Physics
Draw the free-body diagram. Actually draw it.
the shape of this subject
Physics is the discipline of first principles. Brainback refuses to skip the diagram, the sign convention, or the units check.
Because physics rewards the students who do the reps — and punishes the ones who outsource them.
- discipline
- STEM
- typical weekly load
- 3-6 problem sets · 3-5 hours · 1-2 recall sessions
- covered on plan
- all plans (free forever)
Every physics concept Brainback covers.
Add Physics as a Learn subject and every problem in these areas routes to the Socratic tutor — attempt-first, hint-laddered, output-guarded.
What one turn in physics actually looks like.
Attempt → correction → guiding question. No answer. Ever. Verbatim from a beta session.
I set up F = ma with friction opposing motion…
What's your positive direction? Redraw with it labeled.
no answer · one guiding question · your next move
How real attempts start. How Brainback nudges.
- I set up F = ma with friction opposing motion…
- What's your positive direction? Redraw with it labeled.
the anti-pattern
What physics looks like when the AI does the thinking.
Answer machines make physics look like a solved problem. It isn't. The exam room reveals whose reasoning was built and whose was rented.
- M1Applying a formula without checking whether the conditions actually hold.
- M2Skipping the sanity check — 'does the sign / magnitude make sense?'
- M3Memorizing steps instead of reasoning about why they're legal.
- M4Reading past the setup and diving straight into computation.
the recall card
What a spaced-repetition card looks like in physics.
Every wrong attempt and low-scored explain-back becomes a card. SM-2 schedules them — the tricky ones come back tomorrow, the solid ones drift out to next week, then next month.
Recall the core concept in your own words. Then apply it to a fresh example under 2 minutes.
Sub-subjects Brainback tracks separately.
Each has its own hint patterns and recall queue — because 'chemistry' isn't the same rep as 'organic chemistry.'
Related subjects.
The subject where the shortcut has always been most expensive.
Limits, rates, and shapes of change — earned, not delivered.
Where symbolic manipulation becomes second nature — or doesn't.
See the diagram. Not just look at it.
Unit circle, but also unit intuition.
Vectors are directions, not numbers.
physics — ready when you are
Start your first physics session.
Attempt-first. Never the answer. Add it as a Learn subject in 30 seconds.