SUPREME Weakness/Barrier in Math and Physics...

[Tennis Guy]

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I was wondering, if any of you share a weakness/barrier in math and physics like me. If so, how did you manage to overcome it? The reason I ask is because I have Calculus I and II that I have to take, Physics II, and Physical Biochem which all involve math and physics. I really enjoy the subjects but even after spending SO MUCH TIME studying... I still get C's and B's. It's really frustrating, and I really want to overcome this barrier... any advice or help is greatly appreciated! 🙂

 

[sliceofbread136]

I was wondering, if any of you share a weakness/barrier in math and physics like me. If so, how did you manage to overcome it? The reason I ask is because I have Calculus I and II that I have to take, Physics II, and Physical Biochem which all involve math and physics. I really enjoy the subjects but even after spending SO MUCH TIME studying... I still get C's and B's. It's really frustrating, and I really want to overcome this barrier... any advice or help is greatly appreciated! 🙂

I tutor kids with your problem all the time and I've got 2 words for you: practice problems. Do practice problems until they become completely natural, and make sure you attempt the more challenging problems in your textbook as you'll likely get a challenging problem on a test and you have to be ready to handle it.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

If you suck at math you might want to major in something other than chemistry.

 

[thesauce]

You are definitely not alone. Even in med school, much of the class struggles with even basic algebra. Most never overcome it, but get through it just fine because the curriculum is largely memorization-based.

If you really want to master it, you need to go back to the point at which you stopped understanding it and go from there. Math concepts repeat over and over again, but you have to get the basics down. There are no shortcuts.

 

[plumhill]

Yeah, I've got the same problem as you...calc SUCKED for me. So I took the bare minimum calc requirements for most schools (1 quarter of calc in college + AP credit for the sequence before...no idea how I passed that exam, lol) and I will not be taking the calc-based physics sequence at my school. The MCAT doesn't require calc-based physics, so I'm not taking it 😀 I took an algebra/pre-calc based physics class in high school and with a ton of practice problems, it was doable.

If these classes are your weakness, take them along with a lighter courseload so you have time to focus. I took calc along with 3 other GEC classes last quarter and I was fine.

 

[BurntFlower]

I'm the same as you, OP. I'm dreading taking Physics 2 next semester.

 

[235788]

My guess is that you lack a foundation, thus things seem foreign to you? Or perhaps you have a problem with repetitious learning? You need to find out why you have these problems or what you problem actually is. I personally have a weakness with writing and I came to the conclusion it is because I didn't read enough growing up. So i've been trying to read a book here and there to improve with time.

 

[scarshapedstar]

I tutor kids with your problem all the time and I've got 2 words for you: practice problems. Do practice problems until they become completely natural, and make sure you attempt the more challenging problems in your textbook as you'll likely get a challenging problem on a test and you have to be ready to handle it.

This. I got an A in P. Chem and a B+ in physical biochem and I had no business being in either class, being a bio major. I was forced to schedule these two classes and had nothing but C's in physics and my math grades weren't hot either. And this was the last semester of my postbac when I had to look awesome.

I did every practice problem in the book, I downloaded a previous edition of the book along with its student solutions manual online and did those problems too, I found a different textbook that covered certain topics better. Sky's the limit and if you do some digging you can find plenty of relevant .pdfs on the internet. Know the material inside and out, don't just limit yourself to the stuff your professor assigns. In fact he may well draw test questions from alternate textbooks.

 

[DocGodfather]

This. I got an A in P. Chem and a B+ in physical biochem and I had no business being in either class, being a bio major. I was forced to schedule these two classes and had nothing but C's in physics and my math grades weren't hot either. And this was the last semester of my postbac when I had to look awesome.

I did every practice problem in the book, I downloaded a previous edition of the book along with its student solutions manual online and did those problems too, I found a different textbook that covered certain topics better. Sky's the limit and if you do some digging you can find plenty of relevant .pdfs on the internet. Know the material inside and out, don't just limit yourself to the stuff your professor assigns. In fact he may well draw test questions from alternate textbooks.

That's really good advice. I have issues with math, and I'm dreading taking Calculus, which is the reason why I'm most likely going to take Trig/Pre-calc based Physics. It's all about keeping focus and doing as many problems as possible, and looking at other text books is a great way to do it. A guy on SDN that got a 43 on the MCAT said that all he did was take as many practice tests and problems as he could find, until they became second nature to him.

 

[kpcrew]

Do you need to take physical biochemistry? It sounds difficult and I would avoid it if it's not necessary. Calc 1 is easy, calc 2 is hard and multivariable was not fun. Like other people said, do practice problems so you can make the mistakes before taking the test. I used to have problems with chain rule (I would always forget to do it).

 

[dr zaius]

Do math problems.

 

[Tennis Guy]

Do you need to take physical biochemistry? It sounds difficult and I would avoid it if it's not necessary. Calc 1 is easy, calc 2 is hard and multivariable was not fun. Like other people said, do practice problems so you can make the mistakes before taking the test. I used to have problems with chain rule (I would always forget to do it).

Yea, I have to, if I stay as a biochem major. It's supposed to not be too bad, if you have a solid foundation that is. Also, I would have to take Calc II as well. I was considering changing my major to a different science though... we'll see!

 

[DrSteven]

Yea, I have to, if I stay as a biochem major. It's supposed to not be too bad, if you have a solid foundation that is. Also, I would have to take Calc II as well. I was considering changing my major to a different science though... we'll see!

If you're up to the challenge, stick with your Biochem major and follow some of the good advice people have laid out on here. However, if you just want a science major, there are quite a few that don't require Calc II and Physical Biochem, at least at my school. For instance, I'm a Micro major which only requires through Calc I. We still take Biochem, but not Physical. No Calc II, Easy Stats instead. Much more interesting biology as well IMO. Moral of the story, take a look into some other majors if you're just starting out and if you honestly think those classes will damage your GPA significantly. However, everyone here has to suck it up and take Physics II since it's a prereq. 🙂

 

[jcruiser]

Biggest problem with people and math is that they stick to the calculator too much and can't quickly process basic arithmetic.

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Mental-Math-Mathemagicians-Calculation/dp/0307338401/

Get this book if arithmetic is your problem. Use khanacademy if you need to go over concepts.