Physics

[sr71blackbird]

This week I am starting physics as a summer course.
I have some fears about it and wonder if anyone who knows it will be able to ease them or confirm them.
I was never good at math. Basic arithmetic I was okay at, and as an adult I have to make use of a calculator, but people stump me all the time with some pretty simple math questions. Some of them are stunned that I do not know how to do some calculations.
That being said, and since this is a summer class and kind of accelerated, is there any chance I will pass this class? I am not looking for an "A" but I wonder if I will keep my head above water.
I did not pass high-school algebra, but I did pass a basic math class in college (over 20 years ago) that had some algebra in it.
This class is a summer night class at a community college.

I am having a hard time even finding things on the net about physics, and I understand it is a very broad science.
What should I expect? Am I fucked? Keep in mind it's been 20 years since I was in a math classroom.
Does anyone know any sites that will give me an overview of what basic physics is all about, and examples of the kinds of things I will learn?
I am concerned and hope that I at least pass this thing, but I need some help.

Thanks.

BTW, I have zero idea what the symbols on the bottom mean at this point:
http://www.electricbanana.com/cart/images/Physics%20of%20Falling%20EB114TS.jpg

[sailor]

i don't have the answers you're lookign for. i just wanted to comment i agree with ron when he said it's ok to say your bad with numbers, but if you said you were illiterate people would consider you a moron. i'm pretty sure he took it from this book, which is a great read:

<div><div style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0"><a style="margin:0 10px 5px 0;" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0809058405/?tag=adaptiveblue-20" target="_newTab"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F7FVB95ML._SL160_.jpg" style="border:0px;width:100px;"/></a></div><div style="width:300px;"><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0809058405/?tag=adaptiveblue-20" blueKey="TV5C6xg7MRkWinzuHDf9KZ36cgYsC1xKd3j" blueType="book" target="_newTab">Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences</a></div><div style="margin-top:5px">Why do even well-educated people understand so little about mathematics? And what are the costs of our innumeracy? John Allen Paulos, in his celebrated bestseller first published in 1988, argues that our inability to deal rationally with very large numbers and the probabilities associated with them results in misinformed governmental policies, confused personal decisions, and an increased susceptibility to pseudoscience of all kinds. </div></div><div style="clear:both;font-size:9px;">Sent from <a href="http://www.adaptiveblue.com" target="_newTab">BlueOrganizer</a></div></div>

edit: btw, that's the formula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equations_for_a_falling_body#Overview) for time it take for an object to fall.

[Ritalin]

There is more math in physics than biology or earth science, but it's a more practical kind. When they explain to you what those variables represent you'll get the hang of it.

[Yosammity]

Sorry, dude. You're screwed. Physics is all applied mathematics.

[debit]

Yeah, I kicked ass in algebra in high school and passed physics but didn't do as well. If you aren't good at math then you will be screwed.

PS I am an accountant now!

[JPMNICK]

the best thing i can tell, as someone who has taken more college level physics then I care to remember, is throw out your pre-conceived notions about the way things work. sometimes your life logic that is built into your head will get in the way of your ability to look at a problem.

also, FREE BODY DIAGRAMS. DRAW EVERYTHING. when you do motion equations, which is one of the 1st things you will do, draw every single problem. when you draw things, it helps you be able to label things and plug in information from the word problem into something more visual.

Follow the same procedure every time, every problem, no matter how easy. read it twice. pull out the info you need, draw a diagram, label it, decide on what you are trying to solve, make a choice on which equation to do, plug in the numbers and solve.

memorize the equations they give you, and make sure you understand everything.

it sounds like it is going to be a fun challenging summer. do not worry to much about the math background not being there, into level I physics isn't all that crazy. i took physics for engineering, and we used calculus to solve most problems, but i doubt a community collge class is going to go to that level.

EDIT: the symbols at the bottom are t=time; d = distance; g = gravity

so it is saying the time to fall on the spikes is eqaual to double distance is he falling divided by the constant rate of gravity, which is 8.8 m/s^2. then you take the whole right side, and take the square root of it. the answer will be in seconds, and all the units will be metric, so your distance needs to be in meters.

[JPMNICK]

my above post was to crowded, so i am going to say this here. if you brush up on one mathematical thing, i would try really hard to remember how to manipulate equations. take the above equations. you are solving for time, but say you wanted to solve for distance because you already knew the time. do you know how to change that equation to do that? i will not post the answer here if you want to try it out. i would say this is going to be the most important math thing you need to know.

it's not so much about knowing numbers as it is knowing how to solve for what you need.

