1. Identify what principle the problem involves. Is the
problem about projectile motion? circular motion?
conserving energy? This will help you analyze the
problem and make sense of the givens.

2. Get help immediately from your physics tutor or study group
with those problems where you do not understand what
you did wrong.

3. Showing your work makes it easier to find mistakes
and to prepare for exams.

4. Work on understanding concepts, rather than trying
to memorize a recipe. Learn to apply principles to
solve problems; there are too many kinds of problems to be
able to memorize all the recipes. Trying to memorize
recipes makes it less likely you will be able to solve new
problems.

5. Keep up with the assignments as they are due. The
ideas you will try to learn tomorrow usually depend
on understanding what was discussed today.

6. Staring at a blank page is a waste of time. If you get
stuck talk to your physics tutor or someone from your study group.

7. Almost any problem you encounter in a physics
course can be described with a drawing. Such a
drawing often contains or suggests the solution to the
problem. Put as much information as you can in the
drawing.

8. Draw a second picture such as a free body diagram,
a graph, a vector diagram. Include the coordinate
system for the situation. This is particularly important
for problems involving forces.

9. Before doing any calculations, guesstimate what a
reasonable final answer might be if you can. Check
your solution against your guesstimate This will
develop your intuitive understanding of the problems.

10. Calculate the solution by doing as much as
possible without using specific numbers. Often
quantities will cancel out. Do as much of the algebra as
you can before plugging in values from the question.

11. Ask yourself how you could do the question more
quickly on an exam.

12. Practice makes perfect. Do as many problems as

you can and monitor your progress with

physics homework help and free quizzes.

Introductory Physics with Calculus As a Second Language Mastering Problem Solving

Get a better grade in Physics Solving physics problems can be challenging at times. But with hard work and the right study tools, you can learn the language of physics and get the grade you want. With Tom Barretts University Physics as a Second Language(TM) Mastering Problem Solving, youll be able to better understand fundamental physics concepts, solve a variety of problems, and focus on what you need to know to succeed. Heres how you can get a better grade in physics Understand the basic concepts University Physics as a Second Language(TM) focuses on selected topics in calculus-based physics to give you a solid foundation. Tom Barrett explains these topics in clear, easy-to-understand language. Break problems down into simple steps University Physics as a Second Language(TM) teaches you to approach problems more efficiently and effectively. Youll learn how to recognize common patterns in physics problems, break problems down into manageable steps, and apply appropriate techniques. The book takes you step-by-step through the solutions to numerous examples. Improve your problem-solving skills University Physics as a Second Language(TM) will help you develop the skills you need to solve a variety of problem types. Youll learn timesaving problem-solving strategies that will help you focus your efforts, as well as how to avoid potential pitfalls.

Introductory Physics with Algebra as a Second Language: Mastering Problem-Solving