followign from another thread, what is better physics or chemistry a level?

[slartybartfast]

help ds decide

What does he want to do at university if he wants to go?
This might help us to help him?
They are both probably classed as 'harder' A levels

Ds did physics at university, Ds chemistry.

What do you want to know? It really depends on what he wants to study or what his future plans are. Both are good A levels.

Which one is he best at, which one does he enjoy more. Can he not take both?

Doing both physics and chemistry is a common thing to do.

What other subjects is he wanting to do?

What world he like to study at university?

I did physics and chemistry A levels (also Maths and Further Maths) and then did a Chemistry degree. Would have been better not doing Chemistry but that was my mistake to make :)

Both.

Chemistry if you are linking it with biology.
Physics if you are linking it with maths.
Both excellent subjects - depends what he wants to do at university.

Better? Surely that depends... What interests him most? I did Physics and Chemistry A levels, went on to do a Physics degree... So in my case Physics. If he's doing Maths, Physics would sit well with it.

Is he doing Maths as well? Maths/Physics go well together and support each other. You can do them without each other, but it's harder.

You can only answer that based on what he want sto do next. If its medicine, its chemistry. If its engineering its physics.....

oooh, replies

thanks.

he is doing maths, and i think economics and history ... so presumably physics?

thats marvellous information so far.
thanks

What sort of maths? Economics suggests possibly pure with statistics whereas physics goes more with maths with mechanics.

Personally, I wouldnt think Physics without maths mechanics would be a good choice, so Miranda's point is well made...

In fact, I'm fairly sure, there was a requirement at DS's school for those doing physics to do Maths mechanics.....

Doing maths with mechanics will help physics.

Although I think the options for maths are less clear cut now. I think doing a combination of modules of stats, mechanics and decision maths (not sure what that is tbh) is more common now

I think physics would fit better with the other subjects than chemistry.

I would agree that physics is a better fit with the other subjects.

Chemistry is vital for any biological sciences. Physics not vital unless you very specifically want to do a physics degree. The matchs alone will help with many other science degrees
I'd say Chemistry gives him more options if he's undecided.

DD2 does Maths and Further Maths at A2 and has places to study Maths at university. She didn't want to do Physics because she felt there was too much overlap with the Mechanics modules so she went for Chemistry instead. Having said that she enjoys the mathsy bits of Chemistry best.

Not sure whether its helpful but my DS is doing A2 maths, further maths, physics and chemistry. He says that chemistry is the one that he has to work at the most.

thanks,
any info is helpful

[bsmile]

i mean

For Chemistry to be useful you really would need a second Science subject - either Biology or Physics for medical degree or related e.g. pharmacy. Chemistry and Geography would be useful if interested in environmental science.

Physics and Maths would still keep the possibility of Engineering open.

Economics and History would be fine for Business studies/ Law at university but would be more usual to add another humanity e.g Geography.

Both Physics and Chemistry are significantly harder at AS level than GCSE. It is also harder to do these at A level with double award Science - you really need to be doing the triple award at GCSE.

I would say chemistry wouldn't really fit well with his other choices.

Sciences (below degree level) should always be considered in pairs, so Chemistry goes with Physics or Biology, Biology would be best paired with Chemistry and Physics goes with Chemistry and Maths. I wouldn't attempt Physics at A'level without Maths, as others have said. However, I wouldn't attempt Chemistry without either one of Physics or Biology paired with it.