Quantum Mechanics/Tutorials/How to Study

How to Study

Different people learn in different ways. Here's several ways you can learn the material.

Goals

Set solid and definite goals. In a college course, you have your course schedule and exams already laid out for you. In this course, it's up to you how fast or slow you go.

There is a broad overview of topics, along with how many hours, estimated, it takes to master the material. You may go faster or slower than the estimated times, so figure out how you do and factor that into your goals.

Set aside time on your schedule for study. Block everything else out. Focus.

Read

Read the books and notes.

This is a different type of reading than reading a novel or a nice history book. You are going to try to pull apart the mind of the author. You are going to understand every tiny detail of everything they wrote. You are going to question why they chose one word and not another.

When I was learning physics, it would take me 3-4 hours to read a page, not including review time. Your mind takes a while to fully process the information.

Memorize

Memorization is important.

You can memorize with practice. Take the thing you want to know, and recite it until you get it right.

Once memorized, you need to review regularly.

There are other things that can help, but flashcards are good enough.

Watch

Lectures are a great way to pace your mind. Sometimes seeing things form in real-time is the best way to understand how it is done. Watch the lectures, watch them twice, until you understand everything said.

During lectures, people make mistakes. When you can identify the mistakes faster than the lecturer, you are well on your way to mastering the material.

Talk

Try to talk about the topics you are learning with people who are unfamiliar with it. If they can understand through your words, you have a profound and deep understanding of the material.

Homework

There are numerous bits of homework, almost all of them solving one problem or another. You absolutely must do these on your own. Yes, you could go look up the answers somewhere, but this won't help YOU learn how to solve problems.

Attempt all problems. Struggle for hours and days with them. Don't give up.

Health and Sleep

The mind is an organ. It needs nutrients and proper rest. Try to get as much sleep as your body needs, somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 hours generally.

Eat healthy.

Exercise.