is physics as hard as people make it out to be ? (1 Viewer)

[elenal]

I'm currently in year 10 selecting my subjects for year 11 and 12 and I'm considering taking physics however numerous people including teachers has told me it's difficult. I'm certainly not the brightest student and I get average marks in mathematics, so I'm reluctant to choose physics however I would love to give it a shot. I am going well in science actually, I constantly recieve A's as I really enjoy science and I find it quite interesting, particularly learning about space.

 

[anomalousdecay]

If you work hard enough then it will not be difficult.

If you enjoy science, think about whether you like Chemistry or Biology or Physics more, and select which subjects you like the most to do for prelim and HSC.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Not sure if true but my teachers for math and science told me that physics will involve less maths next year/year after, but yea i'm sure that if you put the effort in physics should be fine.

 

[cub3root]

physics is not that hard. more of a content based subject. there are 2 space topics in prelim & hsc but most of it is electrical

 

[cub3root]

If you can do basic algebra manipulation, and are comfortable with fractions then you should be fine in physics. The rest is conceptualizing and knowing the right formula to use.

yeah there isn't much maths in it. The "hardest" is the projectile motion stuff

 

[panda15]

yeah there isn't much maths in it. The "hardest" is the projectile motion stuff

Which even then just requires subbing numbers into a formula. The level of maths required for physics is like year 9/10 maths.

Physics has one or two concepts that some people struggle to get their head around, but it's really just very basic maths and rote learning. If you enjoy learning about space, I would recommend physics.

 

[cub3root]

Which even then just requires subbing numbers into a formula. The level of maths required for physics is like year 9/10 maths.

Physics has one or two concepts that some people struggle to get their head around, but it's really just very basic maths and rote learning. If you enjoy learning about space, I would recommend physics.

yeah pretty much. There is a formula sheet and just start subbing in things into one another. Probably not even year 10. and yes rote learning a lot of content.

2nd bolded part == Yes. I still don't entirely understand that p-n junction stuff in cells but fak it

 

[lilcutetricker]

Some of the people I've talked to said that "doing 3u or 4u maths will help you with physics a great deal" but I disagree. Yes it does assist you in manipulating an equation to fit the question since I've noticed that general and 2u tend to think outside of the formulae less (notice how I said less and not never) e.g. I had a question in moving about that required the use of cos rule which some general/2u might not be able to apply to and another in which you had to relate centripetal force and something to do with gravity but both questions didn't suggest you had to use a distinctive formula; very few general and 2u students received the mark for those questions.

 

[Prawnchip]

tbh, what is hard about physics is NOT the mathematical skills involved (mainly just substitution into formula) but actually UNDERSTANDING the concepts. Some core topics involve really abstract concepts and that's why I find it more difficult than Chemistry...you really have to 'get it'. I find route learning not really useful for physics. Anyway, you don't have anything to lose. If you think physics interests you, then pick it up! And if you find it's not for you, then you can always drop

 

[panda15]

Some of the people I've talked to said that "doing 3u or 4u maths will help you with physics a great deal" but I disagree. Yes it does assist you in manipulating an equation to fit the question since I've noticed that general and 2u tend to think outside of the formulae less (notice how I said less and not never) e.g. I had a question in moving about that required the use of cos rule which some general/2u might not be able to apply to and another in which you had to relate centripetal force and something to do with gravity but both questions didn't suggest you had to use a distinctive formula; very few general and 2u students received the mark for those questions.

Eh, I think it does help a bit doing 3U and deriving the formulas for projectile motion to understand where each of the variables comes, but the questions are designed so that all you have to do is plug numbers in and do a bit of algebraic manipulation. For a 3U kid, knowing how the formulas are derived means you modify the formula to account for things like the projectile not starting at the origin, which comes in handy for some of the more abstract questions but it still isn't a real advantage.

But circular motion in physics and circular motion in 4U are completely different. Someone doing 4U would have no advantage over a General kid at all.

 

[theodore0307]

If you do some study and your mind is logical then you'd be fine

 

[bakstar]

Physics personally i think isn't really that difficult. It's pretty much just ROTE and some basic maths skills for solving equations.

 

[someth1ng]

it's hard at uni but easy in high school since the level of maths is quite low in HSC physics.

 

[dan964]

I'm currently in year 10 selecting my subjects for year 11 and 12 and I'm considering taking physics however numerous people including teachers has told me it's difficult. I'm certainly not the brightest student and I get average marks in mathematics, so I'm reluctant to choose physics however I would love to give it a shot. I am going well in science actually, I constantly recieve A's as I really enjoy science and I find it quite interesting, particularly learning about space.

year 11 physics = easy
year 12 physics = hard* (especially Topic 3 - although I dislike Motors and Generators also)
*relatively

uni physics / or uni advanced maths =>4u maths> maths => physics> biology


If you enjoy physics do it you can always drop it in year 12.
Chemistry is actually harder than Physics because there is a lot more content, although Physics and Chemistry if it wasn't for the content in Chemistry, Physics is harder.

 

[photastic]

Physics is relatively harder than other subjects due to the difficulty of understanding the concepts and the amount of content. I found yr 12 physics easier than yr 11 physics since it made more sense.

 

[ClaudzSquiggle]

I found with Phys it was more important to understand the concepts and why it works. Then you can use it to explain applications and practicals

It's not like chem, where you simply HAVE to remember a large quantity of chemical equations and data

 

[bongoli]

don't do physics if you're not ready to cope with shitty teachers, practicals and scientific thinking

advice i should have taken 2 years ago