Argh. Time to pick my last "hard science" course.

[Lyric]

Poll question: Argh. Time to pick my last "hard science" course.

I love Biology, but not much else in the hard sciences. As an English major, I have to take four total hard science classes for my general education credits--three full courses plus one lab. So far I've taken (and passed, with A's) Biology 101 and Biology 101 lab. I'm signed up for Environmental Biology this coming semester. That leaves me with one more full course to pick, and it can't be a Biology class (due to a restriction that only lets you have three out of the four in any given subject area).

I'm thinking either Chemistry 111 or Physics 101. Help me decide? For the record, I am NOT knowledgeable of higher math, but I'm pretty good at science.

[NYC_SKP]

1. One could argue that chemistry is more closely related to biology than physics.

But that physics may be less abstract.

I like physics but I'd take chemistry because it's a weak area for me, so there's that dynamic, what's your weak area?

:hi:

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Would you rather do experiments of mixing stuff with other stuff, or seeing how

things move (or not, depending on what you are doing to them.)

[Lyric]

7. When you put it that way, I'd pick the latter.

My issue with chemistry in high school was that I felt intimidated and confused by all the molecular symbols and strange terminology. Maybe physics would be less...scary?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. How about geology?

Is that a hard enough science?

I remember taking that and loving it!

It was a summer school class, and I was competing with a whole bunch of high school teachers who needed it for continuing ed units. I did well, and was very proud!

Good luck, my dear Lyric!

:hi:

[kentauros]

6. That's a good one.

Although I found physical geology easier and more interesting than historical geology. Too much memorization of all the plants and animals in that one, versus how and why the planet works the way it does in the physical geology class :D

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. I meant physical geology...

This was many years ago, and plate tectonics was just being discussed. I was fascinated, since CA is full of fault lines!

[kentauros]

10. It's all your fault.

:P

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. *snarf*

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. ROFL!

Oh yeah........sure it is! LOL!

[rurallib]

8. I was going to say "earth science" and rocks are hard!

It can be a very interesting course.

[justabob]

17. great field trips in geology class too

I took two different geology classes... physical geology, and rocks & minerals. Loved both of them.

[proteus_lives]

20. That's the one I was thinking about.

Rocks for Jocks. This liberal Arts majors was happy to do it.

[EFerrari]

34. That was my pick. It was really hard and it gave me tons of new material

for the poetry writing I was doing at the time. Plus, it's nice to know what you're looking at when you look around the planet. lol

[Curmudgeoness]

4. I voted Chemistry, because I was surprised that I enjoyed it.

I majored in Biology and General Science Ed and had to take tons of science classes, and thought I would hate chemistry, but it was fun for me.

I could also suggest geology if that is "hard science". Or meteorology. Both of these would usually be easier than chem or physics if you are looking to just get through another science class.

[Lyric]

5. I'd really like to find one that I'd enjoy

without feeling miserably overwhelmed and inferior. Know what I mean?

[Curmudgeoness]

14. I know exactly what you mean. I was overwhelmed with every

science class---even if I did enjoy the learning. This is why I suggested geology or meteorology---they were not as intense, but I did like them. Of course, I end up liking all science, except physics.

[Chan790]

12. It depends.

Which are are you better at: math or puzzles?

Physics was all math. Pre-calc level math. I am terrible at math. I barely passed.

Chemistry I taught myself in a weekend with the textbook and lego blocks. It's easy once you realize that whatever pieces (atoms) you have in the initial molecules you have to account for in the end result. It's all logic puzzles when you get down to it. I then spent the rest of 10th grade B-period first semester trying to look down my girlfriend's blouse.

My youngest brother was a math whiz and passed Physics with an A, then sold back the textbook still shrink-wrapped. He's taken Chem twice and failed it both times.

It depends on you.

[pokerfan]

18. You really need calculus to appreciate physics

There's a reason Newton invented the calculus: it makes everything easier. For example, starting with one equation everyone knows, F=ma, one can derive all the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinematics">kinematic equations. Without calculus, a student is reduced to rote memorization without understanding.

[hippywife]

13. Although I never got to go to college

and I'm so proud of you for doing so, I say chemistry. I think it is fascinating, truly. :hug:

[Dr. Strange]

16. Physics

:)

[Kali]

19. what other choices do you have?

of your two, chem
also like CalPeggy's geology

paleontology
archeology/physical anthropology
astronomy

[MiddleFingerMom]

21. Physics is MATHMATHMATHMATHMATH...

.
.
.
.
.
...while Chemistry is only MATHMATHMATH.
.
I flunked out of my second semester of Chemistry because of that math (my
overall GPA, working fulltime the vast majority of my college career, was
about a 3.8)
.
Astronomy was fascinating. We had a fantastic prof with whom, I didn't find out
'til the last day of class, almost EVERY woman in class was in love because he
was such a decent-looking very nice nerdy guy who was OBVIOUSLY very much in
love with his wife. They actually used words to describe him like "dreamy".
.
Geology was nicknamed "Rocks for Jocks" which, although I wasn't into sports,
made it PERFECT for me!!!
.
Kali had some good recommendations, if they're considered "hard" sciences.
.
.
.

