How to Earn an A

At the end of Summer 2010, all students earning an A in PHYS 2212 K were invited to pass on any advice they might have for students in subsequent semesters. Here are their responses, for your benefit, in the order they were received. The only editing has been for spelling, and to remove material that was not advice to students (advice to instructors, for example).

Attend all the lectures, and take lecture notes. At minimum jot down the equations used in class, these are the equations that are tested on out of the morass of equations in the textbook. Use the "Quiz Preparation" materials provided and make sure you understand all the concepts on top of the mathematics behind them.
-SH

I failed Physics II the first time I took it, but needed to pass it this semester to graduate. Taking the class for the second time, I had no advantage over any of the other students because my previous habits did not allow me to retain anything taught in the class. From experience I know what works and what doesn't. Here are some tips:

1. You are allowed one drop lab, but you should still go to all of them. Your overall lab grade will be higher if it is an average of every lab minus the one on which you did the poorest. What if you would have gotten an "A" on the lab you skipped?
2. Do all the homeworks on time. He will probably drop 2 or 3 of your lowest scores but use the same logic as above on this. Also take your time to understand what the homeworks are trying to teach you. I probably spent longer than most working on each homework, but that was how I learned everything. The only thing else I did to study was look over the old quizzes the night before a test.
3. Do as well as you can on PRS and recitation questions. They each only count 5% so its easy over look their importance. Say you only got about half credit for each, that's 5 points off your final grade.
4. For PRS questions make sure you do the assigned reading before class, the first question isn't hard, but if you miss it, it counts as a zero. Since you get 7/8 credit for each of the subsequent questions just for answering, if you get the first question right, your PRS grade will be about a 90% at worst.
5. Take a look at the Mastering Physics problems that titled Problem XX.X (i.e. Problem 34.2). These are frequently similar to test questions.

-BDK

A good tactic to not forget when homework is due is to have a study buddy
-CW

STUDY THE OLD TESTS!!!

While knowing and understanding the material is crucial to understanding what is going on in the class, the old tests oftentimes ask the same types of questions you will see on your test and the easiest way to get an A in the class is to do well on the tests!

Also, read the book before going to class. Not many people know you are expected to do this and in fact the class is designed around the fact that you already read the relevant sections for that day.

While in class, I would take notes on the PRS questions because you won't see those again and the best way to see if you understand the material and concepts is to review the PRS questions.
-JB

The class is really set up for you to succeed. The various minor components in this course (lecture, homework, recitation, lab, etc.) provide ample opportunity for you to learn the material and practice the mechanics behind solving physics problems. If you avail yourself of these opportunities while putting forth a heartfelt effort, you will find that you get a little better at physics every day, so that come test time, you will find yourself prepared to flourish. Bottom line: you have to experience the physics yourself (practice makes perfect), you cannot merely sit back and watch lectures or read the book and expect to absorb the knowledge you need to have success.
-JM

Go to EVERY class. If you can't avoid missing a class make sure get notes from someone who pays attention. Not only do lectures help better explain what is in the book, but the PRS questions are very similar to the multiple choice questions on the quizzes. Write down most if not all of the PRS questions. Having these in your notes makes it easy to review the concepts that will asked in the multiple choice portion of the quizzes. Before every quiz, do all of the practice exams. I like starting with the earlier ones because they resemble the current curriculum the most accurately. The questions on these practice quizzes are commonly extremely similar to the ones on the actual quiz. Good luck!
-KH

Physics II can be a walk in the park if taken seriously. At first I did not put as much as I should have into the class and my first 2 test grades reflected my efforts. After realizing this, I spent more time reading the textbook and looking over past exams as well as some practice problems. Past exams are extremely helpful and that is where I was able to learn all of the concepts and see what kind of questions can be asked. It is worth the trouble to actually go to class as well, because most of the PRS questions are concept related and more than once a question showed up on a test similar to a PRS question. Simply put, do as you should for the class and you will be able to perform well. Also, don't put studying off to the last minute, it doesn't work and will only lead to a test grade less than the average if you don't have a strong grasp of the concepts.
-RT

I think reading the book helped me the most in Physics 2. It gives great examples that are very similar in difficulty to the quiz questions. The book also helps to understand all the conceptual aspects of physics which can go a long way in solving any problem.
-MD

See the remarkably similar advice from Spring 2010.