[Chucklefiend]

Until recently it was my intention to study biology, chemistry, physics and history at A level but it has been suggested by some that I may struggle to get a decent grade in physics without taking A level maths. I'd therefore appreciate opinions/advice from anybody who has taken or who is taking physics (with or without maths) on the extent to which this is true. I got a B at GCSE maths and A grades in biology, chemistry and physics if this helps you give me some useful advice.

Thanks.

[isp]

How are we (TSR users who have never met you before in our whole lifetime) supposed to know if you will struggle or not?

I really don't understand why people post these type of threads. Just take Physics if you want to do it for A-Level and work hard..

[Dirtyflanker]

Depends on the course, I'm doing AQA A and there's very little maths involved- mostly manipulation. If you're good with trigonometry, you're sorted for mechanics

[Chucklefiend]

(Original post by isp)
How are we (TSR users who have never met you before in our whole lifetime) supposed to know if you will struggle or not?

I really don't understand why people post these type of threads. Just take Physics if you want to do it for A-Level and work hard..

Anybody who has taken A level physics will know how much mathematical knowledge/understanding is required to do well on the course and to what extent these mathematical concepts are taught/explained within the physics A level itself.

I don't really understand what's wrong with seeking advice from people who've been there and done it already. Surely their experience would be useful in helping me make a good decision.

Regardless, thank you for your input.

[tomtom415]

Personally, I took three sciences and French. Physics was my only B at AS, and I got a C in the January A2 module. However, I don't think that not doing maths will hinder you, I've a friend who doesn't do maths and he has got an A in every exam and is on target for an A*. Really, there's little maths involved, some trigonometry at A2 and basic log formula rearranging, but I don't think it's 100% necessary to do maths. The reason I've got a B is because I've just given up on it, but if you like physics then go for it! As long as you're ok at maths, with at least a B at GCSE. Mechanics is probably the hardest maths part and even that is basically doing simple formulas. In my class, I find that people who have done maths have often already encountered some concepts in maths, but usually they're easy to grasp and people who don't do maths learn them just as easily. However, I was talking to my physics teacher the other day and he did say that when they change the A level specification from next year, they are adding calculus (differentiation and integration) but I guess that would depend upon the exam board. But once again, I think that would just be learning a few extra formulas and nothing really that maths-orientated.
So on the whole, no, I don't think you're at a disadvantage not doing maths if you want to do physics and you enjoy it

[M4LLY]

It won't really affect you tbh, i did both a level maths and physics and i did OK in maths but i cocked up physics big time

[tommm]

No. There is of course a correlation between doing well in physics and taking maths, but I don't think that this is the main causation, it's more to do with your mathematical ability and your grasp of GCSE maths.

As far as I remember, the only "new" bit of maths you'll need to learn is logarithms (someone correct me if there's something else).

[frankieboy]

Actually I disagree and say that the guys I know doing A level Physics are always moaning that the maths is almost harder than A level maths itself.

Probably different stuff, but fiendishly difficult nevertheless.

[Torpedo Fish]

(Original post by tommm)
As far as I remember, the only "new" bit of maths you'll need to learn is logarithms (someone correct me if there's something else).

Calculus perhaps?

To OP: obviously doing maths would give you a slight advantage over somebody who isn't, but I don't think it'd be a huge one. What maths there is in the A level physics course will be fully explained (they don't assume mathematical knowledge beyond GCSE level).

[frankieboy]

(Original post by Torpedo Fish)
What maths there is in the A level physics course will be fully explained (they don't assume mathematical knowledge beyond GCSE level).

Guess the guys I know must just be rubbish at maths then

[Torpedo Fish]

(Original post by frankieboy)
Guess the guys I know must just be rubbish at maths then

Well without talking to them directly I wouldn't know. But as has already been mentioned the only 'new' concepts included in the A level physics syllabi ('new' as in not studied in GCSE maths) are logarithms and (in the case of some exam boards) calculus.

[frankieboy]

I wasn't being sarcastic for the record. Knowing them, they're just winging it on the A level course haha. I know two that are doing Physics and Maths (or atempting to anyway).

[Homeboy Hotel]

Let me give you the no B.S low down from personal experience.

Not the usual "oh my friend's friend didnt revise and got an A*" rubbish I keep seeing mostly on this forum.

I just scraped a low A at Maths GCSE, I moved to a different school to do Maths/Physics at AS. I didn't really want to do maths. But basically, I was in exactly the same position you were in last year.

Now I'm day(s) away from doing my Physics AS, I can honestly say there is a reasonable amount of maths involved on the course. In my position, if you're not fully confident with Maths in the first place then it helps a whole deal to do AS maths. But it's not necessary.

At AS you're just using A-A* GCSE maths (trigonometry, pythagoras, rearranging equations, graphs - gradients/intercepts etc). If you're confident with that, then go for it. Now I feel much more comfortable with it.

If you do AS maths, it makes Physics seem easier, as one unit (merchanics) is heavily Maths based, and depending on if you do Maths at A2, it runs nicely with M1 the additional unit you may do.

[Escapade]

I didn't take maths and I didn't find the maths in physics to be too difficult, especially at AS. (It ended up being my best subject at AS, with 90% UMS).

A lot of the mechanics is based on stuff you'll have learnt at GCSE (e.g. trigonometry), and the more advanced stuff (e.g. logs, exponential growth/decay) is fairly simplified. It definitely helps if you've got maths students in your class that can help you.

So, if you really want to do physics, then don't let it stop you. It'll just mean a little extra work outside of lessons.

[05sykesd]

On my Physics course (AQA) there is no real mathematical stuff which a GCSE student wouldnt be able to do (quite frustrating really for those who want to go on to do physics; i.e. me) those who have no interest in maths, and really no grasp of concepts further than rearranging equations (and then sticking in numbers) and interpreting graphs, basic trigonometry and stuff like that can do just as well as those who do maths.

Sometimes our teacher humors the mathematicians and gets us to do extra maths stuff to see why things are the way they are, but still nothing like real preparation for a physics degree in my mind (annoyingly, calculus is only ever eluded to and all the formulae you will ever need are given to you on the data sheet) AQA really is accessible for those who only have maths to GCSE (there are only 4 of us with any experience of A level maths in a class of 15 or so and it presents no problems). I cant speak for other courses but i would imagine that if you had no intention of going into physics then you would be fine without maths (as long as you wont be the only one in the class without it, as then the pace will be rather faster)