guns 'n' roses Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Starting IB soon and I was wondering how hard is Physics at a HL, I mean do you need to know anything beforehand (as my school's Physics department was REALLY bad so I didn't really learn much). How much math is involved (I chose math SL)? Anything helpful would be appreciated, as I'm pretty nervous! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bird Lockheed Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Physics HL is very hard. (Physics might be easy for some though). Physics majority questions are usually problems and hence mathematics is involved. Also you have to derive many formulas, which might be confusing and irritating and it also takes a lot of time to understand the problems. If you are going for engineering Physics is a must otherwise easiest of science is Bio. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasza Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 I don't think that a lot of background knowledge is needed. At least in my school we were starting from the very basic things, like F=m*a, or v=s/t... A lot depends on a teacher, I guess. You don't need a lot of maths knowledge, too, because calculations are not so difficult. But despite of that I still find Physics HL challenging. It is very important to fully understand everything and don't have backlog. Better prepare yourself for many theoretical questions... For me the best way to learn Physics was to do past papers. You just need to get used to specific types of questions. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guns 'n' roses Posted August 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 yep i'm going into engineering.....! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Bird Lockheed Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 Then Physics is a must Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowSpider Posted August 31, 2013 Report Share Posted August 31, 2013 i think some background knowledge is required and yes there is lots of math involved.. it's obviously not simple but if you study and practice enough you'll manage.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
krekling Posted September 13, 2013 Report Share Posted September 13, 2013 Graduated IB this summer with a 7 in physics HL and A in physics EE, so I guess my view can be interesting. I did not plan to write anything, but as I see some are saying it is a lot harder than I felt it was, I thought you would like to hear it is not so bad after all.Physics HL is not very hard, and math SL is more than you need to complete the course as I experienced it. You should however be comfortable with maths (algebra), as that is the tool you use in physics. You will come across some tiny amount of trigonometry and vectors, but it should be of no problem, given you feel you are doing ok+ in maths. What makes physics HL difficult to some is that there is a lot to learn. You have to be familiar with, and know when to apply each formula. You do not have to know them by heart, and working with the subject regularly should be enough. If you feel you are able to think logically and understand abstract concepts, that should also bring you a long way. Physics is mainly about putting information you are given into fomulas, or combining severall formulas to get an answer. It's like juggeling two balls: x and y in the equation, when you've found your way from x to y, you start finding your way from y to z, and that is sort of the "trick". Think of what is conserved, and what from laws and "intuition" MUST happen next from what you've learned. Some in my class struggeled a bit with how to start solving a question. The theory is easy enough, the application in questions is a little bit trickier. It is a little different from what you are used to, but it is the subject I've felt has been the most rewarding during 13 years in school. I must also stress that I had an amazing teacher, and the teacher is important when it comes to physics and how it is experienced. 7 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellorainchan Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Every subjects in IB is hard but once you understand concepts you will be fine Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuelmwase Posted August 5, 2015 Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 Physics HL is very hard. (Physics might be easy for some though). Physics majority questions are usually problems and hence mathematics is involved. Also you have to derive many formulas, which might be confusing and irritating and it also takes a lot of time to understand the problems. If you are going for engineering Physics is a must otherwise easiest of science is Bio. But if u doing something like Chemical or Biochemical engineering, I dont think physics is required and especially at hl. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abhinav2703 Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Hi guys, Since I am mathematically minded, I am unsure of what science HL is good for me. I am in a conflict between choosing Physics or Chemistry HL. Which one forms a better combo with Math HL??? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abhinav2703 Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Hi guys, Since I am mathematically minded, I am unsure of what science HL is good for me. I am in a conflict between choosing Physics or Chemistry HL. Which one forms a better combo with Math HL??? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazuar Posted February 24, 2022 Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 On 11/14/2020 at 6:36 PM, Abhinav2703 said: Hi guys, Since I am mathematically minded, I am unsure of what science HL is good for me. I am in a conflict between choosing Physics or Chemistry HL. Which one forms a better combo with Math HL??? What did you end up taking? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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