Physics for LC?

Cindy98

I've made my subject choices for leaving cert but I'm really doubting the ones I've chosen. I'm doing physics mainly because I want to do a science just to keep my options open and I'm not good at chemistry or learning stuff (biology) and I'm doing applied maths so I was told physics would help with it. I was looking at the course and just wondering if anyone could tell me what the course is like etc. And do you need to learn off alot of formulas for it? Thanks

EoghanIRL

Physics breaks down to
Mechanics
Optics
Wave theory
Modern physics
Option
Electricity and electromagnetic induction .

Nice exam if you know your stuff

Peregrine

There's very few formulae to be learned off. If you do Applied Maths, the mechanics section, which makes up at least a quarter of the paper, will be simple. But of course, there's experimentation and definitions in all of physics, unlike AM.

Then there's topics like:
Waves - Light, sound

Heat - Very short

Electricity - Quite a large section and has a lot of new formulae but some crossover with mechanics too

Modern physics - Moving away from classical physics into stuff like radiation. Very brief chapter but it's something they like to ask a lot.

Option: Applied Electricity/Particle Physics - Always a question. I saw a statistic that said something like 90% of students choose Particle Physics. It's fascinating stuff.

Cindy98

I didnt understand electricity at all in junior cert so is alot of the stuff in the LC course confusing or is it just alot of learning/theory?

Kyro

Cindy98 wrote: »

I didnt understand electricity at all in junior cert so is alot of the stuff in the LC course confusing or is it just alot of learning/theory?

I don't like it all either. I think it's a mix of theory with some calculations - mostly theory I think. It's generally avoidable though. From my checking, you can leave out all the electricity questions in the exam if you are able to answer every other question. Not that I'd recommend leaving it out - but still.

EoghanIRL

Cindy98 wrote: »

I didnt understand electricity at all in junior cert so is alot of the stuff in the LC course confusing or is it just alot of learning/theory?

There is a lot of understanding needed yes .
Jc electricity was literally v= ir.
Don't let this put you off .

Peregrine

Electricity involves understanding the topic and then using your understanding in calculations.

It's more calculations than definitions. And yeah, JC electricity isn't really anything to go on.

There's a lot of choice on the paper (in Section B anyway) so you don't have to do every single electricity question that comes up.

I tend to avoid them myself in Section B but I wouldn't not learn them. Usually 1 of the 4 Section A(experiment) questions is on electricity. You must do three. Then there's Q5 where you have to do 8 out of 10 short quick fire questions from the whole syllabus - a really popular question. So you gotta know some electricity or you'll leave yourself with little choice in those but you don't have to know it inside out to do well in the exam because you can totally skip for your the next 4 questions.

XtotheZ

Physics is a very interesting subject. Especially Particle physics, its one of them subjects that if you know your stuff youll do well