More on Physics

Lucas wrote a great blog post this week about his first physics course at Carleton. As a senior physics major, I wanted to add another perspective to his!

Over the past few years I’ve learned a lot of the same lessons that Lucas describes in his blog. Learning how to best study and absorb information from lectures is a really important skill to develop. I definitely struggled with this as a first year, but I’ve improved a lot. Now that I’m back in an introductory science course (intro chemistry), I realize how much better I am at taking in new information than I was when I took intro physics. Gaining this skill early makes future courses much easier!

The same goes for problem solving and completing problem sets. It’s possible to work on problem sets individually in intro courses, but as the material gets more difficult, so do the problems. By sophomore year, I rarely worked on problem sets alone, instead choosing to work with fellow physics majors. I learned so much by collaborating with classmates, who contributed perspectives and ideas different than my own that allowed us to solve difficult homework problems. Again, practicing collaboration early will help in future classes.

Lastly, I want to write about PSFs (Problem Solving Fellows) from the perspective of a PSF. The purpose of PSFs is to provide academic support to students in 100 and 200 level physics courses. This term, I serve as a PSF for all intro courses as well as Classical Mechanics. During my three hour shifts, I help students understand in areas and problem solving methods that they are confused about. Instead of telling them answers, I ask leading questions so that they can think through the material themselves and solve the problem on their own. When a student asks me a question, my goal is not for them to get the right answer, but for them to understand why the answer they get is right. It’s great to hear that students find these sessions helpful!

As helpful as they are for students, PSF sessions are also helpful for the PSFs. Working with a variety of classes keeps me fresh on all the material covered in intro courses that I may not study otherwise. They also give me an opportunity to meet new potential physics majors and encourage them to join the department. Most importantly, it feels like a good way to give back to the physics department after being in Lucas’s shoes as a PSF session attendee for so many years.

Jacob is a senior physics major interested in climate science and oceanography. Jacob enjoys eating, sleeping, and hanging out with friends — the simple things in life. At Carleton, Jacob works in the physics department and captains the Gods of Plastic, Carleton’s nationally competitive Division III men’s ultimate team. Meet the other bloggers!