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Advanced Higher Physics 2016/17

Hello everyone. I've not seen a thread for Advanced Higher Physics this year, so I thought I'd make one for us to ask each other questions and discuss the course, project and prelims/ the exam when the time comes. I have only just started the course this week and have done derivations of equations of motion and started rotational motion. What topic/unit are you doing and how are you finding it so far?

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Reply 1
Original post by Labrador99
Hello everyone. I've not seen a thread for Advanced Higher Physics this year, so I thought I'd make one for us to ask each other questions and discuss the course, project and prelims/ the exam when the time comes. I have only just started the course this week and have done derivations of equations of motion and started rotational motion. What topic/unit are you doing and how are you finding it so far?

I started in June, so I've done those already and have moved onto rotational dynamics & centripetal forces. I'm enjoying AH Physics so far and I haven't really had any problems.
Reply 2
Wait until you get to division of amplitude, how fun! 😂😂😂


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Original post by PTS_99
I started in June, so I've done those already and have moved onto rotational dynamics & centripetal forces. I'm enjoying AH Physics so far and I haven't really had any problems.

I'm enjoying it too albeit only a few periods so far! Do you have any project ideas yet or know roughly when you will be doing it?

Original post by JP298
Wait until you get to division of amplitude, how fun! 😂😂😂


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Guessing you did the course recently? How did you find it overall in terms of content and also how did you find the project?
Reply 4
Original post by Labrador99
I'm enjoying it too albeit only a few periods so far! Do you have any project ideas yet or know roughly when you will be doing it?


Guessing you did the course recently? How did you find it overall in terms of content and also how did you find the project?


Yeah I did, got an A. Course content was all very interesting until you got to waves, then it became very mundane apart from the quantum mechanics and black body radiation. Make sure for your project that you pick a very well known and common topic such as measuring gravity by the use of pendulums. Tbh I thought the project was pretty boring and time-consuming, I did different methods of measuring the length of a convex lens and our labs did not have the equipment necessary to do successful experiments. Give us a shout if anyone needs help!


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Original post by JP298
Yeah I did, got an A. Course content was all very interesting until you got to waves, then it became very mundane apart from the quantum mechanics and black body radiation. Make sure for your project that you pick a very well known and common topic such as measuring gravity by the use of pendulums. Tbh I thought the project was pretty boring and time-consuming, I did different methods of measuring the length of a convex lens and our labs did not have the equipment necessary to do successful experiments. Give us a shout if anyone needs help!Posted from TSR Mobile
Thanks- that was really helpful advice. Well done on your A! :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by JP298
Wait until you get to division of amplitude, how fun! 😂😂😂


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To this day I still don't understand it lol. Thankfully the exam had virtually none of it lol
Original post by Labrador99
Hello everyone. I've not seen a thread for Advanced Higher Physics this year, so I thought I'd make one for us to ask each other questions and discuss the course, project and prelims/ the exam when the time comes. I have only just started the course this week and have done derivations of equations of motion and started rotational motion. What topic/unit are you doing and how are you finding it so far?


We just started Torgue. It's going well so far but there seems to be a lot more problem solving in terms of calculations than higher. Will need some getting used to but I'll manage. Thanks for asking.


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Reply 8
Original post by RossB1702
We just started Torgue. It's going well so far but there seems to be a lot more problem solving in terms of calculations than higher. Will need some getting used to but I'll manage. Thanks for asking.


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Sounds torqueture!


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Original post by JP298
Sounds torqueture!


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I see what you did there


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What's the hardest unit in the higher course ? The unit with most content and learning ?
Original post by RossB1702
We just started Torgue. It's going well so far but there seems to be a lot more problem solving in terms of calculations than higher. Will need some getting used to but I'll manage. Thanks for asking.


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I think I'm starting torque this week too- the course seems fine so far for me too :smile:

Original post by JP298
Sounds torqueture!


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Haha- very clever
Original post by Ethan100
What's the hardest unit in the higher course ? The unit with most content and learning ?



I'm not sure which one is most difficult- the opinions of people in my class varied quite a lot, depending on what each person was good at. I think particles and waves probably had the most content and I would say our dynamic universe had the most calculations. I personally found the electricity topic hardest to learn- It wasn't difficult and is only a half unit, but I found it quite mundane and uninteresting. Hope this helps :smile:
Original post by Ethan100
What's the hardest unit in the higher course ? The unit with most content and learning ?


Left and right hand rules were the most difficult for me. Still don't understand the theory behind it, hopefully I understand it before I go to uni because I might go study physics.


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Original post by Labrador99
I think I'm starting torque this week too- the course seems fine so far for me too :smile:


Haha- very clever


Yeah torque isn't too difficult, just another calculation. Anyway which other subjects are you studying this year and what do you want to study at uni ? I'm doing advanced physics and maths and higher English cause I was nat 4 scum in 4th year lol. Plan on maybe studying an engineering course or physics, haven't fully made up my mind tbh so it's ideal UCAS lets you apply for up to 5 courses.


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Original post by RossB1702
Yeah torque isn't too difficult, just another calculation. Anyway which other subjects are you studying this year and what do you want to study at uni ? I'm doing advanced physics and maths and higher English cause I was nat 4 scum in 4th year lol. Plan on maybe studying an engineering course or physics, haven't fully made up my mind tbh so it's ideal UCAS lets you apply for up to 5 courses.


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I'm doing AH physics, maths, biology and chemistry- planning on studying veterinary medicine. :smile: Glasgow and Edinburgh are the only Scottish ones that do vet med, so I'd be happy to be offered a place at either of those (they are both equally as far away, so distance doesn't really matter). How are you finding maths so far?
Original post by Labrador99
I'm doing AH physics, maths, biology and chemistry- planning on studying veterinary medicine. :smile: Glasgow and Edinburgh are the only Scottish ones that do vet med, so I'd be happy to be offered a place at either of those (they are both equally as far away, so distance doesn't really matter). How are you finding maths so far?


Quite hard tbh, there's just so much algebra and I find it extremely easy to make arithmetic mistakes but someone told me it's like that at the start and that I'll get used to it. How's your subjects going ? 4 advanced highers seems like murder.


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Original post by RossB1702
Left and right hand rules were the most difficult for me. Still don't understand the theory behind it, hopefully I understand it before I go to uni because I might go study physics.


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The left and right hand rules are one of the worst taught pieces of physics imo haha. It's just a cross product, no secrets really
Original post by langlitz
The left and right hand rules are one of the worst taught pieces of physics imo haha. It's just a cross product, no secrets really


Yeah my physics teacher even said before the exam that hardly any students understand it and we shouldn't fixate on it. However it did come up in this years exam as a 1 marker, It asked for the direction of the force and I cluelessly guessed up and it was right lmao.


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Original post by RossB1702
Quite hard tbh, there's just so much algebra and I find it extremely easy to make arithmetic mistakes but someone told me it's like that at the start and that I'll get used to it. How's your subjects going ? 4 advanced highers seems like murder. Posted from TSR Mobile
I think they're going ok so far... Yeah, I keep finding myself making silly mistakes that make the answer much more complicated and I think I need to work harder at recognising the most efficient way of finding the answer, so I have longer for checking answers at the end.

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