Best textbook for Physics and Chemistry (1 Viewer)

dhwanit2005

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
50
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
Hi,

I am a year 10 student, going into year 11 next year, and I have chosen to do Chemistry and Physics. I was wondering what textbook is the best to study for these subjects, so it would be great if I could get some guidance.
 

ExtremelyBoredUser

Bored Uni Student
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
2,479
Location
m
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
physics:

- pearson (best prolly out of the ones available for teaching content)
- focus
- jacaranda

get physics strive textbook, you'll mainly use it for getting better. the others are for learning, u can choose which suits best but I prefer pearson the most since its most visually appealing for me. I don't rely on textbooks mainly but I use them in conjuction with other resources.
 

dhwanit2005

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
50
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
physics:

- pearson (best prolly out of the ones available for teaching content)
- focus
- jacaranda

get physics strive textbook, you'll mainly use it for getting better. the others are for learning, u can choose which suits best but I prefer pearson the most since its most visually appealing for me. I don't rely on textbooks mainly but I use them in conjuction with other resources.
How would you recommend studying from these textbooks?
 

dhwanit2005

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
50
Gender
Male
HSC
2023
For Chemistry, I would recommend Pearson, Surfing, Jacaranda and In Focus. I'd assume Physics would have the same companies of textbooks, but they may have different ones.
How would you recommend studying from these textbooks?
 

ExtremelyBoredUser

Bored Uni Student
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
2,479
Location
m
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
How would you recommend studying from these textbooks?
This is more of a subjective Q so my approach might not necessarily work for you but hopefully it gives a starting point.

1. Go to chapter review and have a skim over the types of questions (this gives you a sort of guide to what stuff is more important etc because you'll be more focused on such details).

2. Have a read of the chapter (go through the content thoroughly, if you don't understand some parts, google it)

3. Make flashcards for important information (this is only for content heavy components so ideally Mod 3. Mod 1 and 2 is purely math)

4. Attempt all Qs under timed conditions (give yourself 1 hr in total and see how you go.)

5. Identify any weaknesses in attempting Qs (e.g forgetting direction or SI units/not going enough detail or providing quantitative analysis in explain qs)

6. Repeat 4-5 until you feel confident.

7. Go to the next Chapter, rinse and repeat.

You will be starting Kinematics so I HIGHLY suggest you brush up on trig a bit and get comfortable with cosine/sine rule and get familiar with vector addition/subtraction. This should be relatively straightforward and shouldn't take you that much time. The hardest part of kinematics will be the last dot point in the last IQ being the relative motion Qs, make sure you grind them.

Dynamics will be more mathematical but it shouldn't be much different, you'll be applying the vector methods to more classical examples such as objects on ramps (vector decomposition), pulleys (tension in rope etc), momentum, work, energy etc...... If you're decent at maths, this should be a trivial module.

Waves and Thermo will probably be the hardest or second hardest module because in this one, you'll have to start to get more qualitative questions which tend to screw over people but it shouldn't be too hard. Thermo might be hardest part but not really sure, definitely go ahead with this module in the holidays though so if you do struggle, you can get better early.

Electricity and Magnetism is probably the most enjoyable module. Its really just a wrap up and magnetism's barely covered so its just circuits really. If you've got through the other modules, then this is no different.
 
Last edited:

icycledough

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2021
Messages
784
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
In general, I would recommend having multiple textbooks. If your school gives them to you for free (like my teacher gave us Jacaranda and In Focus on top of the Pearson), then that would be even better, because every textbook will have gaps or may have missing information. I understand though if you have to pay from your own pocket that it will be quite expensive (I believe they're around 50 a book).
 

idkkdi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
2,569
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
In general, I would recommend having multiple textbooks. If your school gives them to you for free (like my teacher gave us Jacaranda and In Focus on top of the Pearson), then that would be even better, because every textbook will have gaps or may have missing information. I understand though if you have to pay from your own pocket that it will be quite expensive (I believe they're around 50 a book).
it's more like 80 per book lol.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top