Having worked through a long physics problem, you finally have an answer. How do you know if it’s right and all that work wasn’t for naught? In this post, I will cover a few quick strategies that can help rule out wrong answers.

Figure 1: Astronomy, a very minor part of the SAT Subject Test in Physics (but my favorite regardless)

In your time taking physics courses, you will likely run into one that deals with equation sheets. These can be note cards or an entire sheet of paper, and anything that can fit on it is fair game and can be brought into a test. The natural reaction might be to try to cram and squeeze an entire textbook on those sheets using really, really tiny handwriting, but this is probably not the most efficient use of your time.

Take math and apply it to real-world phenomena, and one of the things you get is physics! The Physics SAT Subject Test is a great way to show universities that you have a solid understanding of using math concepts to approach complex problems. As a result, taking the Physics Subject Test can be beneficial not only for those hoping to pursue science and engineering but also those thinking about business, economics, and political science. So let’s talk about the Physics Subject Test!

As a practicing biomedical engineer and martial artist, I belong to two communities that, at a glance, seem to conflict with one another; engineering requires rigorous thought and thorough validation of proposed innovations, while martial arts focuses on sensing subtle body motions and quickly reacting to one’s environment. When I first became interested in STEM and martial arts, I naively viewed my passions this way, as distinct pieces of my life. With time and careful reflection on my relationship to these groups, I learned to recognize their intersection and embrace the value that comes from bridging these worlds.

In elementary and middle school, we learn mathematic for the sake of mathematic, we are never told what mathematics can ultimately be used for or why mathematics is useful other than the fact that its can help us make change and do our taxes one day. What they should be telling you is that the laws of the universe are written in a language that people are capable of understanding and that this language is mathematics. 

This article is the third chapter in a series on how to understand and approach kinematics problems. The first chapter covered position, velocity, and acceleration. The second chapter covered solving kinematics in one dimension Now we are going to take a quick detour into vectorland so that we’re ready to approach kinematics in two (and even three) dimensions.

When I tutor my physics students, I want them to understand the fundamentals of the concept, not just how to plug in numbers into an equation. I wished when I was learning physics, my teachers drew upon real life applications more, things we already understand about the world to help us really get it.

This article is the second chapter in a series on how to understand and approach kinematics problems. The first chapter covered position, velocity, and acceleration. Now that we understand these quantities, we are going to use them to solve problems in one dimension. 

How to use this guide

This blog post is the first in a series on how to understand and approach kinematics problems. It is meant to supplement your class and textbook. I will focus on practical applications, how to solve problems, and common mistakes that students make. If you want to learn the basics of kinematics, I recommend a textbook, but if you want to gain a deeper understanding, avoid confusion and learn how to approach problems, take the red pill and join us!