Desperate for Help/Advice about Physics

[crazystudent7]

Hi all,

I recently started reviewing material for the MCAT. I'm a senior planning to take the MCAT in May. I took all of my requirements my sophomore and junior years at my medium-sized college. The material I've bought to review and practice is The Berkeley Review for everything. However, I'm still having massive trouble with Physics, beginning in Section I!

Some background: I took the algebra-based physics at my university, even though I had Calc I and II. My instructor for both sections of physics was a smart Indian with a very heavy accent (making my lecture notes almost incoherent, if I was even able to get anything out of the lectures) who rarely took the time to meet with students outside of class. Therefore, if we didn't understand the material, we were almost doomed to failure, unless the lab instructors could help us.

I made a B+ in both semesters, not bad considering the instructor didn't curve and only gave out about 1-2 A's for 60 students. Despite that, I didn't learn physics. I can't remember anything, and TBR isn't making any sense. Neither is a Kaplan book that a friend lent to me. What suggestions do you have? I'm going through some of the explanations in TBR wondering where they got the equations they did, etc. I'm really desperate and almost on the verge of giving up medical school (part of the reason I am applying one year later than most students is that physics destroyed my motivation last year as a junior).

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[nabilesmail]

Physics is about practice, I just finished physics 1 this semester and will assure you, after reading a physics chapter I WOULD NOT understand it, I would read the chapter 1 day, read it again and then do hw problems only being able to answer 30% by myself. However, after doing problems after problems it becomes easy. Unfortunately I think that is the only way you'll be able to get the physics down. You don't need to do textbook physics problems as they are more complex and longer, however, do ALL the questions in EK 1001. I recommend doing 1/3 of the problems relating to the chapter from 1001 after reading, then do phase 1 passages. Then when you review the chapter again a few days later, do 2nd 1/3 of 1001, and then 2nd 1/3 of tbr passages. Also, do not forget to understand conceptually what is going on as well. Difficult problems can only be solved with intuition, not systemics.

Read TBR very slowly and work through the sample problems. When you do the 1001, check any problem you got wrong or any problem you were not sure about or guessed on. If you got it wrong, redo the question WITHOUT looking at the answer, you have already eliminated one choice (the one you initially put). By solving it yourself, it will stick rather than just reading the answer.

You can also look at Ek Physics after TBR to see if that helps at all since its more condensed notes. I also hear Nova is pretty good.

Good luck!

 

[MedPR]

Hi all,

I recently started reviewing material for the MCAT. I'm a senior planning to take the MCAT in May. I took all of my requirements my sophomore and junior years at my medium-sized college. The material I've bought to review and practice is The Berkeley Review for everything. However, I'm still having massive trouble with Physics, beginning in Section I!

Some background: I took the algebra-based physics at my university, even though I had Calc I and II. My instructor for both sections of physics was a smart Indian with a very heavy accent (making my lecture notes almost incoherent, if I was even able to get anything out of the lectures) who rarely took the time to meet with students outside of class. Therefore, if we didn't understand the material, we were almost doomed to failure, unless the lab instructors could help us.

I made a B+ in both semesters, not bad considering the instructor didn't curve and only gave out about 1-2 A's for 60 students. Despite that, I didn't learn physics. I can't remember anything, and TBR isn't making any sense. Neither is a Kaplan book that a friend lent to me. What suggestions do you have? I'm going through some of the explanations in TBR wondering where they got the equations they did, etc. I'm really desperate and almost on the verge of giving up medical school (part of the reason I am applying one year later than most students is that physics destroyed my motivation last year as a junior).

First off, students blaming teachers is beyond annoying. If you're having trouble understanding TBR and Kaplan, then obviously it's not completely your teacher's fault that you didn't learn or understand in his class. Trouble learning from 3 different sources? You're the common denominator.

That said, you aren't going to learn physics by reading and memorizing equations alone. You absolutely must do problems and spend a lot of time practicing and understanding where your answers came from. Don't ignore equation derivations, pay attention to units, try to predict the general answer before looking at the answers and before attempting to find the real answer.

I've found TBR to be very clear, though I'm struggling with it myself. I'm going to start using the NOVA physics book to supplement TBR, and if that still doesn't work I'm going to buy the EK book. My primary reason for buying more books is to possibly hear/read it from a different perspective as well as see more examples and have more problems.

 

[MrNeuro]

First off, students blaming teachers is beyond annoying. If you're having trouble understanding TBR and Kaplan, then obviously it's not completely your teacher's fault that you didn't learn or understand in his class. Trouble learning from 3 different sources? You're the common denominator.

That said, you aren't going to learn physics by reading and memorizing equations alone. You absolutely must do problems and spend a lot of time practicing and understanding where your answers came from. Don't ignore equation derivations, pay attention to units, try to predict the general answer before looking at the answers and before attempting to find the real answer.

