Math for Physics

[SadieDoc]

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Hi all,

I am taking Physics 1 in the fall and and trying to concurrently register for precalc but all the classes at my University are full. I am told that even though it's Algebra based, there is a good deal of trigonometry.
Can anyone recommend a supplemental book that might help me teach myself some trig concepts before/ during next semester? Preferably geared towards physics students.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Bbutterfly]

I just took Physics I, last month and currently finishing Physics II ( 4 weeks class each), they are both algebra based, and I did not need much of trig, just basic stuffs, like the Pythagorean theorem etc..... Much of the equations we used are derived using calculus, but we were not expected to do that part. You might want to check with students at your school that took the same class already

 

[Intellex]

http://www.khanacademy.org/#trigonometry

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

Do some online tutorials on the unit circle, pythag. theorem, law of sines, how to use sin, cos, tan and their inverses to find sides and angles in a right triangle, polar coordinates, and identifying similar triangles based on angles. I just used the first couple of tutorials that popped up on google for each of those topics.

You also might want to brush up on solving for variables using 3 equations (most important for circuits in physics II... don't remember if we used that in physics I!).

 

[NightGod]

Yeah, the multiple variable equations thing is probably the single most important skill you can have going into trig-based Physics, along with using angles (sin cos tan/unit circle) and lengths to figure out the other sides of triangles. If you have those two things down, you've got probably 95%+ of the math base you'll need. The multiple variable equations things hurt a lot of people in my class, some could just never seem to completely grasp it (at least not well enough to do it quickly on tests) and their grades definitely suffered for it.

 

[Courtjester8]

Guaranteed basic trig identities and manipulations will at some point be mentioned in class. If not, head on over to your school's tutoring center and grab a math tutor to give you the quick and dirty version.

Also, its pretty important to figure out exactly what level of math you need for that particular physics class. When I was taking intro physics, the classes i enrolled in were calc based. There was the "physics for life sciences" option for students who didn't have the math chops for the calc based physics. Seeing as how you haven't taken pre calc yet, make sure that you are in a life sciences version of physics. You probably wouldn't even really need pre calc for that. However, taking the life sciences version comes at the cost of greater understanding of the material and sometimes not even being exposed to MCAT tested topics. Just keep that in mind as you go through the class so you can make sure to learn what you miss (if anything) on your own.

-cj8

 

[LingoLaine]

There's plenty of trigonometry but at least in my textbook, the math required was covered in a special section at the back of the book.

 

[NightGod]

There's plenty of trigonometry but at least in my textbook, the math required was covered in a special section at the back of the book.

Same with mine (did you use Giancarlo?) But it would definitely be a good idea to do a bit of review if you aren't comfortable with it-you'll only have a few class sessions at best before the math really starts up.

 

[SadieDoc]

Thank you everyone for your help. I got a little blind sighted cause the only pre-req for physics is college algebra, but I heard from a fellow post-bacc that there is a fair amount of trig. If I can get into a pre-calc class this fall, will it be helpful to take it concurrently? Or am I better off prepping best I can beforehand?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Thank you everyone for your help. I got a little blind sighted cause the only pre-req for physics is college algebra, but I heard from a fellow post-bacc that there is a fair amount of trig. If I can get into a pre-calc class this fall, will it be helpful to take it concurrently? Or am I better off prepping best I can beforehand?

It all depends on your background. If you are pretty good at math, it makes sense to skip the pre-calc class. If you are not math inclined but if you think you can Ace it and you need the GPA boost, then do it. It will help you in that way as well as a refresher. If you've never had precalc or trig before, it is doable to skip and do well in physics but I'd probably take it beforehand, just so you dont ever have a feeling that maybe it's the math as to why you're not getting a concept. But I'm giving you a conservative viewpoint.

The math in both of my physics classes was not difficult. Except on our physics 2 final exam the prof thought the class average was too high and decided to give us a "killer" final where one question was very difficult to solve unless you knew linear algebra. Dont plan for these type of situations though, lol.

What people have written in this thread is the extent that I saw as far as math (you know the length of these sides of a triangle, now what is the angle between them or... you have two or three variables with two or three equations, now solve). If you are good at memorizing, you dont need to know how to derive the formulas using calculus or anything. Reasonable/newer professors try to make it more about the subject and less about the math though.

 

[Fuji Diamond]

I'm just finishing up algebra-based Physics I. I never took trig or much math at all and was a little nervous also about starting Physics. If you're using Giancarlo's Physics, there is a section in the back that outlines the math necessary for the course.

For trig, what I did was go through www.freelance-teacher-com. His physics section has videos on how to do the basic trig functions that you will need. Having the trig taught within the context of physics is enormously helpful. His videos helped me tremendously, moreso than Khan Academy, which I think is great for Chemistry but not so great for physics.

I wouldn't bother taking pre-calc. Good luck!

 

[SrootsWwings]

Understanding three things well covers a lion's share of what you will need out of trig for physics:

1: SOH CAH TOA
2: The unit circle and how to read it
3: Law of Cosines

Here are links to a) how to make a unit circle, b) a picture of one, c) a page that effectively sums up trig, including the law of cosines.

http://calculus.ecps.jah.schoolfusi...46&sessionid=0453cf3162489c05a281cac7e4fc599f

http://jmhsmath.edublogs.org/files/2008/03/hpim0340.JPG

http://math2.org/math/trig/identities.htm

If there is any higher-level math that is learnable via Google and some elbow grease, it's trig (I mean this in a functional, basic understanding sense - please don't jump on me, mathematicians). Just don't be intimidated by the silly three letter abbreviations, because that's all they are: time-consuming, inefficient math symbols; if only Leibniz had given us nifty things for that alongside the integral. Otherwise, good luck, and have fun! Trig has a satisfying circularity to it (seriously, but pun also very much intended).

 

[SadieDoc]

Thank you all so much for these great resources! I might be best off skipping PreCalc and devoting all of my energy to Physics, Orgo 1 and Bio 2.