Ordinary level Physics

CarefulNow

So heres the story. I have never done physics before. I would be able to pick a lot more courses if I had a science and physics seems the easiest. Am I crazy to pick it up now at this unbelievably late stage? Or is it even possible to change the the subjects that I picked because I filled out that subject sheet a few months ago.
I had a look at the 2008 exam paper and I was able to answer some of the questions.
Help??
Thanks

tootyflutty

Honestly I think you'd be crazy! Physics is considered one of the hardest leaving cert. subjects and to even consider taking it up now?!
If you really need/want to take a science up, I would advise biology, it's all learning and ain't to hard to do well in.

english4490

I think it would be pretty mental to be honest, i do ohysics and hate it! i find it so hard and complicated and it is very long, i was pretty set on dropping it after the pres and taking up geopgraphy! the general consensous in my class would be that along with honours maths its the most difficult course in the leaving cert! i think history is a toddle compared to it!

Naikon

I just did all of the ordinary physics exam papers a few days before the exam.
<edit at poster's request>

Crazy I know, but go for it. Higher level will be a bit more effort, but the levels overlap quite a bit.

Naikon

english4490 wrote: »

I think it would be pretty mental to be honest, i do ohysics and hate it! i find it so hard and complicated and it is very long, i was pretty set on dropping it after the pres and taking up geopgraphy! the general consensous in my class would be that along with honours maths its the most difficult course in the leaving cert! i think history is a toddle compared to it!

If you can manage ordinary level maths, even Higher level physics isn't that complicated to be honest.
You are more likey to get a high grade in it too, considering the fact it isn't oversubscribed like the other sciences.
I liked History, but it is bollocks in comparison to Physics in terms of expended effort.

english4490

Naikon wrote: »

If you can manage ordinary level maths, even Higher level physics isn't that complicated to be honest.
You are more likey to get a high grade in it too, considering the fact it isn't oversubscribed like the other sciences.
I liked History, but it is bollocks in comparison to Physics in terms of expended effort.

well to be honest it all depends what you like and how good you are naturally with things! i could revise my whole history course in quarter the time i could the phyiscs, but that is becasue i love history and hate physics! i dropped to pass maths ans would be still looking for A2/B1 at the very very least in it adn find the maths in pphysics impossible as do many of my classmates but then again half my class wouldn pick the subject if we had the choice again! i think myself if you are doing applied maths then you would pick up the physucs relatively handy!

CarefulNow

Thanks for the fast replys guys. I'm only aiming to pass the exam so I think i'll give it a go.
Does anyone know how I'd go about having it added to the list of subjects i'm doing?
Cheers

english4490

fair play to you, i wish you the best of look! ah i would have said ask the school but we are out for the next 2 weeks so i would say have your exam number at hand and ring the dept of education and see how you get on there

PurpleFistMixer

I may be slightly biased because I'm studying physics in college now, but tbh I don't think physics is anywhere near the hardest LC subject... a fair bit of it is just "know this formula, apply this formula". If you're abysmal at maths it might be an idea to avoid it, though. Of course it also requires "understand this concept, learn this definition, explain why electrons move in a circle in a uniform magnetic field" and whatnot.
Taking up any subject at this point though, is IMO a bad idea - you have 2 months to cover a 2 year course on your own, WHILE studying all of your other subjects. Is it worth the potentially detrimental effect it may have on your other grades?

Also, things to note:

A science subject is required for matriculation for certain university courses - make sure it's not HIGHER level it requires, so anything you may even be slightly considering, check it out. (www.qualifax.ie has entry requirements for the courses)

You have to have registered to sit the exams by a certain date, so if you're not down for Physics you may not be able to sit it... ask someone in your school about this, because I don't know when the date is.. I just know I had to make sure I was registered because I did Applied Maths outside school.

Physics requires you do experiments which you'll need a teacher to sign off on, or something (though they don't seem to ever check it), so you can't do it entirely on your own.

english4490

well in fairness if you are doing physics in collee you must be very good at it and enjoy it a lot!

Dish

If your willing to put the work in for it, go for it, I do it and hate it! But thats just me! ha

pathway33

test yourself with this leaving cert physics quiz. If you get 40% you can just print it out and that will do the college.

http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=475537188

Nanaki

If you're well able to take in theory, then the maths side of things should come together pretty easy given's how you're given the formulae in the exam.
I don't see why physics is considered one of the hardest, the ideas are simple, they just go into detail.
The calculations also put off people who aren't great at maths.
Go for it, I remember being one of only 3 in my year of 100 who did hons physics, and the only one who passed. I looked at the ordinary paper and laughed, as did everyone else. People failing -ordinary- physics laughed at it.
Give it a shot! In hindsight physics was one of my favourite subjects.
Good luck