How does one read a Physics book effectively?

[Mulz]

I'm currently in my third year of medical physics and have problems when it comes down to reading. If I'm not taking notes of what I'm reading, I tend to lose attention and give up. The problem is that it takes A LOT of time to read and write, in my opinion. If we have about 10-15 pages of pure physics, e.g. from "Radiation detection and measurement" by Knoll, it might take me 6-8 hours to fully read and write down all of it in my own words.

Is that a slow pace? I have tried to speed up the process by reading and writing faster but to me it's as if every single sentence takes a while to understand, reading it like a normal book doesn't seem to work because there's a lot of thinking one has to do.

Am I studying ineffectively? I MUST write when I read, but it takes too long.

 

[WWGD]

This is for general reading. I am a big fan of drilling down. First an overview, to get a general gist then two more increasingly intensive reads. I saw this once formalized as SQ3R: Survey , Question, Read, Review, Recite. There are too many idiosincracies and at times poor writing to get everything in a single read. So you drill down from the general to the more specific. To go further, you can ask questions like: What are we trying to do here ? e.g., explain radiation. How are we trying to do it? Say, by analogy . What are examples of the implementation of the two previous questions? Does the approach do the job it attempts to do, i.e., is it effective at explaining the point?

 

[Dr. Courtney]

When you finish a section, work a few problems from that section.

 

[gleem]

Are you just having problems with this particular book? What has been your experience with other physics books? Is this a one or two semester course. Will the entire book be used?

 

[DEvens]

I wouldn't try to write out the full text. You are trying to learn the principles rather than reproduce the text.

I would suggest something like the following: First, power-read the whole thing. With 15 pages that should take no more than one hour. You want to see the highlights, not learn the details. Don't try to derive anything. If you can follow the derivations he gives, great. If not, maybe make a note that it's a place to work harder later.

Then go back and do slightly deeper dive. See if you can follow the derivations. Anything you can clearly follow in your head just take short point-form notes. Anything you have to stop and do more careful derivations, then take more detailed notes. How long this takes depends on how dense the theory is in the text.

The notes you take should be adequate so that you can understand what you did when you come back "cold" later. But not to understand every word of the text. The goal is to understand principles. So find those principles and record them. If the author is using a lot of explanation to get a concept across, don't record the explanation. If you understand the concept then the explanation is packaging. Don't save packaging.

And if there are homework questions, do them. Do them until you stop having trouble understanding how to solve the next one. You don't necessarily have to do every one. But do them enough to get the principles.

 

[Mulz]

When you finish a section, work a few problems from that section.

And if none of them are recommended? Currently there are no recommended problems, we are supposed to understand all of it. Should I do problems regardless?

Are you just having problems with this particular book? What has been your experience with other physics books? Is this a one or two semester course. Will the entire book be used?

It's been the same with all physics books and this one will be used for the rest of my program.

My biggest problem is that I can't pay attention if I'm not writing. That's why I have to write down almost every single word, otherwise I will start daydreaming. Writing keeps me focused and I learn that way, I get good grades, it just takes forever to write down and I have no free time because of that.

I wouldn't try to write out the full text. You are trying to learn the principles rather than reproduce the text.

I would suggest something like the following: First, power-read the whole thing. With 15 pages that should take no more than one hour. You want to see the highlights, not learn the details. Don't try to derive anything. If you can follow the derivations he gives, great. If not, maybe make a note that it's a place to work harder later.

Then go back and do slightly deeper dive. See if you can follow the derivations. Anything you can clearly follow in your head just take short point-form notes. Anything you have to stop and do more careful derivations, then take more detailed notes. How long this takes depends on how dense the theory is in the text.

The notes you take should be adequate so that you can understand what you did when you come back "cold" later. But not to understand every word of the text. The goal is to understand principles. So find those principles and record them. If the author is using a lot of explanation to get a concept across, don't record the explanation. If you understand the concept then the explanation is packaging. Don't save packaging.

And if there are homework questions, do them. Do them until you stop having trouble understanding how to solve the next one. You don't necessarily have to do every one. But do them enough to get the principles.

Great advice. I just don't know if I can read 15 pages of pure physics, every sentence is a bit of a pain to process. I keep day dreaming if I don't write word after word, but writing takes too much time.

Also, to understand principles, doesn't one have to also understand the explanations? That's why I always write them down, it becomes much easier to understand. Just time consuming.

There are no homework problems unfortunately. There are in the book but none of them are recommended.

------------

When I read without note taking, or spare note taking, I forget the previous sentences I read. That's why I take notes of practically anything I deem important, which is most sentences. I just write in my own words but it still takes a lot of time. Especially american textbooks are annoying because they have a tendency of being full of text.

 

[gleem]

To get this out of the way,is English is your native language?

Have you tried reading out loud. I find it useful to hear the words while reading. Of course you have to be in the right place to do this. Thinking words vs hearing them are processed differently. Your writing is an alternative way of getting the words into your head.

Which begs the question how are you with lectures? Can you take notes effectively or not?

 

[Mulz]

To get this out of the way,is English is your native language?

Have you tried reading out loud. I find it useful to hear the words while reading. Of course you have to be in the right place to do this. Thinking words vs hearing them are processed differently. Your writing is an alternative way of getting the words into your head.

Which begs the question how are you with lectures? Can you take notes effectively or not?

