FAQ for Physics 6

Q:What is Physics 6?

A: Physics 6 is the first semester of Pierce College's algebra and trig-based introductory physics sequence. It covers mechanics and thermodynamics. (The second semester, Physics 7, covers electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics.) The class includes both lecture and lab.
A variety of students take Physics 6, including those interested in veterinary medicine, architecture, psychology, pharmacy, biology, or environmental science, as well as high-school students looking for something beyond their own school's offerings.

In my sections of Physics 6, I use a number of materials and methods developed through physics education research, which have been shown to improve students' conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Basically, the idea is that you will learn much more by being actively involved, rather than just listening to me talk. Sure, I will lecture sometimes, but there will be many labs, interactive demonstrations, in-class puzzles to solve, and questions to be answered with clickers (remote-control devices that will allow you to vote electronically). And during the majority of class time, you will be working with your fellow students on problems or labs.

Q: I notice that the lecture and lab portions of the class are listed separately. Is it possible for me to take just the lecture without the lab, or vice versa?

A: No. Regulations require us to divide the class hours into lecture and lab when listing the course in the catalogue, but the division is never so clean and strict in practice; any part of the class period may end up being used for lecture, lab, or another group activity like problem-solving. The labs are fully integrated into the course and relate directly to the lectures; all students need to participate in both.

Q: When does Physics 6 meet this summer? Why isn't it during one of the regular summer sessions?

A: Physics 6 will be offered as a 7-week course in summer 2008. It meets four days per week, Monday through Thursday, from 1:00 pm to 4:20 pm. (Note that class will be held for the full 3 hours and 20 minutes each day, regardless of whether a lab is scheduled that day. The divisions of time into "lecture" and "lab" in the published schedule of classes don't really mean anything in terms of the day-to-day planning of the course.) The first day of class will be Monday, June 30; the final exam will be given on Thursday, August 14.

In the past, Physics 6 has been offered as a five-week course, during one of the regular summer sessions. This makes for exhausting days (5-hour classes) and very little time to absorb a lot of material. By extending the class to seven weeks, we'll be able to slow the pace a little, giving students more time outside of class to complete homework assignments and reflect on what they've been taught. The hope is that this will allow students to learn more and be more successful in the class than they would with the five-week format.

Q: I'm a pre-med student. Should I be taking Physics 6?

A: Most medical schools now require a year of calculus-based laboratory physics. The Physics 6/7 sequence does not satisfy this requirement. Therefore, Physics 6 is probably not a good choice if you are planning to apply to medical schools later on. (This is true of schools that award the M.D. degree; however, most veterinary schools do accept Physics 6/7. Please check with a counselor or with the specific schools you're interested in if you are not sure what the requirements are.)

The Physics 66/67 (Physics for Life Science Majors) sequence at Pierce College is specifically designed for pre-med students and others interested in the biological sciences. This sequence of courses is calculus-based, but shorter and less mathematically demanding than the Physics 101/102/103 sequence, which is intended for engineering and physics majors. Physics 66 and 67 also put a special emphasis on biomedical applications of physics. The Pierce physics department recommends Physics 66/67 for all pre-med students.

Some students choose to take Physics 6/7 before enrolling in Physics 66/67 or another calculus-based physics course. You may certainly do this if you like; I welcome anyone who wants to take Physics 6. But I honestly don't recommend it. I think there are better ways to spend your time and effort than taking two very similar courses, both of which are quite work-intensive.

Q: When are the last possible dates to add and drop the class?

A: Last day to add: July 4, 2008

Last day to drop with a refund: July 4, 2008

Last day to drop without a "W" grade: July 14, 2008

Last day to drop with a "W" grade: August 4, 2008

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Q: What are the prerequisites for Physics 6? Can I still take the class if I don't have them?

A: In order to enroll in Physics 6, students are required to have passed a course in trigonometry (Pierce's Math 240 or the equivalent). Competence in algebra and geometry is also presumed.

