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Which Introductory Physics Sequence is Right for You?
Physics 150/151
Physics 150/151 is an introductory physics course for students with little or no preparation in calculus or physics. Those with such preparation are advised to enroll in Physics 180 or 200. It is not, however, a "physics appreciation'' course; it is a physics participation course with problem solving being a very important component. While the material covered is the same as in the higher level courses, no calculus preparation is assumed and vector algebra beyond component resolution is kept to a minimum. The population of the course consists mainly of pre-medical and biological science students. Most take the laboratory course Physics 165/166 concurrently. Physics 150/151 in conjunction with a laboratory course satisfies pre-med requirements. Physics 110 does not.
Physics 180/181
Most students in Physics 180 are current or prospective biology, chemistry, MB&B majors taking the course to satisfy prerequisites for courses such as Neurobiology, to satisfy major requirements (note that Physics 150/151 is not acceptable for the MB&B major), and as part of premedical requirements and preparation for the MCATs. Others include engineering majors and social science and humanities majors who have a special interest in physics. Some students, who are thinking about majoring in physics or applied physics, should take Physics 180 if their preparation is not strong enough to start with Physics 200. Physics 200 is oriented more towards prospective physics majors and towards students who are interested in a more mathematical approach to the topics of classical physics. While 180-181 covers many of the same topics found in 200-201, fewer students in 180/181 will go on to take higher-level Physics courses.
Typical preparation consists of a good high school physics course and prior knowledge of calculus on the level of Math 115, though the backgrounds of students in the class range from no prior physics and Math 115 taken concurrently to a strong A.P. physics course and Math 120 taken in a previous semester. If you've not had Math 115, you should be taking it concurrently. About 80% of the students in Physics 180 take Physics 165/166, the 2 semester lab course designed to accompany this course. If you're a prospective physics major, you will take either Physics 401 or Physics 410 after Physics 180, and then you should also take Physics 205/206 lab instead of Physics 165/166. One scheduling difference between the 2 lab sequences is that P205 is offered both spring and fall (and P206 too) whereas P165 is only offered in the fall and P166 only in the spring.
Physics 200/201
Most of the students in Physics 200/201 are either physical science majors (Physics, Astronomy, Geology, Engineering, etc.) or those biological science majors and premeds who are looking for a more mathematical and somewhat deeper introduction to physics than is provided in Physics 150/151 and Physics 180/181. Physics 200 assumes that students have completed calculus at the level of Math 115 and are currently enrolled in Math 120. Previous exposure to physics is helpful, but is not required. Physics 200a/201b students wishing to take a related lab course will typically enroll in Physics 205Lb (beginning in the Spring term) and then Physics 206La in the following Fall. This is the recommended sequence.
Students may also enroll in Physics 165La/166Lb. Students with very strong preparation in Physics, AND currently enrolled in Math 230, may also want to consider taking the more intense/advanced Physics 260 sequence. Enrollment in the P260 course requires the permission of the instructor.
