There’s n… Describing our world is not always intuitive, and sometimes requires a mathematical and conceptual understanding that is very advanced. If you have taken Calc 3, you know what a vector field is (if not, it is a n-dimensional infinite space that contains vectors in each of n directions). In so many videos I get people leaving a sweeping comment "You don't understand physics." I am trying to understand what exactly voltage is. Happy to help. Is my brain just not wired correctly for this? Showerthought: "Animals don’t understand the concept of an accident. The koans are of his own imagination, so they don’t function as a nonsensical alternative history of physics. The easiest way is always to ask yourself "For every action, there's a reaction. Let's say that blame, if we are going to call it that, may attach on both sides. Nothing in the real world works like this, you always start with the answer, or a possible answer, especially in science, and then you work backwards to the problem you are given. Jackson Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, on which the present article is based. Now, there's the Law of Coulomb (the one that goes F=(kq1q2)/d2). Read the Question Carefully. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. You join the subs you like and these appear in your feed (or you can look at each sub individually). In third year now, still working part time but at a different company, much smaller, and learning loads and meeting really interesting people in computing. Surface integral - I don't understand it Thread starter member 392791; Start date Feb 28, 2013 Feb 28, 2013 I am a freshman in college level physics, studying to become an engineer. Is an electron more than its behaviors? I would suggest watching some YouTube videos on the topics you are struggling with. It's similar to gravity. Sometimes things don't align, and intelligence isn't really behind it. The short answer is: yes, you can still be a good engineer even if you don't "understand physics". 10 Jan 2020 Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. I didn't get things quickly, and lacked the self discipline to persevere and study it. Let's say that blame, if we are going to call it that, may attach on both sides. We are not in the business of explaining, but of describing and writing down mathematical models. Master the Basics: Physics is based on a number of central theories from which everything else develops. This is the basic building block of WHY everything you observe happens. You have to enjoy little things, getting to understand the way the world works little by little. For example, the microwave background could be explained through different mechanisms in space. How will you measure resistance to determine a rule for calculating the effective resistance of one or more resistors wired in parallel? It only takes a minute to sign up. I have been told that it is like the "pressure" of the electrons as they flow into the circuit. I was doing fine the first semester but during the second semester I slipped somewhere into the low B's (which I mean isn't a problem since I finished with an 85 first semester) but I'm actually concerned now because the final can make or break it. These figures are taken from Nuclear and particle physics by C.Williams. Homework Statement: At what average rate does the magnetic field need to change to induce emf of 1.0 V. See attachment question 1. Physics sounds horribly complicated, but most of its basic level questions are similar – once you get the concept, you get the solution. This suggests two approaches to take. Log In Sign Up. Electricity is another thing that baffles me. 3. Or at the very least, not cut out for how it's currently taught. Introductory Physics Homework Help. Top Guide of Physics Reddit The Truth About Physics Reddit. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Yeah, that's not correct. Two ice skaters, each with a mass of 72.0 kg, are skating at 6.05 m/s when they collide and stick together. The math and types of problems will be different, but it'll be just as hard. You've asked a deep, sweeping, historic question...no need to wrestle with it alone. This is my personal response to those people. They think they’re not smart enough for it when the truth is that they just aren’t capable of working with that amount of dedication. However, their are some differences between electric and gravitational forces. And don't be fooled into thinking engineering will be any easier. I guess I really am just stupid” is an example of the belief that someone should be completely competent and achieving in all ways in order to be a worthwhile person. A physics theory is a mathematical model that defines useful concepts and uses them to approximately describe some aspects of reality. I switched from physics to engineering and it was the best decision I ever made. Introductory Physics Homework Help. flying straight from the runner to the finish. Some of us don't learn well, and some people don't teach well. that's all you need to know. The earth puts out a gravitational field at every point in space, and you feel the gravitational force as your mass times the field at that point. A barefoot field-goal kicker imparts a speed of 16m/s to a football initially at rest. I don't understand the articles about texture mapping. The aim of /r/Physics is to build a subreddit frequented by physicists, scientists, and those with a passion for physics. I don't understand physics at all? It makes sense to me that in a series circuit that voltage changes as it goes through a resistor. This is the field of high-energy particle physics; perhaps you'll take a course in it, but I doubt you'll find it more satisfying re your question. This equation is really similar to the one of universal gravitation (F=Gm1m2/r2), both define a force. I felt exactly the same way during my undergrad. line at vb= 4.4 km/hr (2 times as fast as the. Intelligence as you see it really isn't that important. I don't understand physics? For every question in maths, if you change a number slightly, what happens to the result? What matters is how much you are willing to put in your best effort. I've tried working more problems, and I just do not feel like I'm actually learning physics. