How must one go about learning physics at a younger age?

[TorqueDork]

Hello all! I joined this illustrious community with the hopes of expanding what little knowledge I know about physics, calculus, and general sciences. I am wondering, how should I learn physics. I am in middle school, am generally intelligent if I can say so myself, and have a thirst for learning that I am attempting to quench. Any ideas?

 

[Natassha]

Somehow the early steps are same for youngers and normals and olders in leaning the Physics and you said that you are intelligent enough. Just Read this essay and Follow on
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1KBovBeg_kl6nAk8fTBYQdHMo8o3o0IgunPE3R7_OEHM&pli=1

 

[TorqueDork]

Somehow the early steps are same for youngers and normals and olders in leaning the Physics and you said that you are intelligent enough. Just Read this essay and Follow on
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1KBovBeg_kl6nAk8fTBYQdHMo8o3o0IgunPE3R7_OEHM&pli=1

Thanks! Best regards.

 

[Drakkith]

Generally one just reads anything they can get their hands on. Your local library should have a wealth of information on a huge variety of subjects. Plus theirs always bookstores, online sources, etc. Just avoid anything on TV and you should be okay. TV shows typically offer little real knowledge and claim certain things are true that just aren't.

If you want to get into a career in science, focus on your schoolwork. All of it.

For online sources I recommend the following:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Science
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/

 

[TorqueDork]

Generally one just reads anything they can get their hands on. Your local library should have a wealth of information on a huge variety of subjects. Plus theirs always bookstores, online sources, etc. Just avoid anything on TV and you should be okay. TV shows typically offer little real knowledge and claim certain things are true that just aren't.

If you want to get into a career in science, focus on your schoolwork. All of it.

For online sources I recommend the following:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Science
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/

Does that TV rule apply with programs from renowned physicist, such as "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking"?
EDIT: And thanks for replying!

 

[Drakkith]

Does that TV rule apply with programs from renowned physicist, such as "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking"?
EDIT: And thanks for replying!

Sometimes. Especially if the person says something along the lines of "Our universe is only one of many", or "Wormholes can take us places", etc. Anything so fantastic that we can't use it any time soon is most likely either false or an exaggeration.

 

[A.T.]

Hello all! I joined this illustrious community with the hopes of expanding what little knowledge I know about physics, calculus, and general sciences. I am wondering, how should I learn physics. I am in middle school, am generally intelligent if I can say so myself, and have a thirst for learning that I am attempting to quench. Any ideas?

A fun way to learn is through puzzles / brainteasers. Here is a book full of them:
Thinking Physics by Lewis Carroll Epstein

 

[TorqueDork]

Sometimes. Especially if the person says something along the lines of "Our universe is only one of many", or "Wormholes can take us places", etc. Anything so fantastic that we can't use it any time soon is most likely either false or an exaggeration.

So are you saying that our universe stands alone and wormholes can't take us places? Or are you just saying they are simply not facts.

 

[TorqueDork]

A fun way to learn is through puzzles / brainteasers. Here is a book full of them:
Thinking Physics by Lewis Carroll Epstein

I will look into it,

 

[AnTiFreeze3]

So are you saying that our universe stands alone and wormholes can't take us places? Or are you just saying they are simply not facts.

We haven't observed other universes, nor have we jumped through wormholes to other places, so they're both unjustified claims. We don't know enough to say anything definitive about them.

 

[Drakkith]

So are you saying that our universe stands alone and wormholes can't take us places? Or are you just saying they are simply not facts.

I'm saying that you should be wary of anyone who presents them as if they were verified facts.

 

[TorqueDork]

I'm saying that you should be wary of anyone who presents them as if they were verified facts.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[TorqueDork]

Found something, is it legitimate: https://www.udacity.com/course/ph100

 

[DennisN]

Hi TorqueDork, and welcome! It's nice to hear you like physics and science!

I'd like to add the following concepts to watch out for:

Multiverse, parallel universes, extra (spatial) dimensions, time travel to the past, antigravity, faster-than-light travel, matter teleportation, particles as strings (currently untestable). These concepts range from theoretical to hypothetical to science fiction, and none of them are by any means facts today, far from. Be wary of anyone who presents any of these concepts as if they were verified facts. There are more concepts to watch out for, but those I mentioned are some reoccurring concepts I come to think of at the moment. I mention these concepts because they sometimes appear in various tv programs and you might stumble upon them on the net. Be wary when you encounter these!

PS. Also beware of the good ol' "perpetual motion" and "free energy" devices, which violate the first or second law of thermodynamics.

 

[TorqueDork]

Hi TorqueDork, and welcome! It's nice to hear you like physics and science!

I'd like to add the following concepts to watch out for:

Multiverse, parallel universes, extra (spatial) dimensions, time travel to the past, antigravity, faster-than-light travel, matter teleportation, particles as strings (currently untestable). These concepts range from theoretical to hypothetical to science fiction, and none of them are by any means facts today, far from. Be wary of anyone who presents any of these concepts as if they were verified facts. There are more concepts to watch out for, but those I mentioned are some reoccurring concepts I come to think of at the moment. I mention these concepts because they sometimes appear in various tv programs and you might stumble upon them on the net. Be wary when you encounter these!

PS. Also beware of the good ol' "perpetual motion" and "free energy" devices, which violate the first or second law of thermodynamics.

Thank you for the greeting! I also am happy you are telling me these things, but string theory, is after all a theory. So why be wary of the theory?

 

[DennisN]

Thank you for the greeting! I also am happy you are telling me these things, but string theory, is after all a theory. So why be wary of the theory?

String Theory is a professionally researched theory (or theories) so it is allowed to discuss on this forum. But the theory is (sadly) not testable yet. So if anyone says to you something like "particles are made of strings", this is not correct. We can't say that, String Theory has not come that far. The current mainstream model of particles is the so-called Standard Model, no more, no less. In the Standard Model the fundamental particles ("building blocks") are the elementary particles (quarks, leptons and bosons). No strings attached .

 

[DennisN]

I just remembered a link I saved from another PF thread about particles:
http://www.particleadventure.org/ (a pretty nice intro to particle physics, I think).

 

[TorqueDork]

Thanks, and thanks dennis.

 

[ZombieFeynman]

A fun way to learn is through puzzles / brainteasers. Here is a book full of them:
Thinking Physics by Lewis Carroll Epstein

For what its worth, I second this suggested book.

I wish I had found it when I was younger snd I frequently refer to it for inspiration when teaching freshmen.

 

[TorqueDork]

For what its worth, I second this suggested book.

I wish I had found it when I was younger snd I frequently refer to it for inspiration when teaching freshmen.

It's worth quite a bit, thank you.