I've found TBR to be very clear, though I'm struggling with it myself. I'm going to start using the NOVA physics book to supplement TBR, and if that still doesn't work I'm going to buy the EK book. My primary reason for buying more books is to possibly hear/read it from a different perspective as well as see more examples and have more problems.

Great advice here. Except i find that some of the TBR derivations are just WWWWEEEIRRRDD and sometimes borderline esoteric.

Physics is about practice, I just finished physics 1 this semester and will assure you, after reading a physics chapter I WOULD NOT understand it, I would read the chapter 1 day, read it again and then do hw problems only being able to answer 30% by myself. However, after doing problems after problems it becomes easy. Unfortunately I think that is the only way you'll be able to get the physics down. You don't need to do textbook physics problems as they are more complex and longer, however, do ALL the questions in EK 1001. I recommend doing 1/3 of the problems relating to the chapter from 1001 after reading, then do phase 1 passages. Then when you review the chapter again a few days later, do 2nd 1/3 of 1001, and then 2nd 1/3 of tbr passages. Also, do not forget to understand conceptually what is going on as well. Difficult problems can only be solved with intuition, not systemics.

Read TBR very slowly and work through the sample problems. When you do the 1001, check any problem you got wrong or any problem you were not sure about or guessed on. If you got it wrong, redo the question WITHOUT looking at the answer, you have already eliminated one choice (the one you initially put). By solving it yourself, it will stick rather than just reading the answer.

You can also look at Ek Physics after TBR to see if that helps at all since its more condensed notes. I also hear Nova is pretty good.

Good luck!

also great advice...i actually like nabilesmail's advice of the whole EK 1001 before passages...


I personally took physics abroad and at the time was more interested in being abroad than learning physics. In hindsight I'm beginning to really regret not trying to understand the basic principles underlying different physical concepts. Such as, why centripetal acceleration is directed inwards.

The only way you can now learn physics is by teaching yourself. Personally each physics chapter was taking me about 1.5 days until i got past the uniform acceleration chapters (1 and 2). With that said what i did was any equation i didn't understand fully i'd google and look up in my physics textbook and just read and work through some of the derivations.

just to sort of give you perspective on how little physics i know. I had no idea what the big 4 were nor what they helped you find. I also never really learned vector addition or subtraction. It took me literally 3 hours to figure out that when you subtract vectors you can do tail to tail, and I'm still a bit hesitant as to if thats true.

 

[vashka]

I took my last physics class in 2001, so safe to say that I barely remembered any of it. Even back then my comprehension of physics wasn't so good. I started my mcat review with TBR but didn't get past chapter 2. I think that TBR's physics book is for people who have at least some understanding of physics already. The book doesn't go slow to explain things step by step. So what I did was get the TPR physics book which goes really slow and explains everything in step by step fashion. I also enrolled in the TPR online course and my physics teacher was really good.

So, basically what I did was read the TPR book, then watched physics videos explaining the topic while making flash cards, then reread the TPR chapters again, and I am now doing the EK 1001 problems. My comprehension of physics is miles better than when I started. In the EK problem sets that I've been doing, I'm getting about 70 percent right (even counting my weaker areas). When I started, I got maybe 10% right lol. Also don't be afraid to search online for any site that can help. I love freelance teacher's videos, physics classroom. I also found a website with a bunch of AP physics videos that helped as well. The textbook conceptual physics was a huge help as well.

 

[crazystudent7]

First off, students blaming teachers is beyond annoying. If you're having trouble understanding TBR and Kaplan, then obviously it's not completely your teacher's fault that you didn't learn or understand in his class. Trouble learning from 3 different sources? You're the common denominator.

That said, you aren't going to learn physics by reading and memorizing equations alone. You absolutely must do problems and spend a lot of time practicing and understanding where your answers came from. Don't ignore equation derivations, pay attention to units, try to predict the general answer before looking at the answers and before attempting to find the real answer.

I've found TBR to be very clear, though I'm struggling with it myself. I'm going to start using the NOVA physics book to supplement TBR, and if that still doesn't work I'm going to buy the EK book. My primary reason for buying more books is to possibly hear/read it from a different perspective as well as see more examples and have more problems.

Thanks for the advice (and some encouragement talking about your experience with TBR). My main point in talking about the professor was to demonstrate that any prior understanding of physics is weak at best. I never meant to imply that I was not to blame at all; that is why I posted a question on this forum to receive help and advice about self-study tools.

I think that nabilesmail's suggestions are great. I will look into the EK 1001 physics book. Thanks to you all!

 

[DinoSaysRawr]

Also, try watching Freelance Teach videos on YouTube: http://www.freelance-teacher.com/videos.htm I will always recommend him for anything Physics related.