Studying difficulties with physics

[Badpaladin]

Thanks for reminding me of why I fucking hated PHYS 222.

Haha, those problems were fun!

[Deleted]

Which textbook are you using? Tipler was the high school standard back when I was in high school, but that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Since our 3rd grade class is the last of our kind (the 2nd graders and before are a part of the new Swedish school system, new grades and new course goals etc) the school hasn't bothered to order any additional books so we rely on a bunch of scanned papers from the 2nd and 1st graders books.

I used to help college students in the entry-level physics courses with their homework and attempting to understand the material, so I'm familiar with a lot of the mistakes people make. IMO one of the biggest offenders is trying to memorize formulas instead of developing problem-solving techniques and truly learning the core concepts - i.e., substituting memorization for understanding. My professors used to remark that A-students would memorize five formulas over the course of the class, B-students would memorize ten, C-students would memorize twenty, D-students would memorize thirty, and F-students would memorize none. (Cue the immediate question "Which five?!" from the students, missing the point completely. ).

Yeeeees, this is also a huge problem, according to my physics teacher it's really the only thing that I seem to fuck up on (which is quite surprising considering the other factors...), but I just don't understand how I'm supposed to. I read the bloody "book", line and line over and over again trying to take it in, meanwhile feeling that a comfy bed would be just right at that moment, get to the problems, brain fart, come to calculus, fill in using formulas. I feel I have no tactic whatsoever.

How did you do in Mechanics? E&M is more abstract and math-heavy, and since it deals with stuff that's harder to visualize it's hard for some students to come up with an answer that "makes sense". Especially when dealing with stuff that synthesizes other topics, like needing to find the point in 3-Space a charge should be placed relative to a disk of charge such that the Electrostatic Force is at a maximum.

For complicated problems it's a matter of compartmentalizing your work. If you're dealing with some surface whose charge isn't constant, focus only on building an expression for the charge as a function (usually of time). Once you have that, just assign that to some arbitrary variable and play with it until you need to integrate/differentiate, then substitute your expression in and crank out the math. I find that doing that compresses the size of the problem significantly, making it much easier.

Uh, I don't think our mechanics were all that complicated.

[semaphore]

But isn't that just going to make you memorize the problems, not the actual theory? But if it works for you, I guess it should work for me.

Memorising actual theory doesn't help as much as having experience in applying it, which is what tests assess you on. Maybe your memory will be good enough to remember the actual questions, but if you have a reasonable bank to work from, it's more likely that you'll end up learning how to solve with a problem rather than the problem itself.

Additionally, how long should I really study?

I think that's subjective. I usually go from 5pm to 5am, and I know I should never ever recommend that to anyone
But in general taking a break is a good idea, harder to learn when you are tired, and your concentration wanes the longer you keep at something.

[Rukentuts]

I think that's subjective. I usually go from 5pm to 5am, and I know I should never ever recommend that to anyone
But in general taking a break is a good idea, harder to learn when you are tired, and your concentration wanes the longer you keep at something.

I was an 8-5 student, and I really only cared about getting As in my core curriculum, I'd settle for Bs or in Physics' case a C+ just to be done with it.

[semaphore]

Yeeeees, this is also a huge problem, according to my physics teacher it's really the only thing that I seem to fuck up on (which is quite surprising considering the other factors...), but I just don't understand how I'm supposed to. I read the bloody "book", line and line over and over again trying to take it in.

You put too much focus on remembering the theory over learning the problem imho. Some theory is always important, but minute for minute time learning the problems goes further in a test.

[Badpaladin]

Uh, I don't think our mechanics were all that complicated.

Mind giving a (rough is fine) example of the kinds of problems you have to solve?

I think that's subjective. I usually go from 5pm to 5am, and I know I should never ever recommend that to anyone
But in general taking a break is a good idea, harder to learn when you are tired, and your concentration wanes the longer you keep at something.

That's way too much studying. I find that if I break 3 hours on one subject I degrade significantly and end up wasting time. Having a carefully-adhered to schedule of not studying has actually helped me a lot as far as retaining information.

[Deleted]

You put too much focus on remembering the theory over learning the problem imho. Some theory is always important, but minute for minute time learning the problems goes further in a test.

How am I supposed to solve problems if I don't have the theory to back it up?

[semaphore]

How am I supposed to solve problems if I don't have the theory to back it up?

