Im 17 and suck at math is there ANY way i can learn physics

[littshepkid02]

i would like to but i believe it is not possible

 

[Pengwuino]

What do you do when you suck at cooking? Cook more.
What do you do when you can't draw well? Draw more.

There is nothing special about math, except math has the advantage that you don't have to ruin dinner if you screw it up the first time . Though really, you just need to practice. Get some texts and just go for it. If a particular text is a struggle for you, find another. There is no shortage of texts that try to teach people math and there certainly is no "best" text. One author might teach in a style that just clicks for you while another might sound like he wrote the text while in a mental hospital.

I just finished going through two complex analysis texts. One, an old favorite of some by Churchill and Brown, was great. Another, newer text by someone else (I forget the name), sounded like the guy had never been in a teaching position in his life and his text should be barred from circulation (ok it wasn't THAT bad...).

 

[Ranger Mike]

of course you can...i sucked at math big time , flunked calculus three times in college befroe they got tired of me and passed me on...you got to get into it dude!
math is just another language..it is the language of science...and it is a universal language
once you know the rules ( and that's all math is ) you can figure out things a lot better

 

[fatra2]

Hi there,

math is just another language..it is the language of science...and it is a universal language once you know the rules ( and that's all math is ) you can figure out things a lot better

I guess I don't see math as a language. Specially not the language that geeks use to talk about complicated stuff like science. I see science as a field that tries to model reality. Math is just one tool to help us understand and acquire a better model. Just because you know math, will not make you a great scientist, and the other way around. Just like if you know how to use a hammer will not make you a great carpenter.

Cheers

 

[Jim]

YES ! If I can, U probably can too.
I almost flunked HS because of Alg.II. I got a GREAT tutor who worked with me,
and showed me how to do simple math. I went from an F to an A in 8 weeks,
& my pathetic `teacher' accused me of cheating ! She could not believe it.
I could because most instructors are a joke.
Spend a little bread, & interview some tutors, then go w/the one U feel the most
chemistry with.
In the meantime, U can learn lots of physics without reading a single equation.
First read about the greatest adventure of physics, the Manhattan project.
If that does not get your juices going, nothing will. In the process, you will learn
basic nuclear physics & relativity, as well as the highest intellectual drama ever
conducted. Then, read about Einstein. Creator & Rebel (Hoffmann) is awesome,
and teaches wonderful physics, again no eqs.
Then, step up to this
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/papers/physicist.html

 

[sophiecentaur]

"Sucking" is relative. We all hit the 'wall' at some time.
Having said that, without some idea of calculus it is not easy to grasp many bits of Physics and being able to make sense of simple (I mean simple) equations and formulae is pretty important if you want to be able to predict things about motion and electric currents.

Bearing in mind that Physics is based on the relationships between quantities, limited Maths will limit understanding of Physics. The local Girls' Grammar School taught A Level Non-mathematical Physics, as an option in the sixties, would you believe?

 

[Superstring]

I recommend using Khan Academy. He is one of the best teachers I've ever seen. He can explain things in a way that make sense like I've seen no one else do.

http://www.khanacademy.org

 

[Kevin_Axion]

Khan Academy is very good! I use it to learn more advanced mathematics.

 

[General_Sax]

Hi there,



I guess I don't see math as a language. Specially not the language that geeks use to talk about complicated stuff like science. I see science as a field that tries to model reality. Math is just one tool to help us understand and acquire a better model. Just because you know math, will not make you a great scientist, and the other way around. Just like if you know how to use a hammer will not make you a great carpenter.

Cheers

Isn't language just a tool to model reality with? It's all approximations to some extent.

Just because one knows English, it doesn't mean that they are a great speaker..

 

[granpa]

do you want to learn physics professionally or just to satisfy your curiosity?

If you want to learn physics professionally then you will have to get good at math.

If you just want to learn physics to satisfy your curiosity then
you would be surprised how far you can get with only calculus and 'thinking physics'. (GEDANKEN PHYSICS)
http://www.google.com/search?q="thinking+physics"+Lewis+Carroll+Epstein

 

[fatra2]

Hi there,

Isn't language just a tool to model reality with? It's all approximations to some extent.

Just because one knows English, it doesn't mean that they are a great speaker..

Could not agree more with. But to become a great speaker, you will need extensive knowledge of the language. In science, it can be different. Take Faraday for example, a blacksmith's son, with very little knowledge in mathematics. It did not stop him from understanding science better than everyone before him. He even made some of the greatest discovery.

 

[C.J.Roach]

i would like to but i believe it is not possible

Perhaps it'd help if you could clarify 'suck at maths' a bit. I mean is it "I simply can't get the concepts" or "I get the concepts but I always make silly little errors which after a page of algebra balloon into gibberish answers (and rip the guts out of my grades)"?

The first one WILL be a big problem for any serious physics. I can't make many suggestions beyond try a few different textbooks and find a tutor that 'clicks' with you.

As for the second... it's less of an issue: It'll make some of the undergrad years less enjoyable but it's certainly not a mortal blow and (from personal experiance) is less of a nuisence if you go onto post grad (actually have time to check any maths you do rather than needing to turn it in then and there). Only cure for it? Attention, practise, practise, practise and remember to double check your working.