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein reviews Cosmological Koans: a Journey to the Heart of Physics by Anthony Aguirre. Your original question (plea?) Some of us don't learn well, and some people don't teach well. I read mostly Reddit for god's sake and find it helps for reading. I don't see that in many people. Sign up to join this community. I have to constantly ask stupid questions and I feel like I’m the least popular in my class because of it. You can use math to then explain that because of the properties of the particle (given by the particles field from quantum field theory/quantum electrodynamics), we get the macroscopic laws of physics such as the electric field (won't include gravity because we haven't yet resolved gravity on a quantum level). A vector is defined by a magnitude/scalar and a direction (North, East, North-East, etc...). Well, that one explains that the electric force between two things is defined by the product of their charges, times the constant K (someone discovered it), divided by the square of the distance between them. The … 36 0. Physics is about explaining the behaviors we see around us using mathematics. Like kinematics, etc. Homework Statement: At what average rate does the magnetic field need to change to induce emf of 1.0 V. See attachment question 1. it changes too. Physics – and most science subjects – can be very complicated. I can understand Calculus II but damn physics just doesn’t like my brain and vice versa. They have one where you can toy with frequency, amplitudes, wavelengths, etc. Edit: Physics was the only class I wasn't able to succeed in. You can be anti-realist and a strict induction-oriented empiricist and that's fine, but I think it's just wrong to characterize the median physicist as endorsing that understanding of physics. I've already seen questions similar to this subject asked around here before, and they sort of help but not that much, so I thought I'd ask here too anyway (even though I don't expect much out of this either): I had to drop my physics class because I just can't really understand the material covered at all, even though my instructor spoke very clearly and was very nice. Homework Statement: So I have a question which goes like this: A 3.0 kg block rests on a 30° slope and is attached by a string of negligible mass to a solid drum of mass 0.85 kg and … It helps in E&M to think of charges of a tiny type of mass and E and B fields as a type of gravity, with certain differences. I've failed physics II twice before understanding that I had to get away from it in order to move on and graduate. If I realize that I’m just not cut out for the heavy physics/math in a physics degree, what are other degrees somewhat related to physics do you think i should pursue? Posts should be pertinent, meme-free, and generate a discussion about physics. I CAN DO PHYSICS is a channel for Scottish Physics students to view solutions to over 100 questions from SQA Physics past papers. Actually, that’s a bit of an understatement. My experience was the opposite - undergrad engineering just a much tougher curriculum. QFT goes into much more detail than that, but that is the basics it. Bored chemist. I have to constantly ask stupid questions and I feel like I’m the least popular in my class because of it. Organize the Information. I know engineering would be an option, but what do you think specifically, and any other degrees outside engineering, such as another science like geology for example? And don't be fooled into thinking engineering will be any easier. One can probably get away with this in the arts, but not in math or science. Find the magnitude of the downward acceleration of the hollow cylinder. Of course, if you mean 'I have the definition but don't understand it' then it would be better if you wrote out what you think the definition is so someone can explain it to you. "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. Yes, students (and faculty) often refer to this time as “midterms”. So if the charges are equal, the electric force will end up positive; if their different, the electric force will end up negative (Why? With math/science a lot of people have trouble due to a weak foundation. The reason there are so many examples of bad engineers is because engineering attracts people who aren't capable of doing the work but want the job security while physics has no such job security. Is there a better way to learn physics? