Preparing for My First Physics Exam: Tips and Advice from a UCD Student

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around preparing for a first physics exam at UCD, focusing on topics such as kinematics, Newton's laws, and problem-solving strategies. Participants share their experiences with coursework, exam expectations, and study techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about the difficulty of homework compared to exam preparation, noting that the assigned problems are significantly more challenging.
  • Another participant suggests that doing easier problems may not adequately prepare for harder exam questions, emphasizing the importance of gradually increasing difficulty in practice.
  • A participant mentions that the professor indicated the exam problems would not be as hard as the homework, but acknowledges that the homework is time-consuming for many students.
  • Some participants discuss the importance of understanding core topics outlined by the professor, such as kinematics and Newton's laws, and express varying levels of comfort with the material.
  • There is a reference to a specific problem known as the "snowball problem," which is noted to be challenging for many undergraduates, although its relevance to the current exam preparation is unclear.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenging nature of the homework and the uncertainty regarding exam questions. However, there is no consensus on the best preparation strategies, as opinions vary on the effectiveness of practicing easier problems versus focusing on the professor's assigned work.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention that the exam will consist of only three problems, which may require a broad understanding of the material covered. There is uncertainty about how the exam questions will be structured and what specific topics will be emphasized.

Who May Find This Useful

Students preparing for introductory physics exams, particularly those at UCD or similar institutions, may find the shared experiences and strategies relevant to their own study practices.

ruskointhehizzy
I got accepted to UCD this fall and am now taking physics. I have been working really hard, I read the book, did the work - which was very challenging and I didn't do very well on it. So I have been working even harder. It's okay to mess up on homework, but the work is surprisingly challenging. I don't know what else I can do to prepare for the exam. I have just been mastering the examples in the book, and the notes. I have also been doing the problems in the book - which are way easier then the problems assigned by the professor, I can do a lot more that way.

Any advice given will really help. What can and should I expect? We are using "University physics" the 14th edition and only up to chapter 5. So that includes vector math, kinematics/motion, and Newtons laws of motion - with some application. What kind of exam questions should I beware of? This is the first exam in physics I have taken, and it is vital that I get a good score - I have been working double time to achieve that but feel like I am missing some ingredient and need to do more.

Thank you.
 
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ruskointhehizzy said:
I have also been doing the problems in the book - which are way easier then the problems assigned by the professor, I can do a lot more that way.
When I go to the gym, I noticed that I can do a lot more repetitions if I just skip the weights. I can also sometimes do heavier weights if I just change position so that a different muscle group than the one I intended to train takes over.

The same things apply here. If you just do easier exercises, you will not learn to do the harder ones that your professor is assigning. It is also pretty likely that the exercise level your professor assigns is what will be expected from you at the exam. Of course, to continue the gym analogy - if you really cannot do the heavier weights, start with the lighter ones and work your way up. But don’t forget to increase the weights along the way or your development will stagnate.

ruskointhehizzy said:
What kind of exam questions should I beware of?
Nobody here can answer that. It will depend on your professor and what he/she has put emphasis on in the course. What is important for the exam should be made clear from course management (professors, TAs, etc). The best you can do to gauge the level is to get your hands on previous exams in the same course. In particular if constructed by the same professor.
 
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Orodruin said:
When I go to the gym, I noticed that I can do a lot more repetitions if I just skip the weights. I can also sometimes do heavier weights if I just change position so that a different muscle group than the one I intended to train takes over.

The same things apply here. If you just do easier exercises, you will not learn to do the harder ones that your professor is assigning. It is also pretty likely that the exercise level your professor assigns is what will be expected from you at the exam. Of course, to continue the gym analogy - if you really cannot do the heavier weights, start with the lighter ones and work your way up. But don’t forget to increase the weights along the way or your development will stagnate.Nobody here can answer that. It will depend on your professor and what he/she has put emphasis on in the course. What is important for the exam should be made clear from course management (professors, TAs, etc). The best you can do to gauge the level is to get your hands on previous exams in the same course. In particular if constructed by the same professor.

I like that analogy but the professor said the problems won't be as hard - they can't be because the exam is timed and we only get 45 minutes. So it has to be doable, and right now the homework he is assigning is taking everyone in class I talk to (about 15 good students) about 1hour or so a problem, sometimes longer. The TA I talked to today said himself they are pretty challenging.
Also, it's not that the problems in the book are easy - they are just not as time consuming as the problems the professor assigns.
By no means am I complaining. I love the challenge, and it is a reasonable amount of work the average being ten problems a week along with reading.
I talked to other students today in a group discussion and we all feel the same though and don't fully know how to prepare for the exam.
After talking to the TA though he said the book has good problems so I have been doing those and feel like I am actually learning a lot now.
 
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/giant-snowball.80176/

The above post contains a problem that stumps MANY undergrads due to its apparent simplicity. Its called the snowball problem.

A skier starts at the top of a very large frictionless snowball, with a very small initial speed, and skis straigt down the side. At what point does the skier loses contact with the snowball and fly off at a tangent. That is, at the instant the skier loses contact with the snowball, what angle does the radial line from the center of the snowball to the skier make with the vertical?
 
donpacino said:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/giant-snowball.80176/

The above post contains a problem that stumps MANY undergrads due to its apparent simplicity. Its called the snowball problem.

A skier starts at the top of a very large frictionless snowball, with a very small initial speed, and skis straigt down the side. At what point does the skier loses contact with the snowball and fly off at a tangent. That is, at the instant the skier loses contact with the snowball, what angle does the radial line from the center of the snowball to the skier make with the vertical?
That's a good problem thank you.
 
an edit to this: My professor posted these core topics to go over:

kinematics of constant acceleration
relative motion and reference frames
the application of Newton's laws
Make sure you can make use of the forces we discussed for the third homework
- gravity, normal force, string tension, static and kinetic

I am feeling really comfortable with that material but he said there will only be 3 problems, so I know the problems will have to cover a range of material. Going to go study for the day - thanks for the help everyone! I love this site :P
 
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