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Which modules are the most useful for a maths with physics degree?

Poll

Which modules should I do? (It's not necessary but I've always wanted to do a poll!)

Teaching myself further maths AS, before I start please could someone advise me on which modules I should do?

I do mechanics in my normal maths a-level already.

Reply 1

Kolya

I would recommend doing three FP modules.

Reply 2

div curl F = 0

S1 and D1 are not useful at all for a Physics degree.

Do as much Pure and Mechanics as you can if you want to be ahead of the game when you start. I did Pures 1 - 6 and Mechanics 1 - 6 at A level (and some statistics modules which weren't very useful) and I found this helped no end at University, especially the ideas that are presented in the later modules. You will use these right through a Physics degree.

Reply 3

kcfch

are you AQA? because theres no FP4 on edexcel :P
anyway, i agree with the above posters, stats and decision arent that important for physics, but if youre doing a maths with physics degree i presume its 75% maths and 25% physics, so i guess stats and decision will come in in the maths anyway...completely up to you which modules you pick then. for physics though, definitely as much mechanics as you can.

Reply 4

clear.twilight

I've done FP2 and 4, and out of those 2 id suggest FP4. FP3 has quite a lot of calculus is which would be useful for physics i believe.

Reply 5

Glutamic Acid

M3 and M4 too?

If I was doing AQA (I'm not), I'd ideally do FP1, FP2, FP3, FP4, M3 and M4. With M1 and M2 being the applied modules in normal maths.

Reply 6

clear.twilight

Yeh, going further than M2 would be good. FP1 wouldnt be too helpful, but you'd need to cover it probably to understand the further modules, as it introduces matrices/complex numbers etc, you could just look over it though, and not necessarily do the exam, and do an extra mechanics one instead.

Reply 7

niceperson

Do all mechanics all pure!! You cant do enough.

Reply 8

2^1/2

you might all hate this, but S2 would be very useful, i only did it as my teacher couldn't teach M3 but it's really use for hypothesis testing in experiments.

Reply 9

kcfch

2^1/2

you might all hate this, but S2 would be very useful, i only did it as my teacher couldn't teach M3 but it's really use for hypothesis testing in experiments.

i am sort of contradicting myself here with my previous post, but i have heard that SOME statistics is useful for physics for experiments etc. so maybe S1 and the rest pure and mechanics?

Reply 10

clear.twilight

2^1/2

you might all hate this, but S2 would be very useful, i only did it as my teacher couldn't teach M3 but it's really use for hypothesis testing in experiments.

and to counter that hypothesis testing is just a case of following steps, you dont need to understand it, so mechanics modules are a lot more useful. you get an overall better knowledge and approach to maths doing pure and mechanics.

EDIT: Someone I know is doing M3, just covered something that will come up in their a2 physics, so the further you can get with mechanics the better

Reply 11

2^1/2

yeah i agree SHM is in M3 which is in a2 physics.

lets not turn this into ragging stats, S1 is too easy it's just gcse really, S2 has the useful stuff.

i agree mechs will be more useful for a physics degree, but don't rule out stats!

Reply 12

clear.twilight

Yeh i suppose, do you have to have done the s1 exam to do s2 though? I dno how it works cause ive done them all in order... its pretty much different content, you wouldnt need to have studied s1, just dont know if u can take it s2 without s1...

Reply 13

Sidhe

Anything to do with calculus, matrices, trig, probability, summation, series and vectors. In fact most of them are useful to some extent but some more than others.