In need of advice to ace physics classes

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Garurumon

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I will be taking the required 2 semesters of physics next year, and honestly I'm not looking forward to it. I'm an English major, so I'm pretty comfortable working with words, but not with numbers. Math has always intimidated me. I don't have a very good memory and I struggle with memorizing and applying a lot of formulas. I admire and envy people who are whizzes at math. I heard physics is pretty heavy on that stuff, so...please tell me all your secrets. Any study tips for the physics section on the 2015 MCAT would be awesome as well.

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Physics was a class that perhaps required the least amount of memorization for me. Practicing problems is the key. Don't be too nervous about it.
 
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It really isn't bad at all. Do lots of problems.
There are only so many ways you can ask the same question.
 
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Practice, practice, practice.

For some great, free lectures, problem sets, and related materials see MIT OpenCourseWare. MIT OCW got me through physics.

Physics is fun! The intro classes that we need for medical school are not nearly as scary as upper level physics, you can definitely survive if you practice and make sure you understand the basic concepts.
 
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Make a cheat sheet of the equations you learn in class. But don't memorize them. Understand how one concept is related to another. Many equations build of the earlier ones. If you understand the relationships then this class will be super easy because you solve everything with equations. If you memorize equations then you will not know how to apply them.
 
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Khan Academy physics videos.
Do all assigned problems and get a TA when needed.
Pick a good professor who is fair.
 
Make a cheat sheet of the equations you learn in class. But don't memorize them. Understand how one concept is related to another. Many equations build of the earlier ones. If you understand the relationships then this class will be super easy because you solve everything with equations. If you memorize equations then you will not know how to apply them.

This is very important, I'm glad it was mentioned. Something I found helpful was being able to derive some equations from a smaller set of equations. For example, all the equations of projectile motion can be derived from each other. For physics 2 Maxwell's Equations can essentially teach you most of the course. Understanding how they relate to each other is probly the difference between a B and an A.
 
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Thanks for all the helpful replies! I feel a lot better about going into these courses now. :)
 
I'm an English major as well and was dreading the physics sequence, but I ended up loving it and wishing I'd majored in physics... Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!
 
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I'm an English major as well and was dreading the physics sequence, but I ended up loving it and wishing I'd majored in physics... Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!
I kind of had a bad experience with high school physics, so that's what instilled the initial dread for me. But hearing your input (esepcially as a fellow English major) is very encouraging.
 
Personally I've taken the first physics course twice. The first time I took it I thought I could teach it to myself. BIG MISTAKE. Go to class. Listen to the professor. Believe it or not participating is the key to physics, in my opinion. Me and my professor would have heated debates about how he went about solving a problem. Be active in lectures if at all possible. Also do as many problems as you can from the back of a textbook, ( our professor gave us 60-120 questions if hw EVERY WEEK. Believe me it helps. Also a big help when solving problems is dimensional analysis. Crossing out units while working a problem is like a gps. It sort of proves your answer is correct. These are the things that helped me. Best of luck!!!
 
Personally I've taken the first physics course twice. The first time I took it I thought I could teach it to myself. BIG MISTAKE. Go to class. Listen to the professor. Believe it or not participating is the key to physics, in my opinion. Me and my professor would have heated debates about how he went about solving a problem. Be active in lectures if at all possible. Also do as many problems as you can from the back of a textbook, ( our professor gave us 60-120 questions if hw EVERY WEEK. Believe me it helps. Also a big help when solving problems is dimensional analysis. Crossing out units while working a problem is like a gps. It sort of proves your answer is correct. These are the things that helped me. Best of luck!!!
Thanks a lot, I'll keep that in mind. My professor for cell & mol liked discussion and students asking questions, so that helps me break the ice and prepare me for future courses, because I'm not usually very talkative. I hope the textbook I'll use has a ton of problems, then! I say that because the Ochem books I'm using now don't have enough. Ah yes, dimensional analysis is a lifesaver. Loudly crossing out units with my pencil makes me feel smart and productive haha.
 
I will be taking the required 2 semesters of physics next year, and honestly I'm not looking forward to it. I'm an English major, so I'm pretty comfortable working with words, but not with numbers. Math has always intimidated me. I don't have a very good memory and I struggle with memorizing and applying a lot of formulas. I admire and envy people who are whizzes at math. I heard physics is pretty heavy on that stuff, so...please tell me all your secrets. Any study tips for the physics section on the 2015 MCAT would be awesome as well.
Didn't read the replies so no clue if this was covered but as someone who absolutely loves math (probably should of gotten my degree in it tbh, but oh well), and is pretty darn good at it, I found that to do well in physics required that I focused more on the concepts/theory rather than the math. Perhaps it was my school but if you only knew the math you were screwed come exam time. I really really really hated physics (especially kinematics, torque, and all associated hell) and I thought I could just apply my mathematical knowledge and be good: that didn't work out so well.

My turning point came when I ditched practice problems and just focused on learning the ideas and concepts behind each physical principle. It sounds non-intuitive (I love how physics profs think everything is 'intuitive') but once I understood said principles then I was able to apply the theory to the mathematical equations, instead of the other way around; thus, allowing me to exercise my understanding and to employ the associated equations in any situation that was thrown my way.

At any rate, my scores skyrocketed after that point. So, in summation, if your school is like mine then try the above method; however, if it's just good ole plug-n-chug then do as many practice problems as humanly possibly. GL!
 
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