Who This Page Is For
The high school student
You're in honors or conceptual physics and the problem sets are eating your evenings. We make the formulas feel less like magic and more like tools.
The AP Physics student
AP 1, 2, or C — and the exam is on the horizon. We diagnose which topic areas are losing you points and prep with real FRQ-style problems.
The college intro physics student
You're in calc-based or algebra-based intro physics (often called Physics I/II or 211/212). The pace is brutal. We help you keep up and rebuild what fell through the cracks.
What We Cover
Mechanics
- Kinematics in 1D and 2D
- Projectile motion
- Newton's laws and free-body diagrams
- Friction, inclines, pulleys
- Work, energy, conservation
- Momentum and collisions
- Rotational motion, torque
- Angular momentum, gyroscopes
- Simple harmonic motion
- Gravitation, orbits
Electricity & Magnetism
- Coulomb's law, electric fields
- Gauss's law
- Electric potential and capacitance
- Circuits, Kirchhoff's laws
- RC, RL, and LC circuits
- Magnetic fields and forces
- Ampère's law, Faraday's law
- Electromagnetic induction
- Maxwell's equations overview
Waves & Optics
- Mechanical waves, sound
- Standing waves, harmonics
- Wave interference and diffraction
- Doppler effect
- Reflection and refraction
- Lenses and mirrors
- Polarization basics
Thermo & Fluids
- Temperature and heat transfer
- Specific heat, phase changes
- Ideal gas law, kinetic theory
- First and second laws of thermo
- Entropy basics
- Pressure, buoyancy, Pascal's principle
- Bernoulli's equation
Modern Physics
- Photoelectric effect
- Atomic models
- Special relativity basics
- Quantum intro: wavefunctions, particle-in-a-box
- Nuclear physics overview
Lab & Math Skills
- Significant figures and uncertainty
- Error propagation
- Graphing and linearization
- Vectors and components
- Calculus tools for physics
- Reading and writing lab reports
How I'd Walk You Through a Block-on-Incline Problem
This is the rite of passage for every physics student. The trick is in the diagram, not the algebra.
- Draw the free-body diagram. The block has two forces: gravity (straight down, magnitude mg) and normal force (perpendicular to incline). Drawing this first is the entire game.
- Tilt your coordinate system. Align the x-axis with the incline (down-slope positive) and y-axis perpendicular to it. This is the single trick that makes incline problems easy — most students fight the geometry by staying horizontal.
- Decompose gravity into the tilted axes. Fg,x = mg·sin(30°), Fg,y = mg·cos(30°). The normal force only has a y-component, and the block doesn't accelerate perpendicular to the incline, so N = mg·cos(30°).
- Apply Newton's second law along the incline. The only net force in x is mg·sin(30°). So ma = mg·sin(30°), which means a = g·sin(30°).
- Plug in. a = 9.8 · 0.5 = 4.9 m/s², down the incline.
Where Physics Students Usually Get Stuck
"I know the formula but I don't know which one to use"
This is a setup problem, not a content problem. We practice translating words into pictures, then pictures into the right equation.
"The math gets in the way of the physics"
If algebra or calculus is your bottleneck, we patch those gaps directly inside the physics problems instead of grinding through them separately.
"I can do mechanics but E&M is a wall"
Electricity and magnetism is harder because you can't see the fields. We use diagrams and analogies until the abstract picture becomes concrete.
"My answers have the right numbers but the wrong units"
Units are the cheapest sanity check in all of physics. We make unit tracking a habit and you stop losing points on small mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level of physics do you tutor?
High school physics (conceptual and honors), AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C (mechanics and E&M), and college-level introductory physics — both algebra-based and calculus-based.
I'm in calculus-based physics and the math is killing me. Can you help?
Yes — that's the most common reason students get stuck in calc-based physics. We strengthen the calculus alongside the physics so they reinforce each other.
Do you help with lab reports?
Yes. We can work on data analysis, error propagation, plotting, and writing the report so it's clear and complete.
Can you help me prep for the AP Physics exam?
Yes. We focus on the high-yield topic areas and practice free-response questions in the actual exam format with targeted feedback.