Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Suggestions on PRing a physics textbook?

I would like to get some suggestions on how to best utilize the photoreading system with a college physics textbook. What I want to achieve is a thorough comprehension of every concept in the textbook. That includes a deep understanding of the mathematics behind each concept so that I would be able to solve even the most difficult of problems found in the back of each chapter in the textbook.

Not much different than photoreading anyother , preview, photoread,non fiction books skitter/superread/dip with an addition of the rapid read process.

Layer it in there. Don't just expect 100% comprehension/retention the first few passes through.

I also do a post view of all the chapter questions before skittering.

Before rapid reading, i'd like to take a brief study throught the questions at the back so i would know exactly what to look for when rapid reading.

After doing all the above, you want to do as many problems as possible; however don't cram it into one day. With a physics text about 20 or so chapters you want to split it into about 2-3 weeks. Its best if you spread it over the course of one semester, doing a few problems at the back of the book from each chapter every night.

It is very important that you don't start creating a tunneling effect. What i mean by that is don't concentrate solely on one single concept or idea. As you will see every subject disscussed in the text book DOES fit together. You want to develope everything as a whole. The key idea behind this is to get yourself confused/exposed/interested to EVERYTHING.

Most people think that they have to master one thing before going on to another but it really DOESN't need to happend like that. The more confusing somehting gets, the more drive you have to figure it out.

You always want to keep yourself at a stage of confusion when learning. Its just like goal setting. Just before you reach your goal, you want to set a new one. The key is to stay away from frustration.

You may be wondering, why the heck can't i do all this in one single lousy day? Well....the answer to that is simple. Since your concious mind works at a TURTLE pace, naturally, you shouldn't expect to be able to bring EVERYTHING into concious comprehension at the speed of a HARE

....think about it......

hi,
im 16, but im currently studying physics in highschool. i have the option to study physics and electronic engineering when ill finish school and i want to know if i should choose that option.
i wondered what made you study physics in college? and what are you currently studying? (subjects)
i know its offtopic but im just curious and i only want to know a bit better. i would appreciate if anyone who studies physics will answer me.

If you want to become an Electrical engineer, just be sure you don't work for NORTEL Networks, if its survivies until then

Hey Raanan!

I just turned 19, not much older than you. I am majoring in electrical engineering. The physics class I'm taking is one of the required courses for engineering, of course. I chose electrical engineering because I'd love to be able to design and build electronic machinery, especially robots. I'd like to get into robotics. I have been interested in that sort of stuff, incluidng radio-controlled stuff (in which I take great delight!) since when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. The other courses I'm taking right now are general psychology, american literature, and ultimate frisbee (a lot of fun!). You don't have to choose your major in your freshman year. As you take courses in college, you will have a better idea of what you want to major in.

Good luck and God bless!

..thx

I discovered PhotoReading while I was pursuing graduate studies in physics and found it very useful for aiding my studies and speeding my problem solving time.

The key, I think, is to syntopically read as much as you can in the area of physics that you are working. Books that are heavily loaded with worked out examples are especially useful - they'll give your mind grist for the problem-solving-mill. The 90 minute study cycle outlined in the PhotoReading book is also useful. When activating, take full advantage of drawing pictures and using mind maps. One of the most powerful tools that a physicist has at their disposal is the ability to make a picture of what they're trying to solve. Don't get lost in the algebraic manipulations. Also understand - you'll probably need to pass over the material multiple times for comprehension, especially as you get to more esoteric areas in physics. Even relatively simple things like Hamiltonians and Lagrangians require a shift in thinking away from forces and over to energies. Allow time for that shift to occur.

ckerins, your reply sounds very interesting, but I can't understand fully what you said unless I know what "syntopically" and "esoteric" means. What are Hamiltonians and Lagrangians?

Yeah, I completely agree that visualization is one of the most powerful tools physicists has at their disposal. Myself, I rely heavily on visualization to understand physics. I find it easy to understand linear physics, but rotational physics, oh boy. It's difficult to visualize rotational physics without letting linear physics impose (the tangential quantities).

Syntopic reading is one of the techniques outlined in the PhotoReading book, and treated in the seminar, that allows you to PhotoRead and activate numerous books in a given subject. Esoteric is usually the hidden, unusual, difficult, or "magical" aspect of a subject.

Concerning Hamiltonians and Lagrangians - rather than looking at the forces at play in a system (e.g., a simple pendulum), where you would break the forces into components and, perhaps, redefine your coordinate system, you instead look at the differences between the potential and kinetic energies and use a "minimization principle" to obtain your equations of motion. Most junior-senior level physics texts (e.g., Marion's _Classical Dynamics_ or Landau and Lif****z's _Classical Mechanics_) will treat Hamiltonians and Lagrangians at length. Their real power comes in when studying quantum mechanics, where you don't deal with forces at all but differences in energy.

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Originally posted by jmbreland:
ckerins, your reply sounds very interesting, but I can't understand fully what you said unless I know what "syntopically" and "esoteric" means. What are Hamiltonians and Lagrangians?

Yeah, I completely agree that visualization is one of the most powerful tools physicists has at their disposal. Myself, I rely heavily on visualization to understand physics. I find it easy to understand linear physics, but rotational physics, oh boy. It's difficult to visualize rotational physics without letting linear physics impose (the tangential quantities).

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