mom2bee Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 I need to review calculus-based Physics 1 this summer. I have to be ready for Physics II in the Fall and I need to go ahead and get myself ready. I took Physics 1 already and I did okay but I definitely need to review and my textbook, which I hate with the burning passion of a thousand blazing suns, isn't a good option. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Which text do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 8, 2014 Author Share Posted May 8, 2014 9th Edition of Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Walker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Giancoli is good at explaining concepts, or you can look for online sources. Here's a free one on Physics II: http://www.anselm.edu/internet/physics/cbphysics/downloadsii/cbphysicsiib24.pdf There's probably one available for Physics I as well, but it might be helpful to see what you'll be needing. Edited to add the link for Physics I: http://www.anselm.edu/internet/physics/cbphysics/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Ask regentrude's advice, along with a little more detail as to what your textbook doesn't do well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 What do you hate about your text? I consider it one of the best calc based physics texts. If you like his writing style, try Knight (be careful to choose the right book, as he has a calc based and an algebra based text). His order of topics is a bit different than most texts though. Other good options are Giancoli and Young&Freedman. I like Young for the precision of his notation, but the book is too fat for my taste. I think you should first pinpoint what you hate about the text. An alternative would be watching the MIT OCW lectures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 BEGIN RANT THAT IS ONLY VAGUELY RELATED TO QUESTION. First of all, a quick disclaimer: In all fairness I hated that entire class and everything about it--the teacher, the room (its a special class room), the teacher, the assigned text, the online homework, the ever elusive TA, the book, the attitude of the students and the teacher. So, I admit that that colors my experience greatly--the class professor was the asst. dean and a very special jerk because of it. He was very smug, unhelpful and abused his power over the students--literally and since all student complaints go to the Asst. Dean there was absolutely NOTHING that we could do about him. It wasn't just me either because there were several times whenever the ENTIRE class was stuck on a problem from the homework set and he would still be utterly useless....However, I digress. I was a part of my schools pilot program for a student-centered class and it was horribly executed. Just frustrating all around. I had NO Physics background whatsoever going into the class...Also, please forgive me, but the only thing I clearly remember from that class was how much I hated it, so I can't give any cited examples from the text. END RANT THAT IS ONLY VAGUELY RELATED TO QUESTION... Sorry, you didn't even ask about all that, but I had to get that off of my chest. What do you hate about your text? I consider it one of the best calc based physics texts. I found the book very, very, very difficult to approach. It was frustrating to read the book and get stuck every other page. I get that Physics is conceptual but I found the material, as presented by the text, extremely overwhelming, very wordy and I found it a nightmare to study from. Why? Because during the discourse of the text, the author seemed to be introducing A, B, C, and D, and he might mention that through a bunch of mathematical dancing (see Appendix J) you will find that B has this relative K who is also related to all vowels. That leaves you all confused and thinking to yourself "O...K....What has that got to do with anything?" Well, once you get to the exercises you have to use his confusing explanations in order to find G, Q, W, $, %, 9, !, ~, and +. In other words, everything but what you read about. There was always, always, always some trickery involved in the problems and I didn't feel that the Mechanics Portion of the text covered those strategies well. My teacher was worse than useless though and after a couple of weeks the students were supremely apathetic and those who knew what they were doing didn't care about those of us who were lost... I guess the textbook made me feel like the author was trying to impress and intimidate with his Impressive Knowledge of Physics rather than clearly explain the material to the clueless. If you like his writing style, try Knight (be careful to choose the right book, as he has a calc based and an algebra based text). His order of topics is a bit different than most texts though. I remember hating virtually everything about Halliday, and I borrowed a Knight text to try and study from, I remember liking one or two things about his explanations/style but it was still a monster of a textbook to study from and it is only now that I can pinpoint what it was that just turned me off from page one of the text: The books are so visually cluttered that it is overwhelming. (I know, that shouldn't matter at this stage in my life, but it did. It drove me crazy and gave me a migraine to look at both Knight and