Struggling to teach myself math and physics

[gutelily]

Hey!

I want to study physics and math, and eventually, I would like to get a Bachelor in Physics. I quit university about 5 -ish years ago, an Engineering major...I wasn't a good student and don't really remember anything.

A couple of years ago I discovered a big interest in Physics and decided to get a degree in this field. I actually have started many times to study maths, physics and also some programming, but after some time I would drop and then I have to start all over again (because I forgot things).

This month I started for the last time and I will try to push myself through and do not allow myself to drop. But this is very hard and exhausting, and the part of me is convinced I am a failure and will never reach my goal. It seems too much and impossible to learn.Does anybody struggle with that? What do you do?

I try to push and continue and do things even if they don't make sense yet, but the urge to drop because I think I am not smart enough for that is tremendous. I am afraid my dream of becoming a scientist will remain just a dream.

Maybe you also were a university dropout, but managed to get back to school -- share your story, please.

 

[Haborix]

It is unclear (to me) whether you are self-studying or enrolled in a university. Which is it?

If you're trying to get somewhere, you don't get there by sheer, undirected will. You need a plan. Do you have a plan? If so, how specific is it? And for any long term goal a plan should consider what habits and routines you will build up so that when you have days where you are unmotivated you carry on.

[EDIT: Sorry, I just looked at the title again, and it is clear self-studying is happening. I was just focusing on the body originally. My apologies.]

 

[gutelily]

It is unclear (to me) whether you are self-studying or enrolled in a university. Which is it?

If you're trying to get somewhere, you don't get there by sheer, undirected will. You need a plan. Do you have a plan? If so, how specific is it? And for any long term goal a plan should consider what habits and routines you will build up so that when you have days where you are unmotivated you carry on.

I am self-studying now.

My plan looks like 'follow the book and solve problems'.

I want to enroll in a university hopefully next year, but I need to pass exams in Math and Physics. I found topics covered in these exams and dates when I could take them.

Would be good to have specifics, but I tend to waste time planning instead of really learning. I've read multiples articles and blogs about how to learn physics/math, but they are just the lists of books or courses.

So, honestly I have no idea how to make it a real plan.

 

[Haborix]

Well, you know the topics you need to cover and you know the date when you need to know them by. A plan would at the very least identify what weeks you cover what topics. You'll probably have to adjust along the way as certain things take more or less time. Decide when you will take practice tests.

You should also think about your day-to-day routine. When do you get tired---the afternoon (I do, and have to work around that)? When are there the least distractions in your day? Can you reduce distractions further? Learning is intense business and it is made much easier if you are eating well and sleeping.

 

[gutelily]

Well, you know the topics you need to cover and you know the date when you need to know them by. A plan would at the very least identify what weeks you cover what topics. You'll probably have to adjust along the way as certain things take more or less time. Decide when you will take practice tests.

You should also think about your day-to-day routine. When do you get tired---the afternoon (I do, and have to work around that)? When are there the least distractions in your day? Can you reduce distractions further? Learning is intense business and it is made much easier if you are eating well and sleeping.

Thank you! I'll do that.

 

[Haborix]

One other comment. You can't go from studying 0 hours a day to suddenly studying 8 (just an example, you may want to study more or less than that). Don't let the initial motivation you have deceive you on this point. You might think you can study a lot right away, but when the motivation dissipates you'll discover the truth. You need mental training and habits to be able to study for an extended period everyday. You might start with just an hour or two of studying a day and build that up over the course of weeks/months.

 

[symbolipoint]

Hey!

I want to study physics and math, and eventually, I would like to get a Bachelor in Physics. I quit university about 5 -ish years ago, an Engineering major...I wasn't a good student and don't really remember anything.

A couple of years ago I discovered a big interest in Physics and decided to get a degree in this field. I actually have started many times to study maths, physics and also some programming, but after some time I would drop and then I have to start all over again (because I forgot things).

This month I started for the last time and I will try to push myself through and do not allow myself to drop. But this is very hard and exhausting, and the part of me is convinced I am a failure and will never reach my goal. It seems too much and impossible to learn.Does anybody struggle with that? What do you do?

I try to push and continue and do things even if they don't make sense yet, but the urge to drop because I think I am not smart enough for that is tremendous. I am afraid my dream of becoming a scientist will remain just a dream.

Maybe you also were a university dropout, but managed to get back to school -- share your story, please.

@gutelily, repeated study of the same course or subject can be beneficial. The use of a community college to actually enroll in some Mathematics courses, in succession if at all possible, would be extremely valuable. You need to keep up with the schedule for the course or courses you attend

By curiosity, how well conditioned are you in Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Trigonometry? Could you find a source to assess your competences in those courses?