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A quick Google Search ought to pull it up no problem. Beyond this, though, we don't know why this happens, it just happens and we are able to explain it using math. When we use vectorial quantities the negative sign stands for an opposite direction. You can be an engineer, but not a good one and the same goes for all other scientific fields. because ++=+, --=+, +*-=- and -*+=-, simple math, check the formula). I don't understand the motivation for any moment in this entire video. Take a look at out previous articles in this series discussing how to study Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, History and Law. This is something I often hear students say around the midterm. eg, this part of the equation does x,y,z, and when these things change, certain aspects of the theory explain the changes in results. In the primitive yo-yo apparatus, you replace the solid cylinder with a hollow cylinder of mass M, outer radius R, and inner radius R/2. Now I'm doing Physics since I'm in 12th grade. I don’t understand the physics of any of the objects on the table. Can't understand physics Thread starter piisexactly3; Start date Feb 12, 2014; Feb 12, 2014 #1 piisexactly3 . Our university is famous(lost accreditation) for a bad physics department though. And the truth is, unless you’re very passionate about it, the returns you get for that work aren’t much. I have never understood how you approach subjects like math, physics or chem. This is a fantastic way of learning things, good job. I understand the impact that the eliptic orbit has on the speed of the earth and why that would lead to a true noon happening after 12pm in February and before 12 pm in late autumn but when I map the true noon I notice 2 bumps and it's the second variation I don't understand. In physics (and most other courses), everything is built up gradually from the ground up. Dumb isn't a useful concept. It happened to me with psychology and I ended up wasting 2 years of my life. If you have any more 'what is the definition' questions your first step should always be to use google to look them up (mathworld is a useful online resource). If I say I have vector A going at 'x' speed to the North, I can suppose a vector -A going at 'x' speed to the South (because it is in opposite direction). If you like physics and want to learn it, and are willing to work hard, you'll succeed. like what more is there to a number. I started university thinking that I would work my ass off and finish top of the class. of waves or another where you drag a magnet through a coil to illustrate Faraday's law. Anybody can ask a question Anybody can answer The best answers are voted up and rise to the top Home Questions Tags Users Unanswered I don't understand Ampere's circuital law. Yes...lots of neurons and internal organs. I've enjoyed my course more, been less stressed, and in my second year I held a part time Job at an industry leader in town. I didn't understand reddit at first but it's on elf my favourite sites now because it can easily be tailored to your own interests. This is a fantastic way of learning things, good job. If so, then why am I "envisioning" something somehow doing something? Please report trolls and intentionally misleading comments. I've already graduated with a degree in another scientific discipline but I was originally going for physics. It's just a very 'out there' concept that is hard to visualize, and for me visualization of what's going on is the key to understanding physics (which is what makes more advanced topics so much more difficult; not because the math is hard but because there isn't really a way to visualize it). I'm currently studying A level physics independently as an older student and I'm finding it hard to make sense of some the concepts. I'm sure once I do, I can build on from there and learn myself. There's always this nagging feeling that something isn't quite right. i don't understand physics!!? I don't really understand why the cross sections for proton-proton and proton-antiproton scattering show such high values at low momenta. It was never adequately explained (the example of rubbing silk on glass was used), and eventually I just had to accept that these things exist and work with them. But something you should keep in mind is that people underestimate the need for struggle and hard work. Don’t get me wrong, I work hard for physics but I just can’t grasp concepts as quickly as I can with math. I understand that charged particles behave a certain way, but why? Vote. How to Study Physics: 5 Techniques to Improve your Memory 1. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give! I taught university-level intro physics for several years, and believed that anyone could be good at physics. I personally have the complete opposite issue to you, so I can understand how frustrating it can be (especially when the majority of your marks is based on the mathematics components...:\ ) if you have any questions, or if I didn't explain myself right, just let me know. In physics, everything just seems so "hand-wavey". And why one uses homogeneous coordinates. So for example, I understand my electromagnetic fields classes way more than I ever understood physics II and the problems are way more involved than physics II . 9 0. When explaining all of the "hand-wavey" part. For the sake of clarity, I will be using å to represent rotational acceleration. That much can explain why not everyone goes for a physics career. If it's not easy at the start, then they lose enthusiasm really quickly. This cannot be exactly right. Don't worry, at first E&M is very difficult, but after a while you get used to it and it becomes more natural. I will also occasionally use the 2 step construction process instead of a new for speed reasons, a new() allocation will attempt to find memory it can pack in a neat way, where malloc is less picky.