mathslnoob Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi guys!Right now I am taking Physics SL first year, and apparently I have one of the worst physics teacher I can ever get. The teacher barely teaches the class anything and I am extremely worried for the course as a whole. I am planning to get someone to tutor me but I wanted to know whether this course is difficult or not. AND if I wanted to start teaching or reviewing the course material myself, is there any good book out there to help me? Thanks! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathlete94 Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 Hi guys!Right now I am taking Physics SL first year, and apparently I have one of the worst physics teacher I can ever get. The teacher barely teaches the class anything and I am extremely worried for the course as a whole. I am planning to get someone to tutor me but I wanted to know whether this course is difficult or not. AND if I wanted to start teaching or reviewing the course material myself, is there any good book out there to help me? Thanks!i dont think the class is hard, but thats because i love math so i get everything in the class. i find that most kids have a problem with the math involved. so make sure u know trigonometric functions and your algebra very well. some calculus might help but its not necessary. most of the material is basic stuff, some memorization is required, just make sure u take good notes, or refer to your textbook. good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChikkyD Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 SL Physics is not very hard. That being said, it's still physics and has some extremely challenging moments . A good teacher is one thing, but a good tutor is great! My physics tutor is amazing and I went from getting a 3 in HL Physics to a 5 . SL Physics is verrrry doable. I can easily score 5-6's on past SL Physics exams, and that's saying something because I'm pretty terrible . If you put in the effort and get a tutor if your teacher isn't very helpful, you'll do well! Good luck Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathslnoob Posted September 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 SL Physics is not very hard. That being said, it's still physics and has some extremely challenging moments . A good teacher is one thing, but a good tutor is great! My physics tutor is amazing and I went from getting a 3 in HL Physics to a 5 . SL Physics is verrrry doable. I can easily score 5-6's on past SL Physics exams, and that's saying something because I'm pretty terrible . If you put in the effort and get a tutor if your teacher isn't very helpful, you'll do well! Good luck Thanks for telling I was afraid that it was one of those rather hard subjects and I felt like dropping it because of the teacher but if it's not that hard then i might give it a try! Thanks Again! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dessskris Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 I think it depends..... subject difficulty is always subjective. all my friends say that Physics SL is difficult because they often don't know what formula to use or combine, and sometimes the questions can be very tricky. but if you get the concepts right, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
i love ib lol jk Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 Most of the physics kids say that if you're good at maths it's very straightforward but could be difficult otherwise. I know the kids that do HL Maths and SL Physics like sleep in class and still get 7's (although I think that's probably an exaggeration and I don't recommend it). If it's not too late, if physics isn't a pre-req for anything you want to do, SL Bio is apparently very easy and not looked down upon by unis.Good Luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChikkyD Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 SL Physics is not very hard. That being said, it's still physics and has some extremely challenging moments . A good teacher is one thing, but a good tutor is great! My physics tutor is amazing and I went from getting a 3 in HL Physics to a 5 . SL Physics is verrrry doable. I can easily score 5-6's on past SL Physics exams, and that's saying something because I'm pretty terrible . If you put in the effort and get a tutor if your teacher isn't very helpful, you'll do well! Good luck Thanks for telling I was afraid that it was one of those rather hard subjects and I felt like dropping it because of the teacher but if it's not that hard then i might give it a try! Thanks Again! Don't get me wrong, it's still quite difficult. It's just easier than HL Physics, and manageable if you're willing to put in the effort. I think it depends..... subject difficulty is always subjective. all my friends say that Physics SL is difficult because they often don't know what formula to use or combine, and sometimes the questions can be very tricky. but if you get the concepts right, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. That's very true. Working out what the question is actually asking and how to get there is always a right pain in the neck . This is Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathslnoob Posted September 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 SL Physics is not very hard. That being said, it's still physics and has some extremely challenging moments . A good teacher is one thing, but a good tutor is great! My physics tutor is amazing and I went from getting a 3 in HL Physics to a 5 . SL Physics is verrrry doable. I can easily score 5-6's on past SL Physics exams, and that's saying something because I'm pretty terrible . If you put in the effort and get a tutor if your teacher isn't very helpful, you'll do well! Good luck Thanks for telling I was afraid that it was one of those rather hard subjects and I felt like dropping it because of the teacher but if it's not that hard then i might give it a try! Thanks Again! Don't get me wrong, it's still quite difficult. It's just easier than HL Physics, and manageable if you're willing to put in the effort. I think it depends..... subject difficulty is always subjective. all my friends say that Physics SL is difficult because they often don't know what formula to use or combine, and sometimes the questions can be very tricky. but if you get the concepts right, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. That's very true. Working out what the question is actually asking and how to get there is always a right pain in the neck . This is Yes I did realize how hard a subject is, is really subjective but I just wanted an idea because I don't want my IB score to go down because of a teacher! And personally I do enjoy math... apart from IA's... