Bridge to gap of alevel physics and undergraduate

I will hopefully be studying physics next year at Sheffield Uni and I am wondering if there are any books/videos I should read/watch in preparation for the course or any important topics I should look at ahead of time

Reply 1

hawkins_rm

Isaac Physics is good for pre-Uni content, in fact they have a downloadable booklet on Pre-U physics, https://isaacphysics.org/books/physics_skills_14?stage=all.

You could also look at the content on the COMPOS You Tube channel, they have webinars fro years 12 and 13 which go into maths and physics beyond the A Level specifications and show how to do uni style problem solving, https://www.youtube.com/@compos4472.

The main thing in first year physics courses is a) a lot of maths, so if you did further maths you will find it easier and b) deeper work on familiar physics like mechanics and electricity but rapidly integrating all the new maths. I don 't know what kind of school you went to, but unless it was one with lots of Olympiad style extra coaching you should read up on physics problem solving skills. Professor Povey's Perplexing Puzzles is an example of a book which does this kind of thing.

Reply 2

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post by Ethanmc27

Hiya,

Congratulations on your offer and hope your exams went well!

If you wanted to talk to a student ambassador, you can use our chat to us service where you can find a mentor more specific to you. Here is the link: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study/chat .

As I do not study Physics myself, I cannot go into too much detail, but I had a flatmate who did study physics who did explain that it is good to have strong maths skills and recap your a level notes. You can also have a look at the course specification to see what modules you will be studying so you can do some prior reading.

That being said, first year is not as daunting as you may expect and it does cover some further maths content and normal a level maths content possibly.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and let me know if you have any more questions!

All the best,
Jivanthika

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