11+3 tips to solve physics problems

A how-to guide

Practically all the exercise books I have (publishers send me some from time to time) are all the same: only the set of exercises changes. The same exercise, in fact, can be dressed in a different way and, therefore, they are not so different either. I must confess that I do not like any of them.

Rather then teaching how to solve a problem, the chapters of these books usually open with a reference to the fundamental formulas concerning the subject dealt with, and then propose a series of exercises, of increasing complexity, followed by their solution, which are almost always presented in a very clean, plain, natural and obvious form. The correct mathematical expressions are identified without even discussing them, and, after a bit of algebraic manipulation, the solution is served.

Reading such books, solving physics problems seems a very simple job, indeed. Nobody suspects that the solution of a physics exercise requires much more time than reading its solution. The result is that the student feels frustrated and depressed.

Indeed, the way to the solution is almost always not straightforward; first of all we have to find the main road, because, often, several of them open to our eyes. Then, we need to know when to turn back, if necessary, if we realise we have taken the wrong road…