Does 2nd semester of physics somewhat easier? I kind of struggled through my 1st

[alexfoleyc]

I kind of struggled through my 1st semester of physics only b/c my high school physics class was a joke. Also, am I screwed when it comes to the mcar part of physics? Please keep in mind that I was do a solid review of physics for the mcat. Did you find mcat physics harder/easier than your college class physics?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mrivera]

I kind of struggled through my 1st semester of physics only b/c my high school physics class was a joke. Also, am I screwed when it comes to the mcar part of physics? Please keep in mind that I was do a solid review of physics for the mcat. Did you find mcat physics harder/easier than your college class physics?

Physics 2 >>>>> Physics 1. You can't even compare.

 

[wanderer]

What's with all the threads?
Answer for all your questions: It depends.

 

[boaz]

For most people I know, including myself, the second semester of physics was harder. The concepts are much more abstract. There is less physical intuition to rely on.

MCAT physics is different from college physics like all other parts of the MCAT are different from the college prereqs. It requires a different approach, which you will hopefully become aware of once the time comes for you.

 

[ruiner]

I found 1st semester to be MUCH easier then 2nd semester, but I'm a math guy and I just never was into the circuits and mirrors and stuff.

 

[randombetch]

Physics 2 >>>>> Physics 1. You can't even compare.

You're crazy!!!

I HATE E&M. I loooove mechanics.

 

[Global Warming]

I kind of struggled through my 1st semester of physics only b/c my high school physics class was a joke. Also, am I screwed when it comes to the mcar part of physics? Please keep in mind that I was do a solid review of physics for the mcat. Did you find mcat physics harder/easier than your college class physics?

Don't blame your inadequacies & lack of motivation on your HS courses. I didn't even take HS Physics, Chemistry, Bio, and I did fine in my courses.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i've always found physics 2 terribly confounding

 

[nonsciencemajor]

Physics 2 >>>>> Physics 1. You can't even compare.

very true

 

[Ativanigans]

It's much less intuitive. But i did the best during teh E&M portion and worst on the optics portion. Mechanics was in the middle.

Does your school offer free peer tutors?

 

[sully677]

I have found 2nd semester much easier and more interesting. According to some, bio and chem majors have an easier time with 2nd semester than engineers who don't have a strong chem background.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Physics II was more interesting, but more difficult by an order of magnitude, at least.

 

[Global Warming]

Physics II was more interesting, but more difficult by an order of magnitude, at least.

We know someone likes Physics when they describe how much they like something with:

1.0 x10^1

Awesome

 

[musafirah]

it depends on what parts of physics 1 you have trouble with. being able to work with vectors are just as important for physics 2 so if you don't understand vector algebra you should make sure you know it well. for some people, physics 2 is easier than 1 so don't fret yet, and you might enjoy it more. it's really hard to judge performance in future physics classes based on one, because people often enjoy some aspects but not others. personally i think EM is wayy more interesting than mechanics. another thing is that you will only deal with conservative forces in physics 2 so that can often be a lot less complicated than mechanics, and as long as you pay attention to how to apply the formulas you won't be overwhelmed by the subject.

for both physics 1 and 2, make sure you understand conservation of energy. can't stress that enough. almost all introductory physics revolves around it. mcat also has a lot of equilibrium problems.

 

[FloatOn]

Physics 2 >>>>> Physics 1. You can't even compare.

Disagree! Physics 2 was harder for me yet I did better. Weird.

 

[Snarkalark]

way harder. way more abstract. way more interesting. my teacher was so good that it turned out to be the only class i felt was worth attending all semester.

 

[txprodigal]

more difficult for me conceptually.. but seemed more manageable since i had already been through a semester of physics I

i would say it's tougher though

 

[MexicanDr]

if you don't understand vector algebra you should make sure you know it well.

Shoot, I dont remember learning vectors in any of my math classes back in HS. I took up to Algebra 2 and then did Stats. Which math class do you learn Vectors in?

 

[icalz]

I kind of struggled through my 1st semester of physics only b/c my high school physics class was a joke. Also, am I screwed when it comes to the mcar part of physics? Please keep in mind that I was do a solid review of physics for the mcat. Did you find mcat physics harder/easier than your college class physics?

Part two is without a question more complicated than the first part.

As for the mcat you have to keep in mind that (1) you can't use a calculator, and (2) you are on a short timer per question. This means that there are not going to be many (or any) plug and chug questions, so you'll have to understand the underlying concepts. For instance, if a train and a car collide head-on, which vehicle will experience more force? No calculations, just an understanding of the principles.

You do, however, need to be comfortable with adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying scientific notation. There will more than likely be several questions where this ability comes in handy.

 

[icalz]

Shoot, I dont remember learning vectors in any of my math classes back in HS. I took up to Algebra 2 and then did Stats. Which math class do you learn Vectors in?

Trig

 

[Bernoull]

i'll be goin against the grain here, i found 2 easier bcos it was much more interesting than 1. It's more abstract like everyone say, but its still intuitive especially ES & EM. Optics tends to be a different animal, gotta memorize a bunch of rules that seems to have no rhyme or reason.

Good luck. I think it's important to NOT fulfill a self-prophecy, just go in with an open mind..

 

[artx2008]

Physics 2 >>>>> Physics 1. You can't even compare.

I agree.

 

[Tatastrophy]

Hey OP-
Not gonna lie, the second semester is definitely harder. But you can definitely do better in it than first semester-I did. And I think the material is much more interesting and thought provoking....but I am a weirdo that likes that sort of thing.

Talk to your prof and see what you can do to improve your performance next semester. That should help a lot!

Oh and I found MCAT physics about 1000000x times easier than the class....but then again I had a really really tough professor. He taught the stuff so well I didn't need to memorize a single formula for MCAT.

 

[Global Warming]

In my Physics 2, I got a 100% on the 2nd midterm while the average was 46%. Needless to say, I failed the final b/c I devoted more time to O Chem final and lab final which were on the same day. I still Ace'd the class.

 

[ElegantWeapon]

on the other hand maybe you are now used to thinking in a "physics" way and it could get a little easier or just stay the same even if the things are more "conceptually difficult"

 

[Zona Pellucida]

I liked 2nd semester better and I got an A instead of an A- like I did first (not a big difference, I know). But I hate kinematics... it is so dull and boring and I never cared about learning about that. Second semester is a bit more interesting and I actually liked learning about waves. Hopefully you enjoy the material more 2nd semester, which will most likely result in a better grade.

 

[Insulinshock]

I kind of struggled through my 1st semester of physics only b/c my high school physics class was a joke. Also, am I screwed when it comes to the mcar part of physics? Please keep in mind that I was do a solid review of physics for the mcat. Did you find mcat physics harder/easier than your college class physics?

no no no no no no no. Physics II is much much much harder. Electromagnetism literally makes me want to cry, and quantum physics might as well be written is Hebrew.

Enjoy Physics I while you can. I'm nostalgic for those days lol