How to Earn an A in Physics
For the past few terms, all students earning an A
in PHYS 2211 were invited to pass on any
advice they might have for students in subsequent semesters. Here are the responses from last Spring,
in the order they were received. We hope that you will benefit from their suggestions. The only
editing of these remarks has been for spelling, and to remove material that was not advice to students
(advice to instructors, for example). At the bottom of the page, you will find links to similar
advice from earlier semesters.
Bonus Homework
is now called Practice Homework, to emphasize that its importance is in the practice,
not in the bonus. PRS
refers to an old in-class polling system, like the current TurningPoint system.
Doing well in Physics 2211 here at Tech is no easy feat, but then again it isn't
easy to do well in just about any Georgia Tech course. My personal advice to you
is to do the Mastering Physics problems every time they are due, and actually
take the time to understand the concepts and use the hints if need be. Spending
time to think about it and read about the concepts is the only way to do well.
You have to understand the material before you can apply it on the quizzes.
Also, attend class regularly and pay attention to the PRS questions. In my class
especially the PRS questions and demonstrations were incredibly helpful, so make
sure to listen and think about them during class. Other advice would be to work
the Stop To Think questions in every chapter of the physics book, because they
tend to be very helpful in understanding and applying the concepts in each
section of each chapter. Good luck and hope this advice helped!
-RB
The advice I'd like to pass on to next years students is to do all of
the MasteringPhysics homework, but to resist the temptation to go
straight to the hints if you're having trouble. The thought processes
that will develop in your head when you're trying to solve a problem
will help you more than the hints will. Its also much more satisfying
to carve a path through a problem with no help than it is to read the
hints, to boot. Memorizing the processes to
solving certain types of problems helps a lot too.
-JP
My advice to all of the incoming PHYS 2211 students would be to utilize
all the resources (there are more than you think) that are given to you.
All the practice Mastering Physics, the problems in the book (especially
Stop to Think's), the powerpoints from previous semester are great tools
to help give you an A. Of course, it's a lot of work, but it's worth it
in the end.
-PM
My advice to future students is to make sure they look at the sample quizzes
offered on the course website. These quizzes provide valuable practice and also
reinforce the concepts that the instructor deems important. No matter how much a
student has studied, looking at the practice exams and quizzes helps. In
addition, I found that the "Stop to think" questions in the physics book were
very helpful during the course. These questions help students apply their
knowledge of physics instead of just crunching numbers. Plus, they often appear
on the quizzes.
-SR
- ALWAYS do the practice exams to prepare for the quizzes.
- Read over every "Stop and Think" question in the chapter your quiz will consist of. Many of them are on the quizzes.
- I heard this from someone else but apparently 11 questions on the final exam were questions from the practice mastering physics that is on every Saturday. So DO THOSE!!
- And of course go to class because it helps with the mastering physics and helps you obtain a basic mean of the content to base the rest of your learning off of.
-Steven Christopher Beardsell
I had a good AP physics class in high school so I never opened the
physics book once. I did, however, attempt all of the homework and
when I didn't understand something I would ask for help so that at
the end of the day I understood all the concepts. A lot of physics
1 is just using your head.
-BAJ
The physics quizzes are a lot like the SAT in that while they may test
a bit of your knowledge, more often they test your ability to actually
take the quiz. So the best advice I can give is to do every single practice
quiz posted online. This not only tests your understanding of the material,
but also helps you get a feel for how the quizzes are set up. I remember
before my first quiz, I had studied hard and done problems out of the book
and felt like I had a solid understanding of the concepts, but when I went
to do a practice quiz I missed nearly every question! But a few practice
quizzes later I felt comfortable with the way the problems were set up. You
must go into your quizzes knowing that the multiple choice will try
to trick you, and the workouts do not usually have a simple solution.
Other than that, remember to go to lab and recitation, those are free points
you don't want to lose!
-SM
- Attend recitation. The practice problems are good preparation for free response quiz questions.
- Go to class and try to pay attention. Take notes. Try to understand the derivation and meaning of the formulas instead of simply relying on memorization.
- Do the homework yourself.
Sounds simple because it is. If you fail physics, it is your own fault!
-AE
I took AP Physics B and C in my high school. So this helped me a lot. Other than that, the most helpful thing is solving Mastering Physics problem yourself and reading the textbook.
Inside the textbook, there are many example problems within the chapter. These problems closely resemble quiz problems.
