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Physics revision

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  • 15-10-2009 10:01pm
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭


    Hey, I love physics and have a good grasp of the concepts but find the exam questions can be daunting because I'm not always sure what I'm being asked. Are there any good revision books for physics that show you how to approach questions instead of just summarising the course? I've heard that the ReviseWise one isn't very good.

    Or do any of you have any tips for studying Physics?


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    #2
    Fad
    Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    The less stress one is also awful.

    If you can afford an institute revision course, those notes are very good. The syllabus is split in half on those courses though, but Pat Doyle the teacher in there is a very reasonable man and should you ask nicely he'd probably give you a set of the other half.


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    #3
    Fire_with_fire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭Fire_with_fire


    I liked the Revise Wise one - they do good stuff, but I dunno, LSMS is always crap in my experience, just not enough in them to adequately prepare you for the exam, like!

    I think the best revision source is the text book - Real World Physics by Dan O Regan - It's the most comprehensive analysis of the course I've seen yet! And the pictures are pretty too!!! =)


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    #4
    Gavin "shels"
    Registered Users Posts: 17,965 ✭✭✭✭Gavin "shels"


    I found writing out all the forumlas, etc... helped me a good bit. I used Less Stress and found it decent enough, it only gives you the basics but I found it very helpful.


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    #5
    Fire_with_fire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭Fire_with_fire


    No more formula learning now with nearly all of them coming in the new SEC formula booklets... How amazingly amazing is that? =)


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    #6
    KroG
    Closed Accounts Posts: 91 ✭✭KroG


    Fire_with_fire wrote: »
    No more formula learning now with nearly all of them coming in the new SEC formula booklets... How amazingly amazing is that? =)

    Is that coming in the for the 2010 leaving?


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    #7
    Fad
    Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    KroG wrote: »
    Is that coming in the for the 2010 leaving?

    I would assume so, seeing as it seems to be the only tables book* on sale anymore.


    *Not including the Cambridge Stats tables but you dont need them!.


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    #8
    Gavin "shels"
    Registered Users Posts: 17,965 ✭✭✭✭Gavin "shels"


    Serious, pity I done the Leaving last year, the main reason I dropped was from not being able to remember the formulas.:mad:


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    #9
    Fire_with_fire
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭Fire_with_fire


    Yeah, they're there for use from 2010 onwards! They've got nearly all the formulae for physics - some aren't there - and some of the formulae for chemistry, the ideal gas equation, equilibrium constant, pH etc. And they've got nearly all the formulae for maths too - but there's also some missing.

    It makes the whole thing easier in some respect but it's gonna make some things a lot harder potentially to for us!


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    #10
    marblesolutions
    Closed Accounts Posts: 67 ✭✭marblesolutions


    Its true you will be given the formula but you should check out the mark schemes on examinations.ie . It will really help when doing past papers to see exactly what the examiner was looking for.


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    #11
    clartharlear
    Registered Users Posts: 489 ✭✭clartharlear


    marblesolutions wrote: »
    Its true you will be given the formula but you should check out the mark schemes on examinations.ie . It will really help when doing past papers to see exactly what the examiner was looking for.

    http://www.examinations.ie/index.php?l=en&mc=en&sc=ep&formAction=type


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    #12
    Four-Percent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 873 ✭✭✭Four-Percent


    Fire_with_fire wrote: »
    No more formula learning now with nearly all of them coming in the new SEC formula booklets... How amazingly amazing is that? =)

    Not that amazing... I'd reckon they're gonna make the questions harder now...


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    #13
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Four-Percent wrote: »
    Not that amazing... I'd reckon they're gonna make the questions harder now...

    My maths teacher who knows the maths and physics course inside out (he's written a few textbooks on them) said they can't do that. I trust him. It's not really necessary to, even if you had learnt all the formulas they don't really care that much if you know them, more so if you know how to work it and how to use it to achieve the specific requirements of the question.


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    #14
    anothernight
    Registered Users Posts: 2,541 ✭✭✭anothernight


    In my opinion the best revision book for Physics is the one by Rapid Revision. Took me from failing some class tests to getting As (granted, when I failed I wasn't even going into class).
    My friends generally agree that it's the best.

    As for revision, I'm afraid it's all about practising the questions if you already understand the concepts.
    You've the formulae now, so a good approach would be to know all the definitions, and know the types of questions you can be asked. There aren't too many types per chapter really, and they tend to repeat themselves a lot.


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    #15
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    anothernight wrote: »
    In my opinion the best revision book for Physics is the one by Rapid Revision. Took me from failing some class tests to getting As (granted, when I failed I wasn't even going into class).
    My friends generally agree that it's the best.

    As for revision, I'm afraid it's all about practising the questions if you already understand the concepts.
    You've the formulae now, so a good approach would be to know all the definitions, and know the types of questions you can be asked. There aren't too many types per chapter really, and they tend to repeat themselves a lot.

    I'll try that, thank you :)


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    #16
    Making It Bad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 315 ✭✭Making It Bad


    Unfortunately, I don't think such a thing exists. I also have the Rapid Revision physics as it came free with my book, it's a fairly decent book but it's just a summary as you said.

    What might help you is to just practise the exam questions and then print off the marking schemes and see what exactly the marks were given for. As for revising what I do is just read the text book to understand concepts, learn the definitions and then practise the more numerical questions.


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