But you don't have to know the theory perfectly right from the start. Get some grasp of the material, sure. But you can start on doing the problems without knowing it all by heart. If you can't do a question, refer back to the theory; if you can, then you know that particular section well enough. The point is, solving problems will help you make sense as well as remember the theory much better than trying to memorise that stuff without context/practice, in addition to preparing you for the test.

That's way too much studying. I find that if I break 3 hours on one subject I degrade significantly and end up wasting time. Having a carefully-adhered to schedule of not studying has actually helped me a lot as far as retaining information.

I'm wired terribly like that.

If I take breaks, I won't get back to studying for the rest of the day/night/weekend.

[Reeve]

I was an 8-5 student, and I really only cared about getting As in my core curriculum, I'd settle for Bs or in Physics' case a C+ just to be done with it.

I was a two-days-a-week university student, working on the other 5 days of the week. I'm not sure if I could have handled it if I were one of the students I'm reading about here who studied for hours and hours every week.

[Deleted]

But you don't have to know the theory perfectly right from the start. Get some grasp of the material, sure. But you can start on doing the problems without knowing it all by heart. If you can't do a question, refer back to the theory; if you can, then you know that particular section well enough. The point is, solving problems will help you make sense as well as remember the theory much better than trying to memorise that stuff without context/practice, in addition to preparing you for the test.

So clarification, skim through one passage of text, try to do the first problem, if I don't understand, go back to the passage again and read it through again, then try to do it again etc.?

[Rukentuts]

I was a two-days-a-week university student, working on the other 5 days of the week. I'm not sure if I could have handled it if I were one of the students I'm reading about here who studied for hours and hours every week.

I would play WoW during the Software Requirements class lectures. I had to be sure to sit in the back row, because I was sick of everyone obviously watching me.

[Kurioxan]

We have a wieeeeeeeener.

They made us take two 5 credit Physics courses for SE / CPR E. The labs made me /wrist.

But... but but! the labs for both chem and physics were the most fun parts of it! specially when i would drink the solutions to the horror of my classmates.
how... how can anyone not enjoy labs T_T *confused*

Edit:

Best study advice, ever:
dont study more than 30m at a time, you will get bored, angry, pissed at it and it wont allow you to learn at all, the brain is wired to learn, if you try to force it, it will reject it.
And study at night 3 to 4h before sleep, also, every day.

i used to do 1h a day, no more, 30m sessions with 1h break between, was enough for me to pass high school via self-taught for mathematics, studied 1 year of math in 1 month :P

[Badpaladin]

how... how can anyone not enjoy labs T_T *confused*

When they give you the hand-me-down oscilloscopes because they know not everyone is an EE major, it's a pain in the ass.

[Kurioxan]

When they give you the hand-me-down oscilloscopes because they know not everyone is an EE major, it's a pain in the ass.

buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!

Whenever im given something i dont know its like a present, have to thinker with it, understand it learn it, give it a personal name (and sometimes sleep with it)
i find it very enjoyable

[Deleted]

Alright, wanna thank you guys for your help, gonna do what you guys say and follow your studying advice, study in the eve instead of directly after school and eat more protein-rich food, particulary more egg and milk. Really appreciated.

One last question though, does chocolate milk count as a good substitute for plain milk?

[semaphore]

Chocolate milk is best milk. Chocolate makes everything better, except apparently wine =/

[Kurioxan]

Alright, wanna thank you guys for your help, gonna do what you guys say and follow your studying advice, study in the eve instead of directly after school and eat more protein-rich food, particulary more egg and milk. Really appreciated.

One last question though, does chocolate milk count as a good substitute for plain milk?

Ok, this is PERSONAL, but i dislike milk and a lot of people are mildly intolerant, if it is your case it can cause irritation to your body.
More protein, eat before study carbs! carbs are also important.
Take supplements, a multivitamin a-z should do the trick, they are expencive but last quite a long time, if you cant afford them, eat some more veggies.

But assuming you are perfectly ok with milk, well yeah... chocolate milk is milk with added chocolate, although usually that chocolate is low quality so it wouldnt replace a 75%+ chocolate :P

Hope it helps, also dont get frustrated, you wont see results right away, but gradually you should

---------- Post added 2013-01-09 at 09:42 PM ----------

Chocolate milk is best milk. Chocolate makes everything better, except apparently wine =/

Cinamon however, is awesome with wine.
Then again i dislike wine, only when made into a sangria <3