I am an eighth grader...

A

Angel Kaldanis

Registered Member
So, as the title says, I am and eighth grader from Greece, I am interested in physics. I feel like what I am learning in school (we are currently on y=ax+b in algebra, circles in geometry and pressure in physics) is way to easy and I want to learn more. I am willing to study hard, what should I do?
 
Angel Kaldanis said:
So, as the title says, I am and eighth grader from Greece, I am interested in physics. I feel like what I am learning in school (we are currently on y=ax+b in algebra, circles in geometry and pressure in physics) is way to easy and I want to learn more. I am willing to study hard, what should I do?
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Welcome Angel.
This is not the best place to learn physics. This board encourages discussion of non-mainstream subjects - something that you would do well to avoid until you have a stronger foundation in mainstream science, and are adept at discerning the difference.

Here's a better place.
 
Angel Kaldanis said:
what should I do?
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what country are you in now ?
different countrys have vastly different school systems and higher education systems.
language is also a consideration.

sometimes there are foundation aspects of science that you must learn while you think about the more complex issues.

13 years old is a very emotional stage. many of your peers are more concerned with social networking and learning how to interact, control and manipulate social groups and processes.
thats normal.

greece has a terrible financial situation currently, so the schools ability to deliver higher education(school for advanced students and school for students with learning disabilities) has probably been taken away by money being cut to the school.
they probably dont have enough money to pay for the basic stuff as it is.

good science teachers are extremely rare.
you will be VERY lucky to get 1 good science teacher per school.
this means you must motivate yourself to find ways to help yourself.
science clubs
casual reading of books on science
learning the school process for teaching science to students your age.

attempting to ask your science teacher for higher level work may make things more difficult for you as the teacher may have personal emotional issues.
your chances are roughly 50/50 at getting a positive response to getting a negative response.

keep up your coarse work.

find clubs, (make friends with)friends who do the same, make friends with those around your same age who do the same(preferably in different schools).
find a few people who are mentors, older students who need to mentor younger students for their coarse-work.

keep this all openly diariesed in your own diary and let all your family know what you are doing, who you meet, what the club names are, who potential mentors are... the more and wider you make your network the bigger the chance of getting better and more quality teaching.

many parents obsess about teenagers sexual/social development(thats normal) expect this to be other peoples baggage that you must learn to deal with because it is the opposing side of the table from where your sitting.
 
I am sorry but I didnt visit the forum in the past few days and I missed your response. I currently live in a small town in Greece (no more than 15.000 people). Sadly there arent ANY (im not exaggerating here) children aged 13-16 who live here and are interested in physics (the number of children of these ages is smaller than what you would think anyways). My parents are willing to help me. We are thinking of finding a tutor who will teach me the math (and physics) I need in order to move on and I will continue reading popular science books. Does that sound like a good plan?
 
Angel Kaldanis said:
I am sorry but I didnt visit the forum in the past few days and I missed your response. I currently live in a small town in Greece (no more than 15.000 people). Sadly there arent ANY (im not exaggerating here) children aged 13-16 who live here and are interested in physics (the number of children of these ages is smaller than what you would think anyways). My parents are willing to help me. We are thinking of finding a tutor who will teach me the math (and physics) I need in order to move on and I will continue reading popular science books. Does that sound like a good plan?
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This would seriously be a long term thing, but people are free to tell me I'm wrong.

Getting some software to test your mathematical thinking, even though getting to know it's syntax is be rightfully annoying, software like Maple or Mathematica - you got a computer, why not use it the best calculator it can be.
 
Angel:

Angel Kaldanis said:
We are thinking of finding a tutor who will teach me the math (and physics) I need in order to move on and I will continue reading popular science books. Does that sound like a good plan?
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I think maybe you need to read some textbooks, not just popular science books. Most of the pop science books will have minimal mathematics in them, and if you really want to learn physics you'll need to learn the maths, and the physics with the maths.

A good start might be to get some school textbooks that are a year or two up from your current year level, have a read and see if you can cope with the level of material presented there.

To really start properly with physics, you'll need to learn some calculus, at a minimum.

Do you have a local library where you can browse maths and physics textbooks?

If you come across something specific, it is possible that people here might be able to advise you as to whether it's any good.

The tutor idea sounds like a good one, too, as long as you get a decent tutor.
 
James R said:
Angel:


I think maybe you need to read some textbooks, not just popular science books. Most of the pop science books will have minimal mathematics in them, and if you really want to learn physics you'll need to learn the maths, and the physics with the maths.

A good start might be to get some school textbooks that are a year or two up from your current year level, have a read and see if you can cope with the level of material presented there.

To really start properly with physics, you'll need to learn some calculus, at a minimum.

Do you have a local library where you can browse maths and physics textbooks?

If you come across something specific, it is possible that people here might be able to advise you as to whether it's any good.

The tutor idea sounds like a good one, too, as long as you get a decent tutor.
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Thnx a lot, I will start reading the mathematical textbooks of the following classes I will see if i face any difficulties etc. Sadly I dont have a local library.
 
Beer w/Straw said:
This would seriously be a long term thing, but people are free to tell me I'm wrong.

Getting some software to test your mathematical thinking, even though getting to know it's syntax is be rightfully annoying, software like Maple or Mathematica - you got a computer, why not use it the best calculator it can be.
Click to expand...
Sounds interesting I will try it
 
Angel Kaldanis said:
So, as the title says, I am and eighth grader from Greece, I am interested in physics. I feel like what I am learning in school (we are currently on y=ax+b in algebra, circles in geometry and pressure in physics) is way to easy and I want to learn more. I am willing to study hard, what should I do?
Click to expand...
This may be helpful in gaining some general perspectives and a deeper understanding of mathematics as a tool for discovery.
 
Angel Kaldanis said:
Sounds interesting I will try it
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rubbish for food(eat rubbish[bad diet])
rubbish for thought(think rubbish thoughts)

everything is more difficult and you have less ability when you eat highly processed food.
it is like tying a dead cow to your push bike then trying to have fun by going for a ride.

the brain relys on omega 3,6,9
vitamins and minerals

if you want to build a racing car, do you ignore what type of petrol you put into it ?
do you ignore how cleanly the petrol burns ?
do you ignore how the petrol creates wear and tear on the system and how much power range you get, when and where and doing different things ?
no !
your brain(and body) is the same
never forget that
 
It has been a while and i dont know if the people who helped me by answering this thread will be notified but i am now a 12 grader . I've gotten through calc 1,2,3, diff eq.'s, linear algebra and im now learning complex analysis and will move on to some abstract algebra/group theory. I just felt like things would be much easier for me if i just had the math down and I find studying even more rigorous texts quite enjoyable, however physics is still what i want to study in uni and have been studying it in conjuction with the math i have been learning. Any more tips advice you would like to offer me? Anything would be appreciated!
 
Write4U said:
This may be helpful in gaining some general perspectives and a deeper understanding of mathematics as a tool for discovery.
Click to expand...

Mathematic is "recognize patern" !!!
This is what the guy says....

No.
Part of the intelligence is : "recognizing patern".
Mathematics uses the ability of mathematicians to "recognize paterns" and it is what intelligent people do by nature.
But people who recognise patern are not always mathematicians.
 
Dicart said:
But people who recognise patterns are not always mathematicians.
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Perhaps not by profession, but intuitively they have mathematical skills, even as they may not know it or developed it.
Many animals have mathematical skills. Triangulation is a mathematical skill. Walking is a mathematical skill.

All recurring patterns are mathematical in essence, if you recognize the pattern you recognize its mathematical nature.

You may enjoy this lecture by Max Tegmark about the mathematical nature of nature.
 
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