Question about physics??

[amberlynnp13]

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I have my BSN and now pursuing med school... I am about to register for physics and the advisor said I should take trig before this class... The dean of science at the cc did an override and said since I have my BSN I should be fine. I need to get A's so what should I do? I don't remember much math to be honest. Should I take trig or calc before it? I took inferential stats but not trig or calc.. So what should I do?

 

[el_duderino]

Fundamental trig concepts are pretty much mandatory for physics. In Physics I you will be doing a lot of work with triangles and angles and you need to have a solid understanding of that stuff. Calculus is generally not required, but the concepts of derivatives and integrals can be extremely enlightening regarding the relationship between distance, speed, and acceleration. It'll also be very helpful for Physics II which includes a lot of E&M.

 

[edgerock24]

Get a solid understanding of SOHCAHTOA and you will be fine for algebra-based Physics.

 

[amberlynnp13]

I didn't want to have to take another class but I guess I will! Thanks so much ill register for trig for fall and phy 1 in spring! I really appreciate the help so thank you 🙂

 

[CW 2010]

I have my BSN and now pursuing med school... I am about to register for physics and the advisor said I should take trig before this class... The dean of science at the cc did an override and said since I have my BSN I should be fine. I need to get A's so what should I do? I don't remember much math to be honest. Should I take trig or calc before it? I took inferential stats but not trig or calc.. So what should I do?

Don't take trig and especially calc! If your physics is algebra-based (which I am assuming it is, since trig is a prerequisite), there will be no calculus in it. There will be some simple algebra, such as exponents, and you will need to be able to isolate a variable from an equation. You will need to understand vectors and right triangles. Every physics textbook that I've seen comes with a math/trig review that should be enough for you. You could go ahead and buy some sort of algebra/trig for dummies and go through it before the class just to familiarize yourself. This is what I have done.
This is coming from a person who had a weak math background and was able to obtain A's in both Physics I and II.
A little bit of practice and this all can be done!
And yeah, whatever your adviser says, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[el_duderino]

I don't remember much math to be honest. ?

Advising someone who "doesn't remember much math" and has never taken trig that familiarizing themselves with SOHCAHTOA and looking at the physics textbook review is all they need is not good advice IMO. I think that OP needs to take trig as a course to learn the concepts and re-familiarize herself with algebra.

 

[amberlynnp13]

Yeah I just registered for it a a summer course so I'm still on track to take physics in the fall

 

[cabinbuilder]

Advising someone who "doesn't remember much math" and has never taken trig that familiarizing themselves with SOHCAHTOA and looking at the physics textbook review is all they need is not good advice IMO. I think that OP needs to take trig as a course to learn the concepts and re-familiarize herself with algebra.

I totally agree with this. Do not take physic if you struggle with math. It took me a long time to be able to get through a physics class because my high school math was so jumbled. You need a good physics teacher who will show you all the steps to solve the problem and not just do algebra short hand that you may not be able to follow and get confused.

 

[mavric1298]

The amount of trig required for physic all can be learned in under an hour. If you know the basics of a unit circle, and finding sides/angles of triangles using sin/cos/tan/arcsin/etc you will be good to go, and if you don't it seriously shouldn't take more then a couple hours to go over. Weak algebra however will be a real struggle. I would absolutely NOT recommend a trig class; take a algebra class

 

[WhippleWhileWeWork]

Oh gosh,

Included angle = cos
other angle = sin.

and SOH-CAH-TOA

Done. bam. You're ready.

Srs, you don't need an entire trig course. An afternoon on Khan academy will suffice.

 

[mavric1298]

^ exactly. I just finished Kinematics/mechanics/motion (phys I) literally yesterday. All the trig could seriously be learned in less than an hour.

But again, if you're weak in Algebra, absolutely take college based course first/summer. I've your registered for trig you're wasting your time.

 

[edgerock24]

Oh gosh,

Included angle = cos
other angle = sin.

and SOH-CAH-TOA

Done. bam. You're ready.

Srs, you don't need an entire trig course. An afternoon on Khan academy will suffice.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[DocWinter]

Trig is used in about 1/4-1/3 of physics 101, and less in physics 102.

As someone who had a spit-poor math background, I feel that algebra is most needed to succeed in physics. Doing a semester in Trig would be overkill. I'd bulk up on math going with algebra, and spend a weekend doing basic trig functions.

 

[amberlynnp13]

Oh gosh,

Included angle = cos
other angle = sin.

and SOH-CAH-TOA

Done. bam. You're ready.

Srs, you don't need an entire trig course. An afternoon on Khan academy will suffice.

I find this to be so funny because I have been on the khan outline page watching videos for like an hour lol

 

[amberlynnp13]

YouTube page**

 

[CajunMedic]

Definitely focus on the algebra. I had the trig/calculus stuff down, but the algebraic manipulation of all the formulas is what killed me. I realized it too late in the 1st semester to salvage the grade. You'll use more algebra in the 2nd semester than anything else.