English is my second language and I'm quite accustomed to it. Reading loudly is something I would do but there's very little privacy nowadays.

I'm not good with lectures. When I listen, information doesn't hold itself in my brain, instead it just exits the other ear. I can't take notes properly either, I usually always resort to the textbooks because everything is there.

 

[WWGD]

This is somewhat unusual maybe but I understand meditation , the basic type with just deep breathing helps with focus and information retention.

 

[gleem]

English is my second language and I'm quite accustomed to it. Reading loudly is something I would do but there's very little privacy nowadays.

I'm not good with lectures. When I listen, information doesn't hold itself in my brain, instead it just exits the other ear. I can't take notes properly either, I usually always resort to the textbooks because everything is there.

I do not think this forum is the place that can help you with your problem. You might help yourself more by seeing a speech language therapist or a another professional specializing in language processing. At least I do not think it will hurt.

 

[Choppy]

One way of looking at this is simply that this is your system for studying. You write stuff down. You're happy with your academic performance, but it's not as efficient as you'd like it to be, and you may run into problems down the road as the amount of material to cover increases.

So you'll have to experiment yourself with ways to make this process more efficient. Some suggestions...

1. As others have noted, a lot of physics is problem-based and so there's a lot to be said for getting into the problem sets quickly and using them to guide you through the ideas covered in each chapter. They get you to think about the material, how it's applied, and how it relates to other ideas in the field. So what works for a lot of students is spending the bulk of their time on solving problems.
2. Assess your process. Rather than "line by line" processing of the material, go through a chapter quickly and try identifying the bigger ideas. What are the key concepts and why are they important? You can also make note on how they relate to other stuff you've covered. Then on a second pass, dive a little deeper. Go through any derivations. Ask your own questions... if I change this, what would I expect to happen? Sometimes it's easier to get into the details when you appreciate the bigger context. Then use a tertiary pass to fill in any holes. Quiz yourself. Can you explain these concepts to someone else?
3. Consider your study environment. Are you more efficient in a quiet library? Do you enjoy the background noise of a comfy coffee cafe? Does listening to music distract or enhance your concentration? Does the type of music make a difference? Is there anything else that's distracting you? Since you're writing, does having a nice gel-glide pen help? You get the idea... optimize your environment to optimize your performance.
4. What about time of day? Can you concentrate better in the morning or the evening? How often are you taking breaks? Do you get more or less efficient the longer you go without a break?

 

[gmax137]

Currently there are no recommended problems, we are supposed to understand all of it. Should I do problems regardless?

Yes, you should do them, at least some of them, even if they are not "assigned." If you are really spending 6-8 hours on 10 to 15 pages, it can't hurt to try a different approach.

 

[Ethan Klein]

Just from my experience (also a college student who sometimes struggles with reading effectively), it helps to do the following.

1.) Start with a "fly by" read. This is simply to prepare for lecture, which hopefully will clear up anything you are confused about in the text.

2.) Reread the text and go through each derivation, and question everything you are unsure about. In order to not lose focus, the key for me is to stand at a chalkboard (this is assuming you have access to one) and go through the proofs alongside the author. The tactile feeling of writing on the board keeps me focused and moving, and I am able to get through the chapters more quickly and efficiently.

Yes, it is always true that going through a book in depth will take long periods of time, but that's a part of the struggle. The trick is how to stay engaged.

It is less important to write everything down, and more important to write down what you do not understand (keep a questions sheet). This allows you to move through a text without getting stuck on one idea (which slows down your pacing and takes long periods of time), and come back to it later or ask for help.

 

[WWGD]

It seems it would be a good idea for anyone serious about learning, specially those in for the longer-run ( masters+), to have a method and tweak it, applying some sort of QC to it, which could serve as learning material in many areas: Experimental Design, QC, Stats for one.

 

[Mulz]

It seems it would be a good idea for anyone serious about learning, specially those in for the longer-run ( masters+), to have a method and tweak it, applying some sort of QC to it, which could serve as learning material in many areas: Experimental Design, QC, Stats for one.

What is QC? Might be a silly question...

 

[WWGD]

What is QC? Might be a silly question...

No problem, too many abbreviations floating around: Quality Control.

 

[Mulz]

I have tried following advice but I don't think it's working.

I am currently reading first briefly what the subject is about and then dwellve a bit deeper into it. The problem is that how am I supposed to remember a very large chunk of text? Even principally speaking, trying to follow a very large text is difficult without taking thorough notes.

Maybe I just have Add or something and I seem unable to study without writing every important detail. I can't read then go back and fill I the details because there is so much I forget. I just end up rereading the same sentences over and over again because it doesn't click unless I'm writing.

 

[gmax137]

The problem is that how am I supposed to remember a very large chunk of text?

For me, that was why the exercises / problem sets were so important. You can't learn how to play the piano by reading a book, you have to practice, practice, practice.

 

[Mulz]

For me, that was why the exercises / problem sets were so important. You can't learn how to play the piano by reading a book, you have to practice, practice, practice.

You're probably right, its a bit difficult to read without purpose. Having a bunch of questions to answer will make one pay more attention to what the author wants one to know I guess.

 

[WWGD]

You're probably right, its a bit difficult to read without purpose. Having a bunch of questions to answer will make one pay more attention to what the author wants one to know I guess.

Why not browse the questions before reading, which I think someone suggested?