Why is Physics So Hard? Advice to Improve

[NeedsHelp1212]

I am not sure where to post this thread but i guess here. So not to brag but I have gotten straight A's most of my entire life, I found school pretty easy aside from some spots (like Spanish). My GPA is very high and I am ranked in the top 2 percent of my class. So once I completed spanish 3 i felt i wanted to drop it and place an extra science in. So i took physics thinking it would be easy. Well it's far from that, i have an 88 half way through the marking period and probably just failed the quiz today bringing my grade to like an 83-85. I don't know why the subject seems so hard. The problem is I have a lab due Wed and I am not sure what to write. I have to try to get a B+ this marking period so my GPA does not drop. Does anyone have any advice on how to do good in physics? Right now we are going over projectile motion at an angle. One dimensional motion was pretty easy, second dimensional motion was easy until we got to the point where you had to split the vectors up into components, and now we are starting this. So pretty much my question is, how can i improve in physics?

 

[fss]

Well it's far from that, i have an 88 half way through the marking period and probably just failed the quiz today bringing my grade to like an 83-85. I don't know why the subject seems so hard. The problem is I have a lab due Wed and I am not sure what to write. I have to try to get a B+ this marking period so my GPA does not drop.

Either your (high?) school suffers from massive grade inflation or you are making a big deal out of a decent grade that you think is "low" because you are used to seeing higher.

Does anyone have any advice on how to do good in physics?

Study. Ask your classmates and if necessary your teacher for help. When I first started out in physics I remember being in more or less the same situation, but it turned out just fine.

Right now we are going over projectile motion at an angle.

Mind you, this is still considered 2-dimensional motion.

 

[NeedsHelp1212]

yeah I am just scared at how harder the class can get, and yes I am in high school. Theres about 30 kids in my class and only 5 are juniors (including me).

Im not sure what you mean by massive grade inflation?? But yes i am used to seeing higher and i can not have my grades drop. Getting a scholarship is very important to me especially with the money situation today

 

[Drakkith]

What is it about physics that you find hard? The math? Understanding how stuff works?

 

[Pengwuino]

Im not sure what you mean by massive grade inflation?? But yes i am used to seeing higher and i can not have my grades drop. Getting a scholarship is very important to me especially with the money situation today

Grade inflation is the practice of schools intentionally giving out high grades to make their students appear better. It's very possible that you are just taking dumbed down courses and when you run into a subject (physics) that is more difficult to dumb down, you might have problems. The problem probably doesn't lie with the physics course, it is probably from your other classes not having the same standards.

As someone else asked, how do you study for the course?

 

[pcuscuna]

I used to think Math and Physics were really difficult subjects. I almost failed Calculus and did terrible at physics...now they are my favorite subjects. How?

The reason you are finding it difficult is because you are failing to grasp the "big picture". I found out that there are NOT an infinite number of math or physics problems. They usually fall into into one category. They may have different numbers and circumstances but if you recognize the TYPE of problem it is you will ace the test.

If you follow this plan you will succeed. After I understood this I retook calculus and other advance math and physics and aced the courses in the high 90s.

Step 1. Realize that the new material will NOT continue to come. There is a finite amount of material to learn. In fact you will find the first year or two of college more difficult than the advance stuff (in any subject)...because you first need to learn the basics. Before starting the book - scan through the entire book (use the index). Before starting a chapter - scan it to get an idea of what's coming. Before going to class (do STEP 5).

Step 2. Take the time to do each problem - including ALL the problems at the end of the chapter ...but most of all do this in conjunction with STEP 3

Step 3... Memorize. Whoever said that you cannot memorize math was dead wrong. The first book you should read before doing anything else is a book on memorizing stuff. There are a ton of them out there. Once you learn the techniques memorize:\

i) formulas and constants
ii) create a system for memorizing the TYPES of problems you are likily to encounter


Step 4. The next step is probably something that you should do upfront. Essentially you need to get really excited about each course you take...even if you're a premed student and don't think you'll ever need any of this. Find reasons to get really excited!

