Balancing Learning Theory & Problem Solving: A Student's Guide

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the balance between learning theory and problem-solving in physics education. Participants share their experiences and strategies regarding how much time to allocate to each aspect, particularly in the context of university-level physics courses.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that understanding theory is crucial for solving problems effectively, advocating for a deeper theoretical understanding before tackling difficult problems.
  • Another participant argues that practicing problems is essential for learning theory, stating that one can stop doing problems once they feel confident about the next one.
  • Some participants express that spending more time on theory has been beneficial for their learning, sharing links to their own posts detailing their study methods.
  • A participant emphasizes that students often feel they understand the material but struggle with problem-solving, suggesting this may indicate a lack of true understanding.
  • Another participant reflects on the common experience of students feeling they do not gain a deep understanding despite following the typical learning process of reading chapters and solving problems.
  • One participant mentions their personal approach of learning mathematics through online resources rather than traditional textbooks, indicating a preference for understanding concepts over extensive problem-solving.
  • There is a suggestion that theory combined with worked examples may provide a more effective learning strategy than theory or problem-solving alone.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the balance between theory and problem-solving, with no consensus on the optimal approach. Some advocate for more theory, while others emphasize the importance of problem-solving practice.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the effectiveness of their approaches may vary based on individual learning styles and the specific demands of their courses. There is also mention of the fast-paced nature of introductory physics textbooks, which may impact students' ability to retain and apply knowledge.

bigmike94
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From experience how would you balance time on learning theory and problem solving?

Maybe learn the theory enough that if you got stuck on a difficult problem you would be able to understand the solution without scratching your head too much?

Im using University physics by young and freedman so obviously it’s very fast paced as it’s an intro book. so I’m not entirely convinced that if I just read the chapter and use no other outside learning source I’ll be able to remember how to apply the physics.

So instead I’ve sacrificed problem solving time with more theory. For example I only did around 15 problems on the conservative of energy chapter. Compared to over 80 problems on Newtons laws section.

But I know how much people stress that problem solving is by far the best way. (Given that you can check and compare your answers to learn from mistakes)

Im open to any suggestionsAlso a side question. In a standard university how long would the students spend on the intro mechanics chapters? Is it one semester?
 
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Most people learn the 'theory' by practicing the 'problems.'

IMO you can stop doing the problems when you are sure you could do the next one.
 
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Here is a post where I gathered all the insights articles about self-studying. It's mainly math, but also a link to "How to become a physicist!" (22 parts).
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/self-teaching-gcse-and-a-level-maths.933639/#post-5896947

I think most of them are worth reading, especially the interview at the end (last link).

In any case, you should frequently come over here to PF and check your results (problem-solving) and understanding (theory) in order to make sure that you are on track.
 
bigmike94 said:
From experience how would you balance time on learning theory and problem solving?
NOT Try to balance those. Spend as much time on each so that you learn. Trying to find the balance or ratio of those two is the wrong manner of thinking.

I have not read the rest of post #1, and have not read any of the response posts.[/size]
 
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jack action said:
I know I'm not on the majority side here, but I wanted to say that spending more time on learning the theory vs doing problems was better for me. Here are 3 posts I wrote onPF describing my studying method:
It’s strange because i think most students in university would read a chapter and have one lecture on a topic then they’ll solve a bunch of problems. Yet you hear a lot of students saying they don’t feel like they’re gaining a deep understanding of the topic and before they know it they’ve moved onto learning something knew.

So maybe they just become good problem solvers and know what to plug in where Without having a deep understanding. I’m not sure though. Everyone has their own way, like for me I rarely even pick up my maths textbook, I find them difficult to follow. I learn maths from online resources and solve problems by pausing the video and attempting it.

I just think as long as I understand a concept in my maths textbook and can solve a few problems I am happy as I’ll get a tonne of practise when it’s needed in physics.

It takes me back a couple of years ago, when I was trying to memorise SOH CAH TOA (sin cos tan) along with a bunch of other things. It was all unnecessary stress, because the most important concepts always repeat themselves. I couldn’t forget those trig rules if I tried. So although I actually enjoyed the chapter on lines and planes in 3d I am not going to spend days doing 50+ problems on it If it’s that important I am pretty sure it will pop back up.

Maybe I’m just trying to justify to myself to not solve many maths problems 🤣
 
Students often say "I understand the material - I just can't work the problems." Usually this means "I don't really understand the material, I just think I do."
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
Students often say "I understand the material - I just can't work the problems." Usually this means "I don't really understand the material, I just think I do."
This is true. There’s been so many problems I’ve got to and thought to myself “wow if I didn’t watch that extra video of worked problems I’m not sure I would have understood how to approach this”

Theory with a lot of worked examples is probably the best way. And then give the problems a go yourself.
 

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