’t able to take Mechanics junior year.
“I’m not sure if I would have even tried a physics class at all if you have to be enrolled in calculus to take Mechanics,” said Meghan Lam ’28, who now is a freshman at UC Berkeley.
Lam took Precalculus junior year, before bridging Calculus AB over the summer to take AP Calculus BC her senior year. She mentioned that by having the course split, the system is separating students by math level. Although this was intended to benefit students, Lam argued that because students in Precalculus and lower have to enroll in Physics 1 instead of Mechanics, this policy could dishearten students in them.
“I definitely would have felt discouraged to try it,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to be perceived as taking the stupid course—even though it’s not.”
Another common complaint from students is course availability. Since there are only two teachers for all AP Physics courses—with one of them teaching just one Physics 1 period—the number of students able to take the class is limited. This year, administration only had room for one E&M class to allow space for the Mechanics course. This led to a number of students being unable to take the class, whereas in the year prior, everyone who wanted to take the class was able to.
Despite the criticism, many students seem satisfied with the course split. “The class is difficult, for sure,” senior Audrey Lee, who is currently enrolled in Mechanics, said. “Even with the split, the class feels very fast-paced. It’s definitely easier with the split at the intro-level course to cover content using the prerequisite knowledge that the respective classes have.”
Brandon Mattal ’28, who currently attends UCLA, took the combined course of Mechanics and E&M in his senior year. He believes that the course split is a good change for future years. “I think these classes work a lot better as separate courses. The time pressure we faced last year in the combined course was honestly pretty brutal,” he said.
“AP Physics C should remain separate,” senior Isaac Chuang said. Chuang took Physics 1 his junior year, and is currently taking Mechanics. “E&M needs more time and maturity, while Mechanics can be handled earlier. Splitting lets students pace themselves and learn each subject properly instead of rushing.”
Ultimately, students will have to wait and see if the course split proves to be a long-term improvement.
“I think we’re off to a great start,” Vanderway said. “I think we’re going to see more students take the advanced physics classes and they’ll have lots of fun doing it.”
