The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

Do i need to take Maths with Physics A level?

At the moment i have chosen to take Physics, Maths and Geography for a level however i am really doubting taking Maths.

While i do enjoy maths and i am predicted a 7 (A) I'm honestly unsure of my abilities and whether or not i will do well in the A level. Honestly speaking I've never been one of those people who revises much for any exam but i sure if i revise properly for the actual GCSE i can do a lot better for the real exams but i can't be sure. (Really shouldn't have done that)

My parents are planning to get me a tutor (which I've never had before) and are very optimistic about my success saying if i revise the basics for the syllabus over the holiday i will do fine. Maybe I'm a bit hard on myself and I'm known to be quite pessimistic but i really don't want to rely on this if.

I'm indifferent about the subject itself and the main reason for me taking it is the fact i am also taking Physics. I've done research on degrees and it seems that any degree remotely related to physics would require maths as well. Otherwise, it just seems that i am taking a difficult a level for no reason. I know that it does look good to universities but i would rather that it actually helped regarding degree requirements. By the way i have absolutely no clue on what degree or career path to take.

I know maths and physics is a great combination but it doesn't mean anything if you don't get the grades.

I know i must have rambled on a bit but i have no clue what else to take and am really doubting my mathematic abilities. So any advice on whether i would be able to take physics without maths or any other options would be amazing.
Physics is essentially applied maths, and if you're thinking of studying physics at a university level, taking maths would really help. I honestly think that you would struggle with advanced physics concepts if you don't understand the maths behind them. If you do take maths at a level, sure you might need to work harder than you're used to, but I think it would help you a lot later on
honestly if you're doubting your maths abilities, how are you going to do physics :/
As someone who does physics and maths at the moment and is considering the potential of studying physics at uni, I think physics to a point requires good maths ability. You can miss out on maths if you really want, but you do miss out on the cores of calculus which factor into physics as you go along. As for being difficult, every a level is difficult ( apart from general studies but that’s general studies) and if you enjoy maths I think you’ll probably find physics to be a harder subject at a level as you can mindlessly go through pages of calculations for maths and not understand it. Physics requires a greater understanding of maths and its applications in the real world ( and in theory, literally) and personally if you don’t do maths you’d be at a disadvantage for further physics studies. As for a tutor I’d personally not recommend one for a levels but whatever floats your boat.
If you really are doubting your mathematical abilities, you may want to reconsider your options but always go for the subjects you enjoy the most.
As a side note: Geography isn’t mildly entertaining😉...
In all seriousness the three subjects you have chosen currently are good choices showing you have both an understanding of mathematics and one of the natural sciences as well as some sort of analytical skills ( I’ve been told Geography is analytical anyway). Definitely a good set of subjects going forward
Original post by tayyiba.c
At the moment i have chosen to take Physics, Maths and Geography for a level however i am really doubting taking Maths.

While i do enjoy maths and i am predicted a 7 (A) I'm honestly unsure of my abilities and whether or not i will do well in the A level. Honestly speaking I've never been one of those people who revises much for any exam but i sure if i revise properly for the actual GCSE i can do a lot better for the real exams but i can't be sure. (Really shouldn't have done that)

My parents are planning to get me a tutor (which I've never had before) and are very optimistic about my success saying if i revise the basics for the syllabus over the holiday i will do fine. Maybe I'm a bit hard on myself and I'm known to be quite pessimistic but i really don't want to rely on this if.

I'm indifferent about the subject itself and the main reason for me taking it is the fact i am also taking Physics. I've done research on degrees and it seems that any degree remotely related to physics would require maths as well. Otherwise, it just seems that i am taking a difficult a level for no reason. I know that it does look good to universities but i would rather that it actually helped regarding degree requirements. By the way i have absolutely no clue on what degree or career path to take.

I know maths and physics is a great combination but it doesn't mean anything if you don't get the grades.

I know i must have rambled on a bit but i have no clue what else to take and am really doubting my mathematic abilities. So any advice on whether i would be able to take physics without maths or any other options would be amazing.


You won't be able to make much use of a physics A level without a mathematics A level alongside. If you are going to get a 7 at GCSE you will be able to cope with A level mathematics.
Most schools require you to study A Level Maths if you plan on taking A Level Physics.

Every single person in my physics class is in my maths class and that's about 28 of us.
Another thing to note is that after a while in a level maths you begin to see the similarities in new content in relation to your gcse content. Yes A level maths looks daunting but it isn’t nearly as bad as it seems to be

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you