• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

modern history vs physics (2 Viewers)

d3st1nyLiang

Premium Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
511
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
i would like to know which course is better for my subject selections

so far i'm only definite for eng adv, maths ext 1, eco, chem, latin

also, which is more enjoyable, modern history or physics?

ty
 

aliwonga

Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2008
Messages
87
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
depends on you -
do you enjoy history or science?
u should ask around ppl who do modern history and physics, n your teachers
 

d3st1nyLiang

Premium Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
511
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
thats the problem, i enjoy both. also i'm good at both, so teachers recommend both and most students in yr 11's do physics and not modern
 

muzeikchun852

Active Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2009
Messages
1,590
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2011
if i have to choose between modern and physics,,
i will be sure doing physics..
becoz personally dont like history that muchh..

in term of scalingg..
physics is wayy better than modern..

if u like both subject that much,,
and u HAVE to choose one between the two..
do physics!
 

lpodnano

5eva alone
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,561
Location
;)
Gender
Female
HSC
2011
if i have to choose between modern and physics,,
i will be sure doing physics..
becoz personally dont like history that muchh..

in term of scalingg..
physics is wayy better than modern..

if u like both subject that much,,
and u HAVE to choose one between the two..
do physics!
I'd do the same.
 

annabackwards

<3 Prophet 9
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
4,670
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
If i had to choose betwen physics and modern, i'd probably do modern.
Although physics has better scaling, i could get an equivalent band 6 in modern with much less work and i find modern much more interesting (I like modern history AKA wars etc etc). Both subjects are pretty much useless for doing me (engineering) in uni anyway.

If you don't like essays/can't decide based on interest then do physics.
 

d3st1nyLiang

Premium Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
511
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
but usually our school does really good in modern history
 

lychnobity

Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,292
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
but usually our school does really good in modern history
Here's the thing, flip a coin. Heads is physics. If you don't find yourself complaining about the result, go with the coin.

And school performance should not be a factor in consideration.
 

aya-chan

Member
Joined
May 21, 2009
Messages
152
Gender
Female
HSC
2010
Here's the thing, flip a coin. Heads is physics. If you don't find yourself complaining about the result, go with the coin.

And school performance should not be a factor in consideration.
hahaa. great technique. I did that. Only that was choosing an outfit for a buildabear and not subjects.

anyway, you could always do that. and if you start it next year and don't like your choice. you can always in the first few weeks. You can switch too if your half-yearlies don't turn out the way you want.

Oh and, you can do open high school for latin right? ... well, you can check with that. coz then you can do modern AND phys. =)
 

annabackwards

<3 Prophet 9
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
4,670
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Here's the thing, flip a coin. Heads is physics. If you don't find yourself complaining about the result, go with the coin.

And school performance should not be a factor in consideration.
This - it all depends on how YOU perform.
 

annabackwards

<3 Prophet 9
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
4,670
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
how do i know how well i will perform?
All i was saying was that just because your school usually does well at a subject, doesn't mean you will.

So just flick through the physics and modern HSC books and see which subject you'd prefer - you're most likely going to perform better in that subject.
 

d3st1nyLiang

Premium Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
511
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
yehh i've read through textbooks, i like the new political side of history and such but science has always appealed to me. so what do u think the pros and cons for each are ?
 

Dumbledore

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
290
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
if i had to choose betwen physics and modern, i'd probably do modern.
Although physics has better scaling, i could get an equivalent band 6 in modern with much less work and i find modern much more interesting (i like modern history aka wars etc etc). Both subjects are pretty much useless for doing me (engineering) in uni anyway.

If you don't like essays/can't decide based on interest then do physics.

waaaaaaaa?!
 

annabackwards

<3 Prophet 9
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
4,670
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
yehh i've read through textbooks, i like the new political side of history and such but science has always appealed to me. so what do u think the pros and cons for each are ?
Here's a list that i conjured up for modern in an earlier post:

  • A lot of work on wars - pro for war buffs, con is that it can get a bit repetitive
  • Lots of politics - what happened, why it happened and how governments reacted --> pro if you like politics con bad if you don't like it
  • Large topic areas - one term is pretty much dedicated to one specific time and place in history ie Germany and Hitler, Russia and Stalin, The Cold War etc etc --> pro as it makes things easier to remember but con as it can be repetitive
  • You are expected to remember the main events and the time period it occurred in (at least year, month would be good) --> is a pro if you have good memory, con if you have bad memory
  • You basically need to analyse events, as in to what extent was the policy successful etc etc --> pro if you are good at english and can analyse, con if you're not good at essays

Now to make one for physics:

  • You get to learn about how some basic things work eg satellites, the sun, the distribution of electricity --> pro if you like to learn things, con if you have a bad memory because you have to remember
  • You have to learn the history of physics related discovered --> pro if you like to learn about how things came about, con because it's pretty much nothing more than general knowledge and a heck of a lot of memory work >.>
  • Hardly any maths involved, only simple substitutions and rearrangements --> pro if you're not good at math, con as it's not what it should be ><"
  • You get to do some pracs --> some of them are pretty cool, most are mediocre so pro if you like pracs, con if you're not that interested in them
I hope that helps :)

waaaaaaaa?!
They changed the physics course from being maths related and useful for engineering in uni to basically the history of physics with some equations. So yeah, HSC physics is pretty much useless for engineering.
 

lychnobity

Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,292
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
From the perspective of someone who recently dropped physics:

Concepts are weird, a bit boring, but good if you're into that side of science

Pracs are absolutely mediocre. Chem is where the good ones are

There's a lot of explaining to do in the subject. The whole syllabus is about explaining. And if from the start, you don't get your head around the concept of why something happens, you're stuffed. A lot of it has to do with the application of concepts in physical contexts.

You can't bs answers.

Not really that much work is involved.

The maths is fun. Easy.
 

Aquawhite

Retiring
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
4,946
Location
Gold Coast
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Uni Grad
2013
They changed the physics course from being maths related and useful for engineering in uni to basically the history of physics with some equations. So yeah, HSC physics is pretty much useless for engineering.
That is what ruined the Physics course a little for me. I looked forward to the maths in it (although there still is a substantial amount... but they are very simple, basic things but all applied to something...
 

annabackwards

<3 Prophet 9
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
4,670
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
That is what ruined the Physics course a little for me. I looked forward to the maths in it (although there still is a substantial amount... but they are very simple, basic things but all applied to something...
Me too... i thought it was going to be loaded with math and then i got handed a textbook with a crummy condensed version of physics history =='

In short, don't do physics if you lots of math in it; it's mostly boring theory.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top