Physics Department Virtual Accreditation Exams

The Physics Department will offer PHYS 12100 and PHYS 14100 accreditation exams on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 10:00 am (CDT).  Exams are three hours long.   

Students wishing to take one of these exams should email me, Stuart Gazes, at gazes@uchicago.edu. Your email should contain the following information:

• your name  
• your UChicago student ID # 
• your UChicago email address 
• the exam you wish to take (either 12100 or 14100)

Note: students in other time zones for whom the 10:00 am (CDT) time is problematic should contact me to see if other arrangements are possible.

Newly matriculated students who believe they already know the material of PHYS 12100 or PHYS 14100 may take an accreditation exam for one of these courses.  Passing the exam will confer credit for the lecture portion of 12100 or 14100.  Depending on previous experimental work, it may be necessary to do some or all of the 12100 or 14100 labs before receiving course credit.

Both the PHYS 12100 and 14100 exams cover Newtonian mechanics, though at different levels of sophistication.

Passing the 12100 exam would indicate proficiency comparable to a 5 on AP Physics C Mechanics.  However, keep in mind that a 5 on AP Physics C Mechanics would already confer PHYS 12100 credit.  But if your school did not offer AP Physics C Mechanics, then taking the 12100 exam would be another way of getting 12100 credit.

Passing the 14100 exam would require a background beyond AP Physics C Mechanics.  This could conceivably be achieved through self-study, or by taking college courses while in high school.

Finally, please keep in mind that these are not placement tests.  If you wish to adjust your physics placement, then please email me (gazes@uchicago.edu) and I will be happy to discuss your specific situation.

For the Class of 2028 and Incoming Transfer Students only.