There’s a particular kind of frustration that happens in Physics lessons that doesn’t happen in Maths.
In Maths, if you can’t solve a quadratic, you know you can’t. The confusion is visible. You get stuck, you ask for help, you learn the method.
In Physics, something stranger happens. You learn the equation. You practice the equation. You can substitute numbers into the equation and get the right answer. And then you read the question again, and realise you have absolutely no idea what’s actually happening physically.
You solved it. You got the mark. And you’re still confused.
This isn’t a sign you’re bad at Physics. It’s a sign of how Physics is usually taught.
The problem: algebra first, picture second
Most Physics courses introduce ideas as equations. F = ma. E = mc². V = IR. The equation comes first; the concept is explained around it.
This is practical — you can test equations. It’s much harder to test understanding. But it creates a predictable gap: students learn the algebraic manipulation before they have any mental picture of what’s happening.
The algebra can run ahead of the intuition by months. You’re solving problems with tools you don’t fully understand yet.
Why the intuition is harder to build
Algebraic fluency is trainable. You practice, you see the pattern, you get faster. Physical intuition develops differently — it’s built from exposure to varied situations, from making predictions, being wrong, and revising your model.
You can’t shortcut that process by re-reading the textbook. You build the picture by doing the following, over time:
- Making predictions before calculating. Before you plug in numbers, ask: will the force be bigger or smaller? Will the object speed up or slow down? Then calculate and see if your prediction was right.
- Finding the limiting cases. What happens if the mass goes to zero? If the velocity gets very large? Extreme cases are where your intuition is easiest to test — and where textbook examples rarely take you.
- Drawing it. Not the diagram from the textbook. Your diagram. The one that shows what you think is happening.
What this means for studying
If you’re preparing for an A-level Physics paper, the exam will have numerical questions and descriptive questions. The numerical ones you can handle with practice. The descriptive ones — “explain why the current decreases as resistance increases” — require the intuition.
Here’s what helps: read the worked examples in your textbook (or in the bundle, when it’s available), but cover the explanation and try to describe what’s happening in plain language first. Then uncover the answer. The gap between your description and the official one is exactly where your intuition needs work.
The gap doesn’t mean you’re wrong about everything. It means you haven’t yet found the right words for a picture that’s mostly there.
The good news
The intuition does catch up. It’s slower than the algebra, but it follows. And once it does, Physics problems feel qualitatively different — you’re not hunting for the right equation, you’re checking your understanding against a calculation you already roughly know the answer to.
That’s the feeling to aim for. Not certainty before you start. Rough understanding that the algebra then confirms.
Written by James MacKellar — University of Bristol EEE undergraduate.