Find physics tutors in Sheffield

Finding the Perfect Physics Tutor

Physics is the study of matter, motion, space, time, energy, and forces. It covers everything from the tiniest parts of atoms to the largest galaxies and the universe itself.

With so much to study, it's hardly surprising that some students can struggle with it, especially given how much it also relies on maths. Currently, in the UK, it's a key subject and alongside chemistry and biology, is part of most students science lessons or taught as an independent subject.

Let's see why it's important to study physics, the challenges students face in the subject, what we learn about it at secondary school, how private tuition can help students with subjects like physics, and how to find the right physics tutors in and around Sheffield.

Why It's Important to Study Physics

Due to the broad nature of the subjects covered by physics, it's an incredibly important subject, and every student should understand it to at least a GCSE level.

In a physics lesson, you'll also learn a series of transferrable skills. For one, physics relies heavily on mathematics so a good understanding of physics will help you get better at maths. Similarly, if you're good at maths, you'll probably do quite well in your physics exams.

Physics also overlaps with subjects like biology and chemistry and there are certain topics that you may study in a physics class that would be just as happy in another science class. Due to the broad nature of topics taught in physics and the overlap with other subjects, most students with a knack for it are likely to do well in quite a few of their other lessons.

Physics is also a subject with excellent job prospects. There are so many careers you can do with a degree in physics. The two most obvious are either becoming a physicist, where you research physics, or becoming a physics teacher or lecturer, where you pass on your knowledge of physics to the next generation of physicists and teachers.

Of course, teaching and studying aren't the only two career options with physics and you could move into engineering or technological career paths, too. Due to the advanced nature of most of the careers, many of them are well-paid!

Challenges in Physics

If physics what that easy, everyone would have a GCSE in it and nobody would ever need a physics tutor. The problem with physics is that its broad range of topics and the occasional focus on the minutia can make it quite dry. A good physics teacher will engage students, but there's no doubt that we've all had that teacher that just doesn't bring their subject alive.

For students that don't like their teacher or find the subject boring, it can be even harder to engage with the complex aspects of the subject. It can be difficult to imagine subatomic particles or the way galaxies move around at the best of times. It's even trickier if you don't want to be there in the lessons.

Then there's the reliance on mathematics. As we said, maths is a big part of physics and if you don't have a natural aptitude for numbers, it can become a real roadblock when studying physics. The overlap with the other sciences won't help either if you struggle with them, too. While being good at physics will help you in other subjects, you also need to be good at those other subjects to do well in physics.

Areas of Physics Studied at School

Every GCSE student in Sheffield will study science in one form or another. They can either study science as a double award GCSE, where they cover physics, biology, and chemistry together and are awarded two GCSEs, or they can study physics as a single science GCSE, where they'll study it, chemistry, and biology, as independent subjects.

While there are some differences between the various exam boards offering the physics GCSE, let's take the AQA exam as an example. A lot of these topics are included in any physics GCSE and it's useful to see the kinds of subjects secondary school students will cover in their physics lessons.

AQA GCSE Physics students will cover the following:

• Energy: Stores, work, power, and efficiency, heating, etc.
• Electricity: Electric circuits, mains electricity, static electricity, etc.
• Particle Model of Matter: Density, temperature changes, gases, etc.
• Atomic Structure: The atom, isotopes, ions, radioactive decay, fission, fusion, etc.
• Forces: Gravity, elasticity, moments, levers, and gears, pressure in fluids, acceleration, etc.
• Waves: Properties of waves, sound and ultrasound, reflection and refraction, lenses, transverse and longitudinal waves, etc.
• Magnetism and Electromagnetism: Magnetic fields, electromagnets,  electromagnetic induction, etc.
• Space Physics: The solar system, life cycle of a star, the expanding universe, etc.

Finding a Physics Tutor in Sheffield

If you'd like some help a physics or maths tutor in Sheffield, just search for one on Superprof! There are experienced and qualified tutors all around Sheffield offering tutorials for every level: primary school, secondary school, university, or for professionals. As we mentioned, physics is a subject that you can spend years being taught and informs so many other subjects that you or your child must do well in it.

The best thing about private tutoring is that the tutor can tailor the lesson to the student; something their school teacher or university lecturer mightn't be able to do as they have to think about every single student being taught. Face-to-face private tutorials will also cover what the student wants or needs to learn and can be adapted to their preferred learning style. After all, some students only struggle in a subject because the teacher at school isn't adapting a learning approach that works for every student.

If you can't find any available tutors to come to your home or don't fancy travelling miles to them, you can always enjoy online physics tuition. As long as you have a webcam and a decent internet connection, you can be taught by tutors all over the world. Of course, if you're getting tutorials for GCSE or A Level, for example, you might want to check that the tutor is familiar with the exams or the topics on them.

For those on a budget, group tutorials is a way to split the cost of the tutor's time with the other students in the class. While you won't get lessons tailored to just you or your child, you can still enjoy tuition in a smaller class than you'd get at school or university.

Many of the tutors offer the first hour of tuition for free, too, so contact a few different ones and organise a sample lesson before deciding which is right for you. You can see whether or not they offer the first lesson for free when you view their profile.