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.

The most helpful thing was going to class and learning from the PRS questions.
-SM

The best advice I can think of to pass on is to try to do all the Mastering Physics problems yourself the best you can. The site did a good job of covering all the basics that you needed to know for the tests as well as providing some challenging in-depth problems. Other than that, the Lab Breakouts seemed to help clarify a lot of problems I had, so that was definitely a help. Even though it is not usually the case, going to lecture actually did not help me very much at all.
-JO

In addition to attending every lecture and Lab Breakout as well as completing every homework assignment, the most helpful thing I did in preparing for the course was working the practice problems at the end of each chapter. Trying the problems on the practice test will give you a good idea of what to expect on the exam, but actually doing multiple problems related to the material will help develop a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each chapter. I purchased a student solutions manual, which provided the detailed information on how to approach and complete most of the odd-numbered problems in the book. I would work all the problems provided in the solution manual independently and then check my work and learn from some of my common mistakes. Having never taken Physics before (in high school), all of the material was new to me, so I dedicated a lot of time in reading ahead and practicing problems for the exam. I serve as an example that it is possible to come into Physics 2211, having never opened a Physics book, and still make an A after putting in a little effort.
-HD

Even if you start off the semester a little poor, you still have a chance to get an A. The key is knowing how to study for physics; it took me four tests to finally figure out how I needed to study to do well on tests. Also, make friends with people who really understand physics too.
-SM

I would have to say that the thing that helped me most to succeed was doing my homework. Some of the problems on mastering physics were very challenging, even more challenging than some of the test problems, and with the hints there to help walk me through the problem, I was able to understand the basic logic needed to get me through not only that problem, but others of the same type. I also used all the old test that were posted on the website to study. In looking at each year's tests, you can see a pattern of what is obviously the most important material, and focus more of your efforts on that. In short, what I am trying to say is PRACTICE! Do as many problems as you can. Don't just try the easy ones, do the challenge problems in the book. If you can actually understand how to do them, you can do almost any problem thrown at you. Oh, and one more thing, memorizing formulas is useless. It is more helpful to know how the formulas are derived because then you will have a better understanding of each formula and it will be easier to use. Good Luck!
-Chris LeBrun

The most important thing is to just work problems, over and over and over again. I went through all the odd problems in the book, did all the practice problems that were on the Mastering Physics website, and I went through all the practice exams that were provided. You just work problems until you are blue in the face. And do the examples in the book, while you read through the book. That is what I did and it worked for me but everyone is definitely an individual.
-EB

As for advice to future students, I think the hardest thing about PHYS 2211 is it moves quickly and it builds on itself. In a lot of classes it seems like you can miss a few lectures and be OK, but in physics if you fall behind it's really difficult to catch up. Also, I found doing the practice quizzes to be really helpful. It's easy to read the book right before a quiz and think you get the material, but unless you attempt some problems, you won't know what you don't understand.
-LW

• Get help when you don't understand (OMED, 1 to 1 tutoring, etc.).
• Do the homework by yourself and use the hints (sacrifice the extra points it will help when it comes to test time). It allows you to learn better than just getting the answers from your friends.
• Do the extra practice questions and look at the old tests.

-Anon.

the course is set up fairly efficiently so I believe that the best way to learn is through the mastering physics assignments. just read, from the book whatever section the assignment is over for the concepts then do the mastering physics. It is also good to do the "just for practice" sections just before the test.
-LK

I usually started preparing for the tests a week in advance. I copied the PRS questions each lecture meeting and reviewed them prior to each test. I also worked through the problems at the end of each chapter as well as reviewed quizzes given in past semesters. Another helpful tool I discovered, though a bit later in the semester, was the workbook.

Working through the workbook problems helped me to grasp the underlying concepts. Going through all of these problems takes quite a bit of time, so it's best to start preparing early and perhaps study several hours each day rather than hoping to cram all of it into your head the night before.
-KR

If I had to give a student advice on how to do well in the class, I would say attending class and doing the mastering physics homework is mandatory. There is no substitute for learning without doing work by yourself. Also, doing problems out of the book (at the end of chapters) helps a ton. There are some really good examples in there. I also took Physics 2802 in addition to this course, which I feel prepared me for almost anything Physics 2211 could throw at me. It really helped. I highly recommend it.
-SW

Note by Dr. Murray: Enrollment PHYS 2802 is by permit, and is typically (although not always) restricted to students who are repeating PHYS 2211.

