Physics 3/4 in yr11

[AnonymooseUser]

Hi all,

Just wondering whether anyone could answer the following q's...

a. Has physics become more difficult with the new study design?
b. Is it necessary to do 3/4 methods/ specialist to help with 3/4 physics?
c. Would only having done unit 2 the previous year give me a significant disadvantage?

I'm a yr10 student currently doing 1/2 bio and psych, however I want to drop the latter for physics.
Would anyone advise against doing physics 3/4 in yr11, especially since I won't have done unit 1, and will only be doing units 1/2 for methods and specialist in the same year? I've been told by my teachers that I'm more than capable of doing it, but that hasn't really reassured me.

Thanks

P.S Not sure if this is the correct place to post this.

[zhen]

Hi all,

Just wondering whether anyone could answer the following q's...

a. Has physics become more difficult with the new study design?
b. Is it necessary to do 3/4 methods/ specialist to help with 3/4 physics?
c. Would only having done unit 2 the previous year give me a significant disadvantage?

I'm a yr10 student currently doing 1/2 bio and psych, however I want to drop the latter for physics.
Would anyone advise against doing physics 3/4 in yr11, especially since I won't have done unit 1, and will only be doing units 1/2 for methods and specialist in the same year? I've been told by my teachers that I'm more than capable of doing it, but that hasn't really reassured me.

Thanks

P.S Not sure if this is the correct place to post this.

a. I'm not sure if physics has gotten more difficult, but to me it's a difficult subject. I don't think VCAA would change the difficulty of physics much, but the difficulty doesn't really matter, as VCE is a measure of how you do against everyone else. So if it's difficult, it just means that lower marks will be needed to get a study score.
b. I feel like doing 1/2 methods and specialist helps quite a lot on the kinematics and dynamics type questions, but I don't think 3/4 methods and specialist helps any more than doing the 1/2 versions.
c. I feel like only doing unit 2 will put you at a slight disadvantage, but if you go through the unit 1 stuff during the holidays, you should be set for units 3/4. Also, note that units 1/2 physics has stuff that isn't covered in 3/4 physics.

I'm wondering why you want to do physics and are you confident you will be better at physics than psychology.

[Bri MT]

There are some people in my physics class which don't do methods, and you should be able to catch up. I'd only take physics is maths is something you don't struggle with, and you like learning. Your teachers know you better than you do, just make sure you choose it for the "right" reasons(want to be challenged, interested) rather than for scaling

[Srd2000]

The maths level covered in physics is aimed at Further/General maths. However, if you can use more advanced maths (methods really), you'll find little loop holes to things that make it easier.

[AnonymooseUser]

Thanks for the replies!

I've been told that if I switch ill be given the necessary work I missed out on in unit 1, so that isn't a problem.

I'm wondering why you want to do physics and are you confident you will be better at physics than psychology.

I initially thought I would enjoy psych as the study design looked to have a lot of bio (my favourite subject), but I regret choosing it. That was the only reason I didn't choose physics. I know i'll do better in a subject I'm enjoying rather than trying to push through another that I'm not.

[wyzard]

Hi all,

Just wondering whether anyone could answer the following q's...

a. Has physics become more difficult with the new study design?
b. Is it necessary to do 3/4 methods/ specialist to help with 3/4 physics?
c. Would only having done unit 2 the previous year give me a significant disadvantage?

I'm a yr10 student currently doing 1/2 bio and psych, however I want to drop the latter for physics.
Would anyone advise against doing physics 3/4 in yr11, especially since I won't have done unit 1, and will only be doing units 1/2 for methods and specialist in the same year? I've been told by my teachers that I'm more than capable of doing it, but that hasn't really reassured me.

Thanks

P.S Not sure if this is the correct place to post this.

When considering whether to do Unit 3/4 physics, also consider what you'd like to do after high school. If you're planning to do something science-y or technical, I'd definitely recommend doing it!

a) The good news is that with the new study design, the difficulty have remained more or less the same, the main difference is that they have replaced electrical circuits with more emphasis on field theory (gravity and electromagnetic field), and relativity. They're more abstract, but very manageable
b) Unit 3/4 don't require very heavy math, if you know how to handle equations, read graphs, do trigonometry you'll be fine. The biggest challenge in physics is not dealing with the math, it is understanding the physics concept and applying math to describe them.
c) Not much, the only thing you'll need from Unit 1/2 physics is motion, everything else is not really touched on in Unit 3/4. You'll face a slightly steeper learning curve, but those holes from not doing Unit 1/2 physics can be easily covered.

From the looks of it, you can handle Unit 3/4 physics perfectly fine if you put in consistent effort The question you should be asking yourself is, is physics really what you want to do and is it relevant to your future endeavors?