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 Summer, 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.

As for me, personally, I got my A by going to every lecture, lab, and Lab Breakout. I also did all the bonus problems, making sure to do those pertinent to upcoming quizzes the night before said quizzes. I found that doing those bonus problems really helped me to understand the quizzes better. I would also skim through the chapters in the book before the quizzes.
-TC

Tell them to give an honest effort on homework, and work in small groups on it. That helped me alot.
-NS

• Read (or at least skim) the book before you go to lecture -- and go to every lecture! Dr. Jarrio says himself that the purpose of lecture is mainly to clarify common misunderstandings, and this is incredibly helpful.
   
• Use hints on the MP assignments. The return-on-investment here is pretty phenomenal.
   
• Do all of the bonus MP assignments, or at least try to do all of them. The statistics are correct -- you will do better on the test if you at least try to work on most of them. You'll learn some problem-solving tactics that you may not necessarily be able to in class or on the regular assignments. If all else fails, ask a friend to help you understand it.
   
• My test-preparation tactic was to do every single practice test available, and then go through it again. Sure, it sounds tedious, and it can be -- but it is definitely worth it. If you find that you have other things to take care of, at a minimum try to browse through all of the tests. If you find something you don't understand, again, ask a friend.
   
• Go to Lab Breakout. The problems we do in there are usually fairly difficult, but it's a great opportunity to strengthen your problem-solving abilities.
   
• Don't try to depend on a curve. That's never a good choice. Don't fall behind! Good luck!

-KJ

• Before each class, always read the assigned readings whenever you have time. (This helps with prs scores and material familiarity.)
   
• After each class, always do the homework and the bonus homework. (They really help before tests.)
   
• Help sessions always help.
   
• Before tests:
  1. Go through all of the old quizzes on the homepage. (If you cant answer the questions on these, you're not ready.)
  2. Look over the chapter summaries on the book. (Concept knowledge, not equation memorization, gets you an A!)
  3. If you have time, even look over and answer the student workbook questions.

-CC

I would suggest to do the homework everyday and don't give up when you can't solve something. That is what really made me understand the material. If you don't try and do mistakes you dont see what is wrong. Going to class helps a lot too.
-GG

[Dr. Jarrio comments: GG makes a good point that is worth emphasizing: making mistakes–and then learning from your own mistakes–is an important part of the process of turning problem-solving into an organized skill, instead of just a process of haphazard guesswork. If you give up too soon and either request an answer, or look up some word to solve the problem, you are short-changing yourself of important insight about why certain problems have be worked in a particular way.]

I would advise students to definitely do the bonus problems. They are not only helpful and provide more practice, but give extra credit. I also encourage students to come to lecture! There is no better way to learn and understand the material.
-KS#1

If you plan on reading only one or two of these comments, I highly recommend you read mine. This was the second time I took this course because I made a D when I took it first. Therefore, I learned a lot from the mistakes I made the first time and took the course in a whole different way and earned an A. I learned what NOT to do in PHYS 2211. But lets think positive. Below is what you HAVE to do to get an A in this class.

1. Go to EVERY lecture. I mean this. I did not myself (I think I missed 2 lectures) but I realized how much I missed the very next day when I tried the homework. Going to lecture makes you understand the basic concepts well. It's like reading the textbook, but a hundred times better. I barely even opened the text the whole semester (not saying you should do that too). But whatever was in the textbook was explained in more detail in the lecture. Go to lecture to learn, not to get the PRS points. That will take care of it self.
2. Do every homework (including bonus). More importantly, do every homework YOURSELF. There is no better way to understand the course well. When you do the bonus assignments, do it to get a good grade on the tests not to get the bonus points. The questions on the bonus are very similar to the ones on the test. When you get homework questions wrong, don't give up and don't worry about the final score. He drops a few anyway. USE HINTS. They help more than you think they will.
3. Lastly, do practice quizzes to study for the quiz. Do AT LEAST two quizzes. There is no better way to study for the quiz. If you do enough practice quizzes, you may even find questions repeat themselves.

It took me 2 attempts to learn this. Trust me, if you follow the above, you should guarantee yourself an A in this class.
-PS

My advice for succeeding in physics is as follows:

1. Take good notes: whether you are recording notes from class, Lab Breakout, or from doing the homework, note-taking is very important in this class. Personally, I found that writing down the PRS questions from lecture helped me with the thought process needed to work the homework.
    
2. Do ALL of the homeworks and bonuses: working these problems are crucial in helping you developed the problem-solving, thought process you will need to help you solve the problems you will face on the tests. (Lab Breakout problems are also very helpful in this area.) And, sometimes, problems that are very similar appear on the tests, so your hard work pays off even more.
    
3. Don't Panic!: I know walking into the physics test will sometimes feel like you're walking to your doom but relax! Relaxing will help you think more clearly, which is definitely a necessity for these problems. Trust your ability to solve, it comes in handy to believe that you can do it if you're willing to try.
    
4. STUDY: as with all college classes, especially here at Tech, studying is vital. Read over the chapters, work the problems, go over tests from previous semesters, etc, so that you are prepared and not just "winging it" from what you think you've learned.
    
5. (Last, but not least) Go to class: you may be tempted to skip some days but trust me, going to lecture is very helpful, even if you think that you are not getting anything out of it. As I have stated above, the PRS questions help with the homework as well as they check to make sure you are understanding the key points your instructor wants you to catch. Also, watching your instructor solve problems will give you clues on how you should solve them.
    

-KS#2

More advice is available, from students who earned an A in PHYS 2211 A–D during Spring 2009.