Halliday. The pages are packedtighterthanaschoolofsardinesinatoosmallcan!) Other good options are Giancoli and Young&Freedman. I like Young for the precision of his notation, but the book is too fat for my taste. Thank you, I will look for both Giancoli and Young + Freedman to see which one I can find in my area. I think you should first pinpoint what you hate about the text. An alternative would be watching the MIT OCW lectures. Thanks, I'll be watching the MIT OCW lectures as well, I was hoping to get something to go along with it though. Honestly, I work best from a physical book with pencil + paper in my hand. It just helps me so much more to engage and to actually let the material sink in to be able to read, write, recite and review my own work as I go. I guess that in hindsight: the sciences and I have never got along, (The very first D I got was in Chem) but I was not prepared for those 16 weeks of hell called Physics 1 or that ridiculous final exam!!! ETA:I know that my reply has a good dose of Negative Nancy in it, but I had to get that off my chest! It bothered me so badly that I couldn't stand to take Physics for a long time--but I didn't fight my way through all that math (from Elementary to Linear Algebra and beyond), and the WEEDER courses within my own major just to be held up by Physics 2. Its just 16 weeks of a subject that I will never have to see again. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I remember hating virtually everything about Halliday, and I borrowed a Knight text to try and study from, I remember liking one or two things about his explanations/style but it was still a monster of a textbook to study from and it is only now that I can pinpoint what it was that just turned me off from page one of the text: The books are so visually cluttered that it is overwhelming. (I know, that shouldn't matter at this stage in my life, but it did. It drove me crazy and gave me a migraine to look at both Knight and Halliday. The pages are packedtighterthanaschoolofsardinesinatoosmallcan!) Other good options are Giancoli and Young&Freedman. I like Young for the precision of his notation, but the book is too fat for my taste. Thank you, I will look for both Giancoli and Young + Freedman to see which one I can find in my area. Giancoli preview pages on Pearson UK. Looks similar to what I saw at my used book store. I found Giancoli too colorful while hubby found Halliday too dry. My Halliday text is ancient and I guess a lot less cluttered. http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/media/WalkThrough/Giancoli_9780136074809/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 The issues with the visual clutter are sadly present in all current college texts. I find this highly distracting too and wonder whether the fact that students have such a short attention span is not aggravated by the nature of these texts rather than accommodated as the publishers claim. Thus you might want to check out an older text. The physics has not changed in the last fifty years, but the presentation has. A 30 year old text may be less distracting and have fewer extraneous pictures, making it a slimmer volume and easier to handle. I can not recommend a specific text since I was not educated in this country. I am also wondering whether you are approaching the reading the right way. I find Halliday a very clear text (Knight has a slightly more flowery style), but it must be read with pencil and notepad, and you should work through every example until you understand all steps. You might already be doing all those things; this is just the advice I would give to any of my students. I think your negative experience is very likely affecting the way you approach physics now, so you should pick a text that is not the one you used back then. How much do you recall? Maybe it would be helpful to begin with a bare bones test prep book to just refresh your memory - I would not suggest these for a student as a first study f physics, but maybe it might work for you since you ahve already gone through a course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I think a tutor would be a better option. Physics 1 books are pretty similar, and a physical person might be able to explain to you why they expect you to find D given A B and C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 The issues with the visual clutter are sadly present in all current college texts. I find this highly distracting too and wonder whether the fact that students have such a short attention span is not aggravated by the nature of these texts rather than accommodated as the publishers claim. Thus you might want to check out an older text. The physics has not changed in the last fifty years, but the presentation has. A 30 year old text may be less distracting and have fewer extraneous pictures, making it a slimmer volume and easier to handle. I can not recommend a specific text since I was not educated in this country. Why I didn't think of this is a mystery to me. :). Honestly, it wasn't until I started visualizing the book (too lazy to go and get it off the shelf) that I was able to articulate one of the things that bothered me so much. The pages are a fuzzy blob in my memory, no matter how hard I try I can't get more than a hazy colorful, dialog box (worked examples) and