Schools Why Choose Physics in High School?

AI Thread Summary
A high school freshman is grappling with the decision of whether to take Physics B next year, driven by a passion for the subject developed through self-study. Despite discussions with the Physics teacher and counselor, the student's mother is concerned about the difficulty of the course and suggests postponing physics studies until college. The student struggles to articulate their love for physics to their mother, seeking advice on how to explain their enthusiasm. Some contributors suggest that while waiting for a more advanced math background might be beneficial, the intrinsic satisfaction of understanding physics and its mathematical language is a valid reason to pursue it now. Additionally, they emphasize the abundance of online resources and local university libraries for further learning.
Thundagere
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As a high school freshman, I need to decide what classes to take next year. I was required to take Biology this year, but since now...time to decide my future. :)
The issue I'm having is I love physics. I've studied everything I can on my own (online stuff, mostly, my parents didn't really want to buy me books, they wanted me to focus on other stuff and relax during summer), and I want to move to Physics B next year. I've spoken with the Physics teacher and the counselor, but my mom insists it will be too difficult and that it's better to study physics later so you'll "remember it in college." I really don't follow this train of thought, and I just want to follow what i love to study.
The issue is, I don't know how to explain why I want to take physics. I love it, but my mom doesn't understand that. Does anyone have any ideas on how to explain this?
 
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Nobody can tell you how to explain to someone why you love physics.

Hell, I can't explain why I do.

Your parents may difficult to work with but if you have access to a computer you have tons of sources to learn physics.

Also, local universities have wonderful libraries you can get books from.
 
Thundagere said:
As a high school freshman, I need to decide what classes to take next year. I was required to take Biology this year, but since now...time to decide my future. :)
The issue I'm having is I love physics. I've studied everything I can on my own (online stuff, mostly, my parents didn't really want to buy me books, they wanted me to focus on other stuff and relax during summer), and I want to move to Physics B next year. I've spoken with the Physics teacher and the counselor, but my mom insists it will be too difficult and that it's better to study physics later so you'll "remember it in college." I really don't follow this train of thought, and I just want to follow what i love to study.
The issue is, I don't know how to explain why I want to take physics. I love it, but my mom doesn't understand that. Does anyone have any ideas on how to explain this?

I think you should wait to take physics until you can take Physics C. High school physics is not the least bit difficult, but I believe it is best to undertake physics when you are more mathematically mature. The physical intuition clicks better.

As for your question, the answer is: why not? Who wouldn't want to know things like being able to describe the workings of the universe in a comprehensive, compact language like mathematics? It's satisfying on a personal level.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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