Step 5. Learn the material BEFORE you go to class. I found that if you go to class you can easily get behind (especially if you have a lousy prof who can't talk). Learn the lesson ahead of time...do the problems before hand. The class should essentially be a review. It can also help if you had some problems - the class should be a great place to ask the prof to clarify things. Also if you have a question (because you're confused about something) chances are a lot of other people don't understand...even if you glance around the class and everyone looks confident - they probably don't have an idea of what's happening.

Good luck!
Phil

 

[Vectronix]

In my experience, physics was only hard after I left high school because my "teacher" was a weirdo and didn't know how to teach, and I didn't take the initiative to learn everything on my own. Also, the course material was "dumbed down" and the problems were harder to solve in my opinion without vector calculus.

 

[NeedsHelp1212]

What is it about physics that you find hard? The math? Understanding how stuff works?

No its not the math, I actually understand the practice problems before we take the test. But then when the test comes its like a panic and I can't apply what I learned to the problem on the test. When I understand the problem its extremely easy to obviously just plug in the numbers and solve, so the math is not a issue, more of applying the word problem to a picture ( if its talking about motion) and going from there.

 

[NeedsHelp1212]

Grade inflation is the practice of schools intentionally giving out high grades to make their students appear better. It's very possible that you are just taking dumbed down courses and when you run into a subject (physics) that is more difficult to dumb down, you might have problems. The problem probably doesn't lie with the physics course, it is probably from your other classes not having the same standards.

As someone else asked, how do you study for the course?

No my school does not do that. I have some extremely hard courses to go along with this, ap english, ap history 2, pre calc.

To study I usually look over the practice problems we did and glance over the book ( the book imo stinks)

 

[fss]

No my school does not do that. I have some extremely hard courses to go along with this, ap english, ap history 2, pre calc.

Grade inflation is independent of the courses offered or taken. It's how the class is graded, not how "hard" the material is. AP classes tend to have some of the worst grade inflation cases, as the disincentives to curving to a C are too high.

 

[rcgldr]

Seems the real issue here is if there is any math involved in the physics class that you haven't already learned in a math class. Usually physics classes are coordinated with corresponding math classes, and assume you've already taken pre-requesite math classes, so you don't get out of sync between the math you've learned and what's required for the physics class.

In this particular case, the issue seems to be related to vectors, which is normally taught in the math class before vectors are then used in the physics class.

 

[Borek]

Physics is easy, Math Is Hard.

 

[Naty1]

You can try to explain each concept to yourself...verbally in your own words summarizing what you think are the key points...and or make up your own problems...I have done both...I did not do all that well in HS physics either, thought it was difficult although it was not when I looked back, yet something changed when I got to college where I did very well..

I had a friend I'd tutor in college physics each Sunday evening...for a few hours...we'd go over the week's work and sometimes study for a test... explaining things to him helped me as much as him I think...

 

[NeedsHelp1212]

Grade inflation is independent of the courses offered or taken. It's how the class is graded, not how "hard" the material is. AP classes tend to have some of the worst grade inflation cases, as the disincentives to curving to a C are too high.

my AP history 1 class was kind of what your describing. So many people in the class got A's or high B's. This year in ap history 2 it's much more difficult. I got an 80 on my first test (which I am fine with) when compared with the rest of the class which got mainly around 50s and 60s.

Well anyway, Thanks for the help and advice everyone. I'll be sure to use this forum for any help on labs and concepts. See you all in the homework section!

 

[NobodySpecial]

Physics is easy, Math Is Hard.

I've seen the posts of "Math is Hard" - who is "physics is easy" ?

 

[Borek]

Nobody special.

 

[inflector]

An awful lot depends on your specific teacher. I had an excellent teacher for high-school physics. I also had an excellent calculus teacher.

The calculus teacher was so good because I believe that math came hard for him. He wasn't as smart as the other math teachers, I don't think, but he was a much better teacher. When I took college calculus, I learned nothing new. The Worcester Polytechnic Institute professors who taught calc were nowhere near as good as my high-school calculus teacher. It didn't matter to me because I already knew the material and only had to take it because at the time high-school calculus was pretty rare and most schools were not up to snuff, so they had no provision for testing out of calc.

So, the problem you might be having is just that your teacher isn't very good. Or perhaps your book isn't very good. That happens a lot. Many many textbooks are not good books.

 

[Borek]

So, the problem you might be having is just that your teacher isn't very good. Or perhaps your book isn't very good.

