leaving cert physics

clairesempire

Thinking of keeping physics on for the lc, is the course hard?

AtomicKoala

Hard is relative.

I have seen a lot of posters who have taken Geography having to learn off a hardback full of essays for the exam. I myself did History, a subject so much more hit and miss than Physics.

For me, Physics was easier than English, Irish, History, and Applied Maths. Thus I can't say I found it hard because I found the constant work preferable.

I got a B in JC Maths. I'd imagine that if you got below a C you'll struggle, not due to the relatively simple calculations, but because a certain train of logic is needed.

If you have that sort of logic function, this is a subject that will be easier than say, Business or Geography. If you don't, it won't.

Good luck with your studies

A97

I agree. I've only just done 5th year but for me the maths isn't overly difficult so far. It's easier than HL LC Maths for sure but you do need a little bit of logic to understand what's going on. A lot of the equations are in the Maths Tables but you need to know what the symbols mean. Most experiments are simple enough. You need a summary of method, a diagram, maybe two precautions to ensure an accurate result and knowing what to do with the data, e.g. draw a graph or do a calculation. The theory is probably no easier or harder than anything else. Most people can learn off facts if they work at it but understanding will be beneficial in some instances. Learning Definitions requires pretty much the same method used in other sciences and JC Science. However, a lot of them can be defined by equations. You can say:

Resitivity = RA
................__
.................l

Where R = Resistance in Ohms
A = Area in metres squared
l = Length in metres

The equation for Resitivity is in the Maths Tables so you just need to know the symbols and units, where you will become comfortable with over the two years.:)

If you were decent enough at JC Science, Physics in particular and Maths, the course shouldn't be too hard. The course can be surprisingly dull at times, but there's interesting stuff as well considering how much it applies to everyday life. Play to your strengths and if you're scientifically and mathematically minded, Physics will be a good pick for you. If you're well rounded at your subjects, pick it if you like it. If Science isn't your thing at all, avoid it since you won't be pursuing it in the future.

EoghanIRL

A97 wrote: »

I agree. I've only just done 5th year but for me the maths isn't overly difficult so far. It's easier than HL LC Maths for sure but you do need a little bit of logic to understand what's going on. A lot of the equations are in the Maths Tables but you need to know what the symbols mean. Most experiments are simple enough. You need a summary of method, a diagram, maybe two precautions to ensure an accurate result and knowing what to do with the data, e.g. draw a graph or do a calculation. The theory is probably no easier or harder than anything else. Most people can learn off facts if they work at it but understanding will be beneficial in some instances. Learning Definitions requires pretty much the same method used in other sciences and JC Science. However, a lot of them can be defined by equations. You can say:

Resitivity = RA
................__
.................l

Where R = Resistance in Ohms
A = Area in metres squared
l = Length in metres

The equation for Resitivity is in the Maths Tables so you just need to know the symbols and units, where you will become comfortable with over the two years.:)

If you were decent enough at JC Science, Physics in particular and Maths, the course shouldn't be too hard. The course can be surprisingly dull at times, but there's interesting stuff as well considering how much it applies to everyday life. Play to your strengths and if you're scientifically and mathematically minded, Physics will be a good pick for you. If you're well rounded at your subjects, pick it if you like it. If Science isn't your thing at all, avoid it since you won't be pursuing it in the future.

The entire course could do with an upgrade . Parts are so irrelevant and boring .

mcratsix

I found physics to be my easiest subject, apart from economics. There were about 20 in my class and, there were 3 groups of people:
1) The guys who were relatively smart, but put in no work and so therefore never knew how to answer the experiment qs properly, as these take a bit of learning. These guys will get C's/D's.

2) the guys who were of all abilities,but worked hard. Physics isn't hard at all if you work hard, for the majority of people. There were 2 or 3 guys who were just bad at maths (as in they got a C in JC ordinary level maths), and so they struggled with any calculations that weren't incredibly straight forward. I beleive if this is your level of maths, physics is a poor choice. Not saying you still cant do well, I think one of these guys might even get a high B as he knew every experiment down to a tee. But, for the same amount of work he had to put in, he could have got an A in a subject such as Economics, Business or Geo.

3) The maths geniuses. There was only one of these guys in my class (and it wasn't me, sadly). If maths is your thing, as in you get an A in higher level maths every time with minimal effort, then I reccomend physics. If you do applied maths, there will be some parts of the physics course that seem laughably easy to you. You can also make the exam suit you, by doing all the mathsy questions. Also, if you're very good at maths you will almost definitely have the the type of brain that suits physics. A very good maths student can get a high grade in physics with literally half the work put in by someone else who struggles with maths.
Saying that, if you're not a maths genius, but you're ok at maths, then don't be afraid of physics either. You can put in some effort to understand the maths, and then the questions are so repetitive you'll fly them in no time e.g. The maths in the particle physics qs.
Overall, I would definitely reccomend physics,unless you are quite weak at maths.
I'm quite good at maths, but not an A student, and I found it much much easier than higher level french, Maths, English and applied maths. If you had to choose between physics and biology, I'd say physics would be much easier as biology requires a lot of wrote learning, something a typical physics student hates.

MysticManiac

I'm thinking of doing Physics for Leaving Cert because for Junior Cert I thought it was simple and I'm good at maths but is Junior Cert Physics even remotely comparable to Leaving Cert Physics? Like, if you did well in the Physics section of JC, how helpful would that be for LC?

EoghanIRL

MysticManiac wrote: »

I'm thinking of doing Physics for Leaving Cert because for Junior Cert I thought it was simple and I'm good at maths but is Junior Cert Physics even remotely comparable to Leaving Cert Physics? Like, if you did well in the Physics section of JC, how helpful would that be for LC?

You can't compare them at all . Jc physics is so simplified that you can't compare it to lc physics at all . Saying you did well at the physics section of jc science doesn't mean much .

mcratsix

if you've a good aptitude for maths and are willing to learn some experiments off, physics at lc is an easy B in my opinion

Fiona G

I would definitely recommend physics for someone who has a decent level of mathematical ability.

The LC course and JC science aren't really comparable to be honest, a lot more logic and reasoning is required at LC level. That being said I find the workload to be a lot less compared to my other subjects. It's also a really interesting and engaging subject. (I'm planning on studying physics in third level so this may be slightly biased!)

Corkgirl18

I wasn't a fan of physics at all in school. My maths ability was fine but I just lacked the logic needed to understand some of the concepts. Saying that, I ended up with a B1 somehow. Talking to markers, apparently it is marked slightly easier than some other subjects because so little people do it. If you plan on doing anything after school relating to science or engineering it'll be a great help to you.