There is no official English prerequisite; however, the class will require a good deal of reading and writing. Some students who are learning English as a second language have done very well in Physics 6, but others have struggled severely because of the language barrier. Physics is not just a matter of solving equations; if you are not able to understand, or write, explanations of fairly complex and subtle concepts, you will not be able to do well in this class. If your English is not fluent, you may be better off taking physics in a later term after spending additional time improving your language skills.

If you have the proper math background, but are not able to enroll because of a simple bureaucratic problem, I will be happy to help you out. For example, if you took trigonometry in high school rather than college, you may find that the Pierce system won't accept your course credit. If something like this happens, please email me and explain your situation, and I will make the appropriate requests to allow you to enroll.

If you do not have the proper math background, I would strongly discourage you from taking the class. The prerequisite is there for a reason; math is an important tool for understanding and applying physics at this level. In particular, you will need trigonometry in order to work with vectors, which will be a fundamental part of the course. If you come in without the required math skills, you're likely to spend the term confused and frustrated, and end up either dropping or receiving a poor grade. If you feel your situation is exceptional for some reason, you may email me and explain why you feel you should be admitted. I will read and consider all requests, but I make no promises to grant them.

Q: I tried to preregister for Physics 6 but found that the class was full. Is there anything I can do to get in?

A: Yes. Generally, some people who have registered for the class don't show up, or decide to drop early in the term, so I am willing to add a few extra people on the first day. If the class is full when you try to register, the Pierce registration system should allow you to add your name to the waiting/standby list for the class. This lets me know you are interested in the class, and gives me an organized and fair way to decide whom to add: first on the list, first served. Most importantly, show up, on time, to the first class meeting. Once I see how many people are there, I will decide how many students can reasonably be added, and will give out add cards.

Q: I preregistered for the class, but I won't be able to attend the first class meeting. Is that okay? What should I do?

A: Missing the first day of class is never a good thing, but I understand that sometimes an important commitment or an emergency can require you to do so. If this happens, the most important thing is to tell me you will be gone and explain your reason, so that your spot in the class will not be given away. I will then let you know what you've missed on the first day and how you can make things up. (Keep in mind that some activities require your presence in class and cannot be made up.) The best way to get in touch with me is by email.

Q: I didn't preregister for the class, and I didn't show up on the first day. Is there any chance I can still add?

A: I'm sorry, but no. There are a limited number of spaces in the class, and it's virtually certain that they will be filled on the first day. If you want a chance at getting in, come to the first class.

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Q: What textbook will be used for Physics 6? What other materials will be needed for the class, and where can I get them?

A: Our textbook will be College Physics, 8th edition, by Serway and Vuille. If you are planning to take Physics 7 at Pierce later, you will probably want to buy the complete book (Chapters 1-30; ISBN 0495386936), which will cover both semesters. If not, you can save some money by getting only volume 1 (Chapters 1-14; ISBN 049555474X), which contains everything you will need for Physics 6.

The most convenient place to get your textbook is at the Pierce College bookstore. If you purchase a new book there, it will include a WebAssign access code, at no extra charge. In addition, you will need to purchase the lab manual, which is based on a published book but has been modified to fit Pierce's lab equipment and curriculum. The lab manual is available only at the Pierce bookstore; the price is $28.95.

Q: Will we be required to buy our own clickers?

A: No. In order to help save students money, the physics department has recently decided to purchase a set of clickers and allow students to borrow them during class. (Your textbook may come with a clicker coupon; just ignore it, or pass it on to someone who needs it.)

Q: Is it okay to order the textbook online, or get a used copy?

A: Yes, and it may be possible to save money that way. However, if you do so, you are responsible for purchasing the additional required materials:

1. Webassign is an online program that we will be using for reading quizzes and some homework problems. If your textbook does not include an access code, access may be purchased directly from the WebAssign company via their website, for $25. (Your syllabus explains how to do this, and we will also go over it in class on the first day.)

