LC Physics Help

avantin

Hi, I'm in 5th year and I need to have Physics for the course I want. The problem is that my school doesn't have Physics as a subject, so I've been doing it myself. I can't afford grinds, but I think I'm getting along fine with everything except for the experiments- I'm having a hard time finding out much about what exactly I'm supppsed to do.
-Am I supposed to write them up word for word from my textbook or should I re word it a bit?
-Do I need to buy an experiments copy like the ones we has for JC Science, or will any copy book do?
-Should I do the experiments at school so that a teacher can verify that I've actually done them?
-Are there actually marks allocated for the write-ups or is it just so we know them for Section A?
-Do you need many things that wouldnt typically be in a Biology lab to carry out the experiments? My Biology teacher said that I can use anything already in her classroom and that she can order in anything else that I need, but that I'd have to pay for it myself. I'm kind of worried that its going to get expensive. I know that this ones fairly subjective and you mightnt be able to give an answer, but still...

Any pointers would be apreciated, feeling very confused... Thanks

rainbowtrout

avantin wrote: »

Hi, I'm in 5th year and I need to have Physics for the course I want. The problem is that my school doesn't have Physics as a subject, so I've been doing it myself. I can't afford grinds, but I think I'm getting along fine with everything except for the experiments- I'm having a hard time finding out much about what exactly I'm supppsed to do.
-Am I supposed to write them up word for word from my textbook or should I re word it a bit?
-Do I need to buy an experiments copy like the ones we has for JC Science, or will any copy book do?
-Should I do the experiments at school so that a teacher can verify that I've actually done them?
-Are there actually marks allocated for the write-ups or is it just so we know them for Section A?
-Do you need many things that wouldnt typically be in a Biology lab to carry out the experiments? My Biology teacher said that I can use anything already in her classroom and that she can order in anything else that I need, but that I'd have to pay for it myself. I'm kind of worried that its going to get expensive. I know that this ones fairly subjective and you mightnt be able to give an answer, but still...

Any pointers would be apreciated, feeling very confused... Thanks

1. You can write them in your own words if you want.
2. You should probably do the experiments at school, so you can ask a teacher for help if you don't know how to work the equipment. Also some of the equipment is bulky and expensive, I can't imagine the school letting you take it home.
3. There are no marks allocated for the write up. It's so you know them for Section A of the exam.
4. Yes, you need lots of things that aren't in a biology lab. There is no crossover between physics and biology for leaving cert. There are some pieces of equipment that might be present (lens, mirrors etc) that were used for junior science, but generally the physics equipment is specialist. I'm a physics teacher and for 95% of the experiments I do, nobody else uses the equipment except me and my physics classes.
5. You can forget buying the equipment right now. If you can't afford grinds, you won't be able to afford the equipment. Physics equipment is expensive. Some of the pieces of equipment needed cost a couple of hundred euro. Small things likes mirrors and lenses obviously not, but it is in no way practical to buy all the equipment you need as a leaving cert student. The course is not designed to be like that.
6. Maynooth do an experiments day in January ( I was just there this week with my class). It costs €10 and you get to do about 10 of the experiments on the course. This would be far more beneficial for you, if you were to go next year. They taking books for January from September.

It might be worth looking into grinds just on a short term basis, or even once a month. If you can find a physics teacher local to you that would do the experiments with you, and you could get on with the theory yourself. Failing that you will find most, if not all of the experiments on youtube.

hasdanta

Nobody checks the write ups. You're supposed to do them and there are whispers of examiners checking for the write ups, but in reality it doesn't happen. (I'm probably gonna get slated by mods for saying that despite it being true!)

From my experience of Bio and Chemistry experiments know the procedure, why you did specific things during the procedure (i.e. why you added a specific substance), the diagrams/graphs, any required calculations for that experiment and any results.