Physics?

I want to do Chemistry at university so I'd like to have Physics to at least AS. Problem is, I have very mixed feelings about Physics, at GCSE at least. I can't get enough of waves, astrophysics, molecular physics and radioactivity topics, but I absolutely despise electricity and forces. I just find it mindnumbingly boring, which makes it hard to revise, and so my grades go down.

My question is, does anyone have any tips for getting over this? Obviously I can't skip it, so I need to find a way to get through it without bringing my average grade down..

I'm doing Edexcel by the way.

Reply 1

UltimateJ

Ultimately, there will always be part of a course which people don't like, even at degree level. I suppose it is just something you will have to get through, have you checked what the syllabus contains (which topics) might help to give you a better idea of just how bad/good it will be.

Other than that, all I can say is don't let it put you off, you may end up enjoying the stuff you though you didn't like.

Reply 2

Psyonif

chevina

I felt exactly the same way. Circuits and me just don't mix.
But fear not! I got my lowest GCSE grade in Physics, but I'm still at Oxford doing Chemistry. Just do enough A-level maths, and Universities take that in lieu of physics.

I was a bit concerned that me not doing physics beyond GCSE would make university chemistry really hard... but it didn't. They take out all the circuits and... at least most of the forces, leaving you with a sweet, gooey centre of molecules, explosions, and the GOOD kind of physics: crazy-high-energy ions in stellar coronae!

:biggrin:

Reply 3

chevina

Psyonif

Ooh I like that! :biggrin:

Thank you both for replying. I was planning on taking Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Spanish - would it disadvantage me if i replace Physics with Further Maths? As I would only have one science..?
I'm pretty sure I'll just work my way through Physics but I'm just curious. :smile:

Reply 4

DealerG

you hate electricity and forces? Don't take it for just AS then lol, here are the first 3 mods

FORCES and motion
ELECTRONS and photons
wave properties

The modules are quite difficult and to kind of make it worse, waves is only 60 whilst the other two are 90.

Reply 5

random18

chevina

At AS, there will be a lot on forces and electricity. Even more so at A2.
Don't do it if you don't like it; I hate making that decision.

Reply 6

chevina

No, the first 3 modules are:

Physics on the Go
[INDENT]This unit involves the study of mechanics (rectilinear motion, forces, energy and power)
and materials (flow of liquids, viscosity, Stokes’ Law, properties of materials, Young’s’
modulus and elastic strain energy).[/INDENT]
Physics at Work
[INDENT]This unit involves the study of waves (including refraction, polarisation, diffraction and
standing (stationary) waves), electricity (current and resistance, Ohm’s law and nonohmic
materials, potential dividers, emf and internal resistance of cells, and negative
temperature coefficient thermistors) and the wave/particle nature of light.[/INDENT]
Exploring Physics
[INDENT]This unit involves an experiment that is based on a physics-based visit or a case study
of an application of physics.[/INDENT]

New specification from 2008. Still, a lot of stuff I don't like. :frown:

Reply 7

Oxy

chevina

Hahaha exactly how i felt about it :tongue:

im doing chemistry at Uni but u dont need physics, unless ur going to do particle physics or something :smile:

. One thing if u do take it i suggest u do maths with mechanics, this will help a lot with the forces topic :smile:

Reply 8

x_reggg

i dunno if they changed the syllabus (seems like they did?) but then for my AS we did mechanics, electricity + thermal and another topic for unit 3. there wasn't a lot of forces involved other than the mechanics stuff and the first few chapters of electricity was basically the GCSE stuff.. the later bits of electricty got slightly hard to understand tho..

and the forces stuff in A2 is confusing...