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tcd physics

  • 25-01-2013 10:36PM
    #1
    zuluin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19 ✭


    Hello. I wanted to find some information about doing physics in tcd through the general science degree. I did my leaving cert in 2011 and got an A1 in maths and physics and an A2 in applied maths. I just wanted to know whether or not i would be able to cope with the maths and physics in this course. I really enjoyed maths during my leaving cert and i had an illusion that i was extremely good at maths and so foolishly decided to do it in college. I hated the maths in college and found it extremely awkward. I have looked at the exam papers in jf year and they seem pretty straight forward but the exam papers of sf seem tough. I really don't want to do theoretical physics because i am afraid that i might drop out again as they share modules with the pure maths course. Thanks in advance.


Comments

  • #2
    bscm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭bscm


    In JF the Maths isn't too bad; matrices, vectors and differentiation basically sums up most of the modules. Most people do quite well in the 1st semester exam (the Linear Algebra section is very doable, we spent several weeks on Gauss-Jordan elimination).

    In SF it has stepped up a little, but nothing too horrible. It's definitely "specialised", as in everything we cover is geared towards scientific use (despite what we may think during lectures). Solving volumes, second order differentiation, integration, Fourier Analysis, Mechanics... a lot of it is very relevant for Physics (although having not sat Applied Maths for the LC, I wish they had covered more Maths in JF as it would have made things a little clearer in Physics).

    From what I've gathered from talking to Maths students, Science students do a "watered" down version of Maths compared to Maths students. What Maths students covered in a few lectures, we covered in a month/6 weeks.


  • #3
    Sparticle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 343 ✭✭Sparticle


    If you got those results in the LC you'll be grand. The maths never gets too abstract and is really geared towards application. JF physics should be very doable for someone who has done applied maths.

    In SF you have to keep up the physics study constantly as you can be overwhelmed very easily. I recommend doing geology for the last 10 credits as it's not too taxing and it gives you a new perspective of the world.


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