- #1
afims123
- 8
- 0
For the past couple of years I've been having trouble in my physics and chemistry labs. Not horrible trouble - I still get good grades and understand what's going on. But everything seems to be 10 times more painful for me than everyone else... I can figure out what should be done next, and how to do it to get the best results, but then when it comes to actually doing it I screw it up. It's not due to physical clumsiness, but more... mental?
Normally, I forget about something, or don't do something, and then I have to start all over again from square one. I lost 3 hours on the last experiment from this; in my freshman chem classes, I was simply the one of few people in the labs because I kept having to run back for a beaker etc. And my lab partner in eventually refused to let me do pipetting because I stuck the pipet in the wrong source bottle on one occasion. (I could barely operate the thing anyway because my timing was off, but the source bottle was the final straw, I think.)
Then, if I have a lab partner, and I'm supposed to read off measurements from something, half the time I'll say the wrong number - I'll mix it up, add a few digits, etc. I don't get such a problem when I read something off and write it down immediately (possibly because I always double check, but in general I seem to make fewer errors to begin with if I don't have to say it).
So basically, it's been about 2 years worth of labs, and I still haven't overcome these problems, despite trying hard not to make mistakes. I'm debating on whether or not to throw in the towel now and become a theorist... I do like theory, but I hate to make the decision as I am just beginning to take upper level physics courses. Do you guys know anyone else who's like this who works in some experimental field of physics? And just gets around it through persistence? Or practice, etc?
Normally, I forget about something, or don't do something, and then I have to start all over again from square one. I lost 3 hours on the last experiment from this; in my freshman chem classes, I was simply the one of few people in the labs because I kept having to run back for a beaker etc. And my lab partner in eventually refused to let me do pipetting because I stuck the pipet in the wrong source bottle on one occasion. (I could barely operate the thing anyway because my timing was off, but the source bottle was the final straw, I think.)
Then, if I have a lab partner, and I'm supposed to read off measurements from something, half the time I'll say the wrong number - I'll mix it up, add a few digits, etc. I don't get such a problem when I read something off and write it down immediately (possibly because I always double check, but in general I seem to make fewer errors to begin with if I don't have to say it).
So basically, it's been about 2 years worth of labs, and I still haven't overcome these problems, despite trying hard not to make mistakes. I'm debating on whether or not to throw in the towel now and become a theorist... I do like theory, but I hate to make the decision as I am just beginning to take upper level physics courses. Do you guys know anyone else who's like this who works in some experimental field of physics? And just gets around it through persistence? Or practice, etc?