Math Levels

There are three levels of introductory physics classes based on how much math you understand:

• Conceptual
• Algebra-based
• Calculus-based

These courses generally cover the same set of topics, but with more or less complicated math.

General Chemistry also has algebra-based and conceptual levels, but there’s a lot more overlap since the algebra required is generally less intense than in physics.

We get several common questions:

1. Which should I take first?
2. Which math level am I ready for?
3. Does work in one “carry over” to the courses with more advanced math?
4. If I do a course at two math levels, will I be stuck doing reviews for both?

Which should I take first?

You should take the course with the most advanced math that you’re comfortable with.

There is no need to take the easier levels first, since courses with higher-level math cover all the same material again… just with more math.

Higher math levels also generally cover each topic in more depth, since we have more tools available.

The one exception is if you purposefully decide to learn just the concepts first, and then later on “add in” the math by taking the more advanced course. You’ll be doing more work overall, but it does make the introduction a little bit gentler.

Which math level am I ready for?

• Conceptual
  • Requires 4th-6th grade math
  • Most students interested in Physics should be ready for this
• Algebra-based
  • Requires Algebra 1 and some trigonometry
  • Take our readiness assessment to see if you’re ready - and get a report showing the parts you're still missing. We will soon connect it with a math prereqs course we're building to fill in the gaps.
• Calculus-based
  • Physics I calc-based is generally meant to be taken alongside calculus 1, so you only need some basic knowledge of derivatives for most of it
  • Physics II calc-based is generally meant to be taken alongside calculus 2, so you only need some basic knowledge of integrals for most of it
  • We plan to build readiness assessments for these courses as well

Does work in one course “carry over” to other courses?

Kind of.

You are, of course, becoming more familiar with the physics principles, and so if you take a course with lower-level math then you will later be able to comprehend higher-level courses faster even with the extra math.

Then, within the same math level, we reuse the same lessons - so if you take the High School Physics (TEKS) course, and then start the AP Physics 1 course, you’ll have many units already half-complete (AP Physics 1 goes into more depth than TEKs). There’s no need to redo a lesson you’ve already finished!

Finally, there will sometimes be overlap between math levels. This is fairly rare between conceptual and algebra-based, since we do our best to remove anything resembling complex math from the conceptual topics, but we expect there to be significant overlap between algebra-based and calculus-based courses. That means that if you complete an algebra-based course and then start calculus-based, you’ll have many lessons already complete.

If I do a course at two math levels, will I be stuck doing reviews for both

No. We will only give you reviews for the highest math level you’ve completed for a topic.

So if you decide to do courses at all three math levels that will take more time upfront, but you won’t be dragged down with excess reviews.

Conclusion

Take the highest math level you’re comfortable with, where the math stuff won’t slow you down.