In case you are working (either full or part time), then attending school may be difficult.

 

[Joshy]

When I'm not going to the university... I usually study things because I'm extremely curious of the topic. Lately for me it's been related to work (which I really like), and so I could understand why that would be challenging for others. Maybe find ways to connect the physics to your interests or things you want to work on. Learning about the electric field near the surface of a grounded sphere that's next to a smaller sphere with an arbitrary voltage V... It's cool to me now, but early college me would have found it very dry and like useless overkill for what I wanted to do (circuits) I didn't even care very much about the electric field of a wire or infinite plane back then, and really didn't care when the problems became more difficult limiting their dimensions.

Just a random example but like if you really like music then it might be easier to study about (sound) waves. I like to break things too... at least theoretically... ask hypotheticals what if this or that ie. like what if sounds with different frequency traveled at different speeds, then what would happen or what does it mean for audience sitting at the front of a rock concert compared to the ones at the far back? What happens if your CD has a different sampling rate for that song you like, or there's a horrible tone in it that you want to remove?

I also love those... like... trivia questions. They were the most frustrating exam questions lol. Like if I'm sitting in a boat and throw a heavy rock off... would the water rise or fall. What if I threw off Styrofoam?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Don't try and get ahead. Review and make sure your foundation is strong.

 

[gutelily]

@gutelily, repeated study of the same course or subject can be beneficial. The use of a community college to actually enroll in some Mathematics courses, in succession if at all possible, would be extremely valuable. You need to keep up with the schedule for the course or courses you attend

By curiosity, how well conditioned are you in Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Trigonometry? Could you find a source to assess your competences in those courses?

In case you are working (either full or part time), then attending school may be difficult.

Unfortunately there is no community college option in my country. And I also work full time.

I know there are preparation courses, but they are quite pricey.

Never come across such source. I believe I must be good at algebra and trigonometry, but some things I definitely forgot. Anyway I am able to study and understand Calculus and if something forgotten -- Google works well :)

 

[gutelily]

When I'm not going to the university... I usually study things because I'm extremely curious of the topic. Lately for me it's been related to work (which I really like), and so I could understand why that would be challenging for others. Maybe find ways to connect the physics to your interests or things you want to work on. Learning about the electric field near the surface of a grounded sphere that's next to a smaller sphere with an arbitrary voltage V... It's cool to me now, but early college me would have found it very dry and like useless overkill for what I wanted to do (circuits) I didn't even care very much about the electric field of a wire or infinite plane back then, and really didn't care when the problems became more difficult limiting their dimensions.

Just a random example but like if you really like music then it might be easier to study about (sound) waves. I like to break things too... at least theoretically... ask hypotheticals what if this or that ie. like what if sounds with different frequency traveled at different speeds, then what would happen or what does it mean for audience sitting at the front of a rock concert compared to the ones at the far back? What happens if your CD has a different sampling rate for that song you like, or there's a horrible tone in it that you want to remove?

I also love those... like... trivia questions. They were the most frustrating exam questions lol. Like if I'm sitting in a boat and throw a heavy rock off... would the water rise or fall. What if I threw off Styrofoam?

Thank you, Joshy.

I would like to know more about the world too. I think I just need to strengthen my basic knowledge and then I will be able to have more fun with physics. I will try to find something to connect with.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Work through a pre-calculus book. Then a calculus book. Then a intro physics book. Try to study at least 1 hour a day, 2 preferably. Increase if time permits.

Dont overthink...

 

[vela]

I wouldn't rely on just a book. Try using some of the resources offered online, like MIT OpenCourseWare, to guide your studies.

 

[Math100]

I wouldn't rely on just a book. Try using some of the resources offered online, like MIT OpenCourseWare, to guide your studies.

I wouldn't rely on just a book either, especially nowadays, there are many resources online, that you can possibly take advantage of. Also, there are YouTube videos for educational purposes, you just need to do some search in areas like physics or mathematics.

 

[Delta2]

Learning Science is not an easy task. You need a lot of patience and persistence, two very important virtues on learning anything. Just don't quit so easily.

If you forget something, or don't understand the books at some points come and ask for it at Physics Forums ,we ll be glad to help you. I personally was keep forgetting some things when I was a student ,when I didn't have an adequate intuitive understanding of the situation. If that's the problem with you too, come here at PF and ask "What's the intuition behind this?" type of questions, we 'll be glad to answer.