Also, try to solve past quizzes before taking your quiz. This helps you
to be familiarized with actual quiz problems.
-HJ
My advice is to work in groups for the homeworks. Your friends can explain
the material better to you than any of the hints in MasteringPhysics can.
Also, do all of the stop and think questions in the book to test if you know
everything for the tests. They are not very time-consuming to do, and they
really test if you understood the basics. On tests, missing one multiple-choice
question really kills your grade, so take your time on that section especially.
Lastly, go to class. Even if you don't always pay attention, you will notice
some phrases that are repeated and end up on the tests.
-SH
The problems in the book aren't very helpful, save maybe the challenge questions. But even then, if you're doing it yourself and you get stuck you don't know how to complete it.
My advice is to google practice quizzes like "2211 gatech" then maybe specify a
term. I got plenty of practice questions that way, plus they usually contain
solutions and the algorithms to find them.
-ZY
As far as advice goes, go to class every day—it's both informative and
entertaining. Also, doing the online practice tests helped me a lot. I did the
tests first without looking at the answers, then went back and checked my
work. If I got something wrong, I would write down the answer I was supposed
to get and then do the problem again to see if I could get the same answer.
Mastering Physics practice problems, while sometimes annoying (they don't have
hints), helped too. I found out that LOTS of test questions on the final exam
were exactly like the MP problems.
-RA
Be prepared for test questions dealing with lots of variables (i.e.
know your formulas very well!). Studying the old tests (and the
solutions) helps to prepare for the quizzes and can show students
how questions are phrased. Attending class is a must, especially
since many test questions involve long formulas, which the
professors derive very well in lecture. Use recitation problems to
your advantage! They are complicated physics problems that bring
together lecture concepts and often reflect material that might be
on the test. If you don't get the answer right in class, find out
from another student or your TA, because the correct answer can be
important down the road. Mastering Physics homework really helps
increase understanding, and it offers lots of helpful hints to break
down the problems. Breaking down the problems in a similar manner on
the tests can help simplify a seemingly complex problem. The two
most important tips: Attend class every day (and take good notes)
and do the Mastering Physics. Doing those two things will get you
well on your way to earning a good grade in Physics!
-JP
The best advice I can give to students is go to class and read the
book paying particular attention to the problems presented in the
chapters. Having already taken physics in high school I did not read
the book much until preparing for the final. If I had read through
the chapters thoroughly before each exam I would have scored
significantly higher on each test. Go to class. Read the book.
-AM
I recommend reading each section before you do the corresponding Mastering
Physics homeworks, this way not only do you get the most out of the work you do
on that website, but you also have a solid grasp of the concepts when you go
into taking the exams. I rarely if ever collaborated with other people on the
Master Physics assignments, and I think that really helped me out. By forcing
myself to reach the answers on my own I found that after I had finished the
problems I had a much better understanding of how to do them. Also, don't be
afraid to use hints. You don't lose many points and they tend to be of a lot of
help towards the second half of the semester. As for studying for the exams …
there is a set of practice problems on Mastering Physics for each week that
corresponds to the previous week's lessons. I recommend saving those problems
for when you study, and then do them and use them to study. They are problems
taken from the textbook, and I found them very useful because Mastering Physics
chooses which problems from the back of the chapters are good excercises. So
yeah, my recommendations for the exams are make sure you read the chapters from
the textbook at some point before the exams, and do the practice problems on
Mastering Physics.
-RH
I had taken a course in Physics in high school which helped quite a bit. I
personally felt lectures were helpful and I saw a clear difference in my score
when I did not attend lectures for the last quiz. Doing the mastering physics
gave me a heads up on the next lecture thus helping the learning procedure.
-SG
… do all of the mastering physics either by [yourself] or in groups,
making sure that [you] understand it. Read the book, going through the example
problems in great detail because the free response questions are almost
identical. Finally, go over the old quizzes.
-JF
- Attend Lectures (Important! Especially if you professor does a lot of concepts on PRS!)
- Read majority of assigned readings BEFORE class.
- Utilize Mastering Physics practice problems for each test
- TAKE OLD QUIZZES ONLINE! On saturday do a couple of past quizzes with the solutions as a guide. On Sunday try to take all the quizzes without the solutions to guide you. At end, check answers.
- Review lecture notes and recitation problems and notes before quizzes.
