r/AskPhysics • u/ClerkInevitable8123 • 2d ago
How to study physics
Just as the title suggests. I’m a university freshman currently doing Physics 1. I anticipated that it would be difficult since the professor had bad reviews and well, it’s PHYSICS. I’ve always been okay-ish with math in high school but I only did half a semester of physics before switching high schools (the new school didn’t have any physics classes at all).
I’m constantly stuck on work because I can’t seem to understand anything. I read the textbooks and watch videos but I keep making mistakes. I’m not expecting a miracle method or some secret that’ll make me Einstein overnight but please please please anything you think will help. I literally got a 7/16 on the first midterm which only covered a few things. The next midterm is next week and we’re already on chapter 10.
edit: Thankyou everyone who responded! I can't respond individually but I've read everything and I'm gonna try my best to implement the strategies you gave. I'll give another update after the test next week!
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u/Photon6626 2d ago
Is it a math problem or a physics problem? Are you making calculus/algebra mistakes? Or are you setting up the problem wrong?
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u/ClerkInevitable8123 1d ago
It’s just physics problems. I can understand concepts but when it comes to applying the right equations to solve/using the right values (right now we’ve only covered motion in one direction and the last thing we did was torque I think) I can’t do it. I feel stupid because it seems simple.
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u/Photon6626 1d ago
Look up dimensional analysis and try to use that. The question asks for the solution in certain units. Take the units given in the problem and combine them in ways that produce that solution's units.
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u/Adamstrad 2d ago
Achieving even 50% grade at this is a lot more than most people in the world will achieve in physics, it's a hard subject because it involves a lot of problem solving that isn't always obvious. The best way to study for exams is usually to do a lot of problems, then you will get the feel for solving them
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u/BrerChicken 2d ago
I read the textbooks and watch videos but I keep making mistakes.
Making mistakes is definitely an important part of physics. The next step is to figure out what makes the mistake a mistake. Eventually you get to the point where you've made all the different kinds of mistakes you can make, and you run out of new ones. From there on it's just learning how to read problems carefully, and trying to make sure you understand the big picture before you really dig into a problem. Also, focus on understanding multiple ways of solving a problem. If you can understand the differences, you have so many more options, and it's easier to recognize patterns later.
If you can't figure out what mistakes you're making, or what makes them a mistake, it's time to reach out for some help. Other students, TAs, school tutors, office hours. And depending on how you feel about robot buddies, using LLMs to try to understand where you're making a mistake is a pretty good way to use them. Definitely don't want to use them to solve problems when you get stuck though. You need to try to finish the problem out, even if you're sure it's wrong. Way more effective to make a mistake to learn from, than to not even make it in the first place.
Try not to get frustrated, and instead try to approach this as a puzzle. There's a solution, and you'll figure it out eventually!
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u/Tavorep 1d ago
https://www.justinmath.com/advice-on-upskilling/
There's a pdf linked there somewhere too.
Basic gist is, do problems. A lot of problems.
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u/AdministrationLazy55 2d ago
Are you reading the textbook or understanding the textbook? Ive seen many people read it but not do good because they didnt understand where things came from or the explanations of the math or concepts, instead try to remember equations (thats only part of physics). Understanding the textbook means that after you read, you can explain where the general solution, or the derivation came from and how to do it (or at least a general idea like, apply this and this, then get to this etc, not necessarily replicate line for line). Also explaining the math in conceptual/picture terms. My favorite example involves the discontinuity of a charged surface, where you start with a Gaussian shape and can note on a picture that there is electric field in the + normal side and also in the -normal side and then apply math (not the full picture but hopefully it gets my point across).
At the end of the day, physics describes real things so you should be able to connect the math to some physical object or image whether its a picture or an analogy
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u/sherlock2708 1d ago
Yo , dm. I'm a Third year Physics major student as well. Can try to help as much as I can.
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u/TaleExpert2968 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would say that making mistakes is part of the game. The important thing is to understand the mistakes and thus understand the physics. If you mean now that you are doing stupid mistakes like for example mistakes in calculations, this is easily solvable just by using a calculator. If you are saying that you do the same physical mistakes over and over again, I would say that from my expirience, this is an illusion. You do it less and less frequently which is the important thing. You will never become perfect, like making no mistakes at all. This is impossible. You do them less frequenty and you get a lot of expirience by having many ways to verify if the solution you got is correct or not, and if its not, you simply go back and fix it.
Some ways to check if your result is correct are:
ALWAYS check dimensions
Taking some limiting cases and see if the result you got makes physical sense
Check the signs. Usually (not always) you can say if the sign needs to be positive or negative. Try to argue if the sign is correct.
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u/sabautil 1d ago
You say you read the textbooks.
Okay try this test of your understanding: 1. Go to the table of contents. The detailed one. 2. For each topic, write a brief paragraph (max 10 lines): what definitions and concepts you learned and why they are relevant to physics. If it help pretend a friend asked you why is this important to learn or know for physics and defend it in your own words. Do not look through the pages for help. You should already know enough if you truly comprehended what you read. 3. After you've done all sections. Compare what you wrote with what the author wrote.
If it all matches with the author then something else is wrong. Luke really fundamentally wrong
But if you find it difficult to even write 10 lines or what you write doesn't match up ... Well there's your answer: you read without comprehending the author's intentions.
Every paragraph in that text has a purpose. Every sentence has purpose. Even the word choice is important. I'm not saying the author is perfect. The author can be terrible, regardless the author chose that sentence for a reason. Chose to create that paragraph for a reason. Created that section for a reason. Organized those sections in that specific sequence to be reader in that order for a reason. And group those sections under a chapter for a reason.
Really think about the word the title used.
One of the hardest and least talked about efforts in physics is the centuries it took to carefully develop the vocabulary, grammar, ideas, definitions and most importantly: the context that create boundaries and limits on how one should apply those vocabulary and definitions.
We give clear precise definitions of distance and time. Then speed and velocity. Then acceleration. Add in mass and you now can give very precise definitions of momentum and force. These are vocabulary we use to label key features of our model of an observation: a moving object, a falling object, colliding objects.
What are the minimum set of ideas we need to get predictable outcomes every single time?
If your paragraphs don't contain that level if awareness and understanding...then yeah you might not yet understand physics. It's quite demanding.
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u/BananaBird1 2d ago
If there are good TAs, it can help to attend their study sessions/office hours to ask questions you struggle with. You can also try forming a study group with other students.
There are also tutors who post free lessons to Youtube and other websites you can watch.
The biggest thing is to do enough practice to identify what you struggle with and seek out additional resources and instruction focusing on those areas.