Preparing for Math and Physics Courses

[stoneflower]

Hi, in the previous semester, for one course I typed out notes using LaTeX and then annotated those notes, and for other courses I annotated the ebooks and solved problems in a notebook app separately. To save some time, I'm gonna go with the second option, but I want to be sure that I'm doing it right. Could anyone share how they would annotate a course book in preparation?

The main books I'll be using are Numerical Analysis by Sauer, Math Methods by Boas, Intro Geometrical Optics by Katz, and Griffiths Electrodynamics.

 

[QuarkyMeson]

I don't know about everyone else, but I would find annotating the book itself pointless.

Take Griffiths E&M, the text is very readable, however, no many how many times you read the section the only way you're going to get better at solving the problems is to do the problems. What I did is read through the section for next days class and work any examples. Then I attend the lecture, listen to the lecture, and go back and reread the section. I then solve all the inline problems and work on the course homework. After I've read the section twice and worked the majority of the inline problems I rarely feel I need to go back and reread the section again as the jist of that section is then pretty concrete. I'd then go attempt the end of chapter problems (which are without a doubt some of the most obnoxiously hard problems that however often contain real nuggests of wisdom that should have been in the text) that seemed related to that section as time permitted.

What I did find helpful was typing up the examples and problem solutions in latex, as I actually referred back to those many times while working on the end of chapter problems and preparing for the final exam. I've never actually found it helpful to go back and refer to course notes no matter what format they were in. Working with pen and paper and then going back and typing up the solutions really helped reinforce things as well.

The same can be said Boas, in which the text can be summed up as "This is how you use this, go use it" and if you go use it, you'll remember it. I don't have any experince with the other two textbooks, as I've only done general optics with Fowles.

I did decent in the class, but wasn't a top student in the class so there is probably a more optimal strategy with Griffiths. Every problem in Griffiths has a text solution and probably a video solution on the internet, so another thing I would advise you to do is resist with all your being looking at them too early. I probably threw in the towel too early on more than one occasion.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Hi, in the previous semester, for one course I typed out notes using LaTeX and then annotated those notes, and for other courses I annotated the ebooks and solved problems in a notebook app separately. To save some time, I'm gonna go with the second option, but I want to be sure that I'm doing it right. Could anyone share how they would annotate a course book in preparation?

The main books I'll be using are Numerical Analysis by Sauer, Math Methods by Boas, Intro Geometrical Optics by Katz, and Griffiths Electrodynamics.

Im more of a physical book copy kind of person.

So i write in it, depending on the difficulty of the book. Some books have more writing then others.

I moved away from fountain pen (i always did my math in pen including test), and been using an ipad m4 for the first time.

So now. I still write in the book, while summarizing and working out problems on the ipad using onenote.

I mainly switched to an ipad, so that i could keep notes and share them. So far, they have helped my neices and nephews and random people I tutored.

Previously, the scribbles in my books were my notes, and i was reviewing old topics. I could get by looking at my markings, instead of the text.

Some people refuse to write in books. I use pen and i dgf.

You can maybe do this process on a tablet. Not sure if Ipad allows this, and never bothered since I own books, and i got the 11inch ipad m4 1tb. I believe its too small for comfortably using split screen with ebook and note app.

I recently purchased a s10 ultra 500gb for a decent price. $1075 usd with tax included. Didnt need it, but wanted a bigger screen, and I can use it as a second monitor [ I use Alienware laptop].

I have seen a student I tutor split the screen with ebook and note app, and it was the perfect size!

 

[gwnorth]

My son recently made the transition to a reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet for his notetaking. They are expensive but they are specifically designed to work like pen and paper but with the added benefit of being able to store and search notes as well as being an e-book reader and allowing you to annotate PDFs. It will also convert your handwritten notes to text.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

My son recently made the transition to a reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet for his notetaking. They are expensive but they are specifically designed to work like pen and paper but with the added benefit of being able to store and search notes as well as being an e-book reader and allowing you to annotate PDFs. It will also convert your handwritten notes to text.

I did not know such devices existed. I will be going to Best Buy in the near future to see if it is possible to test it out.

I was trying to see reviews online comparing the writing experience to the popular tablets [apple and samsung], but could not find any.

Thanks for making me aware of this.