2. No matter where you get your book, you are responsible for purchasing the lab manual at the bookstore. (It is not available anywhere else, and cannot be bought used, since it is a workbook that students write in.)

If you decide to buy your book online, make sure to order it early--at least a week before class begins is best. "I don't have the book yet" will not be an acceptable excuse for extensions on assignments.

Q: I have an older edition of the textbook. Is that okay?

A: The newer edition has made some helpful changes, including correcting a few glaring errors, improving the explanations of some concepts, and adding or changing the format of many examples. However, the basic content and organization of the textbook remain the same. As far as preparing for the reading quizzes and using the text as a reference, you should not have much difficulty with the older edition.

On the other hand, one thing that is definitely different in the new book is the homework problems: some are numbered differently, and others are completely new. If you have an older edition, make sure to check with a classmate or with a copy in the library in order to be sure you are doing the correct problems for each homework assignment. Full credit will not be given for doing problems other than the ones assigned. Also, as noted above, if you do not buy a new book, you are responsible for purchasing WebAssign access and the lab manual.

Q: Instead of paying for the lab manual, I'm just going to make a photocopy of someone else's lab book. Is that okay?

A: No, that is not okay. First, it is illegal: it's a violation of copyright law. Second, the physics department has already paid printing costs and royalties to the publisher so that the lab manuals could be produced; the price charged is necessary in order to cover these costs. If you don't pay for the book, the department loses that money; if the college loses money, that will mean higher fees or reduced services for students in the future. Therefore, you will effectively be stealing from your fellow students if you do this.

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Q: I really need to do well in Physics 6, because I'm planning to transfer or apply to a graduate program, and I won't be able to get in without a certain grade. How can I be sure to get a good grade?

A: You are not alone. Nearly all of my students are planning to continue their studies elsewhere, and need good grades in order to do so. I am willing to do whatever I can to help you earn the grade you want, but ultimately the responsibility is yours. Here are a few suggestions:

By far the biggest contribution to your grade in Physics 6 comes from exams. But this does not mean you should neglect other aspects of the class. Everything that is assigned or presented--reading from the textbook, attendance and participation in lectures, demos, in-class problems, labs, and homework--will help you prepare for the exams. If you keep up with all the class work, relatively little last-minute studying should be necessary.

Homework is one of the most important forms of practice in this class; it prepares you directly for solving problems like those you will see on the exams. It also can provide an early warning sign that you may be having trouble. It's quite common to read through a chapter in the text, nodding along and thinking that it all makes sense, but then be unable to explain or apply the concepts in a homework problem. This is a sign that you don't really understand the material as well as you thought. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. That's the way the human mind works: we can seldom learn anything until we've practiced it.

If you can't figure out how do the homework problems, resist the temptation to copy someone else's work; even if I don't penalize you for cheating, you'll learn little or nothing that way, and will end up doing poorly on the test. (Learning physics needs practice, just like sports or music: would you prepare for a game or performance just by watching someone else play, without any practice of your own?) Instead, please ask for help! Come to office hours, stay after class, or email me with questions. You may also want to work together on the homework with your fellow students, or consult a tutor at the Learning Center.

After each exam, I will print out spreadsheets showing everyone's grade thus far. If you are not happy with your current grade, talk to me to find out what else you can do. The most important thing is to ask for help early in the term. I'm very willing to help you learn as much as possible during the class; I will not be at all willing to change your grade once the final grades have been assigned.

Q: Won't I be bothering you or interrupting your work if I come to office hours?

A: Absolutely not. The entire purpose of office hours is for me to help students. Please come by; I'll be glad to see you!

Q: Do you take effort into account when assigning grades? How can I make it clear that I'm putting in extra effort?

A: Yes, effort is a factor. I grade on a fixed scale rather than a curve (90% and above is always an A, etc.), but if you are close to the borderline and have clearly made an extra effort, I will be generous in assigning your grade (e.g., an 89% could be an A).

