Why is engineering the toughest major (for me)?

[wolly]

I'm in my 2nd semester in the 2nd year of college and I'm very perplexed.
I'm learning a lot of physics and chemistry subjects and I can solve them using the mathematical apparatus but I just can't explain them in real life.

In chemistry I can understand a few concepts about some chemical formulas but there are some subcourses are rough like electrochemistry. In that subcourse we had to understand how cathods and anods work in a substance,how the electric field passes through a electrolyte solution,the Daniell - Jacobi pile,the Hittorf experiment,etc,most of these things weren't taught in our online courses and the teachers didn't explained what happens in most cases and all that we had were some shitty pdfs were you couldn't even cheat.

How can you explain something in the subcourse electrochemistry if you have no idea what happens in the solution?
That's like calculating the area of a lake without knowing the length and width!

In physics we learned about classical mechanics(he showed us some videos and everything became clear),E&M,electricity and thermodynamics.
The teacher did a great job explaining the classical mechanics,except thermodynamics(I remember that I was the 1st year in college and I couldn't go to his thermodynamics course because I had some issues with my college hostel) ,E&M,electricity(these courses were taught online and we had to understand these in our head with the help of some PDFS but I couldn't understand any single word)

How the heck are you supposed to understand something from some pdfs,word documents without some educational videos?
That's what happened at my university and I felt empty,with no knowledge at all!

Here are 2 examples of thermodynamics(the first 1 is with engines and the 2nd one is with the 2nd law of thermodynamics):

Don't read the parts in roumanian.
Do you use calculus in that picture? Is there any way to express these formulas in a way that someone can understand them?
What do they represent?

I remember that I used to have some greatcourses videos but they only helped me a bit and they didn't explain part by part how each formula works and what it represents.

Is engineering all about using calculus in order to derive some formulas?
That's the way I've seen it but I just can't explain some formulas in engineering.

To be honest,there was a course strength of materials which required some analitycal thinking and I had no idea what stresses,beams,etc actually do. This course gave me a lot of headache,mental stress and I had to cheat using a pdf from facebook. I just can't take it anymore when it comes to solve some problems by explaining what a force does,or how a diagram is related to that force,or that a metal can be bended and you use a formula with momentum.

 

[berkeman]

You probably should have added "for me" at the end of your thread title...

 

[Lnewqban]

It is not that difficult, really.
There was a long time, when we had no videos or anything like that, only books, sometimes in English.
Even electronic calculators were own by one or two students in an engineering class.

Students worked hard, took notes, read books, studied in groups, etc., and got graduated at the end.
Try not to use all these modern crutches, calm down and focus on what seems less difficult to you.
Panic is not your friend, calm and patience are.
All these seemly crazy subjects will make sense in a few years from now, when you face difficult practical problems.

Rather than remember things, try to analyze and understand a subject in such a way that it is little what you need to remember.
You are not alone in these, get together with teachers and students that could help you understand things.
Once you get it, you will begin to feel more confidence, and could even help others.

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchil

 

[CrysPhys]

OP: That's why you need to take lab courses and get involved with research projects. That's what makes science and engineering come alive.

 

[Astronuc]

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” - Winston Churchill

"If you are going through hell, at least you get a hot shower and a hot meal." Not Churchill.

 

[vela]

We had to understand these in our head with the help of some PDFs, but I couldn't understand any single word)

How the heck are you supposed to understand something from some pdfs, word documents without some educational videos?

You learn how to read science textbooks. Many students struggle with because it's not like other reading. It is a skill you need to learn if you hope to succeed in STEM. You may be able to rely on videos for now, but they'll quickly become impossible to find as you proceed into more advanced subjects.

You might also consider the possibility you have an undiagnosed reading disability. Get tested.

I remember that I used to have some great courses videos, but they only helped me a bit, and they didn't explain part by part how each formula works and what it represents.

Can you provide an example of what you mean?

I had to cheat using a pdf from facebook.

You didn't have to cheat. You chose to cheat.

What other choices are you making? Are you making good choices which will help you learn or are you making poor choices which simply exacerbate your difficulties?

 

[symbolipoint]

You learn how to read science textbooks. Many students struggle with because it's not like other reading. It is a skill you need to learn if you hope to succeed in STEM.

Although the topic is why engineering the toughest,... but the quote above might infer that reading science textbooks is more difficult than reading about Literature, reading IN Literature, and understanding "tone" and "mood". But to some people, almost everything in science and engineering make much more sense even in the READING, than any reading from or about Literature or other Humanities materials. A least in sciences and engineering (usually) structure is clear. (or maybe just clearer).

You might also consider the possibility you have an undiagnosed reading disability. Get tested.

