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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
extremely helpful, September 2, 2002
This review is from: Cracking the AP Physics B & C Exams, 2002-2003 (Paperback)
I took the AP Physics B exam as a freshman, taking just a regular honors physics course, and used only this book, the non-AP textbook, plus some tests from previous years to prepare, and managed to get a 5, so this book is really something. It also helped me prep for the SAT IIs (800 on that). Not really having paid attention to the Physics C parts, I don't have much say on that, but the B sections were quite helpful. Everything is explained very clearly, provided that you understood the chapters that came before. The reason that this book really deserves 5 stars is because it is the only book I've come across that goes over the information in so much detail and more depths than what was actually required on the AP. So when the test rolled around it actually seemed very EASY. Some people might say that spending all that time on the extra information is a waste if you really don't need it, but I really think it provides a very sturdy ground for you to stand on while taking the AP. So instead of stressing about it and biting your nails like the person to your right is doing, you're just thinking, "Oh, this is simple." It's the greatest feeling to open up the test, see the problem and sigh with relief--because after this book you'll know how to do all the problems right off the bat. Granted, the beginning is a little shaky, some of the mechanics and torque not being explained very well, but there isn't much torque on the test anyway, and if you take any physics class, you should've covered mechanics and torque in that long before the AP actually takes place. The only complaint to be made is that many of the practice problems and examples have mistakes/typos in them, which could get pretty aggravating. Overall, if you're prepping for the AP it's really YOUR attitude that matters, any book, as long as it's got the info will work. Some of my friends used the SAT II version of this same book or the Barron's AP book and got 5s, so you might want to consider too. Also, taking practice tests will help a lot, especially actual exams from past years (the resident physics teacher should have quite a stock of those). And keep in mind that you can get a 70% and still get a 5, so don't stress out too much ^_^. Good luck!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best AP Physics Prep-book, April 1, 2002
This review is from: Cracking the AP Physics B & C Exams, 2002-2003 (Paperback)
This review is based on the 2000-2001 Edition, but the only difference I am aware of between this edition and the one I have is the addition of fluid dynamics. So you won't find any new problems to solve if you have other editions.(I took the B exam last year.) As with any prep books out there, this one is no substitution for your AP class, but it does come in handy when you want to review all the subjects in the month before the AP exam. It covers all the materials on the syllabus:
1. Vectors (A nice review but you don't need to know too much about them, knowing what they are and how do some simple operations with them will suffice. C students should know how dot product and cross product work) 2.Kinematics 3.Newton's Laws 4.Work, Energy, and Power 5.Linear Momentum 6.Rotational Motion 7.Newton's Law of Gravitation 8.Oscillations 9.Thermal Physics 10.Electric Forces and Fields 11. Electric Potential and Capacitance 12.Direct Current Circuits 13.Magnetic Forces and Fields 14.Electromagnetic Induction 15.Waves 16.Optics 17.Atomic and Nuclear Physics 18.Fluid Mechanics
Each chapter is about 20-30 pages in length. The examples it gives are very good and have clear solutions. Every practice question has detailed solution and is very similar to those you may see on the actual exam. (this means most of the questions you will see are conceptual questions that require some thoughts) Now for the flaws of this book:
1. For some odd reason, the number of (practice) multiple choice questions in each chapter is strictly restricted to 10. There are certainly many more types of questions it can include.
2. The free response questions in this book are generally very mathematical. If you have seen a real AP question you will know I mean. I did all 7 FR questions and got 5 on the AP, but I could only solve 75 percent of the questions to completion. On the AP exam you will have 15 min to do each question, but give yourself more time when you do problems in this book. They are hard but it is good practice for you.
3. Although this book is intended for both B and C courses, it really concentrates on the B exam, so C students should try to find more problems elsewhere. In particular, Barron has a really good review book on the C exam, I highly recommend it.
4. For B students: if you still want more multiple choice questions for practice after you tried all B-type questions your teacher has given to you, ask your teacher for questions from the C exams, you can do at least 70 percent of the problems on them. Some advice:
1. Your teacher should have test questions from past years, be sure to do those.
2. You can find some free response questions on [the internet].
3. Concentrate on the concepts when reviewing for the AP. Physicists always place concepts before actual math. You will get one or two points off for mathematical mistakes on the FR part, no matter how horrible they appear to your math teacher; but a wrong concept might cost you the entire 15 points.
4. Chances are you will have many free response questions on the AP that you have never seen before. The questions aren't as hard as they appear, and the questions often guide you to solve the entire problem. Anyway, this is best review book I have seen so far. Barron's review book on the B exam might be helpful too, just don't buy the one from REA, I saw two horrible errors just by skimming through a few pages, and the questions it provides are in no way in resemblence with the questions on AP....
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book - AP success made easy!, May 1, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Cracking the AP Physics B & C Exams, 2002-2003 (Paperback)
I used this book for my AP Physics C - Mechanics course last year and it was PHENOMENAL. It also serves as a nice reference for formulae and theorems with a few challenging, thought-provoking problems for each chapter. I still use it for reference and refresher in my Lagrangian Dyanmics course now. I GUARANTEE - IF YOU COMPLETE ALL OF THE END-0F-CHAPTER MC AND FR AND GET GREATER THAN ABOUT 80%, YOU WILL EARN NO LESS THAN A FOUR ON THE AP PHYSICS EXAM (ALMOST CERTAINLY A 5!).
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