[Lindsey]

22. I loved Geology. I, like CA Peggy, live in CA too so Geology was

especially interesting. As someone else mentioned, we went on some great field trips seeing fault lines and such. Our instructor was absolutely awesome. My degree is in Interdisciplinary Studies and surprisingly enough, Geology ended up being one of my favorite classes. I had to take Physics too and just didn't get into it. The instructor wasn't that great and I didn't find it interesting (maybe it's just where my head was at the time).

[Orsino]

35. At the 101 level, either should only require college algebra...

...but as a veteran of both, physics would require more cipherin'.

I majored in physics, so my bias lies there--but it seems to me that more people might "use" chemistry later in life.

[Flaxbee]

23. If the chemistry course is more of an overview, and doesn't involve organic chemistry, I'd choose

Chem. I *loved* it, and loathed and despised physics because while I understand the concepts, I couldn't ever get there mathematically, and it was frustrating. But O-chem can be tough. If there is an intro to o-chem w/o delving into it too much, that's probably OK, too.

You don't really need higher math for basic physics, though. Can you check out the curriculum for both courses?

And of course, if you can take an earth science like geology, that'd be even better.

[ChoralScholar]

24. I took Anatomy and Physiology as a senior, but, if you have to take

Chemistry in college, you'll wish you'd have taken it in high school. Physics maybe not so much.

[XemaSab]

25. Definitely physics

I was allowed to have a cheat sheet, so as long as you know how to work the formulas, there's not a ton of memorization.

Chemistry is ALL memorization.

[MilesColtrane]

26. I'd recommend a Physics of Music class if it's offered.

But of course, I'm biased.

[LibertyLover]

27. I'd suggest Geology, Astronomy or Meteorology

My university had special classes for non-science majors that were affectionately known as Rocks for Jocks, Moons for Loons and the Idiots' Guide to Clouds.

[Rabrrrrrr]

28. I think everyone should have a basic understand of physics.

We'd be a smarter country if more people understand it.

[pokerfan]

29. Physics is more "pure"

and while I did say above that a calculus based approach is superior if one really wants to deeply understand physics, it is possible to teach it without advanced math. Possible but not easy for the instructor. For example, the inverse square nature of gravity naturally leads to the conic sections for orbiting paths if one cranks through the differential equations. Richard Feynman came up with his own proof using nothing more than plane geometry. (He was trying to recreate a proof that Newton used but wound up inventing one of his own.)

http://www.appliedthought.com/InsightPress/ThinkingPhysics.html">This book is one of the best examples of a non math-based approach:



I cannot recommend this book enough.

[DebJ]

38. I never took physics and wish I had. Would this book work

for me? I aced chem and bio and graduated Summa cum Laude, but Physics still scares me...

[pokerfan]

41. Absolutely

It's essentially a collection of single paged physics puzzles. You learn by thinking about the problem and then reading and thinking about the answer. Open it to any page for a quick ten minute physics lesson

Lewis Carroll Epstein explains deep ideas in physics in an easy-to-understand way. Thinking Physics is a perfect beginners guide to an amazingly wide range of physics-related questions. The book targets topics that science teachers and students spend time wondering about, like wing lift. Epstein elucidates the familiar but misunderstood such as how tides work along with more obscure but fascinating phenomena like the Bernoulli sub and the artificial aurora created by hydrogen bombs. Broken into many short sections and peppered with Epsteins own playful hand-drawn illustrations, the book does not simply give the right answer: It also goes into the answers that seem right but are wrong and shows why they are wrong a rarity in science books. Thinking Physics is a rigorously correct, lighthearted, and cleverly designed Q and A book for physicists of all ages.

[distantearlywarning]

30. I took astronomy in college and thought it was really fun.

Chemistry was a bitch and a half and I wouldn't do that again if you paid me.

[CBR]

31. I helped register Freshman for the Fall this Summer and

they had some cool choices. For example -- Volcanoes and Earthquakes; The Oceans; Intro to Biological Anthropology; Feast or Famine: Plant and Soil Science; Astronomy; Concepts of the Universe; Energy, Technology and Society; Earth Science and Public Policy; and Wildlife Conservation. I wanted to take some!!! You should look at some of the courses not traditionally thought of that count as GenEd.

[flying rabbit]

32. Cosmology

Light on math, it covered the concepts from the big bang to quantum physics. Don't know how hard of a science it is, but it was damn interesting.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

33. Amateur Science.

I think science has become somewhat stodgey & corrupted
by paychecks. If all the brainos were doing it for free,
they'd come up with more bizarre ideas for a more bizarre
world, because there wouldn't be nothing to lose. And
I think that atoms, molecules & so forth are just waiting for
a new kind of leader.

[tammywammy]

36. Astronomy. n/t

[Captain Boomerang]

37. Cultural Anthropology.

[Kali]

40. social science

not usually considered a hard science

[DebJ]

39. It's nice later in life to have a basic understanding of chemistry

I used that knowledge as a Mom, as a restaurant manager, and most of all, as my family aged, keeping up with doctors and medicines for a wide variety of problems that surfaced. I'd feel lost without a basic knowledge of chemistry.