Should You Use a Solution Manual for Physics Problems?

[cheer177]

When I do Physics Problem, I can't find the solution, so there are two groups of people tell me to do difference things.
1. Do not open solution manual because it will block your imagination for doing physics problems.
2. Just open it and it will give the way to do another physics problem by yourself.
What I should to do? Thank you very much.

 

[Geezer]

When I do Physics Problem, I can't find the solution, so there are two groups of people tell me to do difference things.
1. Do not open solution manual because it will block your imagination for doing physics problems.
2. Just open it and it will give the way to do another physics problem by yourself.
What I should to do? Thank you very much.

You should ALWAYS attempt to solve the problem on your own first, without glancing at the solution, not even for a "hint." Research studies have found that people learn better when there's a little bit of a struggle involved.

Along these same lines, if you're confronted with a problem that you don't really know how to solve--say, you're more or less clueless--at least attempt a guess at the final solution, even if it's just a conceptual guess at the final solution (e.g. "Well, I know energy isn't conserved because of friction so the final speed must be smaller than the original..."). The whole point of this particular exercise is to build your intuition.

 

[khemist]

I usually try to look for equations in the chapter that we are working on. Usually I can find something that relates to the problem. If I can't figure it out, I peek at the solution, and then try to work it out again. It is generally one step that I cannot get, and once I see that one step it sort of falls into place. If it doesnt, I just look at the answer and try to figure out what is what.

 

[clope023]

When I do Physics Problem, I can't find the solution, so there are two groups of people tell me to do difference things.
1. Do not open solution manual because it will block your imagination for doing physics problems.
2. Just open it and it will give the way to do another physics problem by yourself.
What I should to do? Thank you very much.

3. Look at more examples of the relevant concept and work through them till you can understand and then come back to your problem.

Intuition won't be built if you're just totally clueless, I don't put as much stock into no.1 as most people here though it is important but no. 2 won't destroy your imagination or whatnot.

 

[cheer177]

That mean I should try on myself first, and if I can't figure it out I have to find a clue but not to open the solution manual. Right?

 

[zif.]

That mean I should try on myself first, and if I can't figure it out I have to find a clue but not to open the solution manual. Right?

Right.

Why do you even have the solution manual?

I suggest selling it if you have the hardcopy or deleting it if you downloaded it.


Furthermore, what if a solutions manual has a problem solved incorrectly and the prof knows this? What if you submit an assignment with the same error on it that no one would make if they did the problem themselves?

That's called plagiarism, and you can potentially kiss your academic future goodbye. A third of one of my first year engineering classes repeated an error made in the solutions manual and the prof did everything in his power to get them expelled.

 

[Geezer]

Right.

Why do you even have the solution manual?

I suggest selling it if you have the hardcopy or deleting it if you downloaded it. Furthermore, what if a solutions manual has a problem solved incorrectly and the prof knows this? What if you submit an assignment with the same error on it that no one would make if they did the problem themselves?

That's called plagiarism, and you can potentially kiss your academic future goodbye. A third of one of my first year engineering classes repeated an error made in the solutions manual and the prof did everything in his power to get them expelled.

Some profs know that students can find solutions manuals; that's one of the reasons why homework grades constitute such a tiny percentage of the overall score. Also, cheating on the homework won't generally make you perform better on exams, and since exams make up most of the overall score in the class, it's better to focus your attention on actually learning the material, not getting the homework right.

 

[mege]

What I do is always attempt a problem before looking at the solution manual (which the instructor suggested we own, and was included with the book purchase). If I have 10 problems doing the same thing and I am really struggling on the first one, I will attempt a solution then double check my work before moving on so I am not reinforcing a bad practice. If I got it correct - great move on. If I got it wrong, I keep a red pen and highlight my mistakes.

If I am very certain about my solution, I won't verify my homework until the very end.

The red pen also helps identify where I was having issues on the homework originally and gives me an easy starting point for review for a quiz/test/exam.

(note - this is for a class where my instructor just verifys homework visually and does not collect/grade/return, your mileage with an instructor may vary)

 

[Leveret]

If you do end up peeking at the solutions manual for the next step in a problem, make sure you don't just copy it down and move on. For you to learn anything, you need to understand why the problem requires you to do what you did, how you would respond if the problem were different, and how it connects back to the general concepts in the chapter you're studying.

 

[cheer177]

Thank You very much. :)

 

[henryfayols]

I do physics problem by studying & practicing the sums & questions daily.
Take guidance of my tutors & friends.Still science is hard to study & specially
the physics portion.