Life Science Physics-Junior in college

[RSK25]

Hi guys,

i need advice on how to study for physics. i had my first midterm, and i got a 56 (avg was 53) not so great. can someone give me any pointers. my professor is horrible at teaching. so, if you can help me with learning external sources, that would be great. thank you

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cactus8910]

Get a tutor or a study partner. I've found that students can often explain things better than teachers to other students who are totally lost. Read your textbook and do the problems in the book until you get them right.
I didn't need any outside resources for physics, but hopefully someone else will be able to recommend something.

 

[ciestar]

Im finding Chad's videos awfully helpful.
So maybe find some kind of video lecture online that could help. Maybe Khan academy?

 

[Lucca]

MIT Open Courseware for calc-based physics, Khan Academy for everything else. Practice, practice, practice and understand the fundamentals really well.

 

[Bottle]

I'm also taking physics. One helpful observation that I just noticed is that physics is math. When we started, I was thinking of it like general chemistry (tons of concepts, can't solve problems without reading the book) but physics is different. It's all about math, learn the equations and apply them to questions. Pay attention to critical concepts only (ex: projectile motion when symmetric, how to get the highest delta y .. Etc)

Good luck! Physics is pain in the ass and I can't wait to get rid of this class.

Edit: I should mention that the physics I'm taking is calculus based. I'll guess that the advice should apply to any kind of physics course, but I may be wrong

 

[soccerusa]

Just some thoughts as a physics and engineering major: physics o's all about developing a little intuition about the different problem types and using it to apply the right equation. Especially with intro physics you should be able to do well just by knowing all the equations and playing "find the equation" as my high school physics teacher liked to say. So essentially just practice a ton. It will become second nature after a while and then it is just an easy math class. Best of luck!