Struggling to Rekindle My Love for Physics: A College Freshman's Dilemma

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a college freshman's experience with an Electricity and Magnetism (E&M) course, expressing concerns about the perceived lack of engagement compared to high school physics. The scope includes personal reflections on the transition from high school to college-level physics, comparisons with mathematics courses, and the emotional connection to the subject matter.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster (OP) feels that the E&M class is less interesting than high school physics, primarily due to a focus on equations and rearranging them.
  • Some participants suggest that the perceived simplicity may be due to the introductory nature of the course and the OP's prior exposure to the material.
  • One participant notes that more advanced mathematics, such as differential equations and linear algebra, will provide deeper insights into the physics concepts.
  • Another participant mentions that introductory classes are often less challenging and may not reflect the complexity of future courses.
  • The OP expresses a desire for more in-depth exploration of physics concepts and acknowledges a connection between their interest in physics and the mathematical aspects of the subject.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the introductory nature of the course may contribute to the OP's feelings of boredom, but there is no consensus on whether this experience is universally applicable or if it will improve in future courses.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the OP's emotional connection to physics and mathematics, as well as the potential for future courses to provide a more engaging experience. There are indications of varying levels of mathematical maturity among students in the class, which may influence their experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

College students considering a major in physics or mathematics, particularly those transitioning from high school to college-level courses, may find this discussion relevant.

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I'm only a freshman in college so I still have plenty of time to decide but I'm sort of worried by my E&M class. I adored AP Physics in high school and I really wanted to pursue it. Now I'm taking E&M in college and it doesn't seem nearly as interesting. Could it just be because I already took most of this material last year?
In Physics I feel like all we are doing is getting equations and rearranging them.
I'm leaning towards straight mathematics now because my Calc class seems so much more interesting.
The Calc class covers mostly methods for solving integrals, some ODE, and series etc. I feel like the math is truly making me think more critically in new ways while the physics is just plug n' chug.

So my question is if anyone has felt similarly? Is it just because its a lower level course?
Will the flame rekindle once I go to classes that involves more math besides algebra and
basic integrals?

I feel like I only loved Physics because of the math...But If I were to be a mathematician I think I would go crazy because while I enjoy how abstract it is I would like some grounding in reality.

I feel like I'm asking for ways to stay in love with my wife :)

Thanks for any responses.
 
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My into electricity and magnetism course was similar to yours. It seemed like every chapter we were given a bunch of equations and could often solve the problems just by knowing the equations. Don't be discouraged though, after learning more math this will not be the case. Many of the relationships require more mathematical maturity to derive so they are simply given to you at the introductory level. Similar to how without calculus one might be given an equation of position, velocity, and acceleration.

After taking differential equations and linear algebra, it became clear where many of those formulas came from. Good luck!
 
Is your class just physics majors? Probably not if it is an intro course, so it might be dumbed down a little anyways. Don't get discouraged so soon, intro classes are generally not that challenging especially if you had the same material in high school.
 
JD88: Yeah it is an intro class and its mainly engineers.
Piru: I'm glad to hear that this might just be a step towards something more engaging.
Cool. I think I knew things were only temporary I'm just ranting because I'm kind of bored. But yeah I don't hate the class, just want to do some things more in depth.
Thanks to both.
 
You won't see many plug and chug problems after your intro sequence.
 

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