Many of my students come to me with the same problem: “Professor, I understand the theory, but when I see a problem, I just freeze.”
That is completely normal. Mathematics and physics are not subjects you should just memorize. They are languages. Just like you cannot speak French fluently if you only learn grammar rules, you cannot master math if you only look at formulas.
The Secret Ingredient: Structure and Method
In my approach—which you will see in our materials and during our sessions—everything comes down to breaking things down (taking a complex problem and splitting it into small, simple parts).
Every problem, even the most difficult one (whether it’s a derivative, an integral, or applying Newton’s laws), can be solved in 3 simple steps:
- Identification: What is given, and what are we looking for? (Translating the text into the language of math).
- Plan: Which formula or rule do we need to use to reach our goal? (Strategy).
- Execution: The logical steps of solving it. (Doing the math, with a final check).
Where to start?
Don’t try to solve the hardest problem in your textbook right away. Start slowly. I often say: “It is better to solve 5 simple problems with full understanding than one difficult one by just memorizing the steps.”
Your task for today:
Take one equation that is bothering you. Don’t try to solve it yet. Just write it down on a piece of paper and apply Step 1 (Identification). What do you see?
Let me know in the comments or on Discord (the link is below) if you get stuck at the first step. We will solve it together.
Stay sharp, Profa Mladen