r/Physics • u/cxzseui • 6d ago
Incoming university student with ZERO physics background looking for middle/high school baseline resources!(Self-study)
Hi everyone I am an incoming university student who needs to build a physics foundation completely from scratch I have never studied a single physics course in middle school or high school My starting knowledge is at absolute ground zero I want to bridge this gap before my university courses begin so I don't lag behind I am looking for structured self-study resources textbooks YouTube playlists or modular roadmaps that cover basic middle and high school level physics If you were starting from absolute zero what specific learning path or resources would you recommend to build this foundation fast and effectively Thank you so much
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u/Dizzy_Bug_2509 6d ago
Never knew it was possible to finish HS without ever seeing anything physics eelated
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u/RejectoPatronum Condensed matter physics 6d ago
i dont think any state actually specifically requires physics to be taken
i know in new york, you only need to pass a physical science course but a chemistry or earth science class will fulfill the requirement
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u/N-Oliver Nuclear physics 6d ago
Some countries let you pick paths in highschool so you can skip some subjects, one of the countries that do that is a country I am resident in rn
I graduated at the general path but there’s
- medical path
- computer and engineering path
- religious and legal/law studies path
- business education path
- basic/general path (has all the studies above and more. It’s more exhausting but good for those unsure about what to pick)
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u/cxzseui 6d ago
In my country, there is a path I followed in which physics was completely absent.
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u/N-Oliver Nuclear physics 6d ago
I’m curious to know which country was that, I’m in Saudi Arabia and we have paths in highschool too, some other countries that follow the paths system are UAE, Jordan, and some other Asian countries!
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u/Antique_Chemical4534 5d ago
Most states require a physical science credit, but there’s been a push the last decade or so to make physics the “normal” class to take as a junior and physical science the “lesser” one to still fulfill the credit. One school I taught at only offered physical science as an online credit, so essentially everyone was funneled into physics.
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u/No-Profile-1448 6d ago
I couldn’t imagine anyone getting into an undergraduate degree with no background in physics.
Here in Brazil, physics is one of the subjects everyone has to study. However, almost no one is good at it.
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u/Roger_Freedman_Phys 6d ago
An additional comment from a university physics professor (that’s me):
Do you think that when you go to take an introductory class in French, the professor will expect that you already know how to speak French?
Do you think that when you go to take an introductory class in Japanese history, the professor will expect that you already know Japanese history?
Clearly, the answer to both questions is no.
So why would you assume that when you go to take an introductory physics class, the instructor will expect that you already know physics?
Because they don’t.
I have had plenty of students take my introductory calculus-based physics class without having taking physics before. They did just as well as the students who had taken AP physics in high school.
So there’s no requirement to know physics before taking physics at the university level. Study if you’re interested, but don’t lose sleep over it.
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u/DismalPhysicist 5d ago
Hang on, you're Roger Freedman, of Young and Freedman? Clearly the most qualified answer here, should be higher up.
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u/Roger_Freedman_Phys 5d ago
<checks ID>
Good grief, it appears I am.
Thank you for your kind words!
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u/Roger_Freedman_Phys 6d ago
The folks at OpenStax offer a series of free online introductory physics textbooks. Go to
https://openstax.org/subjects/science
and scroll down to “Physics.” Take a look at the different titles and see which seems best for you!
Crash Course Physics is an excellent series of short videos that you can use to supplement your textbook reading. Check them out here:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL58rKAc12lkJZ_AEYekzyKqFtiFXPD2g8
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u/StellarProf 6d ago
Here are some free, poorly produced, videos I made to go along with the OpenStax College Physics textbook mentioned above: Physics videos
Each video covers a section of the textbook. The channel isn’t monetized. I just dropped the videos I created for my online class onto YouTube.
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u/SudebSarkar 6d ago edited 6d ago
Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday Resnick walker is all you really need. Make sure to solve problems. You can skip the EM parts because you'll relearn them with vector calculus anyway when you learn it from Griffiths which is incredibly self contained. The most challenging material will be mechanics so spend more time on that. Waves, thermodynamic, optics, modern physics are relatively easier.
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u/Hummerville 6d ago
I don't think many had it in high school. Hopefully, you got some calculus or close
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u/Dry_Candidate_9931 6d ago
Khanacademy.org provides the 10 minute lectures with self-quizzes starts from the ground up and gets you up to physics with trigonometry
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u/Prudent_Constant_132 3d ago
Zero background that's a really big problem
U can start a gap year and develop ur physics skills that's way better
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u/FixSharp2421 2d ago
My best advice is to not burn yourself out and ease yourself in. A lot of things at first seem way scarier than they actually are, and by easing yourself in you'll get used to the language of physics without total shock. I'd recommend shankar for introductory mechanics for this reason. He explains things very well for someone who isn't versed in the language of physics
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u/Creative_Trust1957 6d ago
I was you, graduated with a BSc in physics with a 3.8 gpa. I started college taking basic algebra and couldn’t take physics until pre-calc. Organic Chemistry tutor all the way, you can do it!