then just fuzz-fuzz-fuzz. For my other books, I can remember where (and what) the headers are, the basic order of the topics, the bolded words, etc... I am also wondering whether you are approaching the reading the right way. I find Halliday a very clear text (Knight has a slightly more flowery style), but it must be read with pencil and notepad, and you should work through every example until you understand all steps. You might already be doing all those things; this is just the advice I would give to any of my students. Yeah, that is what I tried to do! I would read the text which took FOR.EVER.AND.EVER to get through and then I'd do the examples a few (dozen) times and then I would think that I finally understood what was going on, and then I'd start on the homework set and I would promptly be asked to use A, B, C and L (wait--there was an 'L'?) to find * or + and I'd be all like :huh:. and I would go for a hint or something but it didn't help because the "hint" was something useless and cryptic like: "Remember that B is related to K!" :blink: . So then, I'd think about it for another 1/2 hour and then I'd just be like: :cursing: and I'd have to :banghead: until I was able to :crying: just to relieve some of the tension building sot that I could dig bare to start again. In hindsight, the whole class was just an exercise in misery and suffering. I wonder if the Psych dept was testing STEM students for stress tolerance or suicidal impulses or something because its like that class was some sort of sick experiment in human behavior...ugh! I think your negative experience is very likely affecting the way you approach physics now, so you should pick a text that is not the one you used back then. How much do you recall? Mostly that I was confused a great deal of the time. But les'see, without looking at anything I recall the basics of the kinematic equations...and Newtons 3 laws. A gravity constant, normal force and centri-something-or-other about spinning force. I remember studying friction because I spent a small fortune on private tutoring... Maybe it would be helpful to begin with a bare bones test prep book to just refresh your memory - I would not suggest these for a student as a first study f physics, but maybe it might work for you since you ahve already gone through a course. I was looking on Amazon for some sort of Test Prep/Refresher book but I couldn't tell which ones were for Calc based or Trig based physics. Will it matter a lot? I remember not using very much calculus in Phy1. The trig way was always jumping out at me when I did problems but occasionally I would do something with a derivative. Schaums is probably Calculus Based, but For Dummies, I can't tell...My class only covered (Classical) Mechanics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 I think a tutor would be a better option. Physics 1 books are pretty similar, and a physical person might be able to explain to you why they expect you to find D given A B and C. I wish I could afford a tutor! I would get one in a heartbeat! Sadly, I'm out of work at the moment and it isn't an option. It wasn't D. I swear it was more like Given A, B, C and X (seriously, where do these random extra bits come from?! lol) Find G, Q, W, $, %, 9, !, ~, and +. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 You might want to take a course or get a tutor. I think you need to have a live human with which to talk about the concepts. If you were my student, I would recommend that you join a study group because the interaction is THE most helpful learning tool for a student who can not learn from the textbook. Articulating a question to the degree that you can ask it is often all it takes to organize the confusion in one's mind. Been there, done that. Did you ever attend any peer learning sessions for your physics? I have not found any substitute that would be equally powerful for struggling students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Quite honestly I'm not sure if another calc-based textbook is the right thing for you at the moment. I think you might be better off going through a conceptual textbook first, to really understand all the concepts they're getting at, and then go through the math again, if you can't afford a tutor. For most students it's VERY hard to learn the concepts and the math at the same time, and that's the whole reason for conceptual courses to exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Quite honestly I'm not sure if another calc-based textbook is the right thing for you at the moment. I think you might be better off going through a conceptual textbook first, to really understand all the concepts they're getting at, and then go through the math again, if you can't afford a tutor. For most students it's VERY hard to learn the concepts and the math at the same time, and that's the whole reason for conceptual courses to exist. Probably a good idea - but I recall the OP telling us about all those advanced math courses she has been taking with no trouble... looks like she should have no difficulties with the math side, if she really mastered the math conceptually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 You might want to take a course or get a tutor. I think you need to have a live human with which to talk about the concepts. If you were my