Good Problem Solving Habits For Freshmen Physics Majors

If you're starting your first year in freshmen physics, this video could help put you on the right track to properly setting up problems. I solve a simple projectile motion problem, and show the importance of keeping equations in variable form, drawing diagrams, and other strategies that every physics major should make a habit of doing.

[marcuskoseckshorts]

Friend: How long did it take you to finish the physics homework?
Me: 5 meters

[StarboyXL]

0/10 completely unrealistic. Not enough crying and questioning all of your life choices.

[JecIsBec]

Andrew: "Whats going on, smart people"
Me: "oh i guess im in the wrong place"

[leyawonder]

"This is your first semester in physics
The second semester is when you get into string theory"
I'm dead😂😂😂

[froslassmismagius]

It's okay to approximate things *TRIGGERED*

[codenamerishi]

1) Draw Pretty Pictures - FUN PART
2) Tool Box - RELAXING PART (just copy data)
3) Relevant Equation - HARDEST PART
4) Solving for things - BORING PART =(
5) Sub in Data - SCARY PART (any stupid mistake here and final answer is wrong)

[ComradePhoenix]

9:41 "You've gotta learn its ok to approximate things".

Whatever the opposite of a vietnam flashback is, I had that for when my first semester prof cancelled out 3 and pi in an equation, and the entire class freaked the hell out. There was a math major in the row ahead of me, and he took it the worst. My reaction was something like "Ok, that's actually pretty cool".

[mpcc]

Andrew Dotson the Bob Ross of Physics.

[TheCorbae]

I tutor for freshman physics and this is the method I use.
A. Neatness and white space are your friends.
1. Draw and label picture.
1a. Free body diagram.
2. Choose a zero point and axes.
3. Make a list of your known quantities based on step 2.
4. Check for SI units / unit consistency.
5. Solve.
6. Does your answer make sense?

For some reason students are really against step 1. And definitely solve symbolically. Unfortunately the teacher at my school does not follow this practice. Mastering Physics is great for the instant feedback but it can lead to sloppy work. And it makes it too easy to google the answer. Step 6 is important. I had a student ask for help on a Mastering question. He'd entered a speed about a million times faster than light for the speed of a bullet. Another student calculated a surface charge density that was so ridiculously high that I responded, "Congratulations you just broke the universe."

[marcioamaral]

A series of you deriving every classical mechanics eqs would be awesome

[speedspeed]

You listened to me! Thanks!

This was VERY helpful. I have been solving the first chapter problems in the text we will be using in Fall.

"This is your first semester of physics. The second semester is when you get into String Theory."

[SNoCappidona]

One of the most important suggestions for me in early physics classes was to choose a coordinate system that make sense with the problem you're doing. you dont always have to choose positive y-axis to be up. physics works in any coordinate system, this will come in handy when you have many forces acting on an object at weird angles.

[FalloutYakuza]

My physics teacher in high school taught me to list all the terms that are given and "assumed" before starting a problem and it's incredibly helpful. Without listing everything that's given you would get lost really quickly and have to try to find all the given terms over and over again, which is time consuming. I also highly recommend drawing a diagram for every problem (especially kinematics, vector, and force problems) because it will help you visualize the question. University Physics 1 is mostly just high school physics, until you get into introductory orbital mechanics, buoyancy, and the Doppler effect, which is why I personally found University Physics 1 to be easy.

[FalloutYakuza]

The only real thing that I find to be irritating about university physics is when your professor uses a different symbol for something then you do and you have to try to figure out what they are talking about. My university physics professor was European and he would use V0 instead of Vi for initial velocity and U instead of PE for potential energy. I also don't get why letters like P, W, and T are symbols for so many different things. Why don't they just have designated them with different symbols? It gets annoying when you have 2 different terms that are designated by the same symbol (e.g. T) and are in the same equation.

[tempestandacomputer]

*Approximates gravity*

Me: *an engineering freshman*



"It's this where this stops applying to me?"

[divyabhashini]

I used to write that information's given in problems when I was in grade 11.also of my science teacher used to do it..and now I'm in grade 12.my high school teachers doesn't teach the way like my grade 11 teacher did.they put all data straightly to equations.and I'm getting used to it by imagine the equation and data in mind without write cuz time is priceless in exam.but I got stuck by using wrong equations..now It's fine..day by day lesson's getting harder..btw ty for the video.

[marcuskoseckshorts]

I'm so happy I'm not the only one that leaves it in variable form until the end! So much easier to keep track of everything!

[bryamayvar]

You should talk about the why we solve for the thing we're looking for symbolically. I think its because it really allows us to appreciate the answer, because we can test the extremes and clearly see the relationship between the results, this is great though. I wish I would've seen it before my first semester. You should make another one!!!

[andyfang]

My highschool AP physics teacher taught us this method and he called it the standard model

[autid]

I think you could do a whole video on dimensional analysis and sanity checking if you wanted.