Let's start with some history. Last year and in previous years, the College Board had a year long curriculum called AP Physics B. We taught this curriculum in the NCSSM Online program for several years. It was probably the most challenging AP course due to the breadth of the syllabus. There was a huge amount of content to cover in 32 weeks. The College Board has now split that curriculum into 2 year long courses called AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. They added one major topic area, rotational dynamics, to the curriculum and placed a new emphasis on laboratory work. The result is that the curriculum can be taught at a pace that doesn't make your head spin. That's good; the disadvantage, of course, is that it takes 2 years for you to get the complete introductory physics curriculum. So if you're a senior, you won't be able to get the full 2-year curriculum. Nevertheless, you'll get an excellent grounding in the areas of motion and forces, energy and momentum, gravitation, waves, and electric forces and circuits this year. You'll also be able to take the AP exam for AP Physics 1, since they have one for each curriculum.

Now there's some potential for confusion regarding the courses you're signed up for, so let's try to clear that up at the outset. You're signed up for PH424 Advanced Physics (first semester) and PH426 AP Physics 1 (second semester). It's really a single year long AP curriculum; however, it's split into two courses for administrative purposes. Because of the split, only one of the courses can be called AP officially even though they're both at the AP level. The second semester is the one officially called AP because, of course, you have to complete both semesters in order to say on your transcript that you completed the AP Physics 1 curriculum. I hope that makes sense. If not, we'll try to clear it up in the first WebEx session.

Now if you're a junior, you may be wondering about AP Physics 2, the second year long curriculum in the sequence. NCSSM Online is planning to teach that curriculum in 2015-16. If you complete AP Physics 1 with a grade higher than a B-, then you're eligible to take AP Physics 2 next school year. That curriculum includes everything that AP Physics 1 doesn't. Specifically, that's fluids, thermodynamics, electric fields, RC circuits, magnetism and electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics.

Click here to see the official course descriptions.

Now for some specifics about the course...

• What math do you need to know? We require that you're either currently taking a precalculus course or that you've already completed one successfully. The AP Physics 1 and 2 curriculum is algebra-based, which means we assume you know your algebra really well. We use trigonometry in the course, too (sines, cosines, tangents), but if you haven't had that, we go over what you need to know when we first encounter it.

• What physics do you need to know? There's no official physics prerequisite. You can take PH424 as your first physics course.

• What do you need to have? What we're getting at here is what supplies and equipment you need. Besides the standard stuff for any course (textbook, notebook, etc.), you need a flat-bed scanner and lab equipment. We supply the lab equipment--we've already corresponded about that--and you supply the flat-bed scanner. That's needed for scanning solutions to hand-written homework problems and labs. A flat-bed scanner is the type included with multi-function printers. You lay the paper flat to scan it. That's important in order to get a bright, sharp, undistorted image (as distinguished from the dark, fuzzy, distorted images that are typical when using a cell phone to photograph a piece of paper).

• What is the requirement for weekly class attendance? We meet Tuesdays, 9-10 PM, on WebEx, a web conferencing application. As our only class meeting each week, this is an obligation that supercedes activities such as athletics, other extracurriculars, as well as other courses. We assume that you wouldn't sign up for PH424/PH426 if you anticipated such conflicting activities; however, if you didn't consider that, you need to address the situation. Talk to the sponsor of the conflicting activity, explain that you have a required class session on Tuesdays, 9-10 PM, and can they make an accommodation for you. We're not saying that no absences from the WebEx sessions are allowed; we'll approve up to 2 anticipated absences per semester if provided sufficient notice.

• What is the requirement for weekend class attendance? First, we won't meet physically at NCSSM like many other online classes do. (You'll find out why when you read About the Teacher below.) Instead, we have two Sunday afternoon WebEx sessions each semester. These run from 1-4 PM, and we do a combination of laboratory and problem-solving activities. The dates for these required sessions are given in the course descriptions.