Courses What do I do to catch up on Physics 1?

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To prepare for a second year in nanobiology with a focus on physics, it's essential to solidify understanding of classical physics concepts, particularly dynamics, thermodynamics, and electricity. Effective strategies include reading assigned texts thoroughly before lectures, summarizing lecture content, and focusing on challenging material during note-taking. Regularly working through problems and exercises from textbooks is crucial for reinforcing knowledge. It's advised to avoid procrastination and to learn material as it is taught, rather than cramming for finals. Reviewing previous coursework and identifying reasons for past performance issues can also aid in effective study. With a month of dedicated study time, committing to 6-8 hours of focused work daily can lead to significant improvement, even if complete mastery of two courses is unlikely within that timeframe.
reby062001
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I am a nanobiology student about to start her 2nd year. This year I only had 2 physics courses and I did pretty bad in both. As I start my second year I would like to be very prepared in physics since we will have way more of this subject. Are there some books or tips you have to catch up on Physics 1? the topics I'd like to have a solid knowledge of are: dynamics(everything from momentum, to circular motion, energy, Newton's law), thermodynamics and electricity. It is mainly the basic classical physics that I don't know.
 
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Most folks must learn physics a little at a time. So you need to always be current with the class To that end
  1. Read carefully the assigned text before the lecture and look at the problems. If someone were to ask "what's today's lecture about?" you should be able to give them a two minute synopsis as you enter the lecture hall. Take notes only on the hard stuff not well explained in the text
  2. Work assigned problems with enough time to spare that you can make up any deficiencies and finish. Write complete and concise solutions
  3. Never think that you will study "later" for the final. Learn it Now. Your physics life will get much easier
For catchup, work problems and exercises from your text.
And, as a favor to me, never utter the phrase "is that going to be on the test?" If the prof is teaching it, it is important in her mind...that's why she gets the big bucks. Learn it Now
 
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reby062001 said:
I am a nanobiology student about to start her 2nd year. This year I only had 2 physics courses and I did pretty bad in both. As I start my second year I would like to be very prepared in physics since we will have way more of this subject. Are there some books or tips you have to catch up on Physics 1? the topics I'd like to have a solid knowledge of are: dynamics(everything from momentum, to circular motion, energy, Newton's law), thermodynamics and electricity. It is mainly the basic classical physics that I don't know.
* When does your second year start? That obviously limits what you can do.

* Were you unhappy with the text(s) you used during your first year? Unless something was amiss with them, the obvious approach is to review them (along with previous problem sets and exams): I assume your second year material will be based on your first year material, so you want to stay in sync.
 
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Do you know why you did poorly in the physics courses? You may want to address those issues before attempting to review by doing more of the same.
 
CrysPhys said:
* When does your second year start? That obviously limits what you can do.

* Were you unhappy with the text(s) you used during your first year? Unless something was amiss with them, the obvious approach is to review them (along with previous problem sets and exams): I assume your second year material will be based on your first year material, so you want to stay in sync.
I will start in September so I only have 1 month but I have a lot of free time. It might be a good idea to study on my textbook it wasn't that bad
 
reby062001 said:
I will start in September so I only have 1 month but I have a lot of free time. It might be a good idea to study on my textbook it wasn't that bad
I don't think that 1 month is enough to catch up with the material of two courses, however with hard study (something like 6-8 hours per day) you might achieve something that would be much better than nothing.
 
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
I have a specialization in condensed matter physics and materials physics, and off-late, I have been seeing a lot of research directions moving towards quantum computing (AMO and non-linear optics) and the huge chunk of quantum materials research (and funding) is dedicated towards QIS and QC research. I am wondering (sort of in a dilemma), if I should consider switching my field? I am currently at the stage of a postdoc.

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