Study Saturday: How to Succeed in Physics I (Mechanics)

Physics I (Mechanics) is one of the most important prerequisites for DPT programs, and it is also one of the most challenging. Most programs require two semesters of physics with labs, and these courses must come from a physics department. A biomechanics course alone will not satisfy this requirement at the vast majority of programs. The good news: physics rewards consistent practice and conceptual thinking, and there are outstanding free resources available to help you succeed.

Why DPT Programs Require Physics

Physics is not just a prerequisite to survive. It is the scientific foundation for the biomechanics and kinesiology coursework that forms a core part of every DPT curriculum:

• Biomechanics and gait analysis: understanding how forces act on joints, muscles, and bones during movement depends directly on Newton's laws, torque, and rotational dynamics. When you analyze a patient's gait, you are applying force vectors and moment arms.
• Joint mechanics: lever systems in the human body (first, second, and third class levers) are pure physics. Calculating mechanical advantage helps physical therapists understand why certain muscles fatigue faster or why joint replacements alter movement patterns.
• Force vectors and manual therapy: applying therapeutic force requires understanding vector components, direction, and magnitude. A manual mobilization technique is fundamentally an applied physics problem.
• Balance and stability: center of mass, base of support, and equilibrium concepts from physics translate directly to fall prevention and balance training in clinical practice.
• Tissue mechanics: understanding stress, strain, elasticity, and material properties helps physical therapists reason about tendon loading, ligament integrity, and tissue healing under various forces.
• Energy and work: the physics of work, power, and energy conservation underpins exercise physiology and helps physical therapists design rehabilitation programs that appropriately load recovering tissues.

As UCSF's prerequisite guidelines specify, physics courses must include Newton's laws of motion, kinematics, energetics, momentum, two-dimensional collisions, torque, and rotational dynamics. These concepts map directly onto clinical reasoning in physical therapy.

What You Will Cover

A standard Physics I (Mechanics) course, whether algebra-based or calculus-based, typically includes these core topics based on the MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics syllabus and comparable programs:

• Kinematics in one and two dimensions: displacement, velocity, acceleration, free fall, projectile motion
• Newton's laws of motion: first, second, and third laws; free-body diagrams; friction (static and kinetic); normal force; tension; applied forces
• Work, energy, and power: work-energy theorem, kinetic energy, potential energy (gravitational and elastic), conservation of energy, power
• Linear momentum and collisions: impulse, momentum, conservation of momentum, elastic and inelastic collisions
• Rotational kinematics and dynamics: angular velocity, angular acceleration, torque, moment of inertia, rotational kinetic energy
• Angular momentum: conservation of angular momentum, spinning and orbiting systems
• Static equilibrium: conditions for equilibrium, center of mass, applications to structures and the human body
• Gravity: Newton's law of universal gravitation, gravitational potential energy, orbital motion
• Simple harmonic motion and waves: oscillations, springs, pendulums, wave properties (wavelength, frequency, amplitude, speed), sound waves
• Fluid mechanics (some courses): pressure, Pascal's principle, buoyancy, Archimedes' principle, Bernoulli's equation

Note: whether your program requires algebra-based or calculus-based physics varies. SDSU's admissions page notes that courses do not need to be calculus-based and that students should choose a physics course intended for health science majors when available. Check your target programs' specific requirements.

Study Strategies That Work

Solve problems constantly. Physics is learned by doing, not by reading. Simply reviewing lecture notes or re-reading the textbook creates a false sense of understanding. Stanford's study tips for introductory physics emphasize that active problem-solving is the single most effective study method. Work through textbook problems, seek additional problem sets, and practice under timed conditions.

Understand concepts before plugging into formulas. Physics requires conceptual understanding alongside mathematical skill. Before reaching for an equation, draw a picture, identify the physical principles involved, and reason through what should happen qualitatively. If you cannot explain why an answer makes sense in plain language, you do not truly understand it. A Carnegie Mellon study guide stresses that long-term retention depends on comprehension rather than memorization.

Draw free-body diagrams for every force problem. This is non-negotiable. Free-body diagrams are the bridge between a word problem and the math. Label every force with its direction and magnitude. Decompose forces into components. Students who skip this step make far more errors on exams.

Use dimensional analysis to check answers. If you calculate a velocity and your answer has units of meters per second squared, something went wrong. Checking units catches algebraic mistakes before they cost you points and builds physical intuition about what quantities represent.

Pre-read before lecture. Skim the relevant textbook sections before class. Do not try to understand everything on the first pass. Your goal is to identify the main concepts and formulate questions so that lecture becomes a reinforcement session rather than a first exposure. After class, re-read carefully, pausing after each paragraph to express in your own words what you just read.

