PHYSICS: a POINTLESS subject? THIS is wat was sed.......

selling_irish

In the recent message entitled "Physics" there have been some people asking why the hell people like me chose Physics if we find the electricity section so boring and pointless.

Well, the world isn't that black and white.

First of all, when I chose Physics back in third year, how was I supposed to know just how uninteresting the electricity section was going to be?

Secondly, I chose Physics because I wanted to do engineering.

Thirdly, my only reservations towards the subject now is that if I had to do the electricity questions in the exam, then I would be screwed, because I hate that section.

Fourthly, I was right to choose physics, because I found every other section of the course interesting.

Fifthly, I got a lazy-assed, ****e, and totally-uninterested-in-the-subject teacher!

And as a response to that comment about me saying that I know what questions to answer in order to get an A1 without attempting the electricity questions, I do! And I explained how.

And on top of that, I was just making the point that I, personally, am only looking to pass the subject

No offence to whoever did make those comments. I just wanted to explain myself.

c ye

Sev

Why not go and study electricty now?
You've got what, 3 days.

Sangre

I just saw Anger Management

No really...

Michael Collins

Originally posted by selling_irish
In the recent message entitled "Physics" there have been some people asking why the hell people like me chose Physics if we find the electricity section so boring and pointless.

<snip>

Fifthly, I got a lazy-assed, ****e, and totally-uninterested-in-the-subject teacher!

I know how bad it is to have a crap physics teacher. I had one myself for 3 years who the whole school thought was really awful (which was a bit unfair really, it was just no one in the school had any interest really so neither did he) and I was finally looking forward to having a good physics teacher in college - when we get the most boring teacher EVER. Her voice was equally as boring. But then eventually she left and we got a good teacher and I actually started to like Physics again.

Anyway my point is, I'd say maybe you found electricity boring because your teacher wasn't the best. To be honest I thought the elec stuff was the most interesting & useful part of the course. And, if you're doing engineering (presumably not electronic or electrical) you will have to know *some* electronic stuff. How much depends on what college, some colleges have a general engineering first year course where you will have to do an Electronic Eng course...

But seriously you should go and learn your electricity now. Do some induction and go over some of those circuits and you should be alright.

lordsippa

I've decided to not do my Physics exam. I really detest the subject, and I've 7 more subjects anyway. So while you're in physics I shall be lying in bed playing Metroid Prime. <I've been dying to say that>

phaxx

So you'd rather have an NG on your results than even a pass at ordinary level?

c'mon, you may be a lazy bum but you're not THAT bad... are you?

Civilian_Target

I did Leaving Cert Physics last year and I'm now studing physics at uni, and I still think electric physics is the most boring part of physics there is, although it isn't actually that hard, it's just hard to study because it's so damn boring.

Nothing wrong with leaving cert physics though, sadly the more interesting parts of physics (such as quantum theory or relativity) are a tad tricky for leaving cert.

ella minnow pea

quantum is the easiest!!!

electricity aint bad, i dunno how ye can like all that mechanics :mad: damn u newton...and boyle...and hooke...

seamus

An NG on your results means nothing. You just don't include the subject on your CV. No employer will ever ask you for a copy of your results sheet.

Electricity is the easiest part of physics IMO. There's far less maths than mechanics. I consistently did woeful in Physics (even in college) cos of the mechanics. It may be maths, but it's maths you learn off by heart, not maths you figure out for yourself, which annoys me

Capt'n Midnight

but then again I had to know it well - optics was the section I skipped instead

Man U babe

Originally posted by seamus
Electricity is the easiest part of physics IMO. There's far less maths than mechanics. I consistently did woeful in Physics (even in college) cos of the mechanics. It may be maths, but it's maths you learn off by heart, not maths you figure out for yourself, which annoys me

Mechanics can be fun(sometimes:D ), but when youre halfway through an exam and you realise you cant remember a derivation it sucks.
Hence the reason why I be dropping experimental physics. Electricity's just boring. So glad now i didnt get my 2nd choice, mechanical engineering. That would have been a major pain in the ass.

Nietzschean

Originally posted by Civilian_Target
I did Leaving Cert Physics last year and I'm now studing physics at uni

Nothing wrong with leaving cert physics though, sadly the more interesting parts of physics (such as quantum theory or relativity) are a tad tricky for leaving cert.

Well now special rel ain't that hard, would have been fun to do it for my lc. Though ye'd want to be very strong at maths to have a hope at it, concepts are great fun too to derive it all is a bit sus..........tho had to be the most interesting thing i did all year(studying theoretical physics.................)

, and I still think electric physics is the most boring part of physics there is, although it isn't actually that hard, it's just hard to study because it's so damn boring.

Actually i think electricity is just done terribly in the leaving cert, i think its a very interesting section, the experiments are useless- proper experiments should show interesting uses of all that theory, would make it alot easier to remember for students.

Mechanics can be fun(sometimes ), but when youre halfway through an exam and you realise you cant remember a derivation it sucks.
Hence the reason why I be dropping experimental physics. Electricity's just boring. So glad now i didnt get my 2nd choice, mechanical engineering. That would have been a major pain in the ass.

Ah in fairness, mechanics is the **** subject becomes alot more interesting in college too, lotsa big mad diagrams and such forth, mad stuff And the electricity sections you'd have done in expt physics(i'd say i'd a similar enough module) are as boring as hell i would have to agree, mix of lc and just some new stuff, done like that drove me class nutz, i think 3 people ended up going to our physics lectures...............

comet

Off topic, but I was wondering whats the name of the Physics book most people are using now. I want to give grinds and know the course changed a year or 2 ago, so I may need to brush up.

Sangre

Real World Physics.

Afaik its the old coarse with less stuff mostly.

Nietzschean

Ah do a proper job teaching it and use university physics, even more boring of a book but if ye teach it all ye will save em alot of anguish if they do physics in college

jd

Originally posted by Sangre
Real World Physics.

Afaik its the old coarse with less stuff mostly.

Lovely
Dumbing down then..

PHB

Well, they just removed a hell of a lot of the harder maths on the course, and made it more biased towards ideas then maths. They also shortened the course so that all people could actually finish it.
This resulted in making the course a easier and more accessible to people who aren't great at maths, which I think is a great thing!

jd

Originally posted by PHB
Well, they just removed a hell of a lot of the harder maths on the course, and made it more biased towards ideas then maths. They also shortened the course so that all people could actually finish it.
This resulted in making the course a easier and more accessible to people who aren't great at maths, which I think is a great thing!

I think it's a terrible thing myself sorry. Physics a la the Readers digest.

PHB

Have you actually looked at the course?
How can you possibly think its a bad thing that more people are getting involved in science.
The course is now biased towards ideas rather than maths, which is what physics is all about, ideas.

jd

Sorry -I did physics to higher level, then engineering..
Without maths,physics loses its rigour and much of its usefulness.
By all means dumb down the ordinary level course, if the math is too hard, but removing the maths from higher level phyics is a nonsense.

Sangre

They didnt remove the Maths, they just removed the complex problem solving usually associated with Higher Level Maths. Its not a MAths exam its a Phyiscs exam.

Nietzschean

Dave he's right, physics is all about the maths, every part of physics is based on maths and i think the lc is now giving a false impression of the topic. Its not about learning off woffle, its all about proof's.