Well im screwed with physics...

[Linas]

I ended up taking 19 credits this semester because im a bit behind and i wanted to catch up, now im wishing that i just would take a 5th year. So im in Physics and i have no clue what is going on, its the second week of class. Its too late to drop the class, if i do, i still have to pay for it. Does anyone have any pointers on getting through physics. My prof said the first 1/2 of the semester is "high school" level phys, then steps up the second half. I just have no clue what is going on in this course. I know im gona get answers like "just study a ton" i already do, but i just dont get the concepts AT ALL!

[BadMonk]

Sounds like me in chemistry (many moons ago)...try a tutor who might be able to explain things.

[Fontaine]

Originally Posted by BadMonk

try a tutor who might be able to explain things.

+1...you would be surprised what a tutor can do.

[sleepy_monkey]

Originally Posted by BadMonk

Sounds like me in chemistry (many moons ago)...try a tutor who might be able to explain things.

Sounds like me in chemistry too! haha.

I am sure there is some easy (or easier anyways) online stuff that will help you figure it all out too.

[username n/a]

http://www.physics247.com/

http://www.fearofphysics.com/

[TallLankyBastyd]

Let your instructor know about your concerns. Ask other students about getting a study group together. Get a tutor!!

Sometimes you just have to swallow the pride and go ask for help!

I had problems at first with intro level Physics... I really enjoyed the class but what my problem ultimately came down to was weak mathematical skills.

Go ask for help!

Have fun...

[casualmadness]

Originally Posted by BadMonk

...try a tutor who might be able to explain things.

+1
Physics is challenging, at best. I had to go the tutor route once in college. It can be a big help. But before springing for a tutor; scout around the class. Find out who is doing well and become friends with that person. It's college. Making friends is effortless. Try that first.
DO NOT scout the hot girl. I was having problems with chemistry so I found a super hot girl in class who was doing well. I started hitting on her and my "in" that I used was that I was so bad in chemistry. She agreed to help me but we never actually got any work done. Needless to say, I failed the class and had to repeat it later. The second time around I hired a tutor. My tutor actually resembled comic book guy from the simpsons. It worked great!

[PSPookie]

The first half of physisc is just the story of a ball being dropped. Most of the things that you will be asked to learn, you can observe in everyday life. Just try to relate the conceptual material to what you see every day.

[Thrym]

Yes, definatlly find a good private tutor they can do a lot. I had similar problems with chemistry at first (straight over my head), Im not too bad with physics. If you do maths or further maths It helps alot especially with things like projectiles.
Josh

[5andFretless]

Physics for Dummies, best book ever written, except for Calculus for Dummies. And I used to teach both at the HS level. I actually used the Calculus book as an auxilliary text book.

Good Luck, and don't quit, make them fail you.

[Jared Lash]

I taught physics for seven years, so if you want to PM me for more pointers, I can give you a longer answer, but here are some quick pointers:

Make a page of equations to refer to often. Sure, they are all in your book, but having them all together helps, and also just the act of writing them out helps with familiarity. And this isn't true for everyone, but for me it helped to be able to derive them so that I really understood where they came from.

Don't treat physics problems as math problems. What I mean is that you should be able to envision everything going on in the problem in your head, draw a sketch and have an understanding of what you are looking for before you ever write down an equation. Many students just want to plug away without thinking about what's really going on. Plus, if it's more than numbers on a page, you can easily gauge whether your answer is valid.

Practice. I know that's not what people want to hear, but physics takes practice to master. Find a tutor, grad student instructor, or someone in your class who can help and have them work through a couple problems for you. Then go home and work through a bunch more on your own.

Don't fall too far behind. Physics, especially mechanics, is very cumulative. Get help and get it soon, because waiting longer will just make that climb back up tougher.

Good luck.

[Vandelay]

Good luck. I remember having a similar experience -- after about a month, I was pretty lost in my college physics class, even though I had done pretty well in a full year of high school physics. As TheBigO said, it does build on itself, so don't wait to get help because that'll only make things worse.

And if it doesn't work out, you should still consider the pros and cons of having a bad grade on your transcript vs. just dropping the class and losing the money. In my case, I dropped the class. YMMV.

[Brad Barker]

check to see if your school has a free, on-campus tutoring service. this semester i am working as a tutor at the tutoring center, where my talents are available to students free of charge.

[MakiSupaStar]

Can't help you with physics but I could help you compose a very eloquent excuse.

[StanFan]

Just curious, when you say you're taking 19 credits, are you referring to 19 credit hours (19 hours of class a week), or 19 classes? I'd think it would be the first unless your days have 50 hours.

[eedre]

Originally Posted by Linas

Does anyone have any pointers on getting through physics.

You can always get study groups together and go over homework. Visit the professor during office hours. Sometimes universities have tutor help in their respective departments (if clumsy grad assistant guidance can't help you, I don't know what can ).

Other than that, you can just bend over and submit to the laws of Newton, Gauss, and Kirchoff.

[eedre]

Originally Posted by TheBigO

Practice. I know that's not what people want to hear, but physics takes practice to master. Find a tutor, grad student instructor, or someone in your class who can help and have them work through a couple problems for you. Then go home and work through a bunch more on your own.

Good advice, but throughout my years in college, most textbooks only give you about 4 or 5 good problems to practice and even less examples to learn from (even less from the professor themself). Outside of that, if you don't understand how to set up a problem after those (and you've memorized them by this point so it's pointless to study them in depth), you're screwed for the test when you get a switched up problem.

I had one really great chemistry book that provided lots of problems and also included great and complex examples to learn from. I got As in those classes.

If you wind up with a crappy book - make sure you develop a close relationship with your instructor and peers.

[fdeck]

Schaum's Outlines contain lots and lots of practice problems.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by TheBigO

I taught physics for seven years, so if you want to PM me for more pointers, I can give you a longer answer, but here are some quick pointers:

Make a page of equations to refer to often. Sure, they are all in your book, but having them all together helps, and also just the act of writing them out helps with familiarity. And this isn't true for everyone, but for me it helped to be able to derive them so that I really understood where they came from.

Don't treat physics problems as math problems. What I mean is that you should be able to envision everything going on in the problem in your head, draw a sketch and have an understanding of what you are looking for before you ever write down an equation. Many students just want to plug away without thinking about what's really going on. Plus, if it's more than numbers on a page, you can easily gauge whether your answer is valid.

Practice. I know that's not what people want to hear, but physics takes practice to master. Find a tutor, grad student instructor, or someone in your class who can help and have them work through a couple problems for you. Then go home and work through a bunch more on your own.

Don't fall too far behind. Physics, especially mechanics, is very cumulative. Get help and get it soon, because waiting longer will just make that climb back up tougher.

Good luck.

A second on this.

Next step. MAKE AN APPT with your prof during his or
her office hours. Explain your difficulties and concerns.
Students that show willingness to learn and get help, get help.

Believe it or not, a lot of teachers actually want to make
a difference, and teach. But they expect YOU to participate
in the process. Can't blame them for that, I guess.

And remember, a basic knowledge of physics quickly leads
to Vance Dickason's 'Loudspeaker Cookbook' and a roaring
knowledge of T/S parameters, Huge Rigs that sound great
that you build for the same money you would have bought
crappy cabs for and a good appreciation of the GeekBoys in
the Amps section. What's to lose here? GO FOR IT!

Hooray for our next driver expert!

Don't forget that appt with the teacher.

Kindly report back with your new understanding of sound waves.

[PurplePurple]

My high school physics class just started working with waves.

We start sound waves next week. I also got to explain what a tritone was to the class.