A high GPA

[stonecold]

They use "R Knight, B Jones and S Field, College Physics: A Strategic Approach, 2nd edition Addison-Wesley, 2010."

https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2011/PHYC10007

That has details on the subject

Thanks.

What is a common textbook which I can learn physics from over the summer?

I just want to download it now because I can't buy this book until I know I'm in, and I want to get ahead if possible.  :S

[appianway]

To learn first year physics, try and get a copy of Halliday/Resnick/Krane, which is very comprehensive.

[stonecold]

To learn first year physics, try and get a copy of Halliday/Resnick/Krane, which is very comprehensive.

I was going to message you haha.  Thanks!

[Russ]

Just about any textbook will be fine for 1st year chem/bio/physics/maths because it's not particularly specialised at all. Knight was decent but I didn't use it much (hell the VCE textbook is probably fine)

[stonecold]

Thanks.  These books are pretty big.

Other than the obvious such as motion and electricity, what other areas/chapters should I focus on?

This is the semester 1 outline:

Mechanics: in the context of human and animal movement (introduction to Newton's laws of motion, energy transfer and transformation).
Waves: the basis of modern physics including lasers;
Fluids: blood flow, respiration (pressure in fluids, fluid flow, viscosity);
Thermal physics: energy balance of living organisms (thermal energy, temperature, heating processes, first law of thermodynamics);
Electricity and magnetism: bioelectricity, nerve conduction, electrical safety (forces between electric charges, electric circuits, resistance, capacitance, magnetic forces);
Atomic physics and lasers: fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy (structure of the atom, photons, spectroscopy, interaction of light with matter);
Radiation: radiation safety, therapeutic uses of radiation (the atomic nucleus, isotopes, nuclear decay and radiation, physical and biological half-life, ionising radiation); and
Imaging: modern biomedical imaging (X-rays, CT-scans and angiography, ultrasound imaging, positron emission tomography).

Learn this stuff?

Good thing I kinda have done half of it before so it shouldn't be too hard.

[Russ]

If you post a picture of the contents page of one of your textbooks I'll tell you what to learn. I still have all my old lecture notes for physics, I might be convinced to check them when I put this semester's stuff into the box

Those categories are very broad and if you study "blood flow" you'll inevitably end up learning extra/unnecessary content

[dptjandra]

I still have access to my portal with all the physics life sciences stuff . I'll see what's suitable for you to look at (cos there is some overlap) when I get back home.  If I were you though, I would choose one or two topics (probably motion and electricity, possibly waves) and learn them in detail because some people have felt that they're the hardest to grasp very, very quickly (some concepts such as energy and work especially)

[stonecold]

Thanks for the help so far every one.  As I haven't really done physics properly before, and apparently it is pretty fast paced, it is best that I start now. 

This is from Physics for Scientists and Engineers.

[Russ]

Check out 1.5 because converting units is a pain but it's more of a nuisance than anything else.

Otherwise from memory for physics for biomedicine:

2.2 - 2.7
All of vectors will be covered in semester 1 so don't bother
4.1 - 4.8
5.2 - 5.3
6.1 - 6.2
7.1 - 7.4
8.1 - 8.9
9.1 - 9.5 (can't remember if inelastic was on the course)
13.1 - 13.14
In theory you should know oscillations/waves but nobody bothered and it wasn't assessed
20.1 - 20.4
21.1 - 21.10
23.1 - 23.8
24.1 - 24.6
25.1 - 25.7
26.1 - 26.7
27.1 - 27.4
28.1 - 28.5
29.1 - 29.4
Bits of 30 and 31, can't remember
For light, you need to know the particle/wave theory models but the application is limited
There will be a (very) tiny amount of introductory QM, ie Pauli exclusion principle, but don't bother learning it beforehand it's all simple
41.1 - 41.11
42.5 - 42.10

Definitely didn't realise how big the textbook was before I offered to do that lol

[stonecold]

Check out 1.5 because converting units is a pain but it's more of a nuisance than anything else.

Otherwise from memory for physics for biomedicine:

2.2 - 2.7
All of vectors will be covered in semester 1 so don't bother
4.1 - 4.8
5.2 - 5.3
6.1 - 6.2
7.1 - 7.4
8.1 - 8.9
9.1 - 9.5 (can't remember if inelastic was on the course)
13.1 - 13.14
In theory you should know oscillations/waves but nobody bothered and it wasn't assessed
20.1 - 20.4
21.1 - 21.10
23.1 - 23.8
24.1 - 24.6
25.1 - 25.7
26.1 - 26.7
27.1 - 27.4
28.1 - 28.5
29.1 - 29.4
Bits of 30 and 31, can't remember
For light, you need to know the particle/wave theory models but the application is limited
There will be a (very) tiny amount of introductory QM, ie Pauli exclusion principle, but don't bother learning it beforehand it's all simple
41.1 - 41.11
42.5 - 42.10

Definitely didn't realise how big the textbook was before I offered to do that lol

thanks.  appreciate it.  sorry if it took you ages.

[Russ]

Nah i was just watching the cricket, I didn't mind

[mikee65]

Nah i was just watching the cricket, I didn't mind

so for BSc doing physics is recommended if we havnt done vce phys? Can the gamsat choose any phys topic that 1st yr covers?

[Russ]

If you didn't do VCE physics then yes, you have to study physics at some point if you plan to sit the GAMSAT (well you don't HAVE to, but you're an idiot not to).

You can conceivably learn it yourself but there's a lot of content to cover. ACER claim that it's year 12 level only but some of the questions definitely seemed harder than that. Take the introductory physics subject for the students who didn't do VCE physics (there's a thread on this somewhere)

The GAMSAT can choose any physics topic but it'll probably limit it to electric circuits, force/weight and light

[mikee65]

If you didn't do VCE physics then yes, you have to study physics at some point if you plan to sit the GAMSAT (well you don't HAVE to, but you're an idiot not to).

You can conceivably learn it yourself but there's a lot of content to cover. ACER claim that it's year 12 level only but some of the questions definitely seemed harder than that. Take the introductory physics subject for the students who didn't do VCE physics (there's a thread on this somewhere)

The GAMSAT can choose any physics topic but it'll probably limit it to electric circuits, force/weight and light

ah alright, you wouldnt happen to have any gamsat S3 sample qs? You have done it before havnt you>?

[Russ]

I can dig some out if you want to see them sure.
e, here you go. if you can't do them don't be surprised/worried. if you give them a shot there's an answer key somewhere if you PM me the results