Preparing for Physics: Where to Start?

[Kayla]

Hi there,

I have a Physics Intro class next semester and I know nothing about Physics. Is there a book, website, video...anything! that can help me prepare for this Physics course? I want to do well in it and I am willing to learn it.

Any suggestions?

 

[Moonbear]

What I would suggest is to NOT try to teach yourself physics before you start the class...seriously. You'll have a lot harder time if you pick up misunderstandings of things on your own than if you go in knowing you know nothing. What I DO suggest is that you brush up on your math skills (at the beginning of the course, it'll be helpful to remember how to take derivatives, and to do simple integration) and refresh your memory about converting between different units (gram to kilogram or centimeter to meter to kilometer). And, if you are someone who struggled with fractions or keeping track of units when you took any other science classes, brush up on that. Remembering the rules for adding, multiplying or dividing fractions will help you keep track of where units go when you are working through your first physics equations. These things will ensure you are ready to focus on the physics concepts when it is taught to you rather than spending all your time struggling over the math.

 

[Rach3]

I have a Physics Intro class next semester and I know nothing about Physics.

Yes, that's the point of the class. I'd second Evo's advice about reviewing calculus, taking derivatives/integrals, trigonometry, vectors, algebra of units ([m]/^2 stuff), and any part of high school math that's fuzzy to you.

 

[Kayla]

Ok! Will do :)