student, I would recommend that you join a study group because the interaction is THE most helpful learning tool for a student who can not learn from the textbook. Articulating a question to the degree that you can ask it is often all it takes to organize the confusion in one's mind. Been there, done that. Did you ever attend any peer learning sessions for your physics? I have not found any substitute that would be equally powerful for struggling students. It sounds like I'm whining but you have to believe me, Regentrude, I tried to assemble a study group. The students were not interested! The first week of class I created a class site and wheedled everyone for their contact info. I linked all the most helpful Physics resources I found (Notes from KSU, MIT OCW Course, a few KhanAcademy Videos and several useful PDFs) and linked them up there. I even included a countdown to Finals week. In preparation for the test I bought 2 dozen donuts and asked my class mates to join me. Two people came for about 30 minutes, ate donuts and left. I studied by myself, ate like 6 donuts and gave away the rest. There was a Grad Student who was, in theory, available to help us but he was preparing to defend his thesis so he was more of a Myth than anything. On the day that the teacher had him sub though, the grad student was GREAT and everyone loved having him there. I managed to hunt him down the day before the finals and revised with him. I tried but it was difficult to get a study group together and after the 2nd test no one even seemed to care--it was too late to drop and most were doing too poorly to pass anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Quite honestly I'm not sure if another calc-based textbook is the right thing for you at the moment. I think you might be better off going through a conceptual textbook first, to really understand all the concepts they're getting at, and then go through the math again, if you can't afford a tutor. For most students it's VERY hard to learn the concepts and the math at the same time, and that's the whole reason for conceptual courses to exist. Yeah a conceptual course might be a good idea...I didn't know there was anything like that, do you have any suggestions or recommendations? The math was the only thing that I could do in that course well enough. I often got my signs wrong (docked points!) or used some inefficient method to get the answers (docked points). The essay questions on his tests were very difficult for me...even when I studied. I have a hard time seeing the meshing of formula and the physics itself. The teacher kept telling us to think about it but I was just like "huh?"... ETA: Probably a good idea - but I recall the OP telling us about all those advanced math courses she has been taking with no trouble... looks like she should have no difficulties with the math side, if she really mastered the math conceptually. One caveat--those math classes were not effortless. I was always able to get through them with a decent grade and with a good level of understanding. I knew the material well enough to interview and get hired as a tutor, but I also got a lot better when I was tutoring. I wish I were that smart but those math classes were definitely work, however it was worth it. I really wanted to study in this field. I just hadn't anticipated Physics *dunh, dunh, dunh!* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Hewitt's conceptual physics is commonly used for this. The 11th edition is 40 bucks, but the 9th edition is available for 2.50 used on amazon. Even if it doesn't work, for that price it's worth a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Yeah a conceptual course might be a good idea...I didn't know there was anything like that, do you have any suggestions or recommendations? The math was the only thing that I could do in that course well enough. I often got my signs wrong (docked points!) or used some inefficient method to get the answers (docked points). The essay questions on his tests were very difficult for me...even when I studied. I have a hard time seeing the meshing of formula and the physics itself. The teacher kept telling us to think about it but I was just like "huh?"... Hewitt Conceptual Physics. If you struggled with the concepts, this would be a good starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Its been ages but...isn't Physics 2 on something pretty different? I thought Physics 1 was mechanics and Physics 2 electricity, magnets and what not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Its been ages but...isn't Physics 2 on something pretty different? I thought Physics 1 was mechanics and Physics 2 electricity, magnets and what not? I believe so but I was led to believe that an understanding of PHY1 leads to the foundation of PHY2...I honestly don't know now...should I spend this time getting a jump on PHY2 or solidifying a base foundation in PHY1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Its been ages but...isn't Physics 2 on something pretty different? I thought Physics 1 was mechanics and Physics 2 electricity, magnets and what not? Yes, that is correct - but a student needs to have mastered the concepts of force, kinematics, energetics etc that are introduced in mechanics in order to understand e&m. Topics that require an understanding