How do I know if you're making an extra effort? One good indicator is that you ask me for help when you need it; this shows me that you're really trying to understand the material and are putting some thought into your assignments. Other good things to do: speak up in class discussions, take on an active role in group activities, take extra care in making your written work clear and detailed.

Q: Do you give extra credit?

A: A limited amount of extra credit is available to everyone, in the form of additional online problems that you can do to improve your homework grade. I generally don't believe in assigning large amounts of credit for extra projects, however. If you are struggling, I think your time is better spent in trying to improve your understanding of the core material in the class, rather than doing something outside of the regular curriculum.

Q: About how many hours per week should I spend studying for Physics 6?

A: The answer to this varies somewhat from person to person. Many experts recommend about 2 hours' study outside of class for every hour spent in class; this applies more to lecture-based classes than to lab classes, so it requires some thought to decide how to apply it to Physics 6, which is a combination of lecture and lab. As a very rough guideline, I would suggest about 12 hours of study per week outside of class for the summer session of Physics 6. (This is about double what I'd recommend for the class during an ordinary semester, since we're going at roughly double the pace.) This may include time spent reading the textbook before lectures, doing homework and practice problems, reviewing labs and homework solutions, and going over your lecture notes. Of course, some people will find that they need more time than this, while others can get by with less. The most important thing is to spread out your study time; do a little each day, rather than a huge marathon right before the exam and nothing at all on other days.

Q: What's the best way to prepare for exams?

A: There is really no single "best" way; different people have different styles of learning that work for them. But I can offer you some guidelines that are likely to be helpful:

1. As mentioned above, most of your preparation should occur well before the exam: doing homework, participating in labs and lectures, etc. Keeping up with the day-to-day class work is one of the most helpful things you can do. Start assignments as early as you can, and ask for help if you need it. Some of the homework problems are taken from old exams; they will be particularly helpful in showing you what the exam will be like.

2. The labs are very important in preparing for the exams, especially in terms of conceptual (rather than quantitative) material. During the lab, make sure that you answer the questions on your own copy of the lab manual, even if yours is not the one that gets handed in; you can then use it for reference when studying. Also, when the graded labs are handed back, make sure you get to see and make note of the comments on your group's report. The lab homework is a good indicator of how well you understood the concepts in the lab. If the homework seems very difficult, you may want to spend some time going over the lab with me or with your classmates.

3. One of the best things you can do is to practice what you will actually be doing on the exam: solving problems and answering questions. If you got any of the homework problems wrong, or skipped them, go back and try to do them again without looking at the solutions, following the problem-solving procedure that we'll discuss in class. Then, go over the solutions and compare with your results. Look through labs and try to make the predictions without looking ahead. I will put up some extra problems on WebAssign that you can do for practice. I'll also try to put up the clicker questions from lecture; try to answer them without looking at your notes.

4. Making your formula sheet can be a very useful review. Don't just go through the chapter and write down every equation you see; decide which ones are important and which are too specific to be helpful. For each equation you include, ask yourself: What does each symbol represent? What units is that quantity measured in? Is it a scalar or a vector--and if it's a vector, what does its direction tell me? How did they come up with this equation--is it based on other laws of physics? Was it derived assuming specific conditions (e.g., constant acceleration, no friction, etc.)? When is it applicable, and when not?

5. Rereading the textbook is usually not a very productive method of studying, unless you do it in an active way: start each section with a question in your mind that you're trying to answer. The authors have helpfully added "Quick Quizzes" at the ends of most sections; look at the quiz first, and read through the section with the intent of finding the answer. You can also make up your own questions, based on the section titles or examples that have confused you.

6. Sleep. Seriously! There is experimental evidence to back up this advice: studies have shown that people did a better job learning a task when they were tested on it after a full night's sleep, compared with a control group who were tested after waiting for 12 hours but not sleeping. You'll be much better off getting a good night's sleep the night before the exam, rather than pulling an all-nighter to get in some last minute cramming. Once again, memorization is not very important for doing well on the exams; it's much more important to have your brain alert and functional when you take the test.