[Jujubees2]

I took Physics I and II as an undergrad many moons ago and got an A in both. Part of that was due to the cool prof I had. He was right out of grad school (couldn't have been more than 30) and was able to explain everything in simple terms. He also didn't have us do written lab reports. After we did the experiment and came up with our conclusions, the group would have to give him a presentation of what we did and what we found. Much more valuable than trying to write everything down. Oh, and he threw a great party at the end of each semester (I remember doing shot of Tequila with him and smearing our faces with nacho cheese dip).

Yes, there is some math but it's not as complicated as it seems. JPMNICK has a good point about diagrams.

[sailor]

(I remember doing shot of Tequila with him and smearing our faces with nacho cheese dip).

no homo?

[Jujubees2]

no homo?

No homo, especially if you saw his girlfriend...

We ran out of chips for the dip so we started using our hands to scoop the dip...

[Mike Teacher]

The language of science is mathematics. Just is what it is.

The good news = the math used in physics at this level is rarely beyong the basic four functions and squares/square roots, that covers 90% of the math involved.

The problem isnt the math, the problem is the unfamiliarity

Example 1: Given that the density of aluminum is about 3 g/cm3, what is the volume of 150grams of aluminum?

Example 2: A School has 400 students and 20 classrooms. How many students are in each classroom?

The math involved in both examples is the same. Division/multiplication are all we need, but we can do Ex. 2 in our heads because we know what classes and students are. If we are unfamiliar with volume and density, it becomes more difficult, but not in any way due to the math.

Get the concepts, the math will follow.

The book Innumeracy someone mentioned above rules.

If you want to get started, buy those 'Idiots Guide to Physics' and their ilk. Great books, I use them a ll the time.

In fact, I"m thinking of writing one: Mental Retardation for Dummies.

[room noise drops dead]

[silence]

[crickets]

[distant howl]

What ??

[Gritty]

If you want to get started, buy those 'Idiots Guide to Physics' and their ilk. Great books, I use them a ll the time.

In fact, I"m thinking of writing one: Mental Retardation for Dummies.

[room noise drops dead]

[silence]

[crickets]

[distant howl]

What ??


BOOOOOOOOOOOoooooOO!

[Mike Teacher]

BOOOOOOOOOOOoooooOO!

What about my kids books:

Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

You're Different, and That's Bad

Things Rich Kids Have that You Never Will

The Pop-Up guide to the Birds and the Bees

[Jujubees2]

In fact, I"m thinking of writing one: Mental Retardation for Dummies.

Will George Bush write the forward for you?

[KnoxHarrington]

There's nothing that annoys me more than when someone who you can tell doesn't actually know anything about physics starts going on about the most abstract, theoretical parts of physics and tries to tie them to some sort of mysticism. You see people doing this with string theory, and especially the "Grand Unified Theory".

Physics is an interesting enough science without resorting to this sort of thing.

[sr71blackbird]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all your help. I assume and hope I will be allowed to use a calculatour, because in either question Mike Teacher used, I am unable to do that math in my head (I know, its scary). But I do get that conceptn so if it could be presented to me like that, I may get the point of the concept. Also, what about algebra? Will some of the equasions require me to use it? Remember, this is basic intro to physics, like physics 101 or whatver. Its also in Nassau Community College and its at night and its the summer session. Its going to be monday wed and thu 6 to 10 at night with thursday as a lab

[ooger]

Go to a book store and buy a few pre-algebra and algebra self help books for sure.

Since it's a non-calculus based 100 level course, the class shouldn't be too bad depending on who is teaching it.

The professor that i had for Physics 160 and 161 (calc based physics) taught an intro to physics class this spring. He told me that he used a minimal amount of math in his course just because he knew that the art/business retards would be taking it to fill their core science req.

At any rate, If you have any problems post 'em here and i'll do my best to check this thread.

I'm almost done with my BS in Mechanical Engineering so I've done my fair share of math and physics.

[ooger]

There's nothing that annoys me more than when someone who you can tell doesn't actually know anything about physics starts going on about the most abstract, theoretical parts of physics and tries to tie them to some sort of mysticism. You see people doing this with string theory, and especially the "Grand Unified Theory".

Physics is an interesting enough science without resorting to this sort of thing.

jeeze like that awful "what the #*%)($* do we know" movie

[Gritty]

What about my kids books:

Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

You're Different, and That's Bad

Things Rich Kids Have that You Never Will

The Pop-Up guide to the Birds and the Bees

Now, those I'd buy!

[bobrobot]

everything I know about Physics I learned from Rube Goldberg...

http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2003/graphics/rube3.jpg

is that Physics???

[ooger]

sure is.

that's a statics problem that turns into a dynamics problem.