Why do people find physics so hard?

Question

I always hear people talk about how hard physics was or is.Why is this?Is it the math,or is it to abstract?What?

Answer 1

- Physics is heavily cumulative
It builds on past knowledge, more so than other subjects like history or English. Failure to understand basic concepts will cause problems when learning more advanced concepts.

- Theoretical physics can be subtle and extremely abstract.
Some concepts aren't immediately obvious like Newton's 2nd Law.
Quantum Physics relies heavily on linear algebra and differential calculus.

- Physics uses maths (related to the above).
Some mathematical concepts are vital to physics, e.g. calculus and vectors.

- Physics is not maths.
This aspect is underrated. For example, approximations and plausibility arguments form an important part of physics. Certain mathematical solutions may be rejected as unphysical. Mathematical details may be ignored if it does not lead to meaningful or simple physical insight.

- Experimental physics requires a mechanical aptitude.
Another underestimated aspect. Experimental physics requires common sense and lateral thinking.

- Physics has a lot of jargon.
In order to be unambiguous about ideas, many terms have to be precisely defined.

- Physics relies on experiment
Sometimes it can be difficult to accept the results of an experiment.

- Physics is uncertain (to a degree)
Physics can predict a lot of things. However there are some things which physics cannot do.

Answer 2

I ask myself this question every time I have to TA (I'm a physics grads student). I have couple of theories:

(a) In many university classes you can get by with knowing a whole bunch of facts but never really understanding the material. While the amount of material you need to learn in an introductory physics class is relatively small (it fits on the back of the 3 x 5 card) you need to understand it quite well in order to apply it correctly. The people who do poorly in physics (at least in my experience) either have a hard time learning how to think this way or simply don't want to.

(b) Somehow in this day and age it's become OK to be bad at math and physics because "they're hard subjects". While I don't think math or physics are any harder than English or history, most people don't seem to think the type of skills required to perform well in these classes are worth honing.

So yeah... that's my two cents. Back to grading...

Answer 3

I liked physcis at school - and can hold my own with most aspects of it well beyond A-level standard. HOWEVER there are aspects of it to which I have a mental block - same with Chemistry though even more so.

I guess it depends on what level you are asking this? basic physics? A level physics? Degree level physics? Pure and applied branches?

I am disgracefully bad with language. I have tried but cannot get my head around pluperfects pasts and all that jazz - I guess there are some sunjects which people find a nautrual afinity to, and some which they do not.

I am happy with Ohms law (use it most days), but plant biology? It didn't hold my interest enough to make learning it enjoyable - so I am fairly ignorant of it.

In summary:- Not everyone likes physics. If you do not like something, it akes it MUCH harder to learn it.

Answer 4

Yes Gorgeous Dancing Diva, physics is hard. The math in high school physics isn't hard, the hard part is trying to understand and get a good grasp on the concepts.

Answer 5

I couldn't agree more with duke's answer above...
Physics is made difficult by people who don't know how to teach. I think that someone like Feyman for eg., is a good teacher because he discusses why he is talking about something, in what cases its valid, is it a remarkable result or is it expected based on other things etc. Unless one teaches in this way, the student never understands things, he just gets a vague mixture of axioms and formulae.

Answer 6

They find it hard because it has been taught wrong. Starting from high school, it is taught in a very rigid manner. There is a saying that there are no bad students but bad teachers. Often teachers and professors make the subject uninteresting and dull and often have a condescending attitude towards people that do not pick it up quickly.

Answer 7

When I took physics, it was very math-intensive.

Now, I'm a math major, so I really enjoyed physics, but as far as I know about the general public--math isn't a favorite, especially applied math (i.e. word problems) and that is pretty much what physics is.

If you liked trigonometry or calculus, I would say you would probably like physics..and not find it too over your head. (at least not introductory physics)

Answer 8

It's the math. I hated highschool physics because I didn't want to do all the math.

Answer 9

If you need help, getting yourself lectures on hand to help you study Physics and pass any exams, I really suggest you watch these video lectures.

http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=physics+lecture+MIT+Classical+Mechanics

Good luck!