Do you Need Maths?
Do You Need To Take A level Maths To Do A level Physics?
The short answer is no.
However, that’s not the whole story.
Any of my students will tell you that I often say “Physics is just applied Maths”.
Physics and Maths complement each other greatly. If you do Maths and Physics then some parts of the curriculum will get taught twice. Not only that, you will be examined twice and receive credit twice for that learning. All of mechanics and dynamics in A level Physics is also in A level Maths.
What this means is that you have a great advantage if you take A level Maths alongside A level Physics.
If you want to do any type of Engineering or use your Physics in your future career, then you will be seriously limited if you do not also take Maths. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a requirement at A level. However if you do not have Maths A level, when you are applying for an Engineering degree you will have to do a foundation Mathematics course before you can start. Some university Engineering courses will not even consider your application if you don’t also have Maths. This means that if you have any intention of using your Physics, for anything other than just proving you’re numerate to future employers, you will put yourself at a disadvantage if you do not also take Maths.
It is quite telling that 85% of A level Physics students also take A level Maths.
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A few interesting A level Physics statistics for you:
35,380 students took A level Physics in 2023
27,355 were male and 8025 were female
85% of A level Physics students also took A level Maths
Maths is the most popular subject at A level with 89,855 students taking Maths in 2023
So, only 23% of A level Physics entrants were girls in 2023 – this has been about the same for the last 15 years and it’s really not good enough – we need more women doing physics!
The pandemic caused a huge wobble in the stability of percentages of students achieving each grade
The percentage of students achieving each of the grades grades dropped back to 2019 levels last summer (approximately)
Statistics from Ofqual – https://analytics.ofqual.gov.uk/apps/Alevel/Outcomes/ 17/01/2024
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In my experience, the sort of people who take A level Physics are also the sort of people who enjoy Maths. We do not bother to ask if you need English to do A level Physics. But of course being able to read English is an essential skill when answering A level Physics questions! And, in fact, if you are good at English you will do well on the ‘Explain’, ‘Describe’, ‘Compare’ and ‘Suggest’ type questions.
The Maths in A level Physics is actually not very difficult! Most of it is GCSE level. Having said that, you do need to be able to interpret graphs and do trigonometry with A level quality thinking and deductive skills. There are a few topics which are only in A-level Maths. Most A-level Physics teachers teach the exponential function and logarithms really well, So it isn’t necessary to do A level Maths in order to successfully learn all the Maths you need for A level Physics. Developing logical and deductive reasoning is essential to succeed at A level Physics. A-level Maths also requires this skill and so taking both Maths and Physics compounds the practice and elevates your ability in this area. A-level Physics is so difficult that anything which gives you a bit of an advantage should not be dismissed easily, nor without serious thought.
It used to be more common to take all Sciences with Maths at A level (a good many students still do). This was an expected combination and would open many science degree doors for you. It has recently become the fashion for universities to desire a more varied selection of A levels (in the last 10 years or so). This is to demonstrate the broadness of your abilities and interests. If you want to do A-level Physics simply because you enjoy the subject, that is an excellent reason for doing it, and there is no necessity to take the Maths if you have no intention of using your physics within your future career.
If you are intending to take A level Physics just to create a varied selection of A levels, you need to be sure that A-level Physics is right for you. Without Maths, Physics is definitely more difficult, and A-level Physics is widely considered to be the hardest of all the A-levels. So making it harder by not doing Maths seems an odd path to take.
In conclusion, I think you take Physics if you enjoy the subject, and not worry about taking A level Maths unless you intend to go on to use your Physics. However, A-level Maths is an excellent addition to A level Physics, and if you have any interest in Mathematics at all I would recommend that you take it alongside A-level Physics.
I would recommend that you do A-level Maths with A level Physics unless you have a very good reason not to. It is a happy fact that most people who enjoy A-level Physics will also enjoy A-level Maths 😃
I hope this answers your questions about Maths!
Dr Alison Camacho
June 2024
