Getting good/better at physics?

[proclamation]

Hey there guys I am not sure if this is the right section to ask this question but anyway here goes..

I'm in high school and i just took the introductory physics course and so far I'm doing pretty bad (high 60%-low 70%s) which i am surprised at because i did/do very well in mathematics last semester and finished with like 94%. People always told me physics is just like math and if you are good at math you should be fine with physics.

Anyway i don't know why I am struggling so much in physics i was wondering if you guys have any tips to improve/get better. I am actually very worried about this because i need to do well in physics to pursue my future career (engineering). More specifically its not the math really in physics that troubles me its always the theory behind the mechanics that does like i don't understand the theory part of the math.

Thanks guys.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

Lots of practice, and make sure you have a think about each step you're taking in a problem - not just repeating because you've seen that "this problem is always solved this way, so this is what i'll do'".

Good ways to learn concepts are to read different explanations of the same thing. Take your class notes: if there are things you don't understand, try to find a textbook that's appropriate to your level - read that, see how you get on. If you're still not great, find another textbook. This is something that will happen often to you at university, a lot of it is about finding the method of explanation/teaching that sits right with you.

I'm not sure what level 'introductory physics' in high school is at, but this link:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/HFrame.html

covers end high school/beginning of university type concepts.

Otherwise, it's always good to check your understanding with your teachers. One way to do this without organising extra classes would be to ask if you could submit some problems for marking - but suggest that you could write explanations for the reasons you think you're performing each operation and using a particular formula. Your teacher should be able to correct you on any selections that might be making your work more difficult than it needs to be.