Higher Level Physics

Richyj_0

Are you prepared? I may be totally screwed but I have no exams until then so maybe I can do well?:rolleyes:

pearliefan

Yikes:o I have full day on friday and then the whole weekend for physics!! don't know how i'll motivate myself!

coffey-16

The whole physics thing isnt happening for me!:p

orangetictac

I did the LC in 2008

Seriously....with a bit of effort you can get a great result in physics.
I never thought I would count it for points but studied the basics to ensure a pass....ended up with an A1:eek::eek:.

Know your mandatory experiments!!(n.b possible errors) and as many formulae as you can.

I didnt bother with electricity or magnetism except for a couple formula for the short question question (too much learning and i found em complicated enough)
I had an interest in particle physics and all that nuclear stuff so studied that with mechanics and the more straight forward stuff (sound, heat etc.)

Like, I just studied for about a day and a half before (pretty much all i did after the pres(for which i did even less study))

The marking schemes in Physics don't demand much of you.

So ya....especially if it's your only exam left....work now will be rewarded in August:cool:

errlloyd

Hey mate, can you say how you studied.

Did you do the maths, did you do past papers, did you use less stress more success or read the book ?

ironclaw

errlloyd wrote: »

Hey mate, can you say how you studied.

Did you do the maths, did you do past papers, did you use less stress more success or read the book ?

I'm doing loads of papers. Flick through them, pick the hardest question you find and do it! Then read the book. less stress is useless however, Avoid

Isaac702

I am just planning to do the same thing I did before my mocks.
Spend 1 day going over the notes I got from the institute and then spend the rest of the time answering questions while having any formula pinned on the notice board in my room. At some point then remove the A4 sheets with the formula's and continue.

This method worked in my mocks as I got 68%. I can't see why it would not work in the actual exam.

OxfordComma

Just wondering, is physics actually as hard as people say it is? I picked chemistry instead and I've always regretted not doing it.

1fahy4

1fahy4 wrote: »

Just wondering, is physics actually as hard as people say it is? I picked chemistry instead and I've always regretted not doing it.

No, it's not really. It's actually easier than chemistry in my opinion (there's far more rote learning in chem.). I can see how people doing it think it's hard, but, genuinely, it's not.

OxfordComma

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

No, it's not really. It's actually easier than chemistry in my opinion (there's far more rote learning in chem.). I can see how people doing it think it's hard, but, genuinely, it's not.

Ah feck. I suppose it's too late to do anything about that now though:pac:

Our guidance counsellor made it sound like you have to be some sort of mathematical genius to do physics. I'm good at maths though so I should have done it!

I hate all the rote learning in chem... Like the different fractions of crude oil and the tests for anions:mad:

RayCarley

1fahy4 wrote: »

Ah feck. I suppose it's too late to do anything about that now though:pac:

Our guidance counsellor made it sound like you have to be some sort of mathematical genius to do physics. I'm good at maths though so I should have done it!

I hate all the rote learning in chem... Like the different fractions of crude oil and the tests for anions:mad:

The crazy thing about physics is that the maths in it is always very simple. It's all just about remembering the formulae and then you get most of the marks for just subbing in values.
Compare the maths in physics to the stuff in applied maths... like the hardest question you would get in physics, would be the part (a) in applied maths...

Still there are a lot of definitions to learn in physics.

Des23

Physics is way easier and more interesting in my opinion, I really don't get the stigma attatched to doing physics, or how many people seem to hate it. I would consider it far easier to do well in that most subjects. There are a few definitions, some formulae, other than that knowing experiments is pretty much all you need.

In terms of the exam if you knew the experiments, all you would have to do is the short Qs then the option, Q on radioactivity and a Q on the electron, then do 2 parts from question 12. You could realistically get an A1 with only knowing half the course.

Radioactivity, the Electron, and the option are about 5 or 6 chapters in total, not that much formulae and at least 2 but usually 3 full questions.

Can't see how people could consider it harder than english or maths...

Delta Kilo

I reckon that there will be something on X-rays and the Cockroft and Walton particle accelerator because of the CERN particle accelerator that was used for the first time last October!

Elli-May

I can't learn the formulas! no matter how hard I study

english4490

Elli-May wrote: »

I can't learn the formulas! no matter how hard I study

+1!!

celtic723

thing about physics is the experiments are all so easy that the theory behind everything else has to be hard. i got 58% in the mocks and i'm aiming for a B3....magic things happen if you just spend time at it. at least i hope.

Gavin "shels"

Elli-May wrote: »

I can't learn the formulas! no matter how hard I study

english4490 wrote: »

+1!!

Main reason I dropped to Ordinary, couldn't remember them no matter what I done or how hard I tried.:mad:

Fringe

Use the formulas as much as you can. It's much more helpful than just staring at them and trying to remember them. Go through your book and do every question.

RayCarley

Elli-May wrote: »

I can't learn the formulas! no matter how hard I study

First thing you should do it look in the Tables, they give you a ton of formulae already. You can make up a load more just using the ones they give you as well. Eg they give you Centripetal acceleration : w^2r..... if you want centripetal force, just make f=ma or just stick an "m" in front of w^2r: Centripetal force = mw^2r
See?