But MAYBE the person's reading abilities are just fine, just that the person may need to read and study LONGER than other people.

 

[gwnorth]

Tough? Certainly. The Toughest? I think that's a matter of opinion. There are other universally acknowledged very difficult majors and one can always increase the difficulty of their major by taking more advanced courses. Who's to say which is toughest?

 

[paralleltransport]

You seem to require some learning skills. The way to learn math and physics usually is to work it out yourself. Passive learning as in just reading the material will not work. You have to actively ingest it and try to apply it on (many) problems.

I usually do it in a few steps:
1. If it's new material I read the book, then close it and try to write out my own version of what I understood.
2. Then I teach it someone else.
3. Then I try to solve problems with my newly acquired knowledge.

Repeat 1-3 until step 3 is easy. Then find harder problems.

 

[wolly]

You didn't have to cheat. You chose to cheat.

What other choices are you making? Are you making good choices which will help you learn or are you making poor choices which simply exacerbate your difficulties?

@vela The course which we have is based on naval strenght of materials.
It isn't an easy course and I have no idea how to solve some problems.
I made this choice because it's very hard for me to study something which I do not understand.
The exam was based on some subjects,they were 4 but I only solved 2.

Shear and moment diagram​

Bending Moment

There was also a course in Electrotehnics and we were supposed to solve some circuits in college level.
We were solving Kirchoff but unlike high school we had to use Euler's formula and I had no idea how to explain these physics equations. In high school everything was simple when you used Kirchoff,like I1+I2=I
That's easy!
I had to cheat in this course too for the exam because I could only understand a few things like RLCs series and parallel,capacitors,coils(not all of it) the rest made no sense to me.

 

[wolly]

You seem to require some learning skills. The way to learn math and physics usually is to work it out yourself. Passive learning as in just reading the material will not work. You have to actively ingest it and try to apply it on (many) problems.

I am really good at math but the pdfs I studied in physics had a lot of math involved and I couldn't explain what each formula meant.

 

[hutchphd]

I am really good at math but the pdfs I studied in physics had a lot of math involved and I couldn't explain what each formula meant.

With all due respect, nodding at a video does not constitute learning. Learning involves discovering, unraveling, and then reconstructing things you do not already know. It is active. It is hard. If you are not confused, you are not really learning.
If you do not understand this you will not succeed. The good news: it is fun after you figure out how to do it. The bad news: you need to figure out how this process works immediately. Talk to people at your school.

 

[symbolipoint]

It is hard. If you are not confused, you are not really learning.
If you do not understand this you will not succeed.

Confusion is part of the learning process, just as muscle-soreness is part of the physical fitness process.

 

[paralleltransport]

Regarding the material you showed:

The first drawing just represent some basic thermodynamics, classic adiabatic and isothermal process and thermodynamic cycles.

The mechanics of materials is standard moment calculations.

At the level you are talking about, a lot of the problem solving is through repetition. If you don't feel the hang of it you probably need to solve more problems.

This is all very standard material for engineering majors. You just have to put in the effort to understand (deeply) the material and apply it. You need to talk to your TA's, maybe form a study group with your friends and solve every problem you find in the book together. Also if it's still too difficult, the most common reason I usually encounter is lack of necessary high school prerequisite. There's no shortcut there if that's the case.

 

[wolly]

With all due respect, nodding at a video does not constitute learning. Learning involves discovering, unraveling, and then reconstructing things you do not already know. It is active. It is hard. If you are not confused, you are not really learning.
If you do not understand this you will not succeed. The bad news: you need to figure out how this process works immediately. Talk to people at your school.

So you're saying I should change my major?

 

[Vanadium 50]

So you're saying I should change my major?

He didn't say that. But if you aren't willing to put the work in, yes. You should change.

 

[hutchphd]

So you're saying I should change my major?

First: please do not edit quotations without indication of the ellipsis. It is dishonest and annoying. You left out the fun part
Second: I did not in fact say that but I agree completely with @Vanadium 50

/

 

[Lnewqban]

@vela The course which we have is based on naval strenght of materials.
It isn't an easy course and I have no idea how to solve some problems.
...

You can find clear explanations, many examples and solved problems here:
https://mathalino.com/reviewer/mech...materials/mechanics-and-strength-of-materials

We can also help you at this site, 24/7, for free.
All you need is time, and to get rid of any fear: you are smarter than you think.

Just continuing with the quotes:
"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." - Henry Ford

 

[Vanadium 50]

I had to cheat

Its probably worth pointing out that when engineers cheat, people die.

 

[berkeman]

Its probably worth pointing out that when engineers cheat, people die.

And with that pearl of wisdom, this thread is done. Thanks to everybody who has been trying to help the OP.