With the availability of on-line information, and dial-up registration, more and more students are registering for courses without advising. For many students this has led to poor grades, unnecessary withdrawals, and delays in graduation. We hope you use this page to avoid some of the more common pitfalls. Nevertheless the most important rule for negotiating your college career is…DO NOT SELF-ADVISE
Transfer advisor:
The Science Division has a full time transfer advisor to counsel students planning a transfer to another baccalaureate granting institution. Stop by and visit:
Science Advisor, Entry Services and Academic Advising
Science Division. L200
For appointments call 425-564-2321
Getting good advice involves two steps:
Find the right source: Do not ask a division secretary about a subtle financial aid question. Do not ask student services whether your knowledge of mathematics is good enough for a particular physics course. Do not ask anyone at BC if your credits from XYZ college will transfer to PZU University. Try to find out who makes the decision or policy and ask your questions in that department/ division.
Persistence: Your question may seem simple to you but involve complexities you had not realized. Be prepared for a discussion. Ask your question in several different ways. Listen to the answers and try to learn about the underlying system. Remember each department, college, and university, organizes itself differently from the others. What you have learned in one context may not apply to the current question. Finally, be polite. There is a saying about catching more flies with honey…
Success in physics courses:
To be successful in physics, a student must learn to view and interpret the world in a new way. As you progress in physics you will come to believe that you can understand most things that happen around you. You will have the skills and knowledge to draw these conclusions and will not have to rely on “experts”. In physics courses you will acquire concepts for which mathematics is the most natural expression. Further, mathematics will become a primary reasoning tool as you analyze the world around you.
To get the most of your physics experience it may be helpful to think of each course as being three classes taught simultaneously. Your instructor will be presenting the course content which is based on physical experience and is often described mathematically.
Course content
This covers the ordinary kind of knowledge you expect to get from a course; the conceptual structure of the material, definition of terms, etc.. In a physics course you are also expected to understand the relationships between these concepts and to be able to apply them to ordinary situations. Memorization may be less important than process in many cases. What is the reasoning chain? Why do we believe some particular conclusion? How do we analyze a problem? Methods and relationships that lead to the answers are as important as the answers themselves. If you rely heavily on memorization for success in college classes, you may have trouble in physics. Your instructor can help you devise new learning strategies that focus on process and relationships.
Physical experience
Physics seeks to explain the natural processes of the physical world. Students who have observed ordinary things around them, who notice details and prefer hands-on experiences have a wealth of intuition that will help them in their physics course. Students who are curious and who have wondered about the physical world have a much easier time in the course. These students are better able to understand why the physicist cares about some particular issue.
Your instructor or your text may frequently describe situations that are unfamiliar to you. Wherever possible you should try to experience these things yourself. Be prudent and safe, but always play and experiment every chance you get. If you do not have the necessary equipment at home ask your instructor. It may be a simple matter to demonstrate the phenomena in the lab.
If you are concerned that you have limited experience with the physical world or that you do not have strong physical intuition about objects in general, you may want to consider the Phys 104 course described below.
Mathematics
As noted above mathematics is used to express the key relationships in physics. To the physicist mathematical expressions are very compact descriptions of nature’s behavior. A successful physics student will learn to look at mathematics differently. They will be able to read a mathematical expression (decode its meaning) and interpret what it says about nature. This way of looking at math takes practice. We recognize that most students do not have this facility when they enter the course. But you can learn to view math this way. Obviously this task will be much easier if you are already fluent with basic mathematical manipulations.
The comments above present an overview. You can also link to more specific advice about Study tips here or here and problem solving strategies. Also the physics career pages on our site have additional advice as you continue your studies in physics.
Prerequisites
and Advising Notes
Phys& 100
Prerequisites : Math
099 or equivalent.
Comments : Basic algebra operations are used in this course.
Fluency with math at this level will produce a distinct edge over
students who are less comfortable with these skills.
Team projects are completed outside of class. Students should
allow at least two hours per week to meet with their teams.
Running start students: If you plan a career in science
you should not take this course instead of your high school physics
course. One quarter of physics is not enough time to serve your
long term needs. Other running start students will find this course
a good choice.
Physics 104
Prerequisites : Math
099 or equivalent.
Comments : Basic algebra operations are a must for this
course. Some rustiness can be overcome during the course, but
you will want to apply yourself to this early on.
Inquiry based clases generate nearly all their content during
class time with hands-on activities and discussion. This experience
is un-recoverable if you miss class. Daily attendance is extremely
important.
Note for ESL students. This course demands daily verbal
and written communication.
Running start students: If you plan a career in science
you should not take this course instead of your High school physics
course. One quarter is not enough time to serve your needs. Other
running start students will find this a good choice.
Physics 105
Prerequisites : Math
099 or equivalent.
Comments : Basic algebra operations are used in this course.
Some rustiness can be overcome during the course and support is
provided for students with weak math skills.
Inquiry based clases generate nearly all their content during
class time with hands-on activities and discussion. This experience
is un-recoverable if you miss class. Daily attendance is extremely
important.
Note for ESL students. This course demands daily verbal
and written communication.
Running start students: If you plan a career in science
you should not take this course instead of your High school physics
course. One quarter is not enough time to serve your needs. Other
running start students will find this a good choice.
Physics 109
Prerequisites : Math
098 or equivalent assessment.
Comments : Inquiry based classes generate nearly all their
content during class time with hands-on activities and discussion.
This experience is un-recoverable if you miss class. Daily attendance
is extremely important. The course is team based. Students work in
small teams on projects and learn by doing. The team roles are well
defined. Teams give presentations at the end of each project which
are used to asses their grades instead of exams.