 

[popopopop]

Advising someone who "doesn't remember much math" and has never taken trig that familiarizing themselves with SOHCAHTOA and looking at the physics textbook review is all they need is not good advice IMO. I think that OP needs to take trig as a course to learn the concepts and re-familiarize herself with algebra.

I took stats 5 years ago, and my previous math class was another 5 years before that (never trig). I watched youtube videos and got tutoring 1-2 a week to get the fundamental down for physics 1. I took physics 2 without my tutor and ended up with the highest grade in the class at my 4 year uni. It can be done, because that fear will motivate you to study.

 

[el_duderino]

I took stats 5 years ago, and my previous math class was another 5 years before that (never trig). I watched youtube videos and got tutoring 1-2 a week to get the fundamental down for physics 1. I took physics 2 without my tutor and ended up with the highest grade in the class at my 4 year uni. It can be done, because that fear will motivate you to study.

Nicely done, congrats. This approach is fine if you have a knack for math and your algebra and geometry aren't too rusty. I guess my experience tutoring math to college folk gives me a skewed impression.

 

[popopopop]

Nicely done, congrats. This approach is fine if you have a knack for math and your algebra and geometry aren't too rusty. I guess my experience tutoring math to college folk gives me a skewed impression.

I don't recommend this path without a tutor. If she has a tutor and can ask really basic, remedial, and redundant questions over and over again then she'll be fine 🙂. I had a way above average tutor (not through the university) that couldn't do anything besides physics. He was a almost a savant in physics, came to him like the alphabets.

 

[threesparrows]

When I started post-bacc I hadn't taken any math in 10 years (besides stats), but didn't want to waste time/money on a formal class. I ended up buying The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pre-Calc, which I hardly touched, because there was actually a very succinct and helpful math review in the appendix of my Gen Chem book.

I think if you were good at algebra/trig in high school, it will be easy to pick it up again. If you struggled then, assume you will struggle now and go for the class or private tutoring. There may be a free tutoring center at your school if $ is a factor.

 

[chipgeek]

My suggestion would be that it's necessary to have a solid foundation in algebra and trigonometry to do well in Physics. Having said that, a whole semester to brush up on algebra and trig might be over kill. One easy way to find out is what you're probably doing already. Go to Khan Academy and review algebra and trig. View every video twice. That should give you enough footing to understand the concepts. But if you had a distaste for math when in school and if you've been out of school for a while, I would encourage an extra semester to "soak" in the subject. You'll get that A.

 

[Being]

Yeah I just registered for it a a summer course so I'm still on track to take physics in the fall

Best-case scenario, the class helps you out in physics. Worst-case scenario, you get some free sGPA points. Seems like a win-win to me if you aren't confident in your ability to self-study this material.

 

[coogs08]

Just brush up on it, you will be fine. You will definitely need to understand the trig concepts though.

I am a mechanical engineer who is going back to take my pre-reqs and I have to re-take physics because the engineering (calculus-based) physics courses did not have labs.... 🙁

 

[allojay]

Yeah I just registered for it a a summer course so I'm still on track to take physics in the fall

IMO, the trig needed to thrive in physics 1 and 2 isn't much. Being someone with a BSN as well, I had no trouble grasping physic concepts. My advice is to use online resources like khan academy and you tube. But a book that really broke things down for me prior to my mcat and taking a physics course, was NOVA physics. They do a great job of making physics make sense. I don't think you need much trig to survive in physics, besides SOH CAH TOA lol. Good luck!

 

[amberlynnp13]

Thank you everyone! I truly appreciate all the advice.. Thanks guys!

 

[dekita]

Also, UC Irvine has a pre-calculus class on coursera that's about to start 6 days from now...

 

[iatros13]

I have always been decent at math. I found the trig part of pre-cal rather painful, but got through it with an A. Algebra has not been a problem, though I did need quite a refresher after a 17 year break from school. All that being said, I have had a year off since pre-calc and then calc 1 and I am taking Physics 1 right now. The fact that it is a 5 week summer course is probably the most painful part of it. (Three chapters a week and one or two new concepts daily)...

Considering this, here is my advice (OP seems to already have a plan but maybe others will be reading this later). Make sure you understand the trig. Yes, learn Soh Cah Toa.... but also make sure you get why it works... Some understanding of the unit circle helps.... And the advice about being strong in algebra is also very sound.

The main point is this... There is some reasoning and thinking about these physics problems that needs to be your focus. So if you are getting a problem wrong, after a couple checks you can be sure that the error was in your method, not your math.

If you are a quick study and good at self teaching - hit up Khan Academy... that website is pure awesome and has helped me enormously on basic concepts. But if math is something that has been a bit of a struggle historically, take the time to really get good at it. (Example: Algebra is very hard if you are not confident in your ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide..... in such a way, Physics is hard if you are not confident in your triangle angles and algebra abilities...)

Good luck!

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Lol if you know what soh cah toa is, you already know all theft trigonometry you need for physics.