Q: Will this be on the test?

A: My answer to this question is always yes. If "this" is anything that has been covered in any way--reading assignments, lectures, demos, labs, in-class problems, homework--then it is fair game for a test.

Q: How do I log on to WebAssign? What are my username, institution, and password?

A: This information is given in the syllabus. If you have followed the instructions in the syllabus and are still not able to log on, please email me.

Q: Where can I find answers to questions about grading policy? For example:
How much does each type of assignment contribute to my grade in the class?
How many test or assignment scores will be dropped?
Is late work accepted?
How are extra credit scores counted?

A: The answers to all of these can be found in the syllabus.

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Q: I heard that physics is really hard. Is that true?

A: I get this kind of reaction a lot, both from students and from random people I meet in daily life. I'd like to try to give a careful answer here. First, I have the impression that a lot of people think something like this: "Physics is so hard that only a few super-geniuses can possibly do it. Ordinary people have no hope of understanding it, and shouldn't even expect it to make sense." That is emphatically NOT true. Anyone with the proper mathematical background can, with appropriate effort, learn to do physics and make sense of it. Depending on the type of physics and the level of sophistication desired, "proper mathematical background" might have a wide range of meanings; many of the fundamental ideas of physics can be understood, at a basic level, with no math at all. For Physics 6, the proper mathematical background is a knowledge of algebra and trigonometry. If you have this math preparation, you are fully capable of learning and understanding physics at this level. No one should feel intimidated by the prospect of taking this class.

On the other hand, that phrase "with appropriate effort" is key. Physics is hard, in the sense that it demands labor from you. Physics, just like music or sports, cannot be learned without practice. And practice, just as in music or sports, is not always fun; it requires doing difficult tasks and repeating them over and over until you get them just right. The fun part (I hope) comes when everything clicks into place and you understand how and why some aspect of the universe works.

Also, many people come in with the misconception that they can do well in physics if they can just memorize the right things. Memorization is actually much less important in physics than in many other subjects. (You will not need to memorize any equations in my classes, because you will be allowed to refer to a formula sheet during exams.) Physics is much more about logic and reasoning than it is about remembering a list of facts. Someone who is very good at memorization may be used to doing well on exams, but will find that this skill doesn't help so much on a physics exam.

Q: When solving a physics problem, how do I know what equations to use?

A: This is maybe the most frequently-asked question of all. I'm afraid I can't answer it in the way you may be hoping. There is no arcane set of rules to memorize, like "If it's Tuesday, and it's an even-numbered problem, and the question uses the letter 'r' at least five times, then you should use E = mc²." As noted above, physics is not about memorization; it is about logic and reasoning. The only way to figure out which equation, or equations, to use is to understand what's physically going on in the problem, and to connect that to an appropriate mathematical picture.

If you are asking this question, you have hit on one of the most important issues in learning physics, but you might be in need of a shift in perspective. The question "what equation should I use?" suggests a belief that the real heart of a physics problem is plugging numbers into an equation and getting another number out; this would be so much easier if there were a quick way to get past that fluffy bit of choosing which equation! But any physicist will tell you that plugging in the numbers is almost an afterthought; the most important part of the problem is actually choosing, or deriving, a formula to use. A better phrasing: a physics problem is about analyzing a situation in terms of a few basic laws, usually with the help of a mathematical model. Such a model is usually expressed in terms of one or more equations. Equations are not mystical 'black boxes' that work in mysterious ways; they are statements about relationships between things, expressed in a mathematical language. If you truly understand what an equation means, and where it comes from, you can always figure out when to use it.

