Struggling with Dynamics: A Student's Perspective

[cs23]

hey everyone,

I have a dynamics course this semester and I'm not doing well.
I don't really read the textbook, i read through the worked examples. I get the idea from there, then start working on problems.

I try to do many problems, but i feel I'm not getting it.Usually i can't solve a problem today that i solved yesterday

My questions are:
When solving problems, are we suppose to plan how we would go about solving the problem. Then once we know the plan start doing it?

Do we need to know definitions before attempting the problems?

Once a good way to study physics?

 

[marcusl]

Why don't you read the textbook? And a second one if you still aren't understanding the concepts? And the lecture notes? And going to office hours to ask questions.

It seems like you are trying to shortcut your way through the class without mastering the material. Apparently, and not surprisingly, your strategy is not succeeding.

 

[lisab]

If you continue doing the same thing, you will continue to get similar results. Like the previous poster said, you really have to start reading the book, if you want to understand the material better.

But to answer your question: when approaching a problem, your first step should be to *think*. Most people find a simple sketch of the problem helps with this. Yes, you should have a plan of attack in mind before you start calculating.