Study consistently, not in marathons. Physics builds on itself relentlessly. You need to understand force to learn the work-energy theorem, and you need the work-energy theorem to understand potential energy. Falling behind creates a compounding problem. Short daily study sessions of 1-2 hours significantly outperform cramming for retention and problem-solving ability.

Leverage office hours and study groups. Physics problems often have multiple valid approaches. Discussing strategies with classmates and instructors exposes you to different ways of thinking. Come to office hours with specific problems you have attempted but gotten stuck on, not just general confusion.

Test yourself with old exams. If your professor posts past exams, work through them under realistic conditions. Timing yourself reveals whether your problem-solving speed is adequate and identifies weak spots before the real exam.

Free Resources

Video lectures:

• Khan Academy Physics covers the full Physics I curriculum with self-paced videos, articles, and practice exercises across kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, and rotational motion
• MIT OpenCourseWare 8.01SC Classical Mechanics provides the complete MIT introductory mechanics course with lecture videos, an online textbook, worked examples, problem sets, and exams with solutions, organized across 12 weeks
• Yale Open Course PHYS 200 features 24 lectures by Professor Ramamurti Shankar covering Newtonian mechanics, special relativity, gravitation, thermodynamics, and waves, with transcripts and problem sets
• The Organic Chemistry Tutor - Physics Playlist (despite the name) has extensive physics mechanics content with step-by-step problem walkthroughs, covering kinematics, Newton's laws, friction, tension, work, energy, and momentum
• Michel van Biezen / iLectureOnline offers thousands of short, focused physics videos organized by topic, with detailed problem-solving demonstrations from basic vectors through advanced mechanics
• Professor Dave Explains provides whiteboard-style explanations covering classical mechanics topics with clear visual breakdowns

Free textbooks:

• OpenStax University Physics Volume 1 by Moebs, Ling, and Sanny is a peer-reviewed, calculus-based textbook covering mechanics, sound, oscillations, and waves, completely free online or as a PDF under a Creative Commons license
• The Feynman Lectures on Physics are available free online and provide legendary conceptual depth, best used as a supplement for building physical intuition

Interactive tools:

• PhET Interactive Simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder provides research-validated simulations for forces, energy, projectile motion, springs, pendulums, gravity, and more
• Wolfram Alpha lets you check calculations, solve equations, and verify units with step-by-step solutions

Recommended Textbooks

• University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and Freedman (Pearson, 16th edition) is one of the two most widely adopted calculus-based physics textbooks in the United States, with strong problem sets and detailed worked examples
• Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker (Wiley, 12th edition) is the other dominant choice, known for its clear exposition and comprehensive coverage across 50+ years of editions
• Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway and Jewett (Cengage, 10th edition) is a strong alternative with concise writing and well-structured problem-solving frameworks
• College Physics by Serway and Vuille (Cengage, 11th edition) is the algebra-based version, appropriate for pre-health students whose programs do not require calculus-based physics
• Fundamentals of Physics I by R. Shankar (Yale University Press, 2nd edition) pairs directly with the free Yale Open Course lectures, making it an excellent self-study option
• OpenStax University Physics Volume 1 by Moebs, Ling, and Sanny is free and covers the same scope as commercial texts

Apps Worth Using

• Anki for spaced repetition flashcards covering physics vocabulary, formulas, and key concepts
• PhET Simulations for interactive exploration of forces, motion, energy, and wave behavior
• Wolfram Alpha for checking calculations, solving equations, and verifying dimensional analysis
• Physics Toolbox Suite turns your phone's accelerometer, gyroscope, and other sensors into data collection instruments for hands-on physics experiments
• PhyWiz generates step-by-step solutions across 30+ physics topics including kinematics, forces, gravity, energy, and momentum

How This Connects to DPT School

When you study biomechanics in your DPT program, you will apply Newton's second law to analyze joint reaction forces during functional movements. When you learn gait analysis, you will decompose ground reaction force vectors into components and calculate joint moments using the torque concepts from this course. When you assess a patient's balance, you will think about center of mass relative to the base of support, which is a direct application of static equilibrium principles. When you design a progressive resistance exercise program, the physics of work, power, and mechanical advantage will inform your clinical reasoning about load, lever arm, and muscle force production. Physics I is not an abstract hurdle. It is the quantitative language that physical therapists use every day, even when they do not write equations.

This is part of our Study Saturday series, where we break down how to succeed in each PT school prerequisite course. For an overview of all prerequisites, see understanding PT school prerequisites.