The laws can also so be expressed in terms of equations for specific problems. Since there are far more problems than physical laws, the organization in terms of physical laws is much simpler than in terms of problems and formulas. Studying physics as a collection of formulas waiting for numbers is more likely to result in frustration than in understanding. Back to Top 2. The course is cumulative because some material will depend on topics covered earlier.
Some topics covered late in the course are just more difficult than earlier ones.
Some students have already studied topics covered early in the course, but most have not seen many of the later topics. There is a math prerequisite of high school algebra and trigonometry, the equivalent of MATH 104. Back to Top 3. You should expect the course to become more difficult as the semester progresses. Failure to understand material one week will jeopardize your understanding of later topics.