of mechanics are for example the motion of charged particles under the influence of the Coulomb force, the energetics of motion under the influence of a potential energy, circular motion caused by a magnetic force, torques exerted by electric fields and magnetic fields. Also, since electricity and magnetism are a lot more abstract,students should have developed physical problem solving skills on examples that are closer to observation and experiences form every day. Unless they understand the motion of visible objects (boxes and balls), it will be extremely difficult to understand the motion of things that you can't see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I believe so but I was led to believe that an understanding of PHY1 leads to the foundation of PHY2...I honestly don't know now...should I spend this time getting a jump on PHY2 or solidifying a base foundation in PHY1? CP includes more than mechanics so it'd be giving you a conceptual explanation of both. Here's the TOC: http://www.dsusd.k12.ca.us/users/phealy/physics/Ebook/htm/_cp9e.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 OP, maybe when you go back and begin studying again you will realize you know more than you thought you did. Do you still have any of your tests/notes? It sounds like you were emotional most of the time when you approached Physics and that colored your experience...I think getting out your notes, old tests and quizzes and maybe going over them with a conceptual guide will help a lot. I'm sorry, but if you can do the math, Physics is NOT that difficult. What is the highest math you have taken? What grade did you get out of Physics1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 I do okay in math. I finished the Calculus sequence, Linear Alg, Diff Equations, and Discrete 1. Discrete 2 is my mathematical kryptonite... I got solid B out of the physics class (would have been an A but my lab grade got factored into it!) I make As and Bs in math and I tutor math. If anything it will be the natural sciences that will be try scholastic end... I don't know why but Physics IS hard for me! I can do the math I just can't figure out the rest of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmarm Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I do okay in math. I finished the Calculus sequence, Linear Alg, Diff Equations, and Discrete 1. Discrete 2 is my mathematical kryptonite... I got solid B out of the physics class (would have been an A but my lab grade got factored into it!) I make As and Bs in math and I tutor math. If anything it will be the natural sciences that will be try scholastic end... I don't know why but Physics IS hard for me! I can do the math I just can't figure out the rest of it... The reason is that some classes--such as Discrete Math and Physics--actually require precise mathematical, logical and exact thought. If you understand what is happening, how it is related and what you can and can NOT do in the situation, then you should be able to verbally get from A to Z (or in your case from A to %) because it is not arbitrarily made up on the spot. I admit that I don't recall most of physics, I found the class boring myself but it isn't that hard if you can do the math and think about the concepts. I highlighted where I did because discrete math is when most students meet proofs. Like...hardcore, legitimate proofs. Most students have been blithely using the proof resultss (formulas) for years without any really concern for where they come from. But then they get to Discrete (or a proofbased class) and are violently and rudely awakened: You can't count and calculate your way through mathematical proofs no more than you can mindlessly differentiate or integrate your way through Physics. You have to think it through... I second (third?) the recommendation for a conceptual physics text. Just keep reading and reading, study the book. Watch lectures after you've read and take more notes. Then summarize your notes and lecture yourself on the material--ask and answer your own questions. Get online and find a virtual physics group. You aren't the first student to run into this, you wont be the last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Oh, and i forgot that of course Khan Academy is a great study tool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 I highlighted where I did because discrete math is when most students meet proofs. Like...hardcore, legitimate proofs. Most students have been blithely using the proof resultss (formulas) for years without any really concern for where they come from. But then they get to Discrete (or a proofbased class) and are violently and rudely awakened: You can't count and calculate your way through mathematical proofs no more than you can mindlessly differentiate or integrate your way through Physics. You have to think it through... Yes. This. A surprising number of students do very well in elementary mathematics classes which are computation-based because they are bright and very good at pattern-matching. But when they get to the upper-division proof-based classes which require following far more convoluted chains of reasoning than they have so far, and a much higher percentage of non-routine problems, they struggle. I see this a lot because I teach most of the proof-based classes at my