Our method

How we teach

This course is designed for complete beginners — including people who feel they're “bad at math”. Here are the principles behind every lesson.

Intuition before equations

Every lesson opens with something you can see and play with. Research on physics education (e.g. the work behind PhET at CU Boulder) shows interactive exploration builds understanding that lecture alone doesn't.

Always answer 'why'

Physics isn't a list of rules to memorise. Each law comes with the reasoning behind it — Galileo's thought experiments, Newton's checks, Feynman's analogies — so it makes sense, not just sounds right.

Predict, then reveal

We ask you to commit to a prediction before showing the answer. Getting it wrong first is one of the most effective ways to correct a misconception.

Math as a language, taught from zero

Module 0 starts at 'what does = mean', and a whole companion course, Math for Physics, teaches every other piece of math the lessons use. Every formula has a symbol-by-symbol card, a sentence for reading it aloud, and worked steps revealed one at a time.

Honest about limits

Models are approximations. When a formula breaks — like the pendulum at big angles — our simulations solve the exact equations so you can see where.

Cited and checkable

Every lesson lists its sources. All of them are free to read online, and the math course only cites material licensed for free reuse.

The colour code

The same quantity always has the same colour — in simulations, graphs and formulas.

Position Velocity Acceleration Force Friction Gravity / weight Normal force Kinetic energy Potential energy Momentum

Math for Physics has its own code, on the same principle:

Input (x) Output (y) Slope / rate Area Angle Opposite side Adjacent side Hypotenuse

Sources

Everything taught here is consistent with these references.