What Physics Book Should a Year 9 Student Choose to Start Preparing for the SAT?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for physics books suitable for a Year 9 student preparing for the SAT, particularly in the context of applying to MIT. Participants explore the necessary mathematical background and the relevance of various resources for self-study in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to study physics despite not having a strong background in science, seeking book recommendations for SAT preparation.
  • Several participants emphasize the importance of a solid mathematical foundation, suggesting that the student should focus on improving skills in algebra, trigonometry, and geometry before tackling physics.
  • There are discussions about the appropriateness of using advanced texts like Young and Freedman, with some participants suggesting that it may be too challenging for the student at this stage.
  • One participant recommends starting with lower-level resources such as BBC Bitesize for GCSE maths and physics, advocating for practice problems to build confidence.
  • Concerns are raised about the timing of studying for the SAT, with suggestions that the student may not need to focus on this until closer to the test date, as they will likely cover relevant material in school.
  • Participants discuss the importance of engaging in extracurricular activities related to science to strengthen the student's application to MIT, emphasizing genuine interest over mere resume building.
  • There is a suggestion that the student may not be in the US based on their terminology, which leads to further discussion about the differences in educational systems.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the necessity of a strong mathematical background for studying physics, but there is no consensus on which specific resources or books are most suitable for the student. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to self-study and preparation for the SAT.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the student’s current level of mathematics may not include trigonometry or calculus, which could impact their readiness for physics. There are also references to different educational systems, which may affect the recommendations provided.

the legion
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I am really interested in physics but I am not every good at science. I am currently in year 9 and I want to go to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) recently I read on the website that international applicants need to sit a test from Physics, Chemistry or Biology. My high school hasn't started teaching us physics yet and I am not very good at chemistry and Biology so physics is my only option. Is a good book for someone like me, so I can get started and start studying for my physics SAT?
 
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What math do u know?
 
MidgetDwarf said:
What math do u know?
not much, i am an average year 9 math student
 
Start with improving your math. Learn things like trigonometry, algebra, geometry and learn it very well. Only then are you prepared to start physics.
 
Giving us some indication of what country you're studying in can be helpful for recommendations generally of this nature. Based on your phrasing I would guess you're in the UK or some other commonwealth country? Additionally, posting the same thread twice times in different forums is kind of redundant...that said, I've skimmed the responses across the two threads and come up with the following:

First of all, as micromass says, mathematics is essential. To apply to MIT I believe (unless they've changed their requirements recently) you need to take one of the science SAT subject tests, and one of the two mathematics ones, in addition to the SAT or ACT. You don't need to take these until the year you are applying in or the year before (probably year 11 or 12 depending on where you live) so they're a while off.

From a UK/IB qualifications perspective (as that's what I'm familiar with), the basic SAT is GCSE level but has a lot of peculiarities in how it's formatted (the whole standardized schtick) so I recommend trying the practice test on their website, and the SAT book may be useful. You can take the ACT as an alternative however it requires a higher level of mathematics than the SAT (specifically I think it covers matrices and complex numbers).

Several other posters have given you recommendations such as Young and Freedman. This is a standard first year university physics text (it's the one my uni uses for the Physics degrees), however based on what you've said I think you will struggle with it for now. Additionally even that alone is overkill for the undergrad entry test; it covers material (last I checked) similar to GCSE and AS/IB SL Physics in the UK. In the US AP Physics would cover the necessary material and then some. Similarly for the mathematics tests the non-calculus topics from AS level maths/further maths (you might need matrices and complex numbers but I'm not sure) or IB SL maths will be sufficient. You just need to do a lot of practice problems to ensure you're comfortable with it; it's not inherently difficult mathematics and if you struggle with it, you will probably struggle with the first year physics and calculus classes at MIT (I have not taken them however, so I'm basing this on comparison to similar courses I've taken at different institutions, which were probably taught more poorly).

You should look at lower level physics and mathematics material to being self studying before moving onto anything like Young and Freedman. I would recommend starting with BBC Bitesize GCSE maths and physics as a refresher, you will likely be familiar with some of the material. Make sure to do the problems and review sections you get wrong. Having done this, look into A-level/IB maths and physics stuff on the web. I found http://www.mathsrevision.net/advanced-level-level-maths-revision to be a pretty useful resource for high school level mathematics, it covers pretty much all your bases. Make sure you're completely confident with the GCSE maths content before moving onto that.

More generally however, you're far enough off that you don't NEED to buy a book and self study now for a test you'll be taking in probably 3 years time. By the time you get to that point, you'll have almost certainly covered at least most of the relevant material in your classes at school. When you're a few months away from taking the test THEN I might recommend cracking open young and freedman and having a go at some of the stuff in there. Trying to do it now will just distract you from doing well in your classes now (which will weaken your overall application, as you can't really just ace the SATs and get into MIT as I hear they're very into individuals experiences and suchlike) and may end up discouraging you in the long run if you get stuck. Particularly if you're struggling at chemistry and biology, you should be focusing on improving your work in those subjects, rather than trying to find something else. You have to take biology and chemistry courses in your first year at MIT I believe anyway, so you can't just avoid them forever :P

Also, look for fun things to do outside of your studies, that you're genuinely interested in. Places like MIT love seeing people who have gone out and done sciencey stuff just because they're interested in it. Don't try to do extracurriculars to tick boxes; make sure you have some genuine interest in it. If you're interested in astrophysics and astronomy, see what stuff you can do with that in your area. Are there any planetariums or observatories nearby? You could try to arrange meteor shower viewing parties at your school. A lot of universities, especially in the UK, are trying more and more to arrange outreach programs (especially in the sciences) for young students. I know at my uni (the University of Exeter), we have a student led project building a radio telescope in Cornwall, and we're trying to get local schools involved by doing talks with them and hopefully when the telescope is completed, have them come along and see it and explain it working in action. They don't necessarily have to be science based, although if you can this will help (as this is fundamentally what you're trying to get yourself into, it helps if you can demonstrate you're not going to burn out before the 4 years of your degree are over).

One guy from my high school, who went on to do Earth Sciences/Geology at Oxford, was very interested in environmental issues beforehand. He had done well in his GCSEs, did A-level Physics, Geography and whatever (maths I assume but idk he was a friend of a friend so I didn't talk to him much being an overworked IBer xD ) and in the process, over one of the summers went out to somewhere on the Jurassic coast and did some data gathering (no idea what the topic was, something to do with seawater measurements). He then wrote this up, entered into a competition and ended up winning the "UK Young Scientist of the Year" award (I mean it wasn't an accident he put a lot of work into it but he would've been happy just getting to go there and show his poster and stuff). This no doubt helped his application later...you're not going to be doing publishable original research, but you should try doing stuff in a scientifically rigorous way, recording the results and interpreting them.

(Also don't try to build a radio telescope from scratch it's cost us £7500 so far and we don't even have any money to pay the long term electricity bills left from all our grants xD )
 
MidgetDwarf said:
What math do u know?
the legion said:
i am an average year 9 math student

In the US, that means you probably know some algebra, but no trigonometry or calculus.

However, in the US we say "9th grade" instead of "year 9" so I suspect you're not in the US.
 

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