Physics Newbie

Hi, I have just recently begun game programming and have created some Breakout and Bomberman demo''s. I am now trying to move to the next level with a platform type game. Currently I like to make a ball (or later a playing character) move around a 2D tile based environment going over slopes, jumps and loop the loops. I must stress I have more of a maths background than physics. I was wondering whether to attempt a full physics based environment or whether there are some shortcut tricks available. I can pretty much figure out the simple slopes and jumps but its the loop the loop that''s a pain. I felt if I went for a full physics thing then it would just be a matter of letting the physics do the work and the same equations could effectively be applied each time just the parameters changing. (such as gradient/angles etc) I am working with devices with limited memory and processor power so these need to be taken into account so some well known tricks might be better. I''ve a feeling using full physics might slow things down too much but have an open mind. Help!!! Cheers B