How do I get ahead in physics and mathematics?

[Fraze]

I will be majoring in physics when I go to college in about 5-6 months. I have a lot of hours that I can put into study up before I go, like 400 hours on the low end. I would like to hammer away at the hardest and most time consuming areas of physics and math. I have learned most of precal but would like to start from scratch with physics. Really all I am looking for is recommended resources and what I should focus on.

 

[fresh_42]

I will be majoring in physics when I go to college in about 5-6 months. I have a lot of hours that I can put into study up before I go, like 400 hours on the low end. I would like to hammer away at the hardest and most time consuming areas of physics and math. I have learned most of precal but would like to start from scratch with physics. Really all I am looking for is recommended resources and what I should focus on.

Here's a list of articles about self study in general, which might be useful to read. It also contains the link to OpenStax where you can find relevant books for free download: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/self-teaching-gcse-and-a-level-maths.933639/#post-5896947

I think you can't do much wrong learning calculus, as you will need it basically around the clock. In general I tend to recommend reading something of interest to you rather than walking ahead. It will keep you curious, which I think is most important, and you won't do things twice and getting bored. Topology or group theory could be a compromise on the mathematical side of it, as it probably won't be part of the first years of study. Concerning physics, I think you simply need mathematics first, but what can be done is: Try to understand everything you can about coordinate systems, frames, and conservative systems - they play such an important role and are so underestimated, that it can help you to avoid a lot of trouble. Whereas in mathematics one considers the principles, physics is about experiments and predictions, which involve measurements and with that coordinate systems.

This is a personal point of view and not the ultimate answer to your question, which would depend on many unknown factors. So maybe the links quoted above can shed some light on your goal.