Example Prompt 1.1
"Here's the problem and here's what I've set up so far: [your work]. What's one physical principle or equation I haven't used yet that might apply here?"
Learning to solve Physics problems is done through practice. Homework problems provide opportunities for you to develop routine skills like vector addition, while building your sense of how concepts can be applied and intertwined to reach solutions.
An AI tool can be a useful partner to help you learn while doing your homework if you prompt it the right way. This prompting guide provides examples of what you can ask your AI tool to support your learning while problem-solving.
When you're stuck: find the next step
Give the AI tool what you've already tried and ask only for the next move.
Example Prompt 1.2
"I'm stuck between two approaches: [A] and [B]. Without solving the problem, what question should I ask myself to decide which one fits?"
Example Prompt 1.3
"I wrote this equation: [equation]. Is this a reasonable equation to use at this stage of the problem, and why or why not? Do not tell me what to do with it."
Example Prompt 1.4
"What's a simpler, related problem I could solve first to see the pattern?"
Find the bigger-scale structure
Use the AI tool to help you see the shape of the problem: What kind of problem it is, what's given, what's being asked, and how do the pieces relate?
Example Prompt 2.1
"Without solving anything, help me classify this problem: what topic/principle does it fall under, and what's the general strategy for problems like this?"
Example Prompt 2.2
"List the physical quantities given in this problem and the quantities being asked for, but don't tell me how to connect them."
Example Prompt 2.3
"What are the 2–3 major steps in solving a problem like this, at a high level (e.g., 'apply conservation of energy,' 'find the field, then the force') — without doing any of the steps?"
Example Prompt 2.4
"Draw me a conceptual map of what this problem is testing: is it a single-concept problem or does it combine multiple ideas?"
Explain your reasoning and get feedback
Say your reasoning out loud (or in writing) first, then use the AI tool as a critic.
Example Prompt 3.1
"Here's my reasoning for why I chose [equation/approach]: [your explanation]. Does my reasoning have a gap or an unjustified assumption? Don't fix it for me. Only point out where my reasoning is weak."
Example Prompt 3.2
"I think the answer should be [larger/smaller/positive/negative] because [your justification]. Is that justification sound?"
Example Prompt 3.3
"Critique my explanation of [concept] as if you were grading it for physical correctness, not for getting the right final number."
Example Prompt 3.4
"Ask me a follow-up question that would test whether I actually understand why I did this step, rather than just having gotten a right answer."
Ground Rules That Make This Work
Adhering to these principles ensures AI accelerates your learning rather than replacing your critical thinking.
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Never paste a problem and ask for the solution
Never paste a problem and ask "what's the answer" or "solve this."
Action step: If the AI offers a full solution unprompted, immediately stop reading and re-ask a narrower question. -
Start the problem on your own
Start generating ideas and writing things down before you go to the AI tool for help. Even if you feel like you don’t know how to do the problem, you will always have some ideas you can start from.
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Show your own work to the AI tool first
Every prompt above assumes you've already attempted something — a diagram, an equation, a guess, or a reasoning chain. The AI's job is to react to your thinking, not originate it.
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Ask "Why," not "What"
Prompts that ask for a justification check or a classification keep you doing the physics; prompts that ask for the next line of algebra do the physics for you.
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Verify anything quantitative
AI tools frequently make arithmetic and sign errors. Treat any number or formula it gives you as a hypothesis to check by hand, not an established fact.