Here's a very simple example: if you drive at 50 miles per hour for two hours, how far have you gone? Most people can answer this quickly: 100 miles. Where does this come from? During each hour, you traveled 50 miles; since you drove for two hours, (2 hours)*(50 miles/hour) gives 100 miles. We can easily generalize this for any speed and time:
d = vt,
where d is the distance traveled, v is the speed at which you're traveling, and t is the amount of time you spent. You have quite likely seen this equation before, perhaps in an algebra class. It's not an equation anyone should need to memorize or look up; if you understand what "speed" means, this relationship follows immediately. A speed tells you how far you'll travel in a certain amount of time (e.g., how many miles covered in each hour); multiply that by the amount of time you traveled (e.g., the number of hours), and you find out how far you went (e.g., the number of miles). Once you have this equation, you can do any sort of algebra you want; if you were given the distance and the time, for example, you could solve for the speed.

It should also be clear that this equation has limitations: it only works if you were going the same speed the whole time. (If you had different speeds at different times, how could you decide what to plug in for v?) If your speed changes, you need a more complicated equation, something that contains information about how the speed changed (i.e., about acceleration). Nearly all equations have such limitations; they make sense in some situations, but not in others. The derivation of (steps for coming up with) any equation should make it clear when it is valid and when not. Obviously, not all equations are this simple to derive, but they all come from someplace--your textbook usually explains where--and they all have physical meanings that tell you when they can be used.

Often, people are confused by the sheer number of equations that appear in a textbook. Bear in mind that not all of them are equally important! Many equations you'll see are just special cases of some more general formula. Each chapter of the book is organized around a few basic principles and definitions. (In mechanics, these include Newton's laws of motion, conservation of energy, and conservation of momentum.) The equations that define these are highlighted and prominently displayed; if you look carefully at the book's examples, you'll see that they nearly all start with these same few formulas. An equation that shows up in the middle of an example, and never appears again in the book, is probably very specific to that example; it's much more important to see how they came up with that equation than it is to remember the equation itself.

Q: Why do I have to take physics, anyway? It's a requirement for my major, but it doesn't seem to be related to the career I'm interested in pursuing, or to anything in my daily life. What's the point?

A: This is a very reasonable question. Some students arrive excited to learn physics, but others expect it to be boring or irrelevant. As a pre-vet student once put it to me, "If I'm performing a hip transplant surgery, do I really need to be able to figure out how high the implant will go if I toss it up in the air?" It's absolutely true that, in most jobs, you will not find a direct use for problems about free fall or inclined planes. If the only thing I teach you in Physics 6 is to solve a few specific problems from a textbook, then the class will indeed be pretty much useless. That is not my goal!

So what is my goal? Here are four broadly-defined things that I would like students to get out of Physics 6:

1. A working knowledge of the principles of mechanics and thermodynamics, and their relation to other fields of science and to everyday life. Yes, they really are related! It's not always obvious, when looking at a physics problem, that it relates to any part of the real world. This is because physics is all about making simplified models; we look at a situation and try to strip away everything that is inessential. So, for example, a block sliding down an inclined plane might be a model for a car going down a steep hill, a skier on a slope, or a train on a tilted section of track. A pendulum might represent a building swaying in an earthquake or an animal's leg swinging as it walks. Doing physics means figuring out what needs to be part of the model: Is the shape of the object important? Is friction important? If these effects matter, we find a way to include them; if not, we ignore them and keep the model simple. Deciding what to ignore takes practice, and so does recognizing a realistic situation in a simple model. In Physics 6, I'll try to include many problems for which the connection to the real world is obvious.

I don't necessarily expect you, years down the road, to remember equations from this class, or to sit down and calculate things with them. But former students have often told me that ideas from physics come back to them during ordinary activities: "I should slow down on this tight curve, or I won't be able to get enough centripetal acceleration," or, "I could get more torque by using a longer wrench." Cars, people, animals, buildings, appliances, and ecosystems can all be thought of in terms of the physical models we'll study in Physics 6. A further step: putting Physics 6 together with Physics 7, you should be able to see how physics underlies all of chemistry, which in turn underlies biology.