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChikkyD Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 I think you'll be fine If you're struggling, get a tutor. Otherwise, don't fret too much! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indre Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 Well, as I'm taking Physics SL - the subject in which I'm not good at all, I can say that it is really hard unless you have a profound understanding of all the phenomena/formulas/processes, etc. Also, I'm taking Maths SL which is really easy for me, and I'm doing well in it, but I don't think it helps me to understand Physics. That's true that Physics contains some mathematics, but the mathematics required in physics is no more than basic - that is, good understanding of mathematics won't help you to perform well in physics. At least, this happens to me. Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KAPOWW!! Posted September 18, 2011 Report Share Posted September 18, 2011 Hi guys!Right now I am taking Physics SL first year, and apparently I have one of the worst physics teacher I can ever get. The teacher barely teaches the class anything and I am extremely worried for the course as a whole. I am planning to get someone to tutor me but I wanted to know whether this course is difficult or not. AND if I wanted to start teaching or reviewing the course material myself, is there any good book out there to help me? Thanks!Determination triumphs over anything, even subjects that give you nightmares" just remember that... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBGirl25 Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Don't worry! you are not the only one who finds physics hard. I find it hard too but it's because my class is divided into AP Physics C and IB Physics. Not fun. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procrastination Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I think the difficulty in this subject varies a lot from person to person, which depicts the subjectivity it usually has. Taking into account the previous post it can be said that Physics is easy for some people, but not so much for other ones. When I was in the last year of MYP, and I was required to select my subjects for IB, I loved Physics with all my heart! I was kind of obsessed with all of the things you could learn about the world that surrounds us, however, after I started IB and the Physics Syllabus, I was kind of dissapointed. The first topics under "Physical measurements" were boring as hell, however they were not really difficult as they were easy concepts. There's a lot of people in here saying that if you have some talent in Maths, then Physics will be a piece of cake, well... that's not really the case. Even though both subjects share some similarities I must say they're completely different and I must differ with some of the posts in this thread. If you like the subject, take it, that's the most important thing to do beyond University requirements. When I was in Pre-IB i had Biology, Chemistry and Physics and I was pretty good at all of them, however I didnt really enjoy some of the classes. I cant imagine myself right now in IB Chemistry, god, I will definetely be killing myself for the lack of interest I would have been developing. In the other hand, you make like Physics but if you're not good at it, DONT TAKE IT. I dont really there is a great chance of a person who has done poorly in this subject in the past to get high scores in the IA and Final Exams, that's the case of many students of my school. Analyze your habilities and if you consider you could be fine with Physics SL, just take it. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBscrewed291 Posted December 22, 2011 Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 It really depends on the person. Some will find it easy and some hard. But it is very doable when compared with HL. However, it also depends on the teacher. A bad teacher will make it much harder for you to score well. But I say take it, because its interesting and very useful. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berk Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I agree. Whether it is hard or easy both depends on the student and teacher. If you're interested in physics, then it will make you understand much easier. Teacher is also important but the most important key is yourself ! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrigon Posted August 25, 2013 Report Share Posted August 25, 2013 It might just be me, but i think people talk up the difficulty of physics, just because it is regarded as a course only for the best and brightest. Ive been talking HL for a year now and have been getting 7's in past papers no problem. I think its best just to learn the material well once but go over it every now and then to keep it fresh. Also remember that once you learn a topic alot of the ideas you can apply to later topics - especially between things like mechanics - heat - energy - ect Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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