- Relax when taking quizzes. If a problem looks super complicated then you are probably over-thinking it and overlooking a simple piece to the puzzle. Be confident in your knowledge.
-KH
As with all classes, I would recommend keeping up with the course material as it
is taught. Almost everyone who does not do well ends up spending the night before
the test cramming for hours. It's jut not an effective way to do it, especially
when you have TAs who are willing to help. I know no one wants to take time out
of their schedule to keep up with classes, but I feel that an hour or two a week
would be much better spent than six hours the night before the test.
-DV
First off reading the book before or after lecture helps reinforce the ideas and
this makes the homework easier to do. The homework is important to do because many
of the problems are of the same type that you will find on the test. The hints in
the homework problems are extremely useful to understand how do the problem. Most
important I found was going over the old tests and understanding the topics covered,
as well as doing the practice problems on mastering physics.
-EG
The only two pieces of advice I have are to take seriously the homework problems
and practice problems so that you understand the material and also to write things
down as they come to your mind during a test. Many times, I have looked at a problem
without having a clue on how to work it, and after writing down formulas and drawing
a diagram, things start to click much better.
-JW
The best advice I can give to get an "A" in physics, or better yet any class, is to
work hard. College is for learning above anything else. Studying past test's questions
gives one an idea of the level of difficulty of future test questions. The tests do
not involve numbers, just variables, so brush up on how to manipulate algebraic
equations, and be able to do it with confidence. Actually take the time to learn
the topics, without a good understanding of the topics, multiple choice questions
will trick one up. This means maybe read certain chapters more than once. Also do
the homework, it gives good practice on manipulating equations and solving in terms
of specific variables, and many test questions are similar to the homework problems.
Going to class and doing the PRS always helps as well. And ladies, if you need some
help studying, you know who to ask. Good luck!
-NH
keep up with the reading and do all the homeworks.
-KP
The best advice I can give is to get a full night's sleep the night before an
exam. Having mental clarity for an exam is infinitely more useful than any
amount of last minute cramming. A lot of questions on the exams can be tricky,
so being fully mentally awake prevented me from making stupid mistakes that
would have cost me two or three letter grades at least.
-JF
In terms of advice, I would tell students that the practice exams from previous
semesters are crucial. Taking the time to do all of them is really rewarding.
And even when things seem hard or not working out, the correct solution is NOT
to give up. And I would tell them that the professors are really willing to help,
and are not out to get you. Reading the book helps to understand the underlying,
basic concepts.
-GH
If at first you get a problem wrong, figure out what you did wrong and try the
problem again using a different method. Repeat as many times as you need to
find the right answer and correct method. If you do this during your homework
and/or practice problems then solving problems will seem natural when it comes
to the tests.
-RF
I think that the only piece of advice I can give is to read the book.
In high school, I had an awful physics experience. The book really
made all the concepts clear. To study for the tests, focus on
concepts through working problems in the back of the chapter and old
tests. Definitely go to class for the free 5% of your grade, however,
the lectures really never helped me much.
-CM
Well I thought that reading the text every once in a while was pivotal.
For one, it allowed me to keep up with the class even if I missed the class.
Secondly, and more importantly, reading the text helped me understand the
correct reasoning behind phenomenon discussed in class. I say this because
often in class one would get the PRS questions right despite a faulty reasoning.
Also, going through the solutions to the various quizzes was beneficial. Lastly,
attending class definitely useful because of the discussions.
-AM
My only advice would be to take the practice exams before each quiz. Take all
of them. They really help to clarify the knowledge you gain from lecture, and
they show you how to apply it.
-NJ
The thing that helped me the most probably was simply just doing the mastering
physics assignments. If I didn't understand one of the problems then I would
ask someone who knew how to do it to explain it and to do the same with the
practice quizzes. That seemed to help prepare me the most.
-NE
Having never taken a physics course before 2211, jumping into the Georgia Tech
physics curriculum was somewhat of a shock. Don't be discouraged by your initial
performance on the diagnostic test; if anything, take it as incentive to learn the
material more thoroughly than some of your peers. Some of the best advice I can give is
to do the homework yourself, using the book as a tool. Don't be afraid to use the hints.
They often help you to understand the fundamentals of problem-solving in physics. Also,
don't wait till the last minute to begin studying for the quizzes! They each cover a fair
amount of material, and studying at the last minute often leads to confusion. A few days
before the test, check what material will be covered and begin re-working some of the
homework problems, old quizzes, and problems found at the end of each chapter of the book.
