Studying Review for Upper Division Class Mechanics course?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around preparing for an upper division Classical Mechanics I course by reviewing concepts and solving problems. The original poster seeks recommendations for problem sets to practice, expressing confidence in their previous knowledge but wanting to refresh their skills. Participants debate the necessity of solving a limited number of problems versus a more comprehensive approach, emphasizing the importance of mastering the material. Suggestions include using a textbook to select problems based on individual comfort with the material. Ultimately, the consensus is that the amount of practice should be tailored to the individual's preparedness.
AD MCFC
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Hello, I will take Classical Mechanics I (upper division) course fall of 2017.

I have not seen Mechanics material since fall of 2014 and would like suggestions on how to review the concepts prior to taking the class.

I was pretty good in that class and do not need to "re-learn" anything per say, but would simply like to go through a handful of problems per each chapter. Where should I take these problems from? Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
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AD MCFC said:
but would simply like to go through a handful of problems per each chapter.

Why just a handful? If you've mastered the material, it shouldn't take all that long to do all of them, especially if you have a year. If you haven't mastered the material, maybe it's a good idea to spend some time on it.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Why just a handful? If you've mastered the material, it shouldn't take all that long to do all of them, especially if you have a year. If you haven't mastered the material, maybe it's a good idea to spend some time on it.
"All of them", does this mean do the 120 problems found at the end of each chapter in your typical heavy intro physics textbook? Explain what you mean here.
I would prefer you answer the question and not get philosophical here. Otherwise, save your time and do not answer it at all.
 
AD MCFC said:
save your time and do not answer it at all.

Gee, that makes we want to give you another piece of advice.
 
Well I apologize, but you did not seem quite interested in giving advice in the first place.
You are telling me to do every problem without specifying where these problems are coming from. Some intro books have hundreds of problems per chapter, while an AP review book might have like 20.

If you were me, which resources would you refer to ? Etc.
 
Pro-tip, being rude to people is not going to make them want to help you.

But to your question, if you have a textbook to work from, do as many problems from each section as you feel you need to be sure you've mastered the material. If that means you only do a few questions from chapter 1 or whatever because it's easy for you, fine, move on to the next. Only you can know how prepared you are.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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