Are you starting your physics studies? Are you in your first years at university, or in preparatory classes? Maybe even a high school student ahead of his or her time? Are you a bit overwhelmed by all those lectures, formulas, laws, principles and strange symbols?
Not quite sure what your teacher is talking about, or even how on earth anyone would want to do physics in their adult life?
Don’t panic, this little physics guide for the semi-serious student was written for you.
I believe that the main difference between reading about physics and reading good fiction is that the work of fiction somehow helps you create a mental image of what is described. The presence of this mental image is what allows subsequent information to land, as the mental image expands and gets refined.
Mental images could help when studying physics too.
Do not reread lecture notes. Retrieve them as if you were trying to explain things in a few minutes to a panicking classmate before an exam.
Formulas are beautiful relationships between physical things and spending time with them can be a pleasant and deep experience. If you pay attention.
This article is about taking notes during lectures. Look, I am sure you are doing it very well. After all, this is your life at the moment. I would just like to suggest adding a tool to your note-taking arsenal.
Having a template for solving physics exercises should allow you to avoid the panicky feeling that comes with the question “Where do I start?”
Sitting in a lecture, you may find yourself neither understanding nor retaining anything. Here is an easy way to fight back.
