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Introduction to Physics

We invite students to start their journey into physics with this course, where we'll explore ways of thinking used in physics and other scientific disciplines. For example, we'll solve problems using special tools like thought experiments and estimation. When we conduct experiments, we'll learn what makes a good experiment and how to document our work. When we analyze data, we'll study techniques to look for patterns and consider the data's limitations with uncertainty analysis. Finally, we'll apply algebra to the real world, breathing new life into mathematics you've learned.

12 weeks

Diagnostics

ARE YOU READY? DO YOU NEED THIS?

Documents

SYLLABUS
12 weeks ARE YOU READY? DO YOU NEED THIS? SYLLABUS  

Schedule

Wednesday
Aug 9 - Oct 25
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Aug 9 - Oct 25
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$380 (~$32/week)
$380 (~$32/week)
CLOSED
Thursday
Sep 21 - Dec 14
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Sep 21 - Dec 14
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$380 (~$32/week)
$380 (~$32/week)
ENROLL
Sunday
Oct 29 - Feb 4
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Oct 29 - Feb 4
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$380 (~$32/week)
$380 (~$32/week)
ENROLL
Wednesday
Dec 13 - Mar 13
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Dec 13 - Mar 13
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$380 (~$32/week)
$380 (~$32/week)
ENROLL

AoPS Holidays

There are no classes October 31, November 20 ‐ 26, December 21 ‐ January 3, May 25 ‐ May 27, and July 4.

Who Should Take?

This course is for students seeking to enter the world of physics. This course does not assume any physics knowledge and is intended for students looking to get their first exposure to scientific thinking and processes. This course is not intended for students looking for an introduction to Newtonian mechanics. Students should have a basic competency with algebra before taking this course. We recommend having taken Introduction to Algebra A at AoPS or having the equivalent knowledge.

Lessons

Lesson 1 Designing Experiments
Lesson 2 Measurement
Lesson 3 Communication in Physics
Lesson 4 Uncertainty
Lesson 5 Working with Equations
Lesson 6 Building and Using Models
Lesson 7 Problem Solving
Lesson 8 Estimation
Lesson 9 Working with Graphs
Lesson 10 Analyzing Nonlinear Data
Lesson 11 Thought Experiments
Lesson 12 Conservation Laws

This course was both the hardest and the most fun math class I have ever taken. I learned many problem-solving strategies that I hadn't been using before, and now, I feel one step closer to my AMC and AIME goals. Thanks a lot for this course!