2. An understanding of how to evaluate the trustworthiness of a scientific idea or model. Public policy debates frequently involve science--global warming and alternative energy sources are a couple of current examples. I'm not going to tell you what to think about any of these issues, but rather try to provide you with a framework for how to think about them, and how to look critically at the arguments of others. We will touch on some of the specific science involved--the laws of thermodynamics, the greenhouse effect--but also talk more generally about what it means for an idea to be a scientific theory.(For many of you, this will be part of a broader science education that includes other fields like chemistry and biology.) A theory is not dogma; it's not something handed down from on high that is guaranteed to be the absolute truth. On the other hand, it's also not a random guess. A theory is a model of how the universe (or some part of it) works; it can't be "proved," but it doesn't get to be called a theory until there's overwhelming physical evidence in its favor: it has to make definite predictions, and those predictions need to agree with what we see in nature. I would like my students to come away with an idea of how to judge a claim based on scientific criteria, and what sorts of assertions to trust.

As you may find in lab, the results of experiments don't always agree with your intuition or "common sense." Intuition can be a powerful guide, but if it's in conflict with data, the data always wins. This brings up another, related point I want this class to emphasize: the idea of scientific honesty. "Cargo Cult Science," an essay adapted from Nobel prizewinner Richard Feynman's 1974 Caltech commencement address, is a classic piece that discusses this idea. When doing an experiment, it is it is absolutely wrong and unscientific to fudge your results to make them accord with what you want or expect, or what someone told you is the "right" answer. The data is always right. (Of course, you may not have measured what you intended to measure--your interpretation of the data is a separate issue.)

3. An ability to make reasonable estimates based on limited information. Neuroscience studies suggest that the parts of your brain that deal with exact calculations are quite separate from the parts that give you a rough sense of the sizes of numbers and how they compare. Being in a science class tends to cue up the "precise calculation" areas, rather than the "rough estimate" areas. However, in a real-life situation like organizing a budget or deciding how many supplies to order for an event, one rarely has access to exact numbers. I think it's very important to learn how to do problems in which the numbers are not handed to you on a silver platter; these types of problems will appear on most homework assignments and exams. Such a problem involves using rough values familiar from your own experience (e.g., the height of a person, the speed of a car), together with a few basic principles, to come up with an accurate (though not precise) prediction. When you do do a calculation with precise numbers, estimation is also invaluable in deciding whether your answer makes sense. (If you calculated that a person can jump 10,000 feet in the air, you probably made a mistake!) Estimation has some of the clearest practical applications of anything taught in this class. A quote from a physics student at another school: "I'm taking a business class and we're doing, like, making a business plan, and, you know, it's just like estimations? I was the only one in the class who knew how to do it!"

4. An ability to construct a clear, logical argument that follows a chain of reasoning. This is a skill that many different types of classes aim to teach, including logic, philosophy, English, history, speech... anything that involves critical writing or debate. Sometimes people are surprised to find such a skill associated with a science class--isn't physics just about doing math and solving problems? Well, there's certainly math involved, but doing the math is not very useful unless you have a clear picture of why you're doing it (see "How do I know which equations to use?"). Most problems that are assigned in this class will ask you to "explain your reasoning" as well as to make a calculation. The idea is to practice articulating the steps of your thinking, which usually has the effect of clarifying and improving the thought process. A good explanation starts with a few trusted principles (like Newton's laws of motion or conservation of energy), applies them to a given situation, and explains how a certain conclusion clearly follows. In physics, you may well find yourself applying writing and analysis skills that you learned in humanities or social science classes, and you may well also find that your physics experience with making logical arguments helps you do better in these types of classes in the future. (This is one reason that law schools often like to accept former physics students.) Whatever your career plans may be, you will almost certainly need to be able to express yourself clearly in writing and to defend your ideas and opinions; physics is good training for this.

Q: I have a question about Physics 6 that was not answered on this page. What can I do?

A: Please email me with other questions, and I will do my best to answer them.

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FAQ for Physics 6

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Grading, studying, and exams

Metaphysical questions: how to approach physics, and why it matters

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