is physics 1 necessary to take physics 2?

[PREMEDWOAHS]

question? i cant take physics one first semester and then dont offer 1 the second semester, only physics two. is physics 1 a pre-req or is it like biology where bio1 and bio2 dont have a prereq

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[Meatwad]

If you study a lot and supplement your readings with stuff from Physics I, you could do it. With that said, I'd hope you have at least high-school physics under your belt. Physics I deals with a lot of mechanics, which is important in all areas of physics. I wouldn't reccomend Physics II without I, but obviously anything is possible with dedication.

 

[rox1co]

whether it's trig or calc based physics, i would say NO! 🙂

it would be a horrible decision.

 

[spicedmanna]

question? i cant take physics one first semester and then dont offer 1 the second semester, only physics two. is physics 1 a pre-req or is it like biology where bio1 and bio2 dont have a prereq

Well, whether PHYS 1 is a prerequisite to PHYS 2 will likely be dependent on the school which offers them. Check with your school.

As a peripheral point, I wouldn't recommend taking PHYS 2 without having first taken PHYS 1, or at least having some background in college-level mechanics and energy. In my experience, PHYS 2 does build off of some of the fundamental concepts from PHYS 1. I wouldn't advise going out of sequence.

 

[lucybug]

I took Phys II before Phys I and got an A in both. It is doable and I think even helped me learn physics better.

 

[MassTransport]

It'll depend on how your physics track is designed. My school, physics II is purely E&M, and there was little overlap with physics I outside of force balances and the like.

At any rate, your question will be answered for you by your course catalog. If physics I isn't listed as a pre-req for physics II, then you're fine.

 

[M.Furfur]

It's very doable, I took Physics II before Physics I and ended up with an A+ on it.

 

[SeventhSon]

I would highy recommend it, but it isn't absolutely essential.

 

[jochi1543]

Content-wise, I think you'll be fine. Phys I is usually kinetics and phases, and physics II is waves, electricity, and optics. But first you need to make sure that your school lets you do that.

 

[qtrlifecrisis]

I think taking I before II makes II MUCH easier.

I studied halfheartedly for my first physics II exam (try getting excited about electrostatics), but did very well anyway only because I used Physics I concepts to solve most of the test problems.

Mechanics is your friend. Take them in sequence!

 

[deleted103644]

You will probably get mechanics related questions in Physics II, but I wouldn't say you need it to handle physics II, as long as you are already mathematically inclined. (I.e. have already taken vector calculus/linear algebra).

 

[LUCPM]

I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you have taken physics in HS and are pretty comfortable with math portion of physics (basic algebra, trig).

I have seen people who did poorly in Physics I also struggled in Physics II. I haven't heard people took College Physics out of sequence and did well in both, except a couple of posts here.

Some topics in Physics II do rely on the concepts learned in Physics I and I highly doubt that taking I & II out of sequence will actually help you learn Physics better. This is just a total nonsense.

 

[deuce924]

Content-wise, I think you'll be fine. Phys I is usually kinetics and phases, and physics II is waves, electricity, and optics. But first you need to make sure that your school lets you do that.

I agree...I very rarely used content from the 1st physics in the 2nd one. If your school allows it, I don't see a problem.