21
Most students taking college science courses for the first time also have
very little experience with interpreting the meaning of an equation. Con-
sider the equation w=A/h relating the width of a rectangle to its height and
area. A student who has not developed skill at interpretation might view
this as yet another equation to memorize and plug in to when needed. A
slightly more savvy student might realize that it is simply the familiar
formula A=wh in a different form. When asked whether a rectangle would
have a greater or smaller width than another with the same area but a
smaller height, the unsophisticated student might be at a loss, not having
any numbers to plug in on a calculator. The more experienced student
would know how to reason about an equation involving division — if h is
smaller, and A stays the same, then w must be bigger. Often, students fail to
recognize a sequence of equations as a derivation leading to a final result, so
they think all the intermediate steps are equally important formulas that
they should memorize.
When learning any subject at all, it is important to become as actively
involved as possible, rather than trying to read through all the information
quickly without thinking about it. It is a good idea to read and think about
the questions posed at the end of each section of these notes as you encoun-
ter them, so that you know you have understood what you were reading.
Many students’ difficulties in physics boil down mainly to difficulties
with math. Suppose you feel confident that you have enough mathematical
preparation to succeed in this course, but you are having trouble with a few
specific things. In some areas, the brief review given in this chapter may be
sufficient, but in other areas it probably will not. Once you identify the
areas of math in which you are having problems, get help in those areas.
Don’t limp along through the whole course with a vague feeling of dread
about something like scientific notation. The problem will not go away if
you ignore it. The same applies to essential mathematical skills that you are
learning in this course for the first time, such as vector addition.
Sometimes students tell me they keep trying to understand a certain
topic in the book, and it just doesn’t make sense. The worst thing you can
possibly do in that situation is to keep on staring at the same page. Every
textbook explains certain things badly — even mine! — so the best thing to
do in this situation is to look at a different book. Instead of college text-
books aimed at the same mathematical level as the course you’re taking, you
may in some cases find that high school books or books at a lower math
level give clearer explanations. The three books listed on the left are, in my
opinion, the best introductory physics books available, although they would
not be appropriate as the primary textbook for a college-level course for
science majors.
Finally, when reviewing for an exam, don’t simply read back over the
text and your lecture notes. Instead, try to use an active method of review-
ing, for instance by discussing some of the discussion questions with
another student, or doing homework problems you hadn’t done the first
time.
Section 0.3How to Learn Physics
Other Books
PSSC Physics, Haber-Schaim et
al., 7th ed., 1986. Kendall/Hunt,
Dubuque, Iowa.
A high-school textbook at the
algebra-based level. This book
distinguishes itself by giving a
clear, careful, and honest
explanation of every topic, while
avoiding unnecessary details.
Physics for Poets, Robert H.
March, 4th ed., 1996. McGraw-
Hill, New York.
As the name implies, this book’s
intended audience is liberal arts
students who want to under-
stand science in a broader
cultural and historical context.
Not much math is used, and the
page count of this little paper-
back is about five times less than
that of the typical “kitchen sink”
textbook, but the intellectual
level is actually pretty challeng-
ing.
Conceptual Physics, Paul Hewitt.
Scott Foresman, Glenview, Ill.
This is the excellent book used
for Physics 130 here at Fullerton
College. Only simple algebra is
used.