Physics is one of those classes that people either avoid (those in the liberal arts majors) or begrudgingly take because they have to (engineering majors). Physics is an interesting subject that basically gives you insight into how things move, and how things like electricity, magnetism, gravity, thermodynamics, etc., work. But, the concepts can be bogged down in a lot of math and the problems are often harder than the underlying concepts. There are, in most college curricula at least two versions of physics and sometimes three. There is always an algebra-based physics class that you can take after taking algebra and/or precalculus (which someone in a non-engineering track can take if they want) and a calculus-based course (which is what anyone who wants an actual physics or engineering degree has to take). Some colleges also offer a course that is titled something like Physics for Presidents, Physics for Poets, or something catchy like that, which basically introduces the concepts but has little to no math in it at all. The dirty little secret for those who have to take calculus-based physics is that there is actually very little calculus used. That, of course, depends on your teacher, but most of the time, calculus is used to derive the equations, but then you just use algebra to solve 90% of the problems. So, what teachers usually do is assign the harder problems in calculus-based physics and assign the easier problems in algebra-based physics. Occasionally, you do have to use calculus on some homework problems, and I think I had one exam problem between the two semesters of calculus-based physics that required using the cross-product from Multivariable Calculus, but everything else just used algebra or trig. So, here are some tips to make it through.
First, if you are a freshman if your college offers it, take a physics for poets type class. One that is for liberal arts majors, that has no math, that will introduce you to the concepts in physics. That will help you wrap your head around what you will be learning. If your school does not have such as course, UC Berkley has a course that you can find on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaLOVNqqD-2Ep5N9os9jWMSkxK_TLki9h
Second, when you are in algebra and trig, do some of the word problems. I know that when you are in math class, word problems are the bane of your existence and you dread the thought of them showing up on an exam. But, many of the word problems at that level are just very easy chemistry, physics, or engineering problems. And, if you are going to take those higher-level classes, every single homework and exam problem is going to be a word problem, so the more comfortable you are with them the easier they will be. I am not saying do every word problem since you are only going to have so much time to devote to homework, but do one or two from each problem set to get your feet wet.
Third, if you can afford to do so, take algebra-based physics before you take calculus-based physics. This will get you a huge leg up in calculus-based physics because you will be used to doing problems and you can figure out what concepts are hard for you and get a lot of practice.
Fourth, find a good supplement, especially if you cannot follow what your teacher is saying. My physics teacher was a nice guy but was not always great at conveying what he knew to everyone else. Also, he expected you to learn the concepts from the book, and then he would show a bunch of example problems. So, he rarely ever gave a good introduction to the concepts. All of this made the class harder than it should have been. I used Jason Gibson's Physics Tutor DVD sets (some of which I have reviewed on this site), but also used Khan Academy and just some general YouTube videos. There are also some good book-based supplements like Homework Helper's Physics and Schaum's 3000 physics problems book (which are under the study aids tab).
Fifth, work on as many problems as you have time for. The only way to get good at physics problems is by doing them. Obviously, do your assigned homework, but do as many different types of problems as you can. I would make up my own mock exams with different problem types from the concepts that could be on an exam.
Sixth, if you can get old exams, do so. I had a friend who took physics with the same teacher I had the year before I took it, and I got all of his old exams. This helped me see what kinds of questions my professor tested on and what I could expect. The professor reused a couple of the same questions, but for the most part, I did have different questions on every exam, but I was rarely ever surprised by anything.
Seventh, make notes in your book if you can have open-book tests. Most teachers allow you to have at least a cheat sheet or your book. I would make notes in the margins of my book for things to watch out for on different types of questions or things to remind myself of and basically annotated my book to help me remember things or reword concepts so I understood them. One to note, in homework problems, you will often be solving for one or two things, but on exams (especially in calculus-based physics), teachers will give you problems that will require you to solve six or seven different things. And, often, each thing that you solve for is then used in the next part of the problem. Sometimes, one part of the problem will require you to solve something that is not asked for, and you have to figure out how to solve that first and then use that to solve what you are asked for. For example, there are a bunch of different equations of motion that have variables like time, initial velocity, acceleration, and the like, as variables. Many times you will need to solve for time in order to be able to calculate something like initial velocity (using a different equation), then use that to solve for final velocity. But, you will not be told you have to solve for time, so you just have to know that. So, practicing compound problems is essential, and why it is always a good idea to get sample exam questions if you can.
Eighth, try to get together with a study group. Sometimes, you will know things that others in the class do not, and other times, someone else will understand something better than you. If you get together with three or four people to study, it will save you time and a lot of frustration when you are stuck on something.
And finally, keep your algebra and trigonometry skills up. Being good at algebra will not guarantee you ace physics, but if you are not good at algebra, you absolutely will not do well in physics. You will also need to be comfortable with trig concepts, as you will use triangles and angles constantly in physics problems. If you get bogged down with the math, you will take way too long to work through the problems. Most teachers will let math mistakes slide since they are not teaching a math class, but if you cannot manipulate equations well, you will lose needless points. Tied in with that, always solve the equations symbolically first, and then plug in the numbers at the last step. Basically, the equations will have a ton of variables in them. You will be given some of the information and then have to solve for something variable in the equation. Figure out what you need to solve for first, then manipulate the equation so that you have the variable you want to solve for equal to all the other stuff, then plug in the numbers for the other stuff and find the number you need. That will reduce the number of math mistakes you make and show the teacher you understand the process. Then, if you plug something into your calculator wrong you only lose half a point as opposed to losing 3 or 4 points.
Physics is a foundational class that you will have to take to get into any engineering classes, and engineering classes are mostly just applied physics classes themselves. They take one chapter from physics, turn that into an entire semester, and make the problems harder. So the better you understand physics, the easier your life will be. At some point, I plan on putting up my physics notes as well as working a bunch of homework and exam problems and putting them on the site. So, keep an eye on that tab in the future. I am not sure when I will get to that because I do want to go through the math material first just to get my math skills back up, but I will get to physics as soon as I can.
