Tips and tricks on how to effectively self-study for Physics.
January 20th, 2020 Writer: Misheal Saah Editor: Trisha Ramanan Science
Whether you’ve dreamed of understanding the world and how it worked, or have always wanted to grasp the concepts of relativity, electromagnetism, or even quantum field theory, chances are that you’ve thought about studying physics. However, the real problem comes with the question: How do I go about studying it all on my own?
Self-studying physics may seem like an impossible task with all the mathematical knowledge and conglomeration of equations. Physics was and is meant to be more than a conglomeration of equations and pop-science buzzwords, something that everyone can learn. But where do you begin?
First and foremost, books will be your best friends on this journey. No, you don’t have to read an exhaustive and hairsplitting textbook to understand the subject. It’s good to start small and go a little easy for the basics. For this, I recommend the 3rd volume of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. This book is not heavily math-based, which is a good thing for those who are afraid of the complex math that’s required. It’s a deep and insightful read that only calls for your aptitude and motivation in learning. Other very common reads include Griffiths, Giancoli’s introductory texts, and Jackson’s textbooks (for a more advanced audience).
Another major component of self-studying physics is practice. You may have heard that practice makes perfect, but the truth is that practice makes almost perfect. There will always be something that could stumble you up along the way but the more important thing is that you learn the steps to do it correctly. For any practice problems you come across while reading textbooks and looking at other resources, make sure to solve the problems out to the best of your ability. Spend time understanding any mistakes that you make on practice problems. Clear your misunderstandings and confusions with concepts or questions. The most hurtful thing you could do with this learning experience is skimming through solutions and assuming that you understood them when in reality, you had no clue what you just covered. It's best to spend time on confusing topics rather than just skipping through them.
In addition to practice problems, it is important for you to find some sort of support in this self-studying journey. No one learns on their own, and even if they did there must have been some sort of outside influence that allowed them to grow in their studies.
Whether it's an online community of people, a physics professor at a local college, or anyone who may have some more knowledge on the topic, engage in conversation that will ultimately benefit you and enrich your knowledge of the subject.
Textbooks may not always be the best explanations for concepts, but people who have had any association with physics could potentially provide better explanations that may help you in grasping the fundamentals.
Lastly, when learning physics, or any subject for that matter, view it as an exciting hobby, and not as the demanding and time-consuming subject. Your perspective towards your learning will define your experience with this this self-learning journey.
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