Short version: I haven’t touched physics since high school, and am now 29. What’s the best way for me to start learning again without taking classes?
Long version: I have an MA in English literature and currently teach literature and composition to kids and teenagers. But at some point my boyfriend and I are planning to move to the UK. I want to get a PGCE, which is basically a teaching degree for secondary education. But you can’t really get government funding for your teaching training - and aren’t really guaranteed a job - unless you teach specific subjects: physics, chemistry, maths, or modern languages.
The only subject that remotely interests me is physics. I used to be really into science, actually, but after we moved to Korea I had to play to my strengths (my Korean sucked, which meant I sucked in all my subjects, but being fluent in English gave me an edge).
I’m not seriously committed yet, but I do want to see if I can back into it. I wasn’t too bad at math and science - in high school everything had to do trigonometry and calculus, and I usually managed to get around 80%. I’m not looking to win a Nobel; just to learn enough to teach it to teenagers.
Dipping a toe in? Have you had a look at the Khan Academy videos? I think they may have some on physics. Barring that, you could try MIT’s online lectures, or Stanford’s…
Go buy a physics textbook, one with problems in it and the answers to the problems in back. Something for pre-meds is probably about right as far as difficulty and breadth. Read it, and work out all the sample problems. If you get a sample problem wrong, make sure you understand why. And when you really can’t figure something out, ask here. Probably best to do it again with a different textbook.
Then see if you can get hold of sample/practice tests for the test you want to pass and see how you do.
Go buy a calculus book first. When you are able to take derivatives and integrals of functions, you are good through a lot of physics. Some of the higher up physics topics need differential equations, but that’s not something you would teach at a high school.
As a former physics teacher, I’d say the best thing to do would be to buy a high school physics book and read it thoroughly and work the problems, check your answers, and ask for help.
There are also tons of online resources and videos that you can find by typing in a particular topic. If you want more specific information send me a PM and I’ll get you some links for websites.
We (the public television network where I work) has offered high-school physics for Kentucky high schools that don’t have enough students to justify hiring a specialized teacher (also languages and higher math) for more than 20 years. Our physics instructor works here on-site. I know homeschooling parents use these courses, but I don’t know what the requirements are for individuals out there in the world-wide world. PM me if you’re interested in knowing more.
The prof is seriously engaging, though the pace is furious. I was able to follow them just fine, even though I hadn’t taken Physics since high school, almost 30 years ago.
Why not go for modern language specialization? But, someone beat me to the Feynman – I got my print copies for like 5 bucks (all three volumes) at a flea market. But you need calculus to understand Feynman’s lectures (and his other printed “officially” texts, to a lesser or greater degree).
I think you’d be better suited for modern language – the time you spend learning the math, then the physics, could be spent using, e.g., the US state department materials for acquisition of a relevant language, or, just plain learning it. And if the gig doesn’t pan out, you’ll be able to research something relevant to your training in literature, which is nice.
ETA I see you know your calc and trig – I’d say just learn the physics. I’m liking the Yale lectures posted above – internet is amazing for students these days. I still swear by Feynman, even though I’m not a scientist and shouldn’t even be posting “advice” without a big giant disclaimer.
I don’t think I’d use the Feynman lectures as a first exposure. They’re interesting, but as far as learning to actually set up and solve problems, you’d probably be better off with a different text. There’s also a lot of stuff that are probably more then you’d need for HS.
I’d just go to the local university, buy whatever book there class is using for its physics 101 class and read it and work through the problems. Any decently popular text will have the solutions online so you can check yourself. Any conceptual questions you have you can ask here, or other places on the web. Physics 101 isn’t that hard, if your decently comfortable with HS level math and maybe the first semester of College Calc.
Physics education has been pretty standardized over the years, if you get a current text, you’ll be on “the same page” as anyone whose likely to be assessing your qualifications to teach, while if you get something like the Feynman Lectures, you’ll know a lot of interesting things that probably won’t come up in any job interviews or skill assessments.
Yes, on second thought I agree. I wasn’t taking into account the context of why he was learning the subject. They would be a wonderful supplement, but not a good choice for his initial purpose.