While reading the assigned chapters in the book, I found it helpful to work out the example problems that are mixed in with the text. The problems aren't too strenuous and they allowed me to better understand the material before I had to apply it on the homework, which was taken for a grade. The book does a pretty thorough job of explaining the problems step-by-step so I could see any mistakes I made along the way. The problems in the book start off simple and get increasingly more complex as you learn more throughout the chapter, so by the end you are applying everything you learned to solve a problem (much like the problems on the test).
-KB

I really don't know what is the singular "key" to success in physics 2211 … It truly helps that I took AP in high school. What I'd advise someone coming into the class is to be widely rehearsed in the greater concepts (the "physics") behind the problems as opposed to the idiosynchratic details, but that would be a very "prof-like" answer that's expected ; ) It also helps to have a solid foundation in math, so that intuitive algebra, geometry, and calc skills are second-nature to you and supplement your physics rather than confuse and muddle it.
-SS

The key to my success in physics, without a doubt, was my strong math skills. If a physics student is not comfortable with algebra techniques, trigonometry, number sense, and some basic calculus and linear algebra, they should make an effort to sharpen these skills, whether this means reviewing an old text book, getting math tutoring, or doing some online practice. This will help not just in physics but in almost any class at Tech (and probably in careers). The math skills MUST be there! As a double major in applied math, global economics and modern language, I see students in so many of my classes in multiple disciplines who have made it this far at Tech without some of the basic problem solving tools but are struggling tremendously because of it.

Aside from that, it's really just the basics of good study habits: going to class, reading in advance, doing the homework. It's not magic, and it's not always fun, but it works. Personally, I liked to highlight my textbook and also try to write proofs of the formulas, or work out on my own any derivations that were given in the book.
-CMC

Note by Dr. Murray: I added the emphasis to CMC's second paragraph, because I really wouldn't want anyone to overlook it.

My advice for future Physics 2211 students is to study the workbook problems. The practice from the workbook helped me immensely in completing the multiple choice questions on the exams as the questions in the workbook were posed similarly to those on the tests. I would also recommend to future students to attend lectures and do their very best on the PRS questions. I think that the PRS questions are a good idea because they encourage students to be actively involved in the learning process. Moreover, I think completing as many problems from old tests and as many book problems as one can before tests is a good idea. Before each test, I did all the old tests and most of the book problems from each section that the test covered, and these questions seemed to help me in understanding concepts posed on the test.
-KR

The best advice I can give future students is to meet and speak with (their instructor) any time they have a problem. Furthermore, regular class attendance is crucial to understanding the material. In addition, students should surround themselves with other peers who wish to perform well, so they can discuss questions in class and form study groups.
-MP

I think the best preparation for exams are to review the mastering physics problems given for each topic, as well as reading the book. For each problem, reading the "Review Part" before each test helped clarify any problems I had, as well as helped me understand how to work certain problems.
-Anon.

I think the best advice to study for the tests is to go over book problems. I found them to be more closely related to most of the questions on the quizzes and the solution manual offers explanations on how to approach the problems which is more valuable than getting the right answers.
-LS

The quiz problems were about as challenging as the practice problem sets on mastering physics.

its very helpful to do those and know how to do them correctly.

The workbook is very helpful and so is at least looking at every single sample quiz problem, if not working a bunch.

You really have to know the stuff backwards and forwards
-AB

… although the course material itself wasn't really hard, the quizzes were quite difficult, and reading the book really helped.
-SL

First, let me note that I am on duty, and I can't leave my building and am bored which is why I am writing this.

One of the main reasons for my success in this class was my background in physics and calculus that I had prior to this class. I took an algebra based physics course in high school, and I had already finished Calc III here before taking physics 2211. With my background, I probably should have done even better than I did.

