Math Preparation for Physics

A Few Tips Based on Past Experience

Math preparation is critical to success in physics. A student who can quickly and accurately perform algebraic manipulations can focus more of his or her attention on the physics concepts. Such a student can also follow the teachers work at the board much more easily.

Some tips:

For starters, students should know basic geometry formulas cold:

   Area of a rectangle
   Area of a triangle
   Volume of a rectangular block
   Area and circumference of a circle

You would be surprised how many "advanced" math students don't know these.

Second, students should learn how to lay out their work in an organized fashion. Getting the right answer is not enough. They must be able to show each step when solving an algebra problem, and to organize each step on the page in an efficient manner. For example, when solving two equations in two unknowns, a two-column presentation is often advantageous.