You just have to make mnemonics for all the rest of the...
Think back to the days of "Dad's Silly Triangle": Distance over Speed x time

Monkeys Drink Vodka: Mass/Density x Volume

EA CD: Permitivity (E) x Area / Capacitance x Distance (C=EA/d)

"P" equals Rall: P=RA/L Resistivity= Resistance x Area / Length

"F" equals Bill: F=BIL Force=Magnetic Flux Density (B) x Current x Length

Quit!: Q=It Charge=Current x Time

Feck! F/E x Q Force/Electric Field Strength x Charge ... or E =F/Q (when you rearrange)


That's all the mnemonics I have anyway, but if you're stuck trying to learn a certain formula, just make up something for it. I'm telling you it works.

orangetictac

errlloyd wrote: »

Hey mate, can you say how you studied.

Did you do the maths, did you do past papers, did you use less stress more success or read the book ?

I didnt really use the exam papers*. Just looked at the type of questions they asked but only used the maths questions for practice.
Study wise...i had most of the formula and mandatory experiments written out in a memorandum. For the rest I mainly used the book and tried to fit the really important stuff (i think there are a couple tables in the radioactivity section can't really remember) onto one A4 page(both sides) to look at the night before. Didnt use revision books so can't say if they are good or not.

Ya sorry...i should mention that i did applied maths and higher maths which helped alot with mechanics.(even though if i remember correctly i didnt do that question in the exam because it was circular motion or something)
I reckon do as many maths questions as possible and tbh the best thing i did was skipping studying electricity and magnetism and also doing extra questions in the exam(but only do that if youre in the mindframe that you suck at physics and hate those topics....I can understand that some would favour it ahead of mechanics)



*I imagine use of exam papers would be greatly beneficial(It's basically all I used for maths accounting applied maths and economics). They just intimidated me.
BRACKETS FTW:cool:

Delta Kilo

RayCarley wrote: »

"F" equals Bill: F=BIL Force=Magnetic Flux Density (B) x Current x Length

I go to an all boys school and our physics teacher was trying to come up with mnemonics. For this one he hed:

F= I Like Boys

Q a load of laughter and the teacher going very red and saying "Right, lets move on, that wasn't very appropriate!"

VinnyTGM

I'm pretty positive about this as I have the whole weekend to study it.

jkbrackens11

I must go over experiments. I know all my formulae it's applying them is my problem.

Mallox

wow u all seem to find physics easy i got 28% in the pre!!.. i have found it very difficult for the past two years (personally i believe a good teacher makes alll the difference) my aunt teaches physics aswell so i got grinds with her and now i find the option radioactivity and electron very simple .. jus wondering does anyone think its possible to do everything except mechanics and electricity??? i will learn the definitions and watnot but as for doin a whole question on either topics wel im very afraid of doin them

Occono

Anyone else verging on dropping to ordinary?

Adriatic

I got around the same as Mallox and dropped to ordinary. It gives you the formulae and tells which axis to put values on if you need to draw the graph. I think it gives all formulae, I need to learn the experiments and that covers a lot.

Mallox

im gonna keep up the honours cos i got a shock in d pres an worked really hard since ... most horrible subject ever tho i have to say ... most our class failed actually :eek:

RayCarley

Mallox wrote: »

wow u all seem to find physics easy i got 28% in the pre!!.. i have found it very difficult for the past two years (personally i believe a good teacher makes alll the difference) my aunt teaches physics aswell so i got grinds with her and now i find the option radioactivity and electron very simple .. jus wondering does anyone think its possible to do everything except mechanics and electricity??? i will learn the definitions and watnot but as for doin a whole question on either topics wel im very afraid of doin them

Usually you can get away with just leaving out electricity or mechanics by themselves, but together you'll find it very hard to do well at all.
In Section A you have to answer 3 out of 4 experiments and 1 is always mechanics and 1 is always electricity.

Then in Section B, you usually get around 1 and half questions on each... or something like that.

So basically leaving out either of them is asking for trouble, leaving out both...
Besides, you have no excuse not to do well in mechanics: a lot of the formulae are given to you in the maths tables. Plus you can visualise what's going on in the questions, it's usually something pulling something else or a car moving from A to B, so you can usually tell if your answer should make sense.

You can fit a lot of study into 1 weekend, just remember that!

celtic723

what are the chances of one of last years experiments coming up again as the only one i know is the latent heat one and don't want to learn the other two?

BLARG

Em, there are about 20 experiments on the course.

Alexl

Exam papers! Exam Papers! Exam Papers!
They're effectively giving you 90% of the exam!!!!
If you know how to do the exam questions, and have been through all the marking schemes you have no excuse not to get an A.
I got 78% in the mocks purely from learning off marking schemes, and hoping for an A1. I know learning off marking schemes sounds a bit stupid, but the leaving cert is terribly flawed and gives anyone who can learn information off, the ability to get an A1 in most subjects, physics is no exception. As for the maths, just know the formulae and the rest is just subbing in figures.