Trouble with high school physics, what should I do?

[Aaron Anderson]

I am a freshman in high school currently and I am taking physics, but for me it seems too difficult even though I think I have tried everything (Reading from the textbook, tutoring with the teacher, khan academy, studying a lot...) The teacher is not very good at teaching, not saying this as a personal attack but it is true, the whole school complains about him, apparently they tried talking to the principal but to no avail.

Anyway -- I am very interested in physics, I think it is amazing but I just do not understand a lot of it... I am in a regular class, I am not exactly sure about the difficulty of regular physics compared to honors and AP, but I feel like he is teaching us a higher level than regular, in fact I had to use the honors textbook just in order to have a basic understanding (The regular book is conceptual physics by Paul G. Hewitt). I am reading the textbook and probably have a basic grasp of one dimensional motion through to work and energy, but it is difficult for me to apply the knowledge when harder questions roll in. I know the formulas, but I don't how to properly apply them correctly, do you guys have any tips to overcome this? What can I do in order to understand?

 

[Mark44]

These two points jumped out at me:

I am a freshman in high school currently and I am taking physics

Taking physics as a freshman seems very early to me. When I was in high school (admittedly a long time ago), physics wasn't offered until our senior year. By that time we had had algebra I, geometry, algebra II/trig, and many or most of us were taking calculus at the same time we were in the physics class.

I know the formulas, but I don't how to properly apply them correctly, do you guys have any tips to overcome this? What can I do in order to understand?

It's not so much a matter of knowing a bunch of formulas, but you have to be familiar enough with algebra and trig to know how to manipulate the formulas. If an object falls for t seconds, the distance s is given by $s = \frac 1 2 gt^2$, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. (This formula ignores drag caused by air resistance.) If you are given s, can you find t? A large part of being able to understand physics at more than just the conceptual level is being able to understand the equations and to be able to work with them mathematically. You didn't mention what classes you took prior to being in the physics class, but we aren't able to give any helpful advice if we don't have this information.

 

[Aaron Anderson]

These two points jumped out at me:
Taking physics as a freshman seems very early to me. When I was in high school (admittedly a long time ago), physics wasn't offered until our senior year. By that time we had had algebra I, geometry, algebra II/trig, and many or most of us were taking calculus at the same time we were in the physics class.

It's not so much a matter of knowing a bunch of formulas, but you have to be familiar enough with algebra and trig to know how to manipulate the formulas. If an object falls for t seconds, the distance s is given by $s = \frac 1 2 gt^2$, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. (This formula ignores drag caused by air resistance.) If you are given s, can you find t? A large part of being able to understand physics at more than just the conceptual level is being able to understand the equations and to be able to work with them mathematically. You didn't mention what classes you took prior to being in the physics class, but we aren't able to give any helpful advice if we don't have this information.

In my school they force us to take physics in freshman year. I learned Algebra 1 and currently doing geometry and algebra 2. Never learned trigonometry, but I understand the functions: sin, cos, tan.

 

[Mark44]

In my school they force us to take physics in freshman year. I learned Algebra 1 and currently doing geometry and algebra 2. Never learned trigonometry, but I understand the functions: sin, cos, tan.

How well did you do in Alg I? How well are you doing in your current math class? Can you give an example of a physics problem that you find to be difficult?

 

[symbolipoint]

In my school they force us to take physics in freshman year. I learned Algebra 1 and currently doing geometry and algebra 2. Never learned trigonometry, but I understand the functions: sin, cos, tan.

That is exactly why you are struggling.

 

[jtbell]

In my school they force us to take physics in freshman year. I learned Algebra 1 and currently doing geometry and algebra 2. Never learned trigonometry, but I understand the functions: sin, cos, tan.

That is exactly why you are struggling.

I am not exactly sure about the difficulty of regular physics compared to honors and AP,

(The regular book is conceptual physics by Paul G. Hewitt).

Many years ago, I taught a college-level "descriptive physics" course that used Hewitt's book. IIRC it uses very little math, no real algebra or trig at all. It shows some equations (F=ma, Newton's law of gravity, etc.), but at most it simply substitutes numbers into them to calculate results, or does qualitative proportional reasoning with them. Example: p = mv, so for a given momentum you can have either a large m and a small v, or a small m and a large v.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

When many students are struggling, it is just as likely to be the preparation in math rather than the skill of the teacher.