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Physics Home | Courses | Physics Defined | Success in Physics There are many factors that determine student success in physics courses. In order to succeed, you must have a strong understanding of basic physical concepts. Some of the keys to having a strong understanding of those basic concepts include reading from your textbook in advance of the lecture, attending class on a regular bases, completing homework assignments on time, and asking questions in class. If you study on a regular basis, allocate enough time each week to complete the assignments, and keep up with the course, you will get the most out of the course. The study of physics often presents three major hurdles to students: mathematical preparation, problem-solving ability, and conceptual difficulty. In addition, students often bring with them another hurdle: lack of time. Mathematics is the language of science; this is especially true of physics. After all, much of mathematics was invented to solve physics problems! Possessing credit in prerequisite math courses does not guarantee success in physics classes. Mastery of mathematical skills is required in order to be successful in physics. Fortunately, your physics instructors are as experienced in mathematics as they are in physics. You must seek their help when you have questions about how to use math to solve the physics problem. Problem-solving is an integral part of the algebra- and calculus-based physics courses. One important goal for all instructors in the physics department is the development and improvement of students' problem-solving skills. But...instructors can't do it alone. You will need to practice, practice, and practice some more if you want to become proficient at solving physics problems. This often involves doing more than the assigned homework problems. At ACC, we believe that a conceptual understanding of physics is as important as problem-solving ability. Studies have shown that even good textbook problem solvers may not have a good conceptual understanding of basic physical principles. This limited understanding makes it difficult to solve non-textbook problems and to relate what is learned in the classroom to the outside world. Finally, you must dedicate sufficient time to your study of physics. As for all college-level courses, you should expect to spend about three hours outside of class for each hour spent in class. This adds up to about 15 hours per week for a 5-credit course. This time should be spent studying your notes, reading the textbook, doing homework, and writing laboratory reports. Many students report devoting even more time to the study of physics. Some students were able to succeed in high school even though they did only minimal work outside of class. Please be forewarned: This will not be the case in college physics classes. You should try to work on your studies every day of the week. At least as important as quantity is the distribution of time spent studying physics. Due to work and other obligations, many students wait until the weekend to read and do homework. This can be a dangerous thing to do. Instructors typically cover one chapter each week, and each chapter builds on the ones before. If a student waits until the end of the week to discover difficulties, the next week's classes may incomprehensible. Under these circumstances, a student will rapidly fall behind. Thus, it is imperative that you spend some time each day, if possible, reading or doing homework. Physics Home | Courses | Physics Defined | Success in Physics |
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