I'm horrible at math and good at physics?

Question

I know many people have this problem the other way around but, for me it is much different. I'm in grade 11 and started off first term horribly almost failing math yet I'm getting an 80 in physics. This has nothing to do with how my teachers mark I just seem to grasp physics concepts much easier and seem to be totally lost in math. Is there any way I can use my way of thinking for physics in math?

Answer 1

math is less about thinking and more about just following the mathmatical rules. i mean there is alot of logic incorporated into almost every math formula, but you dont need to understand it to use it like you do in physics. you would be better off in math by repitition then conprehension.

Answer 2

you can, but the most interesting correlations between math and physics don't occur until you take calculus.



and "math" itself isn't a homogeneous subject, different kinds of math have their own flavor: discrete mathematics using counting arguments, for example, is quite different than, trigonometry, let's say.



assuming you have been exposed to a little analytic geometry, here is one way that you can relate physics and math:



imagine that a point in space refers to a location of an object. it is often useful to restrict the motion of the object to one or two degrees of freedom, so that we are dealing with a point on a line, or a point on the plane (billiard balls don't leave the table, a spring or engine piston only moves back and forth, etc.)



forces that affect our object (which we think of as some "real thing") in space, then amount to transformations that move it from one point to another. for example, a "push" may result in a translation, or a "twist" may result in a rotation.obviously, knowing the mathematics of rotations and/or translations will be useful in understanding the physics.



eventually, you will want to know about vector spaces, as many types of quantities in physics can be understood as vectors (for example, position, velocity and acceleration, to name a few). i don't have enough room to explain vector spaces simply, but the general idea is that vector spaces are modeled on the 3-dimensional world we actually appear to live in (a line and a plane are examples of 1 and 2-dimensional vector spaces). 3-dimensional vector spaces have some unique properties that allow for some nifty short formulas to describe how forces interact.



my guess is that the problem you have isn't with math, per se, it's with abstraction....if the math can be put in physical down-to-earth terms you can see in your mind as real things, rather than as rules which seem rather arbitrary, it may not give you so much trouble.



you're probably a year or two away from making that connection, because the deep connections between math and physics require more math than you've probably been exposed to just yet.



here is another point of connection between math and physics. suppose we have some physical quantity we're measuring, perhaps continuously by means of some kind of meter.



that sets up a correspondence between time, and the value of the measurement at a given time, which is precisely the kind of relationship mathematicians call a function. as a concrete example, the measurement might be the speed of a car (which is measured with a speedometer).



so instead of thinking about an object's speed at any given time, you can actually think about the speed of an object as a function of time...is it constant? increasing? positive (forwards) or negative (backwards)? the "shape" of the function gives a pictoral way to express the behavior of that moving object.

Answer 3

Hi:



Never fear just follow my tip and you will never fail at math



My tips:



1) Read the problem through; until you understand it. Take your time and work it one step at a time. Don't rush it -your more apt to make mistakes doing this way than when your doing it slow allow your mind to work the problem out ( think of it as a puzzle the pieces will come together only one piece at a time. So do it one step at a time)



2) look for clue words like: sum, more than,less than, greater,multiplied,divided by..ect for all word problems



3) look for given equation, variables, etc



4) find out what the problem is asking you to solve for .



5) write "Given: " , than what is given, than write what your sloving for



6) if you have to rearrange the equation in order to slove it, than write out step by step what math



operation your using on it to solve it, if you have to rearrange it otherwise to 7



7) Write step by step what Math operation your using to slove for it . This will make it easier for you to backtrack it and see what you did wrong; if you made error in your math - if your proof for it , doesn't check and equal



8) While doing number 6 and 7: ALway Pay Attention To the Signs . This the one number reason why people make a errors in Math answers when solving there math problem

and Take your your time in doing it if you rush it , your more than likely to make errors



9) Do a Proof to prove your answer is correct By writting "Proof:" - The reason for this : Sometimes you might think you have the right answer when your really got the wrong one but this will tell you right away. { Remember # 8 you might have made a error in your signs.} Doing the proof for it will catch it, if you did. So do the following:



10) write your original equation down ,plug in your numbers, than write step by step what Math operation your using to solve for it . If this does not check and equal than back track for your answer . Go back and find were you made your error . Correct it than solve it again and redo the proof again until it check and equals



11) Make sure you put the units on the end of the final answer . Some teacher will mark it wrong if it not there Here a example of of a math problem so you get a idea of how to do one :



example:



A spherical tank need to hold 100 cubic feet of water, using the formula V= 4/3*pi*r^3 ,



and pi = 3.14159258, what is the radius of the tank:



step 1



Given :



pi = 3.14159258

V = 4/3 * pi* r^3

V= 100

where sloving for r





Step 2



V = 4/3 * pi* r^3 - original equation



100 = 4/3* 3.14159258 * r^3 - Substitution of V, and pi



100* 3/4 = 4/3* 3.1415258 * r^3 * 3/4 - Multiplying the multiplicative inverse of a



number to both sides of the equation to move it to the other side of it



300/4 = 3.14159258 * r^3 - Multiplication



75 = 3.14159258 * r^3 - Division



75 * 1/3.14159258 = 3.14159258* r^3 * 1/3.14159259 - Multiplying the multiplicative



inverse of a number to both sides of the equation to move it to the other side of it





75/3.14159258 = r^3 - Multiplication



23.873242023000 = r^3 - Division



23.873242023000 ^ (1/3) = (r ^ 3)^(1/3) - taking the cube root of both sides of the



equation to remove the cube



2.879411933968 = r - doing or solving the cube root



The answer for r is 2.879411933968 feet



Proof:



prove that - when r = 2.879411933968, pi = 3.14159258 and v = 100 cubic feet it make the V =



4/3 * pi* r^3 true





V = 4/3 * pi* r^3 - original equation



100 = 4/3 * 3.14159258* 2.879411933968^3 - substitution of r,V,pi



100 = 4.1887904* 2.879411933968^3 - Multiplication and Division of 4/3 and pi



100 = 4.1887904 * 23.87324202301 - solving or taking the cube of r



100 = 100 - Multiplication



It checks and equals



The answer for r is 2.879411933968 feet



Granted doing this, takes a lot of time; but it will give you the right answers every time; or at least catch your wrong answers before you write it down and it will save your bacon everytime , A lot of right answers is better than a lot of wrong answers don't you think.



also write in a notebook any tips or trick in math so you can refer too .



I hope this helps

Answer 4

sounds like some tutoring would be a big help

going forward, there is no physics without lots of mathematics