I was a borderline A-B physics student this semester. I only earned an A because I did well on the final (better than any of my quizzes in fact). What hurt me on the quizzes was not lacking an understanding of physics but making silly mistakes. I would drop negatives, misread problems, and confuse my variables. I don't think I am unique in this fault, in fact, I think the main difference between an A student and a B student is the amount of silly mistakes made. The only way to minimize or eliminate them is to read carefully and check your work.

Even without stellar quiz scores, it is possible to get an A in physics. Homework and lab grades both account for ten percent of your grade. The lowest quiz grade only accounts for five percent. Put forth a consistent effort on homework and in lab and it will balance out a bad quiz, possibly two.

Doing well on homework also will improve your understanding of physics. Don't be afraid to use the hints provided. I believe it is impossible to get through an entire semester without getting frustrated at Mastering Physics, but clicking show answer is not as gratifying as one would expect.

I think I learned more from homework problems than from lecture, but I still went to are class. (My instructor) would highlight equations that were important to know, common mistakes that people make, and what kind of problems one might expect on a quiz or exam. Plus, PRS participation is graded and you get partial credit for wrong answers. My advice is to make a physics friend or two and be excited about going to class. (You can high five when you both get PRS questions right, or you can discuss explosions that happen in the Ford Building.) Also, don't sign up for ridiculously early physics sections.

These suggestions all assume that you have a basic understanding of physics. If you are completely lost, get help from someone. It could be a friend, a tutor, a TA, or even a professor, but ask for help. This suggestion applies to all classes, not just physics. Office hours are your friend and also a way to get your money's worth out of college. I heard good things about one on one tutoring, OMED, and if you are a freshman, FE tutoring as well. (I said earlier that I worked for housing.)

I will end with these parting words: May the X-force not be with you. Choosing an answer that states centripetal force as an actual force is a bad idea.
-SL

If I could suggest anything, it would be to put more emphasis on the homework. That was where I learned the most, and it came mostly from the more basic problems where I could get a good foundation in the idea, not the challenging ones that I generally never understood how to do. So try to motivate the students to do the homework more, because I know a lot of people forget to or just don't care about it. Making it worth more of the grade or just reminding people in class would be my suggestion.
-RK

Note by Dr. Murray: Although RK's suggestion is really for instructors, not students, I've included it because RK clearly thinks homework is very important. Realistically, we instructors aren't going to make homework count more, nor are we going to remind you to do it each day in class. My hope is that you'll see how valuable RK and others who earned an A found doing homework to be, and that will be motivation enough.

I think the most important thing for success would be to go to class and pay attention. Going to class and not paying attention is almost as useless as not going at all. Also, try to do the homeworks on your own first without hints (if possible—some were tricky) as this ensures that you actually learned and understand the material.
-RS

My advice to upcoming Phys 2211 students would be to make sure you know how to do the practice problems on the website like the back of your hand. Another piece of advice would be to read the chapter and, more importantly, the example problems.
-EM

I really had to work hard in this course. But what really got me by in this class was reading the text from the course text book. The [Knight] book, in my opinion, does a really good job of explaining and teaching concepts in a simple manner. Being that this was my first real physics class, the text book was what really got me through this class …
-BA

1. Learn how to back substitute, especially during the first few weeks of the semester with kinematics.
2. Understand when to use what for each problem given. Usually there's something obscure that gives away how to solve the problem.
3. Make sure to look at all the information given in the problem. Make a list of what we're given and what we're looking for. Drawing pictures and visualizing what's happening in the problem can help in determining what is going on.

-JRQ

In terms of advice for next year's 2211 students, I would suggest reading the assigned chapters right before lecture and actually doing the homework assignments on their own (rather than getting the answers from their friends). I would also suggest doing problems from the student workbook.
-SW

Don't give up if you get fifties on your first couple tests.
-BH

I guess the main thing is always do the little things. They always add up and can make a big difference. Going to class is very necessary and very helpful when it comes down to the wire. Don't second guess yourself, and an honest effort will get you the grade you want.
-RC

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.