Physics Question

[medblue]

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i was wondering what you all did to make it through physics successfully. i spoke to the department head and instructor today and they stated it was "a very difficult course"

well i knew that going in 🙄

anywho, i was wondering if there are any special study techniques, methods, guide books and/or anything else that helped you complete the course with a great grade???

 

[blee]

Physics is not my favorite subject, but I survived it and did very well.

Unlike biology, success in physics is going to depend less on memorization and more on conceptual understanding. You will need to know some formulae, of course, but something like 1/a + 1/b = 1/d is going to be useless unless you know what a, b, and d are, how they're measured, and what the answer really means. A good physics exam may force you to use the concepts and formulae you were taught in ways that may not have been covered in the homework or in lecture, perhaps in a slightly different setting. You should be able to reason your way through them without much difficulty if you have a firm grasp on the ideas behind the formulae.

I would highly recommend that you do all of the homework exercises, maybe more than once, in order to get the hang of all of this. If your text has more problems at the end of the chapter that aren't assigned, do them and check your work. It's important to struggle with the material and learn from your mistakes; the more you do this on your own, the easier it will be come exam time.

 

[ShyRem]

I wrote about this once before... Here's the short version:

1. Think like an idiot. Truly. Physics is there to explain what you already KNOW happens. You just have to come up with a number that fits.
2. Read the question. Create a picture in your mind.
3. DRAW a pretty picture. Draw the guy standing on the pitcher's mound and the arc-like trajectory of the ball. You already KNOW it goes in an arc - don't be suckered in to drawing a straight diagonal line to the ground. Draw what you KNOW happens.
4. Write down all the numbers, distances, etc. that you are given or are constants.
5. Write down what you WANT TO FIND.
6. Write down all the formulas you can think of that might help you that have both #4 and #5 in them.
7. Pick one that looks promising and plug 'n' chug.

Now, granted, sometimes you may need more than one formula. But those problems will likely come a little later in the course after you've gotten down the above steps. The picture is important - you will often get partial credit on the picture alone. I have heard of professors giving up to even 75% credit for doing everything but #7. In physics exams (unless they're multiple choice), writing down your thought process is very important and can garner you some major points on exams.

I also agree with blee - do all your homework exercises. Look around you and think of how the concepts you are learning in class apply to all the everyday stuff around you. Not to say you have to do the math - just think about the concepts of what makes a car actually go across the road, the air flow across a bird's wings as it soars, why a leaf flutters to the ground, your friends or children throwing a ball and how to get the greatest distance.

Lastly, get a study group together. And find someone good with math and invite them to join. They will be invaluable when you are all struggling with WHY you should use a certain formula or how to do certain math tricks that will make your life MUCH easier.

Good luck!!!!

 

[ShyRem]

Ok, that didn't end up being so short. But I still think it's a good system.

 

[blee]

Ok, that didn't end up being so short. But I still think it's a good system.

🙂 Sounds good to me. The only caveat is that the second semester of physics will often deal with phenomena that are either miniscule in scale or infrequently observed in daily life. It's not so hard to imagine gravity constantly pulling down on an object while it's in motion. But the existence, generation, and/or direction(s) of invisible electrical or magnetic fields that pull different particles in different ways...that can get rather hard to imagine at times. And don't think that you won't be tested on it on the MCAT...without the help of formula sheets or calculators.

As a result, it's even more important in second-semester physics to draw pictures and conceptually understand what's going on. It's not rocket science, and with PRACTICE you will might even find it fun to piece together the solution from all the puzzle pieces.

 

[medblue]

thanks blee and shyram! i hope i find this enjoyable. i know it will take lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of practice!

i wasn't found of chemistry at first but now i kinda like it 😉

 

[blee]

I had made my peace with physics by the end of the spring semester. My hatred had grown into a sort of begrudging respect, and occasionally I even liked it. 😛

 

[stacyij]

Physics is not my favorite subject, but I survived it and did very well.

Unlike biology, success in physics is going to depend less on memorization and more on conceptual understanding. You will need to know some formulae, of course, but something like 1/a + 1/b = 1/d is going to be useless unless you know what a, b, and d are, how they're measured, and what the answer really means. A good physics exam may force you to use the concepts and formulae you were taught in ways that may not have been covered in the homework or in lecture, perhaps in a slightly different setting. You should be able to reason your way through them without much difficulty if you have a firm grasp on the ideas behind the formulae.

I would highly recommend that you do all of the homework exercises, maybe more than once, in order to get the hang of all of this. If your text has more problems at the end of the chapter that aren't assigned, do them and check your work. It's important to struggle with the material and learn from your mistakes; the more you do this on your own, the easier it will be come exam time.

Good suggestion about completing the homework.