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HL Physics no prior experience


GordonP

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I am starting IB next year and am considering taking HL Physics, this is only because my school doesn't offer SL. I have no prior experience with Physics and am in Algebra 2 now and am going to take SL math next year. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? Do you think that this would be manageable?

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I am starting IB next year and am considering taking HL Physics, this is only because my school doesn't offer SL. I have no prior experience with Physics and am in Algebra 2 now and am going to take SL math next year. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? Do you think that this would be manageable?

yes it would be manageable. IB physics (both HL & SL) is designed such that students can start from the absolute basics. Of course, you might need some basic mathematical skills here and there, stuff like vectors, graphs, handling uncertainties, etc. But don't worry. IB books (like the one written by Tsokos) usually include these things right within the first chapter.

Now, if you are still not confident about it, I'd suggest you to grab an IB textbook and start reading. Believe me, once you understand the first few chapters (including a bit of mechanics), you'll get the hang of what physics is like, and things will start becoming much easier.

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You can definitely manage as long as you are genuinely interested in the subject. It is true that it covers the very basics, but there are a couple of mathematical derivations in the HL chapters that require some prerequisite knowledge of algebra. So as long as you're covered there, you're fine :)

Do try to start going through a couple of textbooks and take a look at the derivations if you feel uncertain. It would be advisable to stick to the IB Physics HL guide and cover everything mentioned in it. 

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