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how much maths is part of the physics a level?

misssmarty

more theory based or maths? percentage of how much is maths based and how much is theory please.

thanks.

Which board

Very very little on OCR, any maths you do will be fully explained.

The most complex thing you'll have to do is rearrange equations, for example

V=IR

R= \frac{V}{I}

Logarithms are used but with explanation and stepped though simply. There is nothing you couldn't learn in a day for the whole few years, it's not assumed that you will have any knowledge post-GCSE.

Reply 3

DeeDub

I did Edexcel I think. There is no maths beyond basic GCSE at AS level. At A2 there were one or two bits of straight forward AS maths. Rearranging equations is mostly what the maths involves.

Reply 4

/dev/null

Well, physics is just applied maths. Right?

EDIT: Maybe I've been reading too much XKCD...

Reply 5

lw:)

the maths part put me off taking physics

Reply 6

misssmarty

Dnator

Which board

OCR

advancing physics at as the topics covered would be
communication
designer materials
waves and quantum behaviour and space
time and moon

Reply 7

misssmarty

lw:)

the maths part put me off taking physics

yeah i think thats whats going to put me off it too otherwise i find it quite interesting.i want to do medicine at cambridge so really need to do third science. my choices are bio chem and englit/economics so far

Reply 8

Dnator

Nuffield had a reasonable amount of maths

Reply 9

misssmarty

Dnator

Nuffield had a reasonable amount of maths

nuffield?

Reply 10

Dr.Black Knight

very little, but if you are good in maths you'll find it a lot easier!!

Reply 11

doivid

Although there isn't great amounts of maths in physics A-level, people who take maths A level seem to do a lot better (at physics) in my sixth form.

Reply 12

tazarooni89

GCSE Maths should be enough to cover you for a Physics A-Level really.

Reply 13

ourlastmemory

For Edexcel AS the maths is pretty simple, won't be anything you didn't learn at GCSE. No idea about A2 but to be honest if you can rearrange a formula you're most of the way there.

Reply 14

Medicine Man

At A2 (on the old spec), there was a bit more maths involved. We had to be able to understand natural logs and exponentials (which I learnt in A2 maths), but like others have said if you can rearrange a formula, use pathagoras' theorem correctly and work out gradients of graphs seeing as there's always one question in an exam asking you to do so, then you should be fine on the Maths front. Those three concepts are pretty much GCSE level Maths tbh so you shouldn't worry too much. Physics was more 'explain in words whats happening here' rather than 'calculate this and use it to prove that this is so'.