A physics tutor: why it «suddenly stopped making sense»

Physics is the subject people most often describe as «it was fine, and then it just cut out». Almost always that is untrue. It cut out earlier; it was noticed now.

Physics is built like a staircase

Miss mechanics and the conservation laws make no sense. Miss those and molecular physics turns into a set of formulas to be remembered. Then comes electricity, and by that point everything rests on memory and good faith.

This is why a good physics tutor's first lesson often has nothing to do with the topic that was set. They are looking for the place where the thread broke. If someone starts straight in on today's problem and asks nothing else, take it as a warning.

Half the trouble with physics is maths

Very often a child understands what is happening in the problem and cannot finish the arithmetic. Ratios, powers, ordinary algebra — if those are shaky, physics will feel impossible, though physics is not the problem.

Ask whether the tutor checks for this. A good one checks in the first lesson and says plainly if what needs mending is not physics.

Exams and other systems

Physics is examined everywhere, but asked about differently: some systems want the calculation, some want the explanation in words, some mark practical work separately.

If you live abroad, do not guess whether the tutor knows your system. Say which one your child is in and what exam is ahead, and ask whether they have worked with it. Ask about language too: understanding physics in one language and being examined in another is a job of its own, and it is better agreed at the start.

Can physics be taught online

For a long time the answer was no — what about the experiments. In practice school physics is mostly working through problems and talking about what is going on, and a screen is enough for that. Much of what used to be demonstrated in a classroom is now shown in a simulation, where it is often easier to see.

What online genuinely cannot give is building a circuit with your own hands. If that matters, look for someone in person; in everything else there is no difference.

How to read the reviews here

The reviews here are thank-yous, so their use lies in the detail rather than the verdict. «Explained it so that it became clear where the formula comes from» describes someone who will not let you memorise. «Took him from nothing to the exam in a year» describes someone else. Choose by what you need.

See who is teaching physics: physics tutors with reviews.