While I agree to some extent, it doesn't have to be the problem. Can be just that the teacher and the book don't suit the OP learning style. On the low levels of education (say, students up to 16 years old) I would say if teacher is not able to modify his/her style to get to the particular student - it is a teacher failure. The older the student is, the more able to do unassisted learning s/he should be, so the harder it is to blame the teacher. After all when you are 20 you should be not babysitted and spoonfeed, you should already know how to learn your way and on your own.

 

[atyy]

While I agree to some extent, it doesn't have to be the problem. Can be just that the teacher and the book don't suit the OP learning style. On the low levels of education (say, students up to 16 years old) I would say if teacher is not able to modify his/her style to get to the particular student - it is a teacher failure. The older the student is, the more able to do unassisted learning s/he should be, so the harder it is to blame the teacher. After all when you are 20 you should be not babysitted and spoonfeed, you should already know how to learn your way and on your own.

So why pay a college teacher then?

 

[Borek]

Good question.

Not sure how it looks on the college level, but i know how things look in Poland. When doing undergraduate studies classes are usually so large - say 100 people - that it is not possible to bend the system for each individual student needs, there is also no time to treat each student individually. Unless we are talking about 1:1 sessions with TAs or whoever. But main task of the teacher is to provide information (during lectures) and guidance on a group level, not to the individual students.

 

[Andy Resnick]

So why pay a college teacher then?

If I may be blunt: if you don't think college is worth the expense then don't go. If you think there is value to going to college, then you have to pay money in exchange for services received. Tuition doesn't cover the cost, BTW.

 

[atyy]

If I may be blunt: if you don't think college is worth the expense then don't go. If you think there is value to going to college, then you have to pay money in exchange for services received. Tuition doesn't cover the cost, BTW.

My point is that there had better be services given, if I'm paying for it.

 

[Andy Resnick]

My point is that there had better be services given, if I'm paying for it.

Isn't there? Do you attend classes in a schoolroom? Is there someone that assigns work and then provides you a grade based on what you did?

What services are you thinking of, exactly?

 

[atyy]

Isn't there? Do you attend classes in a schoolroom? Is there someone that assigns work and then provides you a grade based on what you did?

What services are you thinking of, exactly?

If you read the post I was responding to, I was disagreeing with the view that if college kids don't learn, it's less the fault of their teachers than at the secondary or primary school level. I believe that good and poor teaching at universities is a meaningful subject, and that universities should aim to provide good teaching. You'd probably agree too, and were taking my post out of context.

 

[Borek]

College KIDS?

 

[Andy Resnick]

[snip]The older the student is, the more able to do unassisted learning s/he should be, so the harder it is to blame the teacher. After all when you are 20 you should be not babysitted and spoonfeed, you should already know how to learn your way and on your own.

So why pay a college teacher then?

If you read the post I was responding to, I was disagreeing with the view that if college kids don't learn, it's less the fault of their teachers than at the secondary or primary school level. I believe that good and poor teaching at universities is a meaningful subject, and that universities should aim to provide good teaching. You'd probably agree too, and were taking my post out of context.

Maybe... I was just asking what services you think a teacher/school should provide the student in exchange for tuition?

 

[atyy]

Maybe... I was just asking what services you think a teacher/school should provide the student in exchange for tuition?

Good teaching.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Good teaching.

Eminently reasonable.

 

[General_Sax]

If you don't pay the the college instructor, then how do you expect to get let into the educated club?

 

[atyy]

If you don't pay the the college instructor, then how do you expect to get let into the educated club?

That's what I was objecting to. What one fool can do, another can.

 

[Angry Citizen]

I used to think Math and Physics were really difficult subjects. I almost failed Calculus and did terrible at physics...now they are my favorite subjects. How?

The reason you are finding it difficult is because you are failing to grasp the "big picture". I found out that there are NOT an infinite number of math or physics problems. They usually fall into into one category. They may have different numbers and circumstances but if you recognize the TYPE of problem it is you will ace the test.

If you follow this plan you will succeed. After I understood this I retook calculus and other advance math and physics and aced the courses in the high 90s.