Physics 114
Prerequisites : Math&
142 (Prev. Math 120) or equivalent.
Recommended Physics 104
or High School Physics .
Comments : At the level of Physics 114, essential mathematics
includes algebra, geometry and basic trigonometry. Students who
are not relatively fluent with these mathematical tools can survive
physics 114 but they will spend much of their effort struggling
with the “grammar” rather than the content of the subject.
One topic more than any other is a sticking point in this course
– vector operations. A very nice workbook on vectors is available
in the bookstore and can be productively studied before the course
begins.
If you have been a science avoider, or are particularly anxious
about your science background, you will probably want to take
P104 before taking P114. P104 provides a hands-on introduction
to three of the principle topics from the P114 – P116 sequence.
You will encounter the approach and outlook of the discipline,
discover some basic physical principles on your own, and be prepared
for three important topics along the way.
Physics 115
Prerequisites : Physics 114
and its prerequisites [Math&
142 (Prev. Math 120) or equivalent. Physics
104 or High School Physics recommended].
Comments : You will simply not succeed in this course without
taking P114 first. P115 makes almost daily use of the concepts
from P114. (Keep this in mind as you study P114.)
Physics 116
Prerequisites : Physics 115
and its prerequisites [Physics 114
and Math&
142 (Prev. Math 120) or equivalent. P104
or High School Physics recommended].
Comments : see above:
Physics 121
Prerequisites : Math
151 (Prev. Math 124)(calculus) or equivalent.
Strongly Recommended: High School Physics
Comments : Completion of a quarter of The Calculus is a
key element for success in this course. You should not attempt
to take them together. Our most common student remark is that
without taking the courses at the same time the student will not
be able to finish in time. In nearly every case these students
expect to transfer to very competitive programs and consequently
need the highest grades they can attain. That goal will simply
not be met even by most top flight students who attempt
the two courses concurrently. The student typically finds they
have to re-take the course and so they do not finish in time anyway.
If you have any question about this discuss it with a physics
instructor early on.
For students with a science background or strong physical intuition
calculus may be the only preparation you need for P121. Consult
a faculty member for more details.
If you have been a science avoider, or are particularly anxious
about your science background, you will probably want to take
P104 or P114 before taking P121. But please note the following:
Neither course is considered a proper introduction to P121.
We do not offer a prep course specifically for P121 at BC
. A discussion of three possible choices is provided here. Discuss
this with an advisor.
Take P104. The emphasis in P104 is hands-on exposure to
physics. The small group activities illustrate the thinking process
and approach that uniquely marks the discipline. The style of
the course is very different from lecture classes and is a favorite
of students who have previously avoided science. You will be introduced
to the basic tools of physics but a significant mathematical gap
remains between this course and the tools you need for P121. P104
also provides an introduction to three of the principle topics
across the P121 – P123 sequence (optics, electricity, and motion).
This choice may be most suitable if you are still getting your
math background in line (you are currently taking math 142 or
below)
Take P114. P114 covers nearly the same topics as P121 but
with slightly reduced mathematical rigor. It is better to view
P114 as the same course with a different audience than it is to
think of P114 as a preparatory sequence for P121. If you have
strong algebra and trigonometry skills but are very nervous about
your physics, P114 may be preferred over P104 before starting
the calculus based sequence. Keep in mind though that P114 is
not a survey course. It only focuses on mechanics (like P121)
so that you will find the content in P122 and P123 to be completely
new. To prepare completely using the algebra based courses would
properly involve taking the entire sequence P114 -P116. Taking
the whole sequence is not generally recommended because it is
almost certainly more time and money than is needed. P114 by itself
introduces many fundamental concepts and skills that will assist
you through the whole year of physics, and so is not too bad a
choice by itself. If you are nervous about physics, the question
of how to prepare for P121 is best done with the advice of a physics
faculty member.
Take lots of math. If you have already completed M153
(the full year of calculus) P104 becomes less advised because
you will find the time spent on polishing math skills to be far
below you. Even the benefit of hands on learning probably will
not outweigh this effect. Furthermore, you have acquired other
skills that put you in advance of other P121 students. Thus, the
time your classmates spend in acquiring the mathematical proficiency
they need, you can devote to your weak science background. Reading
a good conceptual physics book on the side is a good accompaniment
here. This plan has been successful for others in your position.
It is again best if you discuss your background with a faculty
member.
Physics 122
Prerequisites : Math
152 (Prev. Math 125), Physics
121 and its prerequisites (Math151.
or equivalent. High School Physics recommended).
Comments : This is not an idle prerequisite. Do not take
these courses out of order. You will simply not succeed in this
course without taking P121 first (see comment for P114). Each
course builds directly on the previous one. Without that background
you will be completely lost. Keep this in mind as you study P121.
Physics 123
Prerequisites : Physics 122 and its prerequisites Math
152 (Prev. Math 125), Physics 121 and Math
151 (Prev. Math 124). Concurrent registration in a math class
following Math 152 and High School Physics are recommended.
Comments : see comment above:
Physics 225
Prerequisites : Physics 123, Math
153 (Prev. Math 126) or Math
254 (Prev. Math 227).
Recommended or Concurrent Registration: Math
238
Comments : In this course you will need to be able to use
your math skills to talk about the world (math as language). This
requires both breadth of knowledge and fluency. Discuss your background
with the instructor to help decide if you are prepared for this
course.
Audience for Physics Courses
Who takes these courses? Is this course right for me?
Transfer Issues
You can check transfer equivalencies at The University of Washington and at Washington State University on their respective transfer web sites.
Last Updated March 13, 2018