small university, and I also saw it a lot with the advanced undergraduates when I was in graduate school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 The reason is that some classes--such as Discrete Math and Physics--actually require precise mathematical, logical and exact thought. If you understand what is happening, how it is related and what you can and can NOT do in the situation, then you should be able to verbally get from A to Z (or in your case from A to %) because it is not arbitrarily made up on the spot. I admit that I don't recall most of physics, I found the class boring myself but it isn't that hard if you can do the math and think about the concepts. I know, *sigh*. It seems that way to me, but I know that it isn't made up, I just can't follow all the mental leaps needed for those exercises. There just seems to be this great disconnect between the explanations -- exercises -- exams. Like each one is a (very) distant relative of the other... I highlighted where I did because discrete math is when most students meet proofs. Like...hardcore, legitimate proofs. Most students have been blithely using the proof resultss (formulas) for years without any really concern for where they come from. But then they get to Discrete (or a proofbased class) and are violently and rudely awakened: You can't count and calculate your way through mathematical proofs no more than you can mindlessly differentiate or integrate your way through Physics. You have to think it through... Oddly enough, Discrete 1 is where we learned Proofs with a great professor, I worked really, really hard in Discrete 1 but did well. Discrete 2 doesn't really have many proofs but the teacher is HARD--she likes to boast that the vast majority of her Discrete 2 students have to take the class 2 times before they can pass it. She is good, she knows her stuff, she is just...hard. I second (third?) the recommendation for a conceptual physics text. Just keep reading and reading, study the book. Watch lectures after you've read and take more notes. Then summarize your notes and lecture yourself on the material--ask and answer your own questions. Get online and find a virtual physics group. You aren't the first student to run into this, you wont be the last. Okay, I will get a conceptual guide to physics. I will try and target all the core concepts from Physics 1 that are needed in Physics 2 and now that I've actually ranted about my Physics 1 experience, I can say the word physics without hyperventilating. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction, lol... Oh, and i forgot that of course Khan Academy is a great study tool! Thanks! It wasn't until I pulled up an old email that I'd sent to my Physics classmates that I remember all the study stuff I had found online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 Another option would be to work through a test prep book for AP Physics C . Many of the topics in a first semester calc based physics class are covered in the AP course, and many times, the explanations in the prep books are less technical and easier to understand than the explanation in the textbook. Another option would be to purchase the solution manual for your textbook and work through the problems in the topics that are giving you trouble. If you are unable to find a solutions manual for your textbook, there is a solutions manual for the University Physics textbook and the solutions are very thorough. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 There is a Coursera physics class going on right now. It's a prof from UC Boulder. I'm doing a quick preview of it. He uses his own textbook, but it is a free pdf on the site once you sign up. Don't worry that it has already started, all the videos are still available. I like him so far, so maybe his teaching style will work for you. https://class.coursera.org/physics1-002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 I guess that in hindsight: the sciences and I have never got along, (The very first D I got was in Chem) but I was not prepared for those 16 weeks of hell called Physics 1 or that ridiculous final exam!!! ETA:I know that my reply has a good dose of Negative Nancy in it, but I had to get that off my chest! It bothered me so badly that I couldn't stand to take Physics for a long time--but I didn't fight my way through all that math (from Elementary to Linear Algebra and beyond), and the WEEDER courses within my own major just to be held up by Physics 2. Its just 16 weeks of a subject that I will never have to see again. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this..." I haven't read all the posts, but...why are you taking physics 2 then? Is it required for your major? If not, I would suggest not taking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 on other groups folks have been mentioning this free book http://www.dcassidybooks.com/up.html as an alternative to Hewitt Conceptual Physics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 I haven't read all the posts, but...why are you taking physics 2 then? Is it required for your major? If not, I would suggest not taking it. It is required, I would never take it for elective credit if the dept. wasn't making me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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