choices.... (1 Viewer)

[mraverage]

Hay,

I'm new to this forum and site but it seems extremely helpful. Im in yr 11 right now but moving into yr 12 very quickly. I've had to make subject choices recently(which i can still change) but i have a few major problems. Firstly, im doing 14 Units ( yes this seems crazy but i will drop down to 12 Units very soon). I am currently thinking of doing 4 maths, 4 english, 2 physics, 2 chemistry and 2 economics ( very crazy in deed).

My problem is my choice between physics and chemistry, I most likely have to drop one of these. I am average at both, have an average 'enjoyment' of both so its fairly hard for me to drop. Could any former or yr 12 students help me here? are the physics and chem tests based on more explanation or more maths? personal comments?

well thats about all i need to know, if anyone can be bothered to give me some useful websites, information or just personal comments on my subject choices plz do so... fanx

 

[SuperNova]

DO PHYSICS !!!!

I DO BOTH CHEM AND PHYS BUT PHYS IS WAY BETTER
CHEM IS SO BORING......

YR 12 PHYSICS IS WAY MORE INTERESTING

 

[mraverage]

mmm thanks for your reply supernova

well im not a wizz at maths so im afraid the maths in physics will drag me down... is there much maths in physics?

is chem about memorising and regurgitating onto the exam?

 

[kaseita]

I say phys all the way!!
much more interesting, and very very little maths.
the only maths you really have is on projectile motion, and a few others here and there. quite simple, cause all they expect you to do is apply the formula. and there's not too many formulas to learn...and they give you a data sheet with all the formulas anyway.
but if your doing 4unit maths, they're a cinch! specially since you do projectile motion for 3/4unit maths anyway.

trust me, yr11 physics is nothing like yr12 physics. if anything, yr12 physics is much much easier than yr11. I was going to drop physics, cause I was doing pretty bad at it, but I had a pretty crummy teacher for chem, and chem was really boring, so I took the risk.
and it was the best choice I made! I'm doing helps well in physics now, cause of the new syllabus. and since your syllabus has been cut down so much, you have to know even less than I have to!

both chem and phys are pretty much regurgitating/explaining concepts. since your doing 4unit eng, I figure you'd find it pretty easy to explain concepts. I'm more a humanities person, which is why I'm doing well in phys now - I can explain things just like they want em!
in phys though, they can ask some fairly nasty conceptual questions, but for the most part, your just explaining either concepts, or the effect/consequence of them. that's really all.

I don't do chem in yr12. I do know that it scales more than phys. but believe me, phys is much more interesting. chem's more practical though, so if you like that kind of thing, then you should do that.
someone else who does chem will probably explain to you what its like.

hope I help

(edit) oh wait, supernova already did . hehe there ya go. do phys!

 

[Jellymonsta]

Originally posted by kaseita
...and they give you a data sheet with all the formulas anyway.

all formulas? more like two thirds of them. cruel bastards.

 

[kaseita]

oh well most of them
but really, comparatively, very little formulas to know
and its only applying

wish they gave it all though

 

[mraverage]

hay fanx kaseita for taking the time to reply,

ye i can see what u are saying, what i need to know also is do u know if medicine at say unsw requires a vast knowledge of chem or physics particulary? or is yr 11 chem and physics enough...

im actually in the same situation as u because i have a realli good physics teacher but a crummy chem teacher so i think if worse comes to worse i may have to base my decision on that

in addition, wif the maths in physics, is it straightforward questions where u get the formula and just plug the numbers in or u require a bit of manuipulation of the formula and thinking?

 

[kaseita]

um, for unsw they say chem is assumed knowledge, though if you want to do medicine, you can always do an abridging course in it after hsc. the important thing is hecs. as far as I know, if you pass the hecs, you can get in. but don't take my word for it.
I'm not going for medicine, so someone else who is know anything about it?
They recommend that you know physics as well, but its not necessary.
got it from here http://www.uac.edu.au/courses/unsw/428000.htm

but the maths for physics, its just plugging in numbers. they may imply, or want you to write down the equation. the hardest maths question I've seen, was in our own school paper, which asked us to derive an equation for the centripetal force. it was pretty badly worded, and somehow I managed to do it the right way. I got it wrong cause I put the wrong forces but hey, that's about the worst your going to get. The bad thing about that wasn't the calculation, but the wording of the question. I doubt they'd put that in the HSC.
there was another one where I thought I had to manipulate it, but apparently all you had to do was put down the equation .
there's relatively no thinking involved in the maths part...except in remembering what the equation was!
but then again, I might be proven wrong in 3 weeks time!:mad1:

but in your assessments, you should expect the most amount of maths is going to be in the multiple choice, which is just plugging in numbers.
projectile motion again, you have to derive some things, like the max height and max range of a projectile, but you do exactly the same thing in 3unit maths, but much more in maths. its very little really.

 

[Dario]

Do Phyiscs ! It's just better !
I think all science courses would be heavily explanation based, even though I only do Physics.

 

[quartic]

This is the physics forum after all so what do you expect?

Honestly I do both phys and chem and I would say physics is more understanding based while chem is more memorising of facts and processes and reasons. If I had to choose it would be physics in a heartbeat. For you I would consider which teacher you think is more up to the task and wether the idea of understanding or memorising sounds better. Keep both for a little while would be my advice if you're unsure.

 

[mraverage]

mmm some excellent advice, i realli appreciate it

ye ive been convinced the maths in physics is fairly easy, especially if u are doing 3 or 4 maths. ive been talking to an old friend who was heavily involved in the unsw med program, he said there isnt much science involved at all...

hence, im probably, for safety reasons gonna stay with my 14 unit structure for this term and drop something next term. im afraid if i drop chem, ill only have 12 units left which will force me to do 4 maths and eng as i wanna do 12 units...

 

[The Spruce Moose]

what i dont get is if ur doing 4 unit maths why the fuk are u affraid of any maths at all guys in general can do the maths involved in physics why the fuk would u care if u APPARENTLY did 4 unit maths anyways keep physics its much more interesting chem is hard and boring and no skool ever finishes the whole course on time --------------- btw ur medicine stuff at unsw u still have a long way to come to consider doing medicine dood u have a whole year in front of you and alot alot alot of shit can change like me i wanted to do engineering and the all of the sudden i just loved business strange change but shit happens

 

[mraverage]

heheh fanx, i know im not afraid of the maths anymore=)

 

[superhubert]

I don't do any maths at all!. But i do physics and chemistry. The maths part of both are a piss! Physics kicks ass, but chem...........don't waste your time. I don't know about anyone else, but i don't think i'll be doin' much titrating in my life after the HSC. at least relativity is really interesting.

 

[Dario]

You will be if you split the word into two words ...

Originally posted by superhubert
I don't do any maths at all!. But i do physics and chemistry. The maths part of both are a piss! Physics kicks ass, but chem...........don't waste your time. I don't know about anyone else, but i don't think i'll be doin' much titrating in my life after the HSC. at least relativity is really interesting.

 

[superhubert]

what?

 

[Wintermute]

Drop economics instead. I wish I had.

 

[kaseita]

economics is mad! and fun!
now I've just got to remember what was in it.

 

[Wintermute]

Its very dry. It is an important field, but i just find sciences way more interesting.