What am I doing wrong while solving problems?

[tellmesomething]

This site probably gets similar questions all the time, apologies if its too repetitive.
I know the ultimate answer is to keep practicing, anything else is just a way of procrastination (including this post) but I feel like im doing something wrong somewhere. I'll explain this with an example.

For instance electrostatics is the first chapter we are introduced to in 12th grade here in india, the school year starts in april and students usually spend 3-4 weeks on this material.

However I started this (one month late due to personal reasons) in may and its almost august and ive just ended it. That excludes practice problems, the video material I was watching was segregated into 3 parts fields, potential and gauss law, so about 5 lectures in each section(total≈15) with assigned reading assignments and problems to do after each lecture.

Yet I spent a lot of time in the fields portion,I delayed watching lectures until I attempted all of the homework ( which you were supposed to do in a day rightfully so) and that took me about a whole month.( but I believe my understanding here was better than the other two). I then realised my speed is very low and sort of tried to fast track the second portion of potential and I still think ive a low understanding of it, but I did some problems (not all!) and moved to gauss law. Here also I ve lots of gaps in my understanding as you can see from my regular posts on such basic problems on pf.

I dont know what im doing wrong, do I simply just need more time to absorb the material and do the problems or am I procrastinating?

I also used to spend a lot of time on the fields problems (for reference) in the beginning and came up with lots of solutions independently, ( not all lots from PF as well)
But then I got this FOMO that I would never be able to complete my syllabus and for the further problems if they were a bit too hard I just either searched on google or directly referred to my notes or directly jumped to PF.

How do I strike a balance between developing my problem solving abilities quite finely but also doing them somewhat quickly?

I know physics requires time and if I cannot appreciate that I should probably not bother with it further, but I think my situation is quite unusual. I have compromised on maths and chemistry because of this, people my age also follow the video lectures I mentioned and I see them completing it well within the assigned time limit.

( I hope this is an appropriate thread to post in)

 

[tellmesomething]

Oh and also if this comes off as me thinking " I must be good at physics". I assure you its not that, im aware of my capabilities and I know im not even close to good. But I believe hard work can make one relatively better no? but its not working in my case or maybe im just not doing it enough?

 

[docnet]

I dont know what im doing wrong, do I simply just need more time to absorb the material and do the problems or am I procrastinating?

Some people just need more time to learn, for various reasons. I don't know if you're one of those people or not, because I don't know you. With some people, the presence of learning disabilities can increase anxiety and stress, leading to procrastination. Depending on who you are, these two reasons may not be exhaustive; there are lots of factors, internally and externally, that can make university more challenging. I really hope you find what works for you. If you're challenging yourself and willing to put in the effort, even if it seems unfair, I really believe you will find success.

 

[tellmesomething]

. If you're challenging yourself and willing to put in the effort, even if it seems unfair, I really believe you will find success.

Thanks for this.. I'll make this a constant reminder so that I dont waste time brooding over the end result.

 

[Rive]

For instance electrostatics is the first chapter we are introduced to in 12th grade here in india, the school year starts in april and students usually spend 3-4 weeks on this material.

However I started this (one month late due to personal reasons) in may and its almost august and ive just ended it.

Schools heavily building on student cooperation/competition. You missed all that and were forced to apply a more university-like, self-reliant, adult-ish approach without prior experience.

If you can overcome this hurdle you may profit on this later on.

Ps.: be sure you really 'ended' the lesson, otherwise there may be problems instead...

 

[tellmesomething]

Schools heavily building on student cooperation/competition. You missed all that and were forced to a more university-like, self-reliant, adult-ish approach without prior experience.

If you can overcome this hurdle you may profit on this later on.

I dont think I expressed myself well. I was comparing myself to the average student time taken in good schools to complete the chapter. If I had started in april I still would have followed the said video lectures since my school is economically extremely weak so the faculty is not really qualified for the job they are doing. :-(

 

[Rive]

If I had started in april...

... then you could have taken the lessons at the same time as your schoolmates, propping each other up.
It works and is incorporated into the curriculum.
But you did not have that. You learned alone.

 

[tellmesomething]

... then you could have taken the lessons at the same time as your schoolmates, propping each other up.
It works and is incorporated into the curriculum.
But you did not have that. You learned alone.

Thats a good way to look at it.. :)

 

[fresh_42]

There are really many aspects that play a role. I, e.g. performed always better in a team than learning alone. I was simply more motivated and could ask someone. Math is a never-ending string of why questions. Speed is a matter of response time to those why's.

Then there is the possibility of repeatedly running into dead ends. A break could be useful in such cases. That often gives you another perspective on problems. Resolving such dead ends is often astonishingly simple.

Also, tools can play a role. I like chalk and blackboards. They help me more than ink and paper.

Here is a short, interesting interview with a professor which contains her view on time management:
https://www.ams.org/publications/journals/notices/201707/rnoti-p718.pdf

If you compare yourself with others then you already start with a problem. Unless you are a new Srinivasa, you will always find students who are better or faster. This again can have uncountable reasons. If you figure out points which you think you have to improve on then approach one issue at a time by practising. Otherwise, i.e. if you want to get better at various fronts simultaneously you will have the next problem.

Good luck!

 

[docnet]

Here is a short, interesting interview with a professor which contains her view on time management:
https://www.ams.org/publications/journals/notices/201707/rnoti-p718.pdf

Definitely going to read this!

 

[tellmesomething]

. If you figure out points which you think you have to improve on then approach one issue at a time by practising. Otherwise, i.e. if you want to get better at various fronts simultaneously you will have the next problem.

I think this is a really important point you made me reflect on. I see myself doing this all the time, trying to strengthen multiple weaklings at once. Not really smart or efficient.

There are really many aspects that play a role. I, e.g. performed always better in a team than learning alone. I was simply more motivated and could ask someone. Math is a never-ending string of why questions. Speed is a matter of response time to those why's.

It's quite the opposite for me, unless im alone in a room and can speak to myself while explaining certain things to myself about a problem , I dont get quite far. One of the major reasons could be that I simply haven't found the right peer group to study with, the people I know are usually not willing enough to brood over a problem (which is fair since the d-day is in 5 months hardly)or its just the fact that they are able to grasp certain parts of the problem faster than I can so why would they want to match my speed. I also ask a lot questions which usually kills everyone's time and in this world everythings a race so not efficient at all..

Then there is the possibility of repeatedly running into dead ends. A break could be useful in such cases. That often gives you another perspective on problems. Resolving such dead ends is often astonishingly simple.

I really encountered these situations so many times where I didnt give up on a problem for quite a lot of time and then the solution came to me independently because of my trial and error. But I was shamed a lot for my methods last year since its not practical at all...and now ive conditioned myself to immediately look at a solution after 5 mins hardly.

I need to step back and think why I chose this path.. Not to just get into a good engineering college but because I was curious about the math and the physics and how the world works.

Thankyou, this was a very good post which made me reflect on a lot of things :-)

 

[docnet]

I need to step back and think why I chose this path.. Not to just get into a good engineering college but because I was curious about the math and the physics and how the world works.

This! I'm glad you realized this.