Tips for Engineering Physics II? (Never had any physics before)

[TheBiologist]

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So long story short it was dumb of me but I took the engineering physics instead of physics for pre meds despite not even having a semester of high school physics.

My dad is a physicist and I excel in math that's why I took it but the whole class is taught as if everyone already knows it; I go to a top 10 engineering that doesn't give AP credit so pretty much the whole class has AP physics and has done research in physics

my question is how can I compete? I got a C+ in mechanics/thermodynamics, now I'm taking E/M and really want an A

I am really smart and don't doubt I have the capability, but does anyone have any tips, or any books/videos that helped them beyond the textbook?

tahnks

 

[doctorleospaceman]

Khan academy is always good. Not sure about your school, but I took calculus based/engineering physics and it wasn't much more difficult content-wise than the regular physics course. Mechanics was a bit heavy on calculus but E/M was mostly just conceptually challenging.

 

[sp4k]

So long story short it was dumb of me but I took the engineering physics instead of physics for pre meds despite not even having a semester of high school physics.

My dad is a physicist and I excel in math that's why I took it but the whole class is taught as if everyone already knows it; I go to a top 10 engineering that doesn't give AP credit so pretty much the whole class has AP physics and has done research in physics

my question is how can I compete? I got a C+ in mechanics/thermodynamics, now I'm taking E/M and really want an A

I am really smart and don't doubt I have the capability, but does anyone have any tips, or any books/videos that helped them beyond the textbook?

tahnks

You said you excel in math, so just going off of that you should be fine. General physics is simplified in a sense that everything's given. In more advanced physics you can derive everything as long as you understand the theory behind it.

But don't think that's it's going to be easy, anything engineering is pretty intense.

 

[moisne]

I don't know about mechanics - but how did you get a C+ and be good at math?

Supposibly you are actually good at math. EM is a piece of cake - don't worry about it. But considering you got a C+ in thermo, tough because thermo is easier than phyaics


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[leonardoson]

So long story short it was dumb of me but I took the engineering physics instead of physics for pre meds despite not even having a semester of high school physics.

My dad is a physicist and I excel in math that's why I took it but the whole class is taught as if everyone already knows it; I go to a top 10 engineering that doesn't give AP credit so pretty much the whole class has AP physics and has done research in physics

my question is how can I compete? I got a C+ in mechanics/thermodynamics, now I'm taking E/M and really want an A

I am really smart and don't doubt I have the capability, but does anyone have any tips, or any books/videos that helped them beyond the textbook?

tahnks

E&M was harder than mechanics and thermo. It's all calculus, integrating along surfaces and along rods with length "L". It's fun though. Nothing on the internet helped me. Just do the homework and understand what you are doing. Seek professor help in their office hours. As long as you understand why Gauss law is Gauss law, why faraday's law is faraday's law, why the biot-savart law is the bio-savart law, you should be good. Also, maybe ask your dad for some help....

 

[tskbdmnd]

The only prior knowledge you should need is energy (especially work and conservation of energy), calculus (especially application of integrals to geometric figures and basic analysis of integrals), and geometry (easy stuff like circles, squares, and lines probably).

ETA: Oh and if you see a cross product, don't be afraid to use your hands to figure out the directions.