Ask HN: How to self-study physics?
I thought I would also add my two cents, though there have been many excellent responses already. I recently defended my PhD in Physics (MIT &#x27;18).<p>First of all - great idea! It is never too late to learn math and physics! In fact, with hard work and commitment, anybody can muster them to a high level.<p>(1) Reading =&#x2F;= understanding in math and physics. You understand a topic only if you can solve the problems.<p>(2) Work through the solved problems you encounter in textbooks carefully.<p>(3) Most people around me have never read any physics textbook cover to cover. E.g. reading Halliday, Resnick &amp; Walker completely might take you years! Not all topics are equally important. Focus on the important parts.<p>(4) You need guidance on what is important and what is not. Online courses, college material (especially problem sets!), teaching webpages could be a helpful guide. MIT OCW is an excellent resource, once you are ready for it.<p>(5) Finding someone to talk to is really useful. You will likely have questions. Cultivating some relationship that allows you to ask questions is invaluable.<p>(4) College courses in math and physics have a very definitive order. It is really difficult to skip any step along the way. E.g. to understand special relativity, you must first understand classical physics and electrodynamics.<p>(5) Be prepared that the timescales in physics are long. Often, what turns people off is that they do not get things quickly (e.g. in 15-30 minutes). If you find yourself thinking hours about seemingly simple problems, do not despair! That is normal in physics.<p>(6) You have to &#x27;soak in&#x27; physics. It takes time. Initially, you might feel like you do not make a lot of progress, but the more you know, the quicker it will get. Give yourself time and be patient and persistent.<p>(7) Often, just writing things down helps a lot with making things stick. It is a way of developing &#x27;muscle memory&#x27;. So try and take notes while reading. Copying out solved problems from textbooks is also a good technique.<p>(8) Counterintuitive: If you get completely stuck, move on! Learning often happens in non-linear ways. If you hit an insurmountable roadblock, just keep going. When you return in a few days&#x2F;weeks, things will almost certainly be clearer.