Physics A level without maths?

I didn’t say no maths either!

*ds!

Da did A level physics without maths after getting As at GCSE in maths and physics
He also did Biology and Geography....and Welsh Bac and an EPQ in Geography
He did struggle with certain elements and didn't do very well at A level
However he did well enough to go to a decent uni ( in top 25 in UK) and no it wasn't a RG Uni, but he doesn't care
He's studying Geography and Environmental Science and loving it and there's no physics involved
even though there an element of geology involved which he aced!
I think if you were going on to do something like engineering you'd definitely need maths but it's not essential to do physics and maths

I think it depends which version of A level Physics people are writing about.
The OP in her original post writes about her DB and DH having taking A level Physics without Maths, but no dates are provided. So that makes the "less or more" comments a bit vague as the maths requirements were changed significantly between the early 1980s and the early 2000s (where A levels were first decoupled into separate AS and A2). There were also some changes in the 1990s.
The new linear A level Physics first examined in Summer 2017 is the one being taken by all current dcs. This isn't being changed (again).
GCSE Maths has changed and the 9-1 qualifications are supposed to be better preparation for A level than the old A*-G ones. GCSE Sciences are also changing (first exams 2018) to tie in better with the new A levels.

Less maths, not no maths.

ffion you said there was a lot less maths now.

But the Maths isn't removed, but it is accessible to students who got A/A* at GCSE. Their Physics teacher will teach any Maths they struggle with, but mostly they are rearranging 3-term equations. Deriving equations, dealing with homogeneity, standard form and error have always been taught within Physics.

The challenge in Physics is not plugging numbers into equations, but deciding what these numbers are by pulling them out of word problems.

catslife I was bemoaning the idea that the new A level physics may be less mathematical than the current one. There is something wrong imo if maths is being removed from physics, it is inherent.

The trouble is that you need some of the maths to complete the physics course and if just one kid on the physics course therefore needs teaching the extra stuff it’s an extra burden on the teacher.

Plus if you do well at maths you tend to do better at physics.

Students who want to do a degree in Physics or Engineering need to take A-level Maths - it's a requirement for those degree subjects.

The OPs ds doesn't want to take a degree in Physics. Whether they wish to do anything closely related afterwards isn't stated.
However, the number of options post 18 will be more limited if Physics is taken without Maths including if the OPs ds changes his mind.

If A level physics has become much less mathematical how does it provide a stepping stone for a degree in Physics? Much of physics is inherently mathematical. I think that could end up backfiring. Especially if it puts off strong mathematicians from doing a physics degreee because they haven’t enjoyed physics a level.

I suspect though Ffion that schools that say "you must take A level Maths" do not provide the support needed within the subject classes.

The need to be able to solve word problems, rearrange equations, understand simple geometry, interpret graphs, use standard form - all accessible from GCSE, and reinforced by their Physics teacher.

Most pupils taking A level Physics will take A level Maths because they are aiming for STEM degrees that require both A levels e.g. engineering.
If this is not the case then the course should be accessible with GCSE Maths. The percentage maths skills is 40% which is the highest of the A level Sciences.
The link for AQA is here www.aqa.org.uk/resources/science/as-and-a-level/teach/maths-skills-briefings
This percentage is the same across all the A level syllabuses.
However pupils not taking A level Maths need to do some extra work to make sure they keep on top of the necessary math skills.

Doh - They have all said if you get A/A or equivalent at Maths GCSE* you should be OK for A level physics ....

There's a lot less Maths in the new Physics A-level, so it is perfectly fine to not do Maths.

We've been to several different 6th form events recently as DS is Y11 and wants to do physics (and probably maths). They have all said if you get A/A* or equivalent, you should be OK for A level physics as long as you don't want to carry on with it.

I did both (some years back), the only ones to drop out of physics were the ones who hasn't taken maths too.

It seems rather pointless to do Physics without Maths at A level as it will be impossible to continue with Physics at university. Also it is no longer possible to do some Core Maths as the syllabus is now linear rather than modular.

Core Maths

At my sons' school, those doing Physics A-level without Maths A-level do the Core Maths course alongside it, as TigerBlue mentioned. I know of at least one other local school that does the same.

DS did it. His school didn’t insist on maths so I assumed it would be ok. This was a few years ago when AS’s we’re still a thing so we got him a tutor to help. Long story short at AS he got AAB in his other three subjects (including biology and chemistry) and a D in physics. I wish he had done something else instead as the reality was that without maths he was always behind the curve in physics. Unless someone is madly deeply in love with physics I’d say do something else instead tbh or do maths at least in year 12.

At DD's school you can't do A level physics without doing A level maths.