I'm better at biology this year, but I don't really like memorising and year 11 seems boring. I do like human biology though. I like and did well in accelerated prelim advanced maths, but I don't know if that will mean I will do well in physics. Do you think it's better to do biology if I think I can do really well in it even if it doesn't scale as well?
Biology or physics? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter sluGzxxX
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Masaken
Unknown Member
if you like human biology like i do (which relates more to genetics and diseases, which is covered in y12) then you'd have to bore through the year 11 course content. mod 1 and mod 2 do delve into human biology in terms of cells and organ systems but it's not just restricted to humans (i remember learning about the respiratory systems of fish and insects in mod 2), whilst the other half (mod 3 and mod 4) is ecology/ecosystems (looking at organism relationships and evolution and all that); however all in all mod 3 and mod 4 are pretty easy if you just make some basic summary notes and read your textbook
but if you find physics more interesting than bio and aren't ready to stick with y11 bio for y12, then definitely go for physics. i kind of regret not taking it not gonna lie
Average Boreduser
Rising Renewal
go with something that fits your preferred career.
Average Boreduser
Rising Renewal
isn't it harder doe?
Masaken
Unknown Member
yea, that's why its scaling is usually pretty good
but then again, there are a lot of physics students in my school who did all three sciences and who found bio to be hard (in terms of content and memorisation), i find memorising content pretty easy though
oh yeah definitely same at my school, though i think it was more because many of them were taking bio as a bludge subject (dropping it for 4u maths)
Meh, physics isn’t too hard; idk about other people but I probably would’ve found bio harder just because I’d be so much less interested
Hsc Phys exams the past two years lowkey easier than the bio ones
Does biology have a lot more content than physics?
And also, hsc biology is much more interesting than prelims right?
Thanks.
synthesisFR
afterhscivemostlybeentrollingdonttakeitsrsly
This is not necessarily true, only algebra is needed for physics and most physics students are able to do basic algebra anyways.
Anyways, do physics if you will enjoy the subject, not because of scaling. I personally hated physics and found it boring (idk blame my teacher?) and hence did not study for it at all.
Nedom
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Hiva posted faster than me. But what I have to say reinforces/supports what they have said, and also has a bit to add on
I don't remember too much about the subject, but being better at maths, i.e. being in MX1 or even MX2 (kind of overkill for phys, but why not) is much more helpful than adv because the mathematical mindset/skillset transfers over.
Not saying that you are or aren't correct synthesisFR, but then again when you look at when they graduated (2021) and when you are graduating (2023), there is some discrepancy between the reliability/validity of what you have to say. (Just saying the source does matter)
Nedom
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Scaling is certainly a factor to consider when choosing subjects, no matter what people say, it still does play a role in the ATAR you get relative to the effort you put in. The subjects that you like aren't always filled with what you like/want to do (e.g. Like art ==> go into VA ==> Theory is cancer (you get bored/ sleep in class)). The other argument about turning hobby/passion into work is that there may be a removal of the ability to control when you engage with this interest of yours because you have a need to interact with the subject regardless of your mood/feeling towards the subject in the moment. (aka. When does working on something you like become 'work')
With what Hiva said above, I would disagree with placing Chemistry beneath Physics in terms of difficulty when one excels at logical/maths-based thinking. The math in physics is much more straight-forward, you either apply a formula or derive a formula, and explain what the equations are if asked (just look at the components of the equation), while chemistry's maths is abstract and weird, and absolutely a hellhole (if you think that maths is going to carry you in any way in the subject, it's really not). Yes, there is maths involved, but basic arithmetic is not what is going to get you the marks, it's first working out what to do with the information, deciphering and allocating the correct method/formula (really different from the straight-forwardness of physics) to find a method is what I believe as the 'maths' people refer to.
pikachu975
Premium Member
I did both and felt that physics had more memorising than biology (heaps of bio content was more understanding than memorising, e.g. kangaroos use fur as endotherms to fight against the cold - doesn't really require memorising). Also yeah year 11 bio is boring compared to year 12.
I found bio more fun than physics but OBVIOUSLY this is up to the person.
In terms of maths helping with physics, I can't 100% remember, also the syllabus changed, but from memory of my syllabus I don't think it was TOO related. Like physics was more making sure you got all the information correctly from the question and in the correct units then just plugging into formulas/basic algebra.
EDIT: Also like mentioned physics does scale/align better cos I 100% did better in my biology HSC, I estimated that I got high 80s in physics and low to mid 90s in biology yet they came out to about the same mark (biology is easier anyway).
synthesisFR
afterhscivemostlybeentrollingdonttakeitsrsly
I agree with what ur saying, but 4u cognition is no where near what u need in physics. Physics is literally just understanding the concept so you can relate a few formulas together, which really is not that difficult. Even extremely difficult physics question are difficult due to the data they provide, you just need to figure how to break it down. IMO doing well in adv math does not equate to "ur gonna do well in physics" thats just my opinion tho
synthesisFR
afterhscivemostlybeentrollingdonttakeitsrsly
actually nvm ur probably right but my point is that theres more to physics than just maths and equations, like really knowing the content and scientific skills and all yk
Thanks, everyone.
What do think is a good raw mark for both physics and biology to get a band six?
Does biology actually scale much worse than physics, and what should I get in biology for it not to scale badly.
Also, I like maths a lot and want to do 4 unit maths. I won't be disadvantaged if I don't do physics right, as I think I'll do biology due to being more interested in it.
What do think is a good raw mark for both physics and biology to get a band six?
Does biology actually scale much worse than physics, and what should I get in biology for it not to scale badly.
Also, I like maths a lot and want to do 4 unit maths. I won't be disadvantaged if I don't do physics right, as I think I'll do biology due to being more interested in it.
Last edited:
pikachu975
Premium Member
Check rawmarks.info for your first question
For second question check rawmarks.info for aligning of marks (+ATAR calc for actual scaling)
For third question, physics is irrelevant to 4u maths (unless they added some topic extremely similar to physics since I did it)