Study-every-day... Make notes, be organized and make it a habit. Study with friends.
Push yourself man... When I was in highschool I took an advanced math class and my teacher was telling me to drop it... My coach was my physics teacher and he told me to drop his class otherwise i'd be ineligible to play...
I never took school seriously in high school I use to dream big about playing in the NBA. It was my life, 24/7... My boys would go party, I'd be in the gym... Then I blew out my knee junior year and was never the same... So in my senior year I pushed myself to work hard in school and my grades went up, was able to get in to a decent school for Structural Engineering and graduated with honors. Ended up with a 3.85 CGPA, got a couple scholarships (was still overlooked on some scholarships because I didn't participate in those school activities or suck up to the teachers like other kids) and now i got a good ass job making double what my teachers were making in my first year. Just turned 23 and I'm caking...
Depends on how rigorous the course is. Generally speaking, most calc based and algebra based courses are not that different; just extra material on derivation of equations and dot products, etc. The most general advice I can give is before you sit down and work on a homework assignment, write down all relevant equations(if required memorize and understand all derivations as well) from memory and identify all parts of the equation. When moving to questions, identify the given and unknowns and figure out what you're solving for. You'll find with practice that most problems are very similar to each other.
Sometimes it is good to start from scratch too. If you have time of course. Often I miss very simple things at the start of a course and as it goes on it becomes more confusing. Then I go back to the start and rebuild, often the pieces fit together better the second time around because you have some perspective on where they fit in, or where they will fit in later on.
Depends on how rigorous the course is. Generally speaking, most calc based and algebra based courses are not that different; just extra material on derivation of equations and dot products, etc. The most general advice I can give is before you sit down and work on a homework assignment, write down all relevant equations(if required memorize and understand all derivations as well) from memory and identify all parts of the equation. When moving to questions, identify the given and unknowns and figure out what you're solving for. You'll find with practice that most problems are very similar to each other.
My math isn't as strong as I'd like it to be but I am making an effort to understand the primary equations and the derived equations. I become frustrated when the book fails to mention the type of problem it is.
Example: I was doing a homework problem involving kinetic friction f(k) and a given angle and initial velocity, the problem was finding out the highest point of a rock with known variables being vi fk angle and a partially covered distance. I eventually googled the problem and everyone labeled it as a conservation of energy problem. I kid you not, the specific chapter pertaining to the homework makes ZERO mention about KE PE or the required work and equations. All I am given by the book is f(k) =coefficient of k and normal force(n). Now I know I can apply projectile motion equation for height but searching for final velocity is where I am getting stuck.
Anyhow, I really appreciate the suggestions. My friend recommended hyper physics website, old school but a great resource.
Sometimes it is good to start from scratch too. If you have time of course. Often I miss very simple things at the start of a course and as it goes on it becomes more confusing. Then I go back to the start and rebuild, often the pieces fit together better the second time around because you have some perspective on where they fit in, or where they will fit in later on.
Great suggestion btw, I started from the beginning (one dimensional motion) and the juices are flowing a bit...
This stuff can be a little fun when you actually are successful at solving the problems lol. Les go!
You will just have to accept the fact that physics will be tough, but keep in mind that it is all logic-based. You should think very systematically to take apart the problem and piece it back together logically. Concentrate from that aspect.
I had a tough time with Calculus myself. I took Calc 1 and 2, just passed with C+'s in both. I was also considering a physics major, but I just didn't want to deal with Calc 3 (advanced calc they called it) and more advanced level math that I changed my mind. It takes a lot of practice and re-doing problems over and over to get it down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by miller-time
Sometimes it is good to start from scratch too. If you have time of course. Often I miss very simple things at the start of a course and as it goes on it becomes more confusing. Then I go back to the start and rebuild, often the pieces fit together better the second time around because you have some perspective on where they fit in, or where they will fit in later on.
Miller-time is right btw - that ultimately helps you a lot because you had time to think about it and look at more advanced problems. The issue is for the short-term early on when you have nothing to look back onto or build onto. You might blow first exam if you miss a lot of the simple details. If you never figure out the earlier pieces though then you will blow subsequent exams too since the problems become more complex. You have to be very careful to not let it stack up. Trying to learn something at last minute will be nightmare...
Damn that Gordon Freeman! I wonder how he did theoretical physics at MIT and become a badass rambo against aliens at the same time
Re: how do I make physics my b*tch?
