Need help with building a good physics foundation!!

ObitoSigma
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 17:19:25 +0000

I know this seems weird, but I actually found some of the AP Physics 1 & 2 curriculum to be a better starter place than AP Physics C or really most Physics courses that start at Kinematics and work from now. I would recommend going to the AP Physics 1/2 framework and reading Big Ideas 1, 2, and 3 and watching bozemanscience’s corresponding videos. They do a great job at introducing Physics concepts, involving how to identify systems and objects, and what properties closed and open systems have based on their surroundings.

You get introduced to inertial mass and gravitational mass, the four main forces of the universe and on what scales each is most powerful, and properties of objects including positions, volumes, mass, resistivity, temperature, charge, energy, and momentum. You should also know that Energy, Momentum, and Charge are always conserved in a closed system between objects.

Now, after going through those 3 Big Ideas (which should only take a week or two), you should have a solid foundation of how to describe Physics. Since you have Calculus knowledge, the next step is to find a Calculus-based Physics textbook. Personally, I’m using Fundamentals of Physics 10th Edition by David Halliday with the Solutions Manual. I think it’s the best Calculus-based Physics textbook including an introduction of Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Optics, and Modern Physics (there are chapters on Relativity, Nuclear Physics, and Quantum Physics). If you can’t buy one online, I’m sure you can find a pdf on the Internet somewhere. Good luck to you.