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Physics in college???

  • 17-08-2008 11:16pm
    #1
    Jo O
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭


    I'm considering doing Physics and Instrumentation in GMIT. I did not study physics for the leaving cert, but the GMIT says that there is no need to have studied it.

    Usually when I put my mind to something I do pretty well but I'm confused about this. I did pass maths for the leaving cert. Would I find this course very difficult???


Comments

  • #2
    Morbert
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,457 ✭✭✭Morbert


    Jo O wrote: »
    I'm considering doing Physics and Instrumentation in GMIT. I did not study physics for the leaving cert, but the GMIT says that there is no need to have studied it.

    Usually when I put my mind to something I do pretty well but I'm confused about this. I did pass maths for the leaving cert. Would I find this course very difficult???

    I unfortunately can't comment on the specifics of the GMIT course, but I can say that the Physics course I did would have been difficult without honours maths. But if you're doing Physics and Instrumentation then chances are your course is going to be focusing on the more experimental aspects of Physics. Maths is still important, but not as abstract, so you should be OK with it.


  • #3
    pkeno
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 155 ✭✭pkeno


    I've just finished a course in Physics in TCD which definitely needed honours maths, some rough stuff was thrown our way.

    As the poster above says, your course will probably be more experiment based and not delve so much into the theory as mine did. However in my lab classes analysis of results sometimes required mathematical tools such as integration which is not taught at pass level as far as i know.

    Saying that, if the course states honours not needed then any stuff like that will be taught i'm sure.


  • #4
    oneofakind32
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,304 ✭✭✭oneofakind32


    Im going into 4th year physics in NUIG. I did honors maths and physics in leaving cert, which was a huge advantage in 1st year as the courses in maths and physics was very similar to the leaving cert course. I know people who went in without prior physics knowalge who had to do more work in 1st year. I found it quite a bit harder in 2nd year as I really had to work at it having spent the whole of 1st year dossing around. It was a bit of awake up call. So ya a bit of work is required but don't forget to enjoy your college life!


  • #5
    ga2re2t
    Closed Accounts Posts: 134 ✭✭ga2re2t


    From: http://www.gmit.ie/news-events/physics-08.html

    “Most of the students who study Physics & Instrumentation in GMIT have not studied physics before. We start with the basics in all our science subjects, so there is no need to have previously studied any particular science subject.”

    So it should be pretty ok.

    I'd recommend picking up a copy of Feynman's Lectures on Physics. The GMIT library should have it, if not then think about buying it on Amazon. There are 3 volumes, but volume 1 should be enough to start. He goes over some of the mathematics in a more friendly way (or at least I think he does).

    Best of luck.


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