Physics 2212 G Fall 2019

How to Earn an A

To Future Physics 2212 Students,

Review the old tests posted on the class website. There's rarely a test question that isn't a variation on a question asked in a previous exam.
Try to think of the conditions in the problems you are presented as a mechanical system, if reality is accomodating. Then ask yourself if the conclusions you reach through your use of the equations would make sense in your mechanical model. This has saved me from many a sign error in the class.
Go to lecture. Even if you have the attention span of 5-year-old, or are worn out from finishing your masteringphysics homework on top of statics, statistics, and matlab, it will let you find out what you ought to know at a given point in the class.
Coffee (or any other caffeinated beverage), is your best friend. Always.

-WM

The advice I have to offer for students entering this course is to do as much work as you can on your own. It helps to work with somebody, but when doing so first try and figure the problems out on your own, whether it be mastering physics, recitation, or practice tests. Which is another thing, do as many practice tests as you can, they give you experience so the questions on the test are familiar. That's about it. Good luck!
-TP

Some advice I have for future students is as follows:

Class attendance and participation cannot be stressed enough. This class is not easy by any account, and physics in general is filled with many misconceptions and can be easily confusing. Having someone with sufficient experience in physics teaching you really helps with your understanding of these difficult topics.
Do the homework! It may be tempting to go on the internet or ask a friend for Mastering Physics answers, but actually taking time to do and understand the homework will certainly mean higher test scores in the future. If you don't know an answer, read the hints or make use of that $90 textbook and try to understand how to solve the problem.
Make analogies in order to learn concepts. Part of what makes Physics II harder than Physics I is that electromagnetic concepts are harder to visualize and understand than mechanical concepts. Luckily, there are many analogies and correlations between the two subjects, which can make conceptual understanding much easier.
As always, hard work and dedication. This class can be trying at times, but one must learn to "roll with the punches" and keep a positive attitude in light of lower than expected test scores. Always remember to never give up, and that success is a marathon, not a sprint.

-ZS

When preparing for quizzes, re-work the problems of the posted old quizzes, and work through every associated recitation problem. Each recitation problem encompasses multiple conceptual ideas, thought processes, and problem-solving strategies which are extremely useful on the quizzes. Also, keep yourself motivated! You will find yourself wanting to go to class and practice homework once you realize the importance of the laws and equations explained in this course. These are the relationships that gave rise to every piece of electronic technology ever invented.
-MK

The main advice I would like to pass on to future physics students would be to make sure you know what to expect on the quizzes by studying the book to get the concepts down, and then studying previous quizzes to get an idea of what kind of questions will be asked.
-MU

My advice would be to do the practice homework and pay attention in class.
-BD

I found the book to be a great resource. I always read the sections and worked the example problems and "stop to think" questions before class. I tried to do the homework the same day as the lecture, while it was still fresh in my mind. As for test prep, the old quizzes and recitation problems were very helpful. So I would recommend staying on top of the reading and working as many example problems (old quizzes, recitations, homework, examples, etc) as possible.
-CB

So, you want an A in PHYS 2212? Well, if you even want to get close to an A in this course, it requires both work and willingness to do everything you can. The first step is to go to class as much as you can. Honestly, try to go everyday. Even if lectures do not help you learn, the PRS score does matter for your final grade, despite how small of a percentage it is. Second, do every, single, assigned homework. It is not hard to get a high percentage for homework, and its mostly through homework that you actually learn the course material. Obviously, do not skip recitation or lab, since they both make up a sizable portion of your grade that is quite easy to obtain. Also, as a note, pay special attention to the recitation problems, because a lot (and I mean a lot) of the times, it might appear as a test question. If you do well in all of the mentioned areas, then you have a good solid foundation to get an A, but it all depends on the final step: doing well on the tests. In the end, the tests are what going to determine how well you do in the course, since they count for %50 of your grade. How does one do well on the tests? Well, everyone has their own study habits that work for them, but I will let you know what I did for these tests. First, I would read through the chapters in the book the test covered, so that I could have a basic conceptual understanding of what was going on. Second, I would go through every single practice test, starting from the oldest to the most recent. When I went through these practice tests, I would go to the solutions often for the first few tests to see how to do a problem, but the later ones, I tried on my own to test my understanding of the material. After going through all of the tests, the last thing I did was review the material and any weaknesses I found I had when working through the tests. With that done, I made myself calm and relax for the tests (trust me, it makes a difference if you are nervous or calm), and I took the tests. Now, my method may not work for everyone, but it did help me do well on the tests. The key to succeeding in this course is figuring out the system, understanding how you can best study, and putting forth the effort to doing well in this course. Though the material is abstract and hard, it is not impossible to get an A in this course.
-RL

The number one thing that helped me earn an A, besides attendance, was studying the old quizzes under the "quiz preparation" tab on the physics website. It helped me see the kind of questions that would be asked and the relevant formulas and steps to solve them. This was extremely helpful for me because it helped me develop a basic plan for solving different types of problems and I could at least count on a good amount of partial credit on free response questions.
-JR

Do all the homework on time you can complete most of it without the reading by using the hints to walk you through it. By doing the homework you will be prepared for the PRS questions during class. The most important thing is the way you study for tests. The best way to do well on these tests are to review the old tests in the class and then create a equation sheet for all the equations that will arise on the test. After you have gone through all the tests start to memorize the equations that you wrote down on your sheet. If you can remember the equations during the test you will do well on both the multiple choice and the free response.
-SS

I found that working the MasteringPhysics problems was perhaps the most helpful in terms of not only understanding the material, but also practicing the problem-solving techniques necessary for the tests. I know that it is tempting to simply look the answers up on the internet, but actually looking through the book for the method is much more helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of the material being presented. Reading the material before class was especially helpful for understanding the PRS questions and not being lost when topics are explained during class time, so I would recommend doing that as well, it doesn't take much time and it has a large payoff.
-ZT