How should I even begin to understand physics?

[paradoxbox]

I'll try to make this short as possible.

I am a pilot and work in some science fields as side jobs (Chemistry)

Due to numerous moves and school transfers when I was young, I never got a fair start learning math and did not learn physics at all. It has put me at a real disadvantage as I gravitate towards hobbies and interests that are heavy on math and physics (Like flying airplanes).

I understand physics from a real life point of view. For example, I know how to put a satellites into various kinds of orbits thanks to countless hours spent in simulators like Orbiter.

But I do not even know where to begin when it comes to solving basic physics equations.

Could someone point me in the right direction? Please explain the steps as if I were a small child. I don't even know the correct order for solving equations. I vaguely remember something about "BEDMAS" but never learned how it applies to physics. I also have trouble figuring out how I am supposed to make BEDMAS work when using a calculator.

Since I am a pilot by background and have a lot of space simulator time, something simple like a basic gravity equation might be a good starting point.

Any help would really be appreciated. I have looked at a few textbooks but they all assume I know the order and methods of calculation. I need help with how to go about solving the equations. I understand stuff like gravity etc. quite well. I just don't know how to solve the equations on paper and don't know where to begin.

 

[lewando]

I never got a fair start learning math and did not learn physics at all.

You need a foundation before you can build a structure. Learn the basics first: high school level algebra, trigonometry, geometry.

 

[gleem]

What is your goal for learning physics? Are you considering a career change, seriously applying this knowledge or just want to appreciate physics its applications and modern developments?

 

[Apple_Mango]

You have to practice. I was kinda nervous starting Algebra 1. However, I practiced over and over until I understood the equations and remember them. Those people who did well at math just spend countless of hours in the library studying. You just have to spend hours studying and you'll be fine.

I am also pretty surprised how people can write extremely well whenever I read science journals. However, I have almost done one year of writing class. I can see my writing significantly improve over the course of one year and I get closer to writing as well as those researchers.

I have yet to done my first Algebra 1 exam until next week though I'm sure I'll get an A.

 

[Drakkith]

Those people who did well at math just spend countless of hours in the library studying.

Seconded, thirded, and fourthed(ed?). I spent more than 200 hours over the course of a semester at the tutoring center on campus doing my homework and studying for Calc 2 (and almost as much for Calc 1 the previous semester). And that's just the time from when I signed in until they closed. I usually spent another hour or two after they closed working in the library and then another few hours each week in class for lecture.

I'm currently on-campus on a Saturday studying and doing homework and I plan to be here tomorrow, just like I am every weekend.

understand physics from a real life point of view. For example, I know how to put a satellites into various kinds of orbits thanks to countless hours spent in simulators like Orbiter.

But I do not even know where to begin when it comes to solving basic physics equations.

If you're trying to get into a STEM field as a career, your absolute best bet is to attend college. If you're just looking into science as a hobby, then you probably don't need to get into the details of the equations, though it certainly doesn't hurt. If you'd still like to know how to solve the equations, but don't want to attend college, then your only other real choice is to learn the required math by yourself. Grab a book on college level algebra and see if you can work through the book (every section and most of the questions).

The downside to that last option is that you have no motivations other than what you yourself bring. You don't have set deadlines for homework and you don't have any guidance on what to learn and how. But it also doesn't cost you anything money-wise unless you decide to hire a tutor.

What is your goal for learning physics? Are you considering a career change, seriously applying this knowledge or just want to appreciate physics its applications and modern developments?

This would be the first thing I'd try to answer. If you aren't considering a career change and just want to learn more about science without getting into the math, then you have a wealth of information on wikipedia and plenty of other places online, not to mention less-technical books about different areas of science that you can buy.

 

[jim hardy]

Solving equations started for most of us in ninth grade algebra, around 1959 for me.
it's one of those things so much a habit most of us can't remember when it wasn't 'natural'

I would suggest you get an old high school algebra textbook from the late 1950's or real early 1960's . You don't want "New Math" for it tries to teach 'why' before 'what' which imho is a disservice to people of normal intelligence.

You have to work hundreds of example problems to train your brain to take the right steps and to force yourself to keep your work neat - one step per line and columns aligned .
Schaum's Outline series has a lot of drill problems.In the 1990's when guys at work were coming to me for help with their college calculus, many of them raved about the clarity of explanations and practical examples in my 1960-ish college textbook "Calculus with Analytical Geometry" by Thurman S Peterson.
"Publish or Perish" mindset in academia has IMHO obfuscated things. I say too many of today's college textbooks are written not to inform beginners but to impress the professors who review them. That's my opinion nothing more.'University Physics' by Sears and Zemansky was my college physics book and it was ripe with real world examples of physics applied to everyday things. The 1960 edition with brown cover...

Your pilot's weight and balance calculation is summing torques . That's how you'll learn physics, by figuring out the everyday things that surround us in this machine age.

So much more is known now than in my heyday that i wonder - how can one not specialize these days ? I know a little about several things but not a lot about anything... Get your basic math and physics down and you'll be able to communicate with the specialists you meet. That makes for an interesting career.

I know you'll have fun.
Good Luck !

old jim

 

[gleem]

It will take time. Perhaps you might retain a tutor to develop a lesson plan and to touch bases with now and then to have your progress assessed . You may no need the tutor on a rountine basis if you are sufficiently motivated which you appear to be. Alternatively you might try online educational products like Aleks (nomial fee) or Khan Academy (free).

As mentioned above most of us have been doing math since grade school and have eased into all its intricacies over many years of study and needless to say all the thousands of hours of practice. Much of the mathematical manipulations we do are as natural to us as walking.

 

[Nidum]

There is nothing as good though as being taught in organised classes by good teachers .

In UK and several other EU countries there is an extensive system of Adult Education Centres . Our local AE centres offer courses starting from primer courses for raw beginners up to O level and A level and in a great variety of different subjects .

Evening classes are the norm . The O and A level courses can result in actual qualifications . Other courses are not intended to lead to qualifications - these are more for general interest studies . Usually though there is a certificate given out for good attendance and completion of some optional homework tasks .