Department of Physics

University of Florida

How to Succeed in PHY 2060

The tips below are designed to help you maximize your grade in PHY 2060.

• Attend class to learn about the basic concepts and how to apply them in solving problems. The material presented may seem familiar at the start of the semester, but the pace is quite fast and very few students will have a thorough understanding of all the topics covered. Arrive on time for class, since announcements will generally be made at the start of each lecture.
• Read ahead in the text to acquaint yourself with the material to be covered in class. (You can usually figure this out from the syllabus. Even if the topics are being covered on different dates than schedules, the order of topics will not change significantly.) Reading ahead will remind you of the basic material that you have seen in the past, and prepare you to focus on unfamiliar material. This is particularly important if your prior preparation is a little weak, because the lectures will cover the introductory material (e.g., motion in one dimension) quite quickly.
• Work all homework assignments. This will benefit your scores in two ways:
  • The homework provides multiple opportunities for feedback and collaboration, so you should use it to establish a strong foundation for your overall course score (of which 25% comes from your total score on CAPA assignments). In past semesters, students who achieved an "A" grade in the course typically scored at least 95% on the homework.
  • You should also use the homework to help prepare for the exams. To maximize the benefits, you should approach each homework question as if it were an exam question. Attempt to complete an algebraic solution of the problem. Don't rely on the CAPA system as your primary check on your solution (you won't have this feedback on the exams); instead, check your algebraic solution before you plug in any numbers and enter a solution into CAPA for verification. (See the next section for more about problem-solving.)
• Develop good problem-solving habits. When attempting any problem, try to follow the same general sequence of steps:
  • Read the question carefully all the way to the end, and be sure that you understand what you are being asked to do.
  • Draw a diagram in any problem involving spatial relationships that you need to understand clearly.
  • Identify the physical principles that are likely to be involved (e.g., application of Newton's 2nd Law or conservation of energy).
  • Identify the equations associated with those principles, and decide which variables appearing in those equations are given in the question and which variables you need to find or eliminate.
  • Complete a fully algebraic solution wherever possible—the great majority of questions. (This may not be possible in questions involving conditional outcomes. For example, "Does the projectile land on the flat roof of a building, or does it land on the ground in front of the building, or does it sail right over the building and land on the hill behind?" You will probably need to plug in numbers to figure out which scenario applies.) Developing an algebraic solution not only provides you with the answer to an infinite number of problems, rather than just one problem with particular numerical inputs; it also makes it easier for you to check, and if necessary correct, your final answer.
  • Check that your algebraic solution has the right physical dimensions of mass, length, and time (see Sec 1–7 of the text). This means that the units of the left-hand side of each equation must be compatible with the units of the right-hand side. For example, a quantity with units of meters² has dimensions of [length]². It is only compatible with another quantity having dimensions of [length]², with units such as meters², kilometers², feet², or even inch-centimeters.
  • Check that your algebraic solution makes sense in simple cases where you already know or can readily figure out the answer. For instance, consider the range formula in projectile motion: R = (v₀²/g) sin(2φ₀), where v₀ is the projectile's launch speed, φ₀ is its initial elevation measured above the horizontal, and g is the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity. This equation passes the "sniff test" because it predicts that a projectile's range will be zero if v₀ = 0, φ₀ = 0, or φ₀ = 90°, and it predicts that (for general φ₀) the range will be infinite for g = 0.
  • If your answer fails any of your tests, work your way back through the algebraic solution, applying similar tests at intermediate steps, until you find and fix your error.
• Practice, practice, practice. Problem-solving provides a good measure of your understanding of basic principles by testing your ability to combine different physical concepts as they apply to unfamiliar situations. Problem-solving is a skill that you must refine through practice. Your grade in this course will be based solely on your success at solving problems during homework assignments and exams, so there will be a direct payoff for your effort.
  If you find that you are struggling with the homework, or if you want to improve your performance on the exams, you should practice additional problems beyond the assigned homework. The best source of practice problems is the text, which has sets of Exercises and Problems at the end of each chapter. Exercises are similar in difficulty to most of the CAPA homework questions and to the more straight-forward exam questions. Problems are usually more challenging, and are closer in character to the harder exam problems. Brief answers are provided to odd-numbered Exercises and Problems, so you can check your solutions.
  You will learn most if you try each problem on your own first. If you get stuck, talk the problem over with a friend, consult the instructor, or check the solution (if one is available). Whenever you need help to complete a problem it is essential, though, that you consolidate your new understanding by successfully doing another problem of the same type by yourself. Don't despair if you seem to make a lot of mistakes at the start. A successful physicist is basically somebody who has made almost all possible mistakes in the past and has learned how to avoid repeating most of them!
• Develop good exam-taking strategies. Each exam in PHY 2060 requires free-form responses to problems of varying complexity. These problems may be similar, but are rarely identical, to questions appearing on homework assignments or in the text. Formula sheets and scientific calculators are permitted. Partial credit is awarded for answers that show progress towards a full solution of the problem. Most of the available credit for each problem is awarded for conceptual and alebraic aspects of the solution, and very few points hinge on you obtaining a correct numerical answer. Given these facts, you are likely to maximize your score if you follow the following advice:
  • There is very little reward for rote memorization. Instead, you should prepare by practicing a wide variety of problems similar in difficulty to those on the exams. See "Practice makes perfect" above.
  • If you get stuck on a problem, work at it for a few minutes, but don't become fixated on completing one question at the expense of others. It is wise to set yourself a time-limit for each problem (perhaps 15 minutes on a 115-minute exam). If you are not yet finished when the limit is reached, move on to another problem, returning to this one later if time permits.
  • Even if you are pressed for time, it is to your advantage to write down at least some relevant response to every question. You are likely to receive some credit for identifying the physical principles behind a problem, writing down the starting equations, and/or outlining in words the steps necessary for a solution.
  • Attempt to complete an algebraic response to each part of each problem, briefly explaining the logic of your solution. Some advantages of an algebraic solution have already been listed. On an exam, algebra has the benefit that it is simpler to follow than a jumble of numbers, which makes it easier for the grader to award partial credit when a final answer is wrong.
  • If you are short of time, skip the evaluation of the numerical answer(s) to a problem. As mentioned above, most of the credit is awarded for conceptual and algebraic aspects of your response.
• Don't wait to seek help if you are encountering difficulties with PHY 2060. The course content is largely cumulative, so if you fall behind it will be hard to catch up. You are encouraged to consult with the instructor in person or via e-mail. When using e-mail, please make any physics questions as specific as possible, and recognize that it may be some time before you get a reply (especially outside normal working hours). Discussion of complex matters is usually best conducted face to face, either immediately after class or during office hours. If your schedule prevents you from attending office hours, feel free to contact the instructor to set up an appointment at a more convenient time.