Step 1. Realize that the new material will NOT continue to come. There is a finite amount of material to learn. In fact you will find the first year or two of college more difficult than the advance stuff (in any subject)...because you first need to learn the basics. Before starting the book - scan through the entire book (use the index). Before starting a chapter - scan it to get an idea of what's coming. Before going to class (do STEP 5).

Step 2. Take the time to do each problem - including ALL the problems at the end of the chapter ...but most of all do this in conjunction with STEP 3

Step 3... Memorize. Whoever said that you cannot memorize math was dead wrong. The first book you should read before doing anything else is a book on memorizing stuff. There are a ton of them out there. Once you learn the techniques memorize:\

i) formulas and constants
ii) create a system for memorizing the TYPES of problems you are likily to encounter


Step 4. The next step is probably something that you should do upfront. Essentially you need to get really excited about each course you take...even if you're a premed student and don't think you'll ever need any of this. Find reasons to get really excited!

Step 5. Learn the material BEFORE you go to class. I found that if you go to class you can easily get behind (especially if you have a lousy prof who can't talk). Learn the lesson ahead of time...do the problems before hand. The class should essentially be a review. It can also help if you had some problems - the class should be a great place to ask the prof to clarify things. Also if you have a question (because you're confused about something) chances are a lot of other people don't understand...even if you glance around the class and everyone looks confident - they probably don't have an idea of what's happening.

Good luck!
Phil

Step 3 is absolutely terrible. Since when did Physics become an exercise in memorizing formulas?

 

[lrl4565]

I find physics... occasionally frustrating. I have so many questions! How to get them all answered? I don't know, but that thing about just memorizing the formulas may actually be a step in the right direction.

I've heard that high school physics is basically background stuff. You have to just assume that it is right and move forward. When I hear equations like "Force = mass x acceleration", I want to ask, "why?", but then it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to move on. So, it's best to just assume that it is correct and work on that assumption.

You said you were working on projectiles now? Well, it's all trig! Hypothetical scenario:
You launch a rocket at 100 m/s 60 degrees up. Now, what do you imagine in your head? Why, a triangle with x length on the ground, y length straight up from the ground, and a hypotenuse of 100. Can you use trig to find the x and y lengths? 100cos60 = x m/s, 100sin60 = y m/s. Okay, that is just the predicted path. Now you must factor in gravity.

Gravity works straight down, so x m/s is not touched AT ALL. Only worry about how it affects the y. You can determine the highest point of the projectile by figuring out when the downward velocity of gravity is equal to the upward velocity y m/s.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

If you understand the concepts then after doing a lot of pratice problems the answer becomes really easy to solve. Like that guy says the questions usually end up the same. No need to memorize anything though.

Especially in projectile motion, if you understood 1-D motion then its just two 1-D problems. Write down what you know, what you need to know, what formulas you have and draw a picture. At that point it usually becomes clear on what to do. If you have 2 unknowns and 2 equations to solve them then at that point its all algebraic manipulations.


and I have to agree on that grade inflation thing. In my high school AP classes they have this unbelievable curve on everything. I would make A/B on all the test but not in reality, college isn't like that (most of the time lol) so it really dumbs people down.

Exception was AP Biology. that class was actually hard and according to a pre-med friend of mine, it was actually harder than college bio.

 

[Andy Resnick]

If you don't pay the the college instructor, then how do you expect to get let into the educated club?

That's exactly the wrong approach to education. Certainly, it's possible to educate oneself, and not just in Physics.


Atyy's answer is better, but vague- what's 'good teaching'? Here's what I expect, when I pay for tutoring:

1) An initial assessment, indicating specific topical areas that need improvement
2) periodic assessments, providing feedback and indicating progress (i.e. 'formative assessments')
3) a final assessment, showing a measurable improvement in subject mastery ('summative assessment')
4) answering my questions in a manner I can understand
5) providing access to supplemental materials as needed
6) having set contact hours

Note what's missing: I'm not paying to 'learn'. The responsibility for learning the material (and doing the work) is mine. I'm paying for *more efficient* learning.

 

[General_Sax]

That's exactly the wrong approach to education. Certainly, it's possible to educate oneself, and not just in Physics.

Sure it's possible to educate oneself, but who is going to take you seriously?

I taught myself Circuit Analysis on the resume doesn't really mean ****.

Having a degree in EE on the otherhand...