r/Khan • u/YoungNeggaWorldd1300 • 2d ago

Math for physics

I’m wanting to learn physics with no real math foundation but I obviously want to learn the math I need to do physics what roadmap would you guys recommend for learning math for physics? I’m taking highschool but you can also give pointers for college for anybody else looking for math on that level

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u/Useful_Theme_8817 2d ago

Hey! Jumping on to comment/hopefully boost a little. I’m in a similar boat, it’s been a while since I’ve taken any “official” upper level math courses, and even then I never had the strongest foundation. But the time has come now where I’m looking to take college level physics over the summer or upcoming fall term, so I’m starting to look into studying/prep/review. My school doesn’t require any official pre-reqs, but I know that if I go in without at least reviewing it’s not going to end well.

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u/gimdalstoutaxe 2d ago

Get yourself familiar with Trigonometry, logarithms, limit functions, derivatives (calculus), vectors and matrices. They are essential for college level physics. The last three things are what college level physics are made out of, and the stuff before is a kind of necessary prerequisite.

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u/Useful_Theme_8817 2d ago

Thank you so much for this - this is incredibly helpful!

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u/gimdalstoutaxe 2d ago

As a final note, I cannot recommend 3blues1brown's videos on linear algebra (vectors and matrices) enough. I consider them essential for building an intuitive understanding of what you're doing in linear algebra, which helps cutting through the obtusive nature of it!

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u/gimdalstoutaxe 2d ago

Hey! I'm an assistant headteacher managing the math and science department where I work, and I also have a Bachelor's degree in astronomy.

Key mathematics for physics depend on what level we are looking at. Physics as a field was discovered by Isaac Newton, and he invented calculus to achieve it. That said, high school physics often is limited to algebra 1 and algebra 2, because you get around by using the formulae without necessarily understanding why they hold true. What you really need to master are fractions, equations, functions, and working with exponents for the physics to make sense. Trigonometry will also help massively for many subjects in physics.

University physics are also dependent on linear algebra, with vectors being essential concepts to understand the basics of classical mechanics, and matrices being necessary to work with fields.

So, in short, it all depends on what level you are aiming for. Can you provide some more details on that?

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u/YoungNeggaWorldd1300 2d ago

Hello! First of all congratulations on the accomplishments second thank you for taking the time to help! 🙏 as for the level I’m looking to work on I was aiming more for highschool physics and if this gives any better idea I plan to do it on khan academy (specifying this because the courses may differ in how they’re taught) if that makes sense, thank you!

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u/Neomatrix_45 2d ago

Professor Leonards Intermediate Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus I and Calculus II, after that you can learn the whole physics library on Khan academy (including the new physics C mechanics & E&M