What is the best studying method?

[ahmedhassan72]

What is the best studying method??

What is the best method for getting knowledge and information and studying in less time?also What is fast reading and is it only convenient ?How can I depend on self study i.e only books and online resources?..Thanks

 

[Hootenanny]

A method of learning is a very personal thing, what works extremely well for one person may be counter productive for another. The best thing you can do is experiment with different techniques and see which you are most comfortable. The best we can do here is suggests different learning techniques, but ultimately you are the only person that's going to know what is best for you.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

The best study method is to put in the required time. I always estimated the study time that I would need as 2-3 hours of studying for each class hour. (In other words a 15 credit hour schedule is a total committment of 45-60 hours per week, including both class time and study time.)

I would begin by re-copying my notes neatly and orderly after a lecture. Then I would proceed to working the assigned problems, referring back to notes and textbook if necessary. Then I would catch up on assigned reading before the next class meeting.

I tried not to spend long blocks of time on a single academic subject, so I would break the 2-3 hours of studying physics into one hour chunks interspersed with other subjects. An hour of studying a non-mathematical subjects is a great break from more challenging physics and math courses.

I managed to earn an A in every undergraduate course I took except for statistical mechanics and particle physics. I graduated 1st in my class at LSU-Baton Rouge and was accepted to MIT for graduate school. At MIT I earned As in 70% of my courses and Bs in the others.

The idea of learning physics without spending a lot of time is unrealistic.

Michael Courtney

 

[DavidWhitbeck]

I agree with Dr. Courtney and have to strongly caution you that you can't speed read through physics or math, and actually you can't speed read your way through any science or engineering degree. If you feel that you need to do that in order to get through your schedule, you most likely signed up for too many classes. The best thing you can do is rethink your schedule to graduate and plan on a less arduous schedule.

 

[ahmedhassan72]

Thanks for contribution and help, but I have another question , What can I do to study intensively if I wanted to enter an exam after a month and I wanted to study a book of about 500 pages and I want to get the highest possible marks?

 

[BioCore]

Try to study in environments that foster study habits for you. For example, I study best in well lit areas with very minimal sounds, I might also have a water bottle beside me. Also if your going to study a 500 page book in one month and take an exam right after, my guess would be you would have to study a minimum of 7-8 hours per day to get the concepts to stick into you and be able to fully understand everything.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Thanks for contribution and help, but I have another question , What can I do to study intensively if I wanted to enter an exam after a month and I wanted to study a book of about 500 pages and I want to get the highest possible marks?

A farmer can produce a crop of grain in four months, but four farmers cannot produce a crop of grain in one month.

A woman can have a baby in nine months, but nine women cannot produce a baby in one month.

Your question is akin to asking how to eat enough food in one month to last for 4-12 months. (Or alternatively, how to lose weight at an abnormally fast pace.)

Learning Physics takes time. You don't just study Physics; you digest it, you practice it, you grow in it. Rushing the process is like substituting 7 hours of piano practice the day before a recital for one hour of practice each day.

A month is enough time to learn 4 or 5 chapters in most Physics texts that are designed for a two-semester course. In other words, if you start at the beginning and work hard, in a month's time you can expect to cover kinematics, Newton's laws, conservation of momentum, and conservation of mechanical energy. If you try and squeeze in rotational motion, thermodynamics, waves, E&M, etc., your net benefit will probably be much lower.

In my experience (and the experience of all the Physics teachers I know) student success rates in accelerate courses (such as 4-8 week summer sessions) are always much, much lower in physics courses that demand quantitative problem solving (compared with normal semesters of ~16 weeks).

Michael Courtney

 

[Shackleford]

I agree. Take your time in learning math and physics. Your goal should be comprehension, not just speedy completion.