Discouraged with Physics

[Adequace]

You've probably seen my other threads or whatever...I'm taking 1/2 atm in year10, I'm getting discouraged with physics since I find it hard for me to grasp the concepts I learn in class. It could be because it's the first time I'm learning this sort of material.

I'm not sure what to do, I've never struggled/started failing class when I actually try. In year 9, I managed high 80%s in electricity and other physics related topics which probably gave me a false sense of hope.

I'll probably see how it goes after our first major assessment and probably get a tutor when we go over electricity and motion.

I'm not sure what the purpose of this thread was but I'd like physics 1/2 resources if there are any..lmao

[spectroscopy]

alot of people on atarnotes arent big fans of vce physics LOL it doesnt have a particularly good study design and i dropped it pretty quickly in year 11
if you can get past the conceptual knowledge, and instead just try to memorise formulas, you could do well still, but if you dont like it and arent doing well you may as well drop it for a different 3/4 in year 11 like psych or something

best of luck

[heids]

Just want to say it's normal to feel like this after only doing a couple of weeks on a totally new subject.  Don't despair, don't rush out and get a tutor, don't give up on the class; you'll settle in.  Take heart, all will be well after all it's only been a couple of weeks.

Get other notes from the notes section here, but there's heaps of clear simple explanation on the internet if you just search.

(I don't know why I'm answering either, didn't even do physics ).

[Adequace]

Yeah, I've seen people on AN show a strong disliking towards physics but I find it alright just a little challenging for someone who is slow like myself.

It's just sad that I feel like this when this was the subject I chose to accelerate in and with numerous teachers recommending me to take physics a year earlier.

[keltingmeith]

Yeah, I've seen people on AN show a strong disliking towards physics but I find it alright just a little challenging for someone who is slow like myself.

It's just sad that I feel like this when this was the subject I chose to accelerate in and with numerous teachers recommending me to take physics a year earlier.

Teachers (generally) know what they're talking about - in fact, most spend 4 or more years learning how to teach. Particularly if they've been in the job for a while, they know a bright kid when they see one. If they thought you could take physics a year earlier, then you probably can take physics a year earlier AND do well. Stick it out, stand strong, and keep the work up - you might be surprised what you can pull out, even after this initial rocky start.

Hell, after my first few weeks of chemistry last year, I thought I was going to fail the unit and wanted to drop it. I then ended up with a 78% overall mark, and now it's my major (when I tell people, they're STILL asking me, "weren't you going to drop chemistry?"). Anything can happen.

[Fantasia94]

I remember I was in your position back when I was in year 12. I would sometimes spend hours staring at my physics textbook trying to understand Newton's Laws of Motion, Diodes etc. I thought that simply reading the textbook hours and hours again would help me understand the concepts and answer exam questions. But this really didn't help, it just made me more confused about the content.

What really helped me was purchasing the physics notes books (A+ notes was certainly the most helpful for me). I would just read the notes (which were more concise and clearer than the textbook) and then straight after I would attempt questions relating to the section I read. This approach raised my exam grade from a C+ for the 1st physics exam to an A+ in the second physics exam ( I know that such a jump seems a little hard to believe but this comes to show how important using the correct study techniques are).

[Adequace]

Teachers (generally) know what they're talking about - in fact, most spend 4 or more years learning how to teach. Particularly if they've been in the job for a while, they know a bright kid when they see one. If they thought you could take physics a year earlier, then you probably can take physics a year earlier AND do well. Stick it out, stand strong, and keep the work up - you might be surprised what you can pull out, even after this initial rocky start.

Hell, after my first few weeks of chemistry last year, I thought I was going to fail the unit and wanted to drop it. I then ended up with a 78% overall mark, and now it's my major (when I tell people, they're STILL asking me, "weren't you going to drop chemistry?"). Anything can happen.

Thanks EulerFan, this really brang my confidence up

I remember I was in your position back when I was in year 12. I would sometimes spend hours staring at my physics textbook trying to understand Newton's Laws of Motion, Diodes etc. I thought that simply reading the textbook hours and hours again would help me understand the concepts and answer exam questions. But this really didn't help, it just made me more confused about the content.

What really helped me was purchasing the physics notes books (A+ notes was certainly the most helpful for me). I would just read the notes (which were more concise and clearer than the textbook) and then straight after I would attempt questions relating to the section I read. This approach raised my exam grade from a C+ for the 1st physics exam to an A+ in the second physics exam ( I know that such a jump seems a little hard to believe but this comes to show how important using the correct study techniques are).

Do you think buying extra textbooks for 1/2 is necessary? What study techniques did you use for studying physics?

I happen to be looking to study engineering at university after high school 

[JackSonSmith]

My school is not even using a textbook for Physics, we are just using the A+ notes.

[Kel9901]

Thanks EulerFan, this really brang my confidence up
Do you think buying extra textbooks for 1/2 is necessary? What study techniques did you use for studying physics?

I happen to be looking to study engineering at university after high school 

Heinemann (if you're using that) is more than good enough for year 11, and the textbook for year 12 is good enough too. Watch out, however, for massive page-length chunks of irrelevant stuff that is beyond, or simply not even on the course (hello photo transistors)

[Fantasia94]

Thanks EulerFan, this really brang my confidence up
Do you think buying extra textbooks for 1/2 is necessary? What study techniques did you use for studying physics?

I happen to be looking to study engineering at university after high school 

Doing an Engineering major myself, I can tell you from now that you will encounter physics in almost any subject you'll do and therefore liking physics becomes important (which may help with your understanding of the concepts). I don't mean to sound too systematic, but this is usually how I would approach a concept:
 
 1) Try to understand the basics of the concept (which is usually effective with the help of resources such as A+ notes). If you still cannot grasp it, try do something else and then go back in a half to one hour and see if it makes sense. This I assure you helped me quite a lot.

2) After understanding the basics of the concept, attempt some questions which relate to the concept you've studied. If you get most of your answers right then you have a good grasp for the concept. If you're having trouble with the question go back to your notes or just have a peek at the method used to answer the question. Then try to redo the question or do other questions similar to it.

Oh and it won't hurt to purchase some of the notes for year 11 (especially if you're finding the information in the textbook a little difficult to grasp). Year 11 physics is essentially a bridge to year 12 physics, so understanding your content now will help you a lot next year.

Best of Luck

[Gentoo]

alot of people on atarnotes arent big fans of vce physics LOL it doesnt have a particularly good study design and i dropped it pretty quickly in year 11

Oh good, so it's not just me that thought the subject was dumb! /sourgrapes

In all seriousness though, keep at it. I'd imagine (although I never really achieved this myself) that once you really understand the concepts (just keep meticulously working at them until it makes sense; don't get discouraged if you don't comprehend everything immediately) it all falls into place. It's just about getting to that level. When I was listening in class I had absolutely no idea what was going on. But doing lots of questions, writing notes and thinking critically about what you're learning will really help solidify stuff that you didn't understand the first time around. Oh, and the Checkpoints book is really helpful too.

[Adequace]

Heinemann (if you're using that) is more than good enough for year 11, and the textbook for year 12 is good enough too. Watch out, however, for massive page-length chunks of irrelevant stuff that is beyond, or simply not even on the course (hello photo transistors)

We're using Jacaranda, but our teacher has his own notes and a lot of hand outs 

[Adequace]

As an update, I got a 74% on my first outcome. In hindsight, it doesn't seem too bad. But I'd definitely need to raise this if I want to achieve my goal of 40~ ss.