How Do You Solve A Physical Science Problem?
Solving problems in physical sciences or in mathematics can cause great difficulty for some students. If you feel the same way, maybe the steps below might help. You might up to now have been learning from your teacher how to ‘do’ a particular question and then finding yourself stuck when you come across a new one with a slight variation. What you need to develop is a general way of dealing with mathematical problems in science, so that you won’t be dependent on any one set of questions. Never leave a blank space! Even if you “can’t do the question”, you can carry out most of the steps below, and quite often you’ll find the answer in the process. You can’t give up until you’ve tried these steps. Practice them, so you can do them quickly. • Read the question twice. Get the gist of what it’s about. Understand what is being asked of you. • Read it again more slowly. Find out what information you are given. If there are specific values given, give them a name, and a symbol and write them d
