Any suggestions for General Physics class?

[tookiew]

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I am taking general physics class this semester and it has proven to be a real challenge for me for some reason. I took gen chem last semester and received a 94 as a final grade, so i definately have the intelligence to pass the class just not the understanding of the concepts of physics. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Newmanium]

The one lesson I learned after lots of engineering classes (kind of similar to physics) - do problems, lots of them. Make sure you understand how to get every answer, sit and struggle. That's what worked for me. Don't be afraid to sit and think about a problem for a long time. When you finally figure it out, you'll gain confidence and eventually be unstoppable.

For me, once I figured out the math - the concepts followed. For some people, this might be better to do in *reverse* 😛.

And physics is fun - let yourself enjoy it.

If that doesn't work, maybe a tutor?

 

[sindadel]

Go to office hours, use whatever tutoring is available, and yes, do TONS of practice problems. But try to understand why you got them wrong, rather than just blitzing through them.

Is your math background solid or shaky?

 

[snulma1]

As the other 2 replies stated, do lots of problems. The more you do, the easier it is to recall how to do many of the problems.

What I found 2 things that help make things easier...

1. Learn the terms and their definitions. By learning and understanding what defines each term (i.e. acceleration = change in velocity/change in time) when a question is unclear you can use the definitions to help answer the question.

2. Realize that there are many problems that can be answered in different ways. You will learn that some questions can be answered by using different methods, but in the end, the answer is the same!

I also signed up for a website called Cramster. It allowed me to do problems that were not answered in my textbook, and showed me HOW to answer the ones that were answered in my textbook. It was invaluable to my A in physics!

good luck!

 

[Barfalamule]

It takes an open mind to engage physics on the equation level and get an understanding for it on paper. A lot of students memorize the equations and then struggle in a nebulous region where they would try to think about the problem without the equations.
The equations are your guide. You must become comfortable with them, engaging each problem through the lens of the equation. When you start mastering the equations, then you start thinking in terms of the equations and start building intuition.
Keep an open mind.
Engage problems with equations!
Practice.

 

[take the shot]

The one lesson I learned after lots of engineering classes (kind of similar to physics) - do problems, lots of them. Make sure you understand how to get every answer, sit and struggle. That's what worked for me. Don't be afraid to sit and think about a problem for a long time. When you finally figure it out, you'll gain confidence and eventually be unstoppable.

For me, once I figured out the math - the concepts followed. For some people, this might be better to do in *reverse* 😛.

And physics is fun - let yourself enjoy it.

If that doesn't work, maybe a tutor?

Totally agree with this advice. There is a logical elegance to physics but I worked my butt off in there. I would start off several chapters by feeling so dumb and the concepts seemed baffling. I refused to let myself be intimidated by the work (this is the MOST important advice). I would recommend that you always at least skim the chapter before coming to class as the lecture then reinforces what you read. All I could do was keep working on the problems and also showed up multiple times at my professor's office for help. It paid off in dividends as I received A+ in both semesters of physics and my physics prof wrote one of my letters of rec.