How long does it take to learn physics?

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Understanding physics as a layman typically requires a commitment of around 140 hours for a solid grasp, similar to the time needed to learn piano at a non-professional level. The learning duration varies based on individual factors such as aptitude, dedication, prior math and science knowledge, and personal definitions of proficiency. A basic high school physics course usually spans about 136.5 hours when calculated over a typical school year. While 100 hours may be insufficient for a comprehensive understanding, a few hundred hours can lead to significant knowledge. Ultimately, the time invested will yield a substantial understanding of physics concepts.
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I am a layman who knows nothing of physics and wants to have a good understanding of physics. I plan to each myself. Of course, learning is different for everybody, but generally, how long should it take to understand physics well, but not at a professional level.

50 hours?
100 hours?
250 hours?
500 hours?
1000 hours?
 
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About as long as it takes to learn to play the piano well, but not at a professional level.
 
Can you be more specific? :)
 
Vanadium 50 said:
About as long as it takes to learn to play the piano well, but not at a professional level.

Actually, that's a really great answer and is about as specific as he can get without his knowing too many variables which you have not specified.

It depends on:

1) Your aptitude
2) Your dedication
3) Your prior knowledge of math and general science/electronics
4) What "proficient" means to you
5) How spread out your hours will be

etc.
 
i don't want an exact number of hours, i'd rather have a very general estimate, so i can put things into scale?

generally, would it take less than 100 hours, in the hundreds, over 1000, or in the thousands?
 
Probably around 140 hours. Generally a basic high school physics course is around 45 minutes. The year has 182 school days, so i just multiplied 45 times 182= 8190 minutes/60= 136.5 hours

You can learn a great deal over that time obviously
 
I do not have a good working knowledge of physics yet. I tried to piece this together but after researching this, I couldn’t figure out the correct laws of physics to combine to develop a formula to answer this question. Ex. 1 - A moving object impacts a static object at a constant velocity. Ex. 2 - A moving object impacts a static object at the same velocity but is accelerating at the moment of impact. Assuming the mass of the objects is the same and the velocity at the moment of impact...

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