Physics is hard!! !! !! !! !! !

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Hey guys... I am having a really hard time in physics. I believe it is because of the teaching style. It is not something that I am used to. He expects us to do a reading and homework BEFORE the lecture, and then he is supposed to adjust the lectures based on how we do. However, I learn better when it is explained to me first. So, I am having a hard time learning the material. Does anyone have any tips for coping with this peculiar teaching style?

Thanks so much!

-Coliwack

Maybe also read the book after the lecture and put more time in if that helps you learn better. After also doing it before.

Perhaps you should read it first and try to identify what you don't understand so that you can pay more attention to those topics in class. Then do the reading again afterwards to help make sense of the lecture.

I assume you're in college. If that's the case, get used to it. Professors expect you to read the textbook.

I can understand being expected to read the textbook. But what I am not used to and am having a hard time adjusting to is that he does not discuss the material in depth in class and expects us to learn it all outside of class.

You might also look at alternate presentations of the subjects being taught--might not be a good idea with some other subjects, but there isn't much room for individual interpretation with physics.

It would be pretty rare to have a textbook that could easily be covered in its entirety in class.

Except in my class he does not cover the textbook at all.

Physics is a tough class, particularly if you have never been exposed to that kind of material before. physicsforums.com is a really good forum for learning how to solve basic problems, the people there are super-knowledgeable. There's a few more websites out there as well. My suggestion would be to work out as many solved examples as you can on your own, then refer to the solutions when you get stuck. Physics is largely about repetition, work as many problems of every type that you can possibly imagine!

I think that what usually trips up people in physics is that they don't understand the mathematics. If you know the math and can concentrate on the physics, it is much, much easier.

As a graduate student in Math, I went back and took the undergraduate Classical Mechanics course for my own enjoyment. I had already studied all the mathematics that was needed in the course and could concentrate on understanding the physics. It turned out that the physics was really quite easy for those who understood the math.

For example, on the first exam there were 25 points of bonus questions in addition to the 100 points for the exam. In spite of that, the average grade on the test was in the 60s. Because I already had a very good understanding of all the math involved, I thought the test was pretty easy and made approximately 120 on the exam.

I will never forget one class in the course. At one point the prof was simplifying an equation. A simple trigonometric identity, sin(2x)=2sin(x)cos(x) would have done in one step what the prof spent five minutes doing. Instead of using the trigonometric identity, he expanded the sin and cos functions into infinite series, eliminated any terms higher than about third order as being negligible, recombined the remaining terms, waved his hands a few times, and ended up with sin(2x).

It was all I could do to keep from bursting out in laughter.

Why didn't you tell him before he started this arduous task?

As for the OP' post: if you are 19, I recommend acquiring and reading Feynman Lectures from Physics + Tips on Physics

You can also watch a few of them here:
http://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/tuva/

I used to correct profs but finally realized that it made me the student from hell. Once I realized that, I quit correcting them.

I know how you feel! I took physics last semester with a lazy and hard teacher, I had to go after class and ask for help even though he was mean about it.

Many profs really appreciate those students who show up and ask for help. As very few students ever seem to come by with questions, someone who does show up during office hours is often seen quite positively. If nothing else, it shows that the student cares enough about their course to make an effort. Of course, there are always some counterexamples.

I've known students who would make a point to show up regularly to the office hours for most of their profs with the idea that when it comes time to assign a grade, they are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt and come up with a higher grade for the course.

Yeah, my teacher isn't that good, but hes the kind that likes it when students have questions and is willing to answer them. I know cuz I did it once.

I actually know of a couple of great resources for your situation. Try Khan Academy and MinutePhysics on YouTube. I basically taught myself with the two of them. And Khan Academy is in the full-on lecture format. Look it up-- I hope it helps a bit.