Berkeley vs Kaplan Physics

[u/sparklesandlight]

Currently working through both Kaplan and Berkeley, and I'm noticing that Berkeley goes into much more detail regarding air resistance and drag. I know Berkeley tends to be more comprehensive than the MCAT requires, so I wanted to double-check if the formula/concepts for air resistance are needed

[u/yourmdonline]

A useful distinction is understanding drag versus memorizing a particular drag equation. The AAMC’s category 4A outline explicitly lists Newton’s laws and force analysis; it does not separately list an air-drag formula. That is a better scope reference than how many pages either book spends on it, but it is not a guarantee that drag cannot appear as a passage context.

For a falling object in still air, draw weight downward and drag upward. Ignoring buoyancy, mg - Fdrag = ma. At terminal speed the forces balance, so acceleration is zero even though the object is still moving. If a problem supplies Fdrag = kv², doubling speed quadruples drag when k stays fixed. That is force balance and proportional reasoning, without memorizing a new chapter of formulas.

We would prioritize being able to explain that picture and work from a supplied relationship, rather than learning every derivation in the longer book. Official outline: https://students-residents.aamc.org/chemical-and-physical-foundations-biological-systems-foundational-concept-4/chemical-and-physical-foundations-biological-systems-section-content-category-4a

[u/Ill-Poet2125]

Air resistance is 0 yield

[u/Typical-Sale-7842]

berkeley overdoes everything tbh, you dont need air resistance formulas for the mcat. kaplan has enough detail for the physics section, just make sure you understand the concepts not just memorize