If you had high school physics, you will probably learn the concepts of this course faster than those who have not because you will be familiar with the language of physics. Also helpful will be the state of your mathematics preparation – if your mathematics ability is better than most, you will pick up the mathematical aspects of physics faster. If you find that your math skills are poor, do not hesitate to seek help from Physics Resource Center as soon as possible.
Each of us has a preferred learning style and a preferred means of learning. Understanding your own style will help you focus on aspects of physics that may give you difficulty and to use those components of the course that will help you overcome the difficulty. Obviously, you will want to spend more time on those aspects that give you the most trouble. If you learn best by hearing, lectures will be very important. If you learn by explaining, then working with other students will be useful to you. If solving problems is difficult for you, spend more time learning how to solve problems. In addition, it is important to understand and develop good study habits. Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself is to set aside adequate, regularly scheduled, study time in a distraction-free environment.
Answer the following questions for yourself:
Scientists or engineers seldom work in isolation from one another, but rather work co-operatively. You will learn more physics and have more fun doing it if you work with other students. You may wish to form your own study group with members of your class. Use email to keep in touch with each other and ask question about the day’s lecture or the upcoming assignments. Your study group is an excellent resource when reviewing for a test or exam.
An Important component of any university course is the lecture. In physics, this is especially important because your professor will frequently do demonstrations of physical principles and work example problems on the board. These are learning activities that will help you to understand the basic principles of physics. Don’t miss lectures, but if you do, ask a friend or member of your study group to provide you with notes (or get them from the web ) and let you know what happened.
Take your class notes in outline form and fill in the details later. It can be very difficult to take word for word notes, so just write down the key ideas. Diagrams should be sketched quickly, with the details added later. After class, edit your notes, filling in any gaps or omissions and noting things you need to study further. Refer to the textbook by page, equation number or section number.
Make sure you ask questions in class or see your professor during office hours (office hours will be listed in the Course Outline handed out at the beginning of the semester, and posted on his office door). Remember that the only "dumb" question is one that is not asked.
You’ve paid a lot of money for that textbook – so don’t just carry it around – use it! All modern textbooks have been designed to be as interesting as possible and with many kinds of learning aids incorporated in them. In addition to reading the assigned sections of the text, be sure to work through all the examples, filling in any missing steps and making note of things you don’t understand. At the end of each chapter there is usually a series of non-mathematical exercises designed to test your understanding of the concepts covered in the chapter - try these regularly. Get help right away with the concepts that confuse you!