Physics 2212 G Fall 2019

How to Earn an A

My biggest advice would of course to do the practice assignments, even if they are overdue. And don't forget about the conceptual questions in the text book and the actual problem sets, maybe it would be beneficial to students to possibly provide some conceptual question answers to benefit conceptual understanding. There are about 40 problems, with answers, in the book per chapter. Although it's not a conclusive list it would be very unwise to think you can memorize your way through a physics course.

All in all, I took 2212 largely as a conceptual course. The math was all very basic but the concepts can be very hard to understand at some points. Don't give up on an A because of one bad quiz, just keep trying hard.

-TF

It's important that you attend all lectures and read the assigned material before each lecture. When you read before class, you get a general idea of the course material. Then, the lecture reinforces the concepts that you've read. Even if you don't benefit from lectures, it is still important to attend in order to receive the PRS portion of the grade. It only counts as 5% but that can mean a lot when the end of the semester rolls around.

It's also important to do all of the homework assignments; and, when you do the homework, you should try to do it on your own rather than flying through it by using all the hints. I will admit that I sometimes rushed through the homework because I was really busy, but, when the test rolled around, I realized that I had not actually learned the material.

When tests do roll around, the best way to study is to use the previous tests provided on the physics website. You may understand the concepts, but you will not be fully prepared until you have worked a great deal of practice problems. By the day of the final, I had worked every problem on every previous test available.

I am not going to lie to you. This class is not easy. If you want an A, you will have to work for it, but...it's not impossible.

-MI

I would have to say that the biggest things were the homeworks and recitations, and of course actually going to the lectures. I have to admit that I didn't do the practice problems, but doing the homework was a good way to check that I understood everything that I needed to know for the tests. The recitations were good practice for handling the kind of long, involved problems that showed up on many of the quizzes. In terms of general study tips, I found it helpful to understand how formulas derive from one another, like how EM waves derive from Maxwell's equations. Its not that I would actually derive them myself, I just memorize them, but knowing how the laws are applied to derive things really helps with understanding them. I might have something of an advantage over some of the other students in that I am a senior and have been doing these types of classes for a while, so my study skills are probably a bit better, but in general just putting the effort into the class will pay off.

-RL

Obviously there are a few simple things that are necessary to succeed in Physics II. Go to class, pay attention to PRS questions, do EVERY homework assignment, regular or practice, and read the book—these would be the basics. The textbook, which is excellently written, provides key elementary understanding of the material. Homework and recitation then serve to build on this understanding and challenge it. These challenges are essential to actually developing the aptitude to think critically about the material, and without them, while you can memorize information, you won't really have the ability to work with it effectively.

Of course, once you actually gain that understanding, you have to practice using it to retain it. The practice homeworks are great for this, as are the previous year's quizzes. If I had to attribute my success in Physics II to one habit, it would be doing every problem available to me to prepare for the quizzes at hand. Ultimately you'll get out of this class what you put into it- and if you're patient enough to put in that extra mile of preparation with every quiz, it will pay sweeping dividends in the end. Your attitude makes a huge difference- just don't compromise and remember that in the end success is not so impossible.

-EDR

All the advice I would give is the same advice that [the instructors] gave us: read the book ahead of time and understand the underlying concepts BEFORE you do the homework, and re-work the homework problems until you understand them all. Don't fall behind on understanding past topics.

-TA

Some advice I would like to give for next semester students are:

Find a friend who is always willing to work physics because this way they can always have someone who can find help.
Don't treat practice problems as extra work but an actual homework that they have to do. (because they are REALLY helpful).
Do the problems in the book constantly to familiarize with the subject.
Be active in asking questions during and after class!

-HKL

What helped me the most, I think, was the practice assignments on mastering physics. They were more difficult than the regular assignments and really tested whether or not I understood the material.

-RV

My advice: Read the text book before each class and do as many practice exams as possible.

-JT

My advice for future students (most of which is simply restating what has already been said):

Do the homework! All those statistics on the site are absolutely true. You just can't learn the material without practicing it (unless you're that one person in the class who somehow can, but trust me... you aren't). You have to practice this stuff to do well on the tests. I, personally, did not read the book, but I also only missed 2 lectures all year. If you aren't a textbook reader, you can (maybe) still do well in the course, but if you skip class AND don't read the textbook, you will almost certainly fail. So if you are going to choose either reading or doing the homework (although this only applies if you really ARE someone who learns through lectures as I do)... DO THE HOMEWORK (and attend class)!

My main method of studying for quizzes (other than simply keeping up with the homework) was working through the old quizzes. Do NOT expect to get the same questions, but often times there are some similar questions on them. I would work through all of the old posted quizzes before an upcoming quiz. It's worth it. It helps you to learn the level of difficulty of the quiz questions and how to work through tough free response questions. And do NOT neglect the multiple choice! Those 10 pointers will make or break your quiz grade.

Also, don't give up because of one bad quiz (or two). The beauty of the weighted quiz scores is that you can botch one and still do well in the course. As long as you keep up with homework, lab, and recitation, you can still get an 'A' if you have one or two bad quiz scores. Those few extra percentage points for those aforementioned items makes a BIG difference in the end.

So the take home point (and I know you will hear this over and over)... DO THE HOMEWORK!

-DN

I think that for this class, doing the practice tests to study for the tests was the best thing. It helps in preparing you for the test setting, and gives the type of questions that should be expected for the test. The thing that helped out next was probably the practice questions, because they give insight into the material and helps the student better understand the material more than the hw. The hw is helpful and should be done, not just because it's due, but because understanding the simple ideas of the hw goes a long way in understanding the more complex problems of the practice problems, the practice tests, and the tests themselves. Never be too shy to ask the professors for help after class.

-TR

Do as well as possible on PRS, HW, recitation, and labs. During the beginning of the semester I did not have a PRS and was lazy about my HW. Within two weeks I reformed my habits and did them all but only to catch up. In a class like this where every test is difficult, you must fight elsewhere for the points possible. For tests I would suggest reading that chapter carefully and making sure all hw problems make sense. While you read a chapter, I also suggest writing all important looking equations on a separate sheet of paper to be memorized.

-anonymous

Read the sections before coming to class.
Copy the PRS questions you got wrong or that only a minority of the class got right.
Studying recitation problems, doing homework the day of class so you can ask for help if don't you get a problem.
Most important of all doing the practice problems on time or even past the due date before a test, since they tend to show up on the exam.
Practice tests are also helpful but I would actually work through them, and then check my work with the answer sheet. That way you will actually remember your mistakes, and you dont have to do it all of it, just the problems your not sure you understand.

I was disciplined enough to do this every week and never fell behind. As a result I did not spend the majority of my time studying for this class, and had a very high test average and class grade. Its highly important to get a good start because the material tends to get harder toward the end of the semester.

-LB

Basically here is what I recommend:

Don't sweat it if you completely bomb a test, the grading is set up so that your best tests are weighted more than your worst, and this definitely helps. I got destroyed by one of the tests (58%) but everything still turned out well. Just remember that you won't have that much buffer room after that though.
Do the practice homework! Though it might not seem like its worth while, it is definitely helpful! First of all, the "curve" in this class is more based on your effort than anything else. Second, sometimes they take questions, or very similar questions, straight from the practice homework!
Every point counts in this class, so make sure you try your best on everything. Though a missed class or recitation might not seem like a lot, it adds up.

-IH