Also, make sure you take a look at the "Stop To Think" questions after each section in the
book. You'll find these helpful in understanding the style of multiple choice questions.
Review until you feel relatively comfortable with the material. Finally, don't think your
chances of a good grade in physics are over if you do poorly on one test; just keep at it
as I've described above, and you'll find that you can perform better than you'd initially
think. Good luck this year!
-DM
The thing that helped me the most was reading the book. I tried to read the
assigned chapters before class and took notes in order to teach myself. Then
class time served more as a review. Doing all of the MasteringPhysics
problems is important, and doing the practice problems when you have time is
a good challenge. One thing I think would have helped me more would have
been writing down the PRS problems and practicing them before the quizzes.
-AK
I think that what led me to my success in physics was a willingness to do the
assigned work, and helping others throughout the course. I actually rarely set
aside my own time to study, instead working on homework and conceptual problems
for the tests with other students that I knew that were having problems. By
helping others to learn the material, I strengthened my knowledge of the concepts
and equations. It is said that the greatest level of understanding is shown by
teaching, and my performance in 2211 reinforced that.
-JK
Reading the textbook always helps, but, to actually make sure that you can apply
the concepts, look at the old quizzes. Try the problems yourself before looking
at their solutions.
-NC
- Never think that it's too late to work hard.
- Go get help from your professor — he's teaching the class. He can help you with problems that your friends can't solve.
- It's not about the answers, it's the problem solving method — when you're doing the problem, don't get frustrated about not getting "the right answer". As long as you know how to solve that problem, you're good to go.
- Ace the final — Granted, it's not as easy as it sounds. But most of the time when the time for final rolls around, people usually get burnt out. Stay focused and push through till the end. It's not over until the fat lady sings!
-CY
Dr. Jarrio comments: ...it's not about the answers, it's the problem
solving method...
–very insightful. Too often, students get dismayed
because they look at a problem and don't immediately see how to get the answer
.
The most successful students in science and engineering are usually the ones who
start out by trying to understand the problem, not to answer
it.
Know the theory: ask how the equations work. Always, always write out the problem. Go to class and pay attention to the PRS questions: they show up later on. Don't worry too much about getting an A, your relative class position means more than you think. Do the homework assignments by yourself and use hints if necessary. Talk with your friends about physics, it really helps to brighten the content. Your book is a tool, but not the only one you have: learn from all your sources. If the professor, the book, your TA and your friends still don't suffice head to:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/8-01Physics-IFall1999/CourseHome/index.htm
It will answer all your questions.
-MD
My advice is to do the homework alone, first off. If you really get stuck, then
consult a friend, but don't simply copy the answer. Also, make sure to do ALL of
the practice problems available via Mastering Physics. They'll likely clear up
any questions that may still be lingering. Furthermore, I found additional lectures
to be really, really helpful. At iTunes U or MIT OpenCourseWare, search for
Professor Walter Lewin. His lectures will really explain everything completely in
detail, especially if you missed an important sentence or two during your regular
PHYS 2211 Lecture. Finally, go over each and every previous exam. The questions on
your exams will be very much the same.
-ML
I think the most important thing is to stay on top of the reading and to go to
class. I think those helped me out a lot.
-WG
… the best advice I can give is to go to class and review the old tests, it's
what got me through the course.
-BL
- Solve a lot of the questions in the textbook before each quiz. They are structured very well and give you a lot of practice
- Attend class regularly and ask questions to the professor after class or in an appointment
- Go to the physics helpdesk!
- Study and solve problems in groups
-KR
A final note by Dr. Murray: Many students who earned an A
have
emphasized the importance of working the homework, practice homework, old quizzes,
etc. I've talked to students who did this but performed quite poorly on quizzes.
What many of the students who earned an A
may not realize, perhaps because they've
internalized it and are not conscious that they are doing it, is that what you are
thinking while working problems is more important than the mere number of problems worked.
You should be asking yourself questions like, What kind of problem is this? What physical
principle can I use to solve it? How do I know that this principle applies to this
situation?
. If all you think while working problems is, I sure hope there will be
one like this on the quiz,
then you are bound to be disappointed.
More advice is available, from students earning an A
in PHYS 2211 A, B, or C during Fall 2007.