AP Physics Student Advice Don't panic. It'll all be fine; you'll make it. The following unedited statements are advice from a previous year’s AP Physics class to you. Since this particular class had far more 4s and 5s on the AP Physics test than any prior LGHS class, I suggest you take some time to read what they have to say to you. -­‐ Mr. Burns He's here after school, almost every day. He isn't saying this for show, people. Show up, do stuff, get things done. Well worth your time. Do extra problems out of the book! It helped so much to test out really hard practice problems and expand the way you think. "Give Webassign two tries before consulting the solution manual. Master the stuff that matters the most and applies to almost everything before turning to the more complicated and intricate stuff. (Potential energy, Kinematics, Rotational Inertia) Use tutorial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Correct every test and quiz you get back and understand why you missed them. Don't procrastinate to get help." Make sure that you pay attention in class. That is the easiest way to pick up the material. Ask lots of questions and come in for extra help. Do all the webassigns the day that they are assigned. do the practice tests and quizzes! take lots of notes and keep a list of all the equations on a place other then your calculator because i had to erase mine constantly for math Don't fall behind. It'll be a lot easier if you keep up with the assignments and lessons. Also, stay awake in class. Try to apply the physics to things that you already know about! I thought that kinematics was incredibly difficult until my dad told me to think about acceleration and velocity in terms of driving my car. don't use the answer book for webassigns and go over the sample problems when reviewing for tests Don't go to the answer book right away when your confused on Webassign, it will make understanding the topics way harder. Trying to figure out problems on your own makes the tests much easier and will make it easier to succeed on the AP test. Don't simply prepare for situations and problems presented by the text book. Know the material well enough to be able to adapt to altered laws. Don't simply memorize equations! Do the Practice test and quizzes online before tests!! As much of a pain Webassign is, remember how valuable it really is in preparing you for tests and quizzes, as well as how helpful it is in helping you learn how to solve all of the problems you will face. Also, do all of the practice quizzes and tests, because they help immensely. Finally, if you are ever confused about anything, ASK FOR HELP! Mr. Burns was very approachable and explained things very clearly, and made sure you understood things before he let you move on. Stay organized! The one fault that I had this year was to keep all of my past tests and quizzes in one place. At the end of both semesters, I found that I wanted to review every test and quiz I had in the class to prepare for both finals. It's frustrating when you cannot find a test to review from because those practice problems are valuable to your studying. It's important to practice the types of problems that you know will show up on the test. Do the webassigns the night they are assigned, because then help can be asked for between the next class period, otherwise the webassigns will be rushed through and not understood. Take comprehensive notes, otherwise it is too difficult to go back and try and figure out fundamental things for more complex problems. DO THE PRACTICE TESTS! Use tutorial to come into physics and work on problems from homework Take good notes! Don't procrastinate. Cramming doesn't work in this class. and really read over the sample questions in the textbook that Mr. Burns assign you to read because those are the types of questions on the tests. And if you don't get some questions on webassign, don't copy from student manual. Go ask Mr. Burns for help. Don't skip any problem without understanding it. Be sure to stay on schedule and actually understand the material every night, and if not, then come in and ask for help during tutorial the next day. It's a great class!! study rotation and the basic equations like V squared / R = centripetal acceleration Take neat notes, and write down more than just what the teacher writes on the board. Definitely make sure the students know that they will have to invest time in the class to do well. Although it's a fun class and was worth my time, it was extremely challenging and required a lot of effort. Remind your students that if they don't understand something, they should always ask because the things we learned didn't just go away after the unit tests -­‐-­‐ they continued to show up again and again throughout the year. The only way to learn the concepts is to take each assignment seriously and ask for help when needed. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you don't understand something get help because it is a progressive class and you need to know the material really well to do well in the class work harder Read and do the Homework Make sure to understand the concepts and don't get behind. Ask whatever questions needed. Understand all the homework and practice quizzes and tests. Do all the WebAssigns and do all the Practice Tests/Quizzes because those really helped me succeed on the tests. Do all the work completely, and an A is very doable. Do solid on tests and quizzes and you will be fine. Do all of the webassigns without using the solution manual and use tutorial to get help if you do not understand any of the material. keep up with the homework I would say don't give up on physics just because it's something new, it gets much, much easier once you know the basics. do the web assigns and the practice tests TAKE GOOD NOTES and study the labs. DO THE HOMEWORK AND STAY AWAY FROM THE SOLUTION MANUAL. Maybe don't give it and allow everyone to do redo's like 2-­‐3 redo's but don't let people use the Solution Manuel it makes the class seem insignificant. For example when I had to study for AP Bio test, AP Bio Free Responses and another class' homework, I just ended up cheating out of the solution manual. Don't take it unless you are mathematically talented. Bury the solution manual. Expect the class to be very difficult, but enjoyable. If you are not willing to work hark when you do not understand it will be a difficult class. This class is hard so keep up with the work. Study and go in for extra help if you don't get something. Understand free body diagrams. take good notes including the example problems and review them the night you take them. take notes Make sure you understand the concepts and not just the equations. Do not fall behind. Once you've fallen behind, it takes a tremendous amount effort to catch up. One day makes all the difference. work hard, put in the effort, on labs and homework Write out the homework in a notebook, show work, and make sure to keep it for future reference. It is very useful to look back at it before the AP test or the final. Study and get help as soon as questions start to arise. pace yourself and keep up with the work Pay close attention in class and study regularly. Physics is much easier when studied regularly. Planning on cramming your way through the course? Drop the class right now! stay on top of topics throughout the year. make sure you understand everything because every new lesson relies on clear knowledge of past subjects DO HOMEWORK THE DAY IT'S ASSIGNED because if you don't understand something you can go in during tutorial of the next day to ask Mr. Burns! I ran into a lot of trouble this year because I would always do the Webassign right before it was due, and so I feel like I didn't take as much as I could from it! If I truly understood all the problems, I know I would have done better on the tests. Do the practice tests and quizzes. Always think practically! Imagine how we can apply the concepts in daily life and you'll remember the lessons better. Interesting lessons are not an issue-­‐-­‐Mr. Burns has that down. The best way to do well in the class is to do the reading and actually learn and understand the material My advice would be to stay on top of the work, use tutorial if they have any questions, and pay attention in class. I would say that if you are confused, just ask Mr. Burns for help because that’s what he is there for. And if something is confusing, don’t get discouraged and don’t let it get too far out of control, try to understand what is confusing you immediately. Make sure you do all the homework and know how you arrived at the correct answers instead of relying on the solution manual. My advice would be to keep a growing organized list of all the equations we learn throughout the year on the calculator and on paper. TAKE AP PHYSICS AND STUDY FOR TESTS! DO WEBASSIGN read the book, and really try to understand what each chapter says instead of just skimming through the chapters to find the equations needed to do the homework. and take notes, well organized and neat in class, they will really help later when reviewing for the physics ap test. Stay on top of homework assignments, and do the webassign without the solution manual. Study!!! This is the hardest class I've ever taken, but it is so worth it. Mr. Burns is the best teacher ever! Also, make sure you keep up with the homework. I didn't get the best grades on every test, but I got an A both semesters because I did all of the homework and extra credit assignments. This is a tough class but definitely manageable and soooooo worth it. Don't rely on the answer book. Make sure you understand it, not just how to solve problems just tell the to consistently work hard until the end class is hard and learn certain formulas that are important because they are used all year make sure you do well on the labs because they really bring your grade up. make sure you not only get 100% on the webassign but also understand it. Make sure you know the material well.. if you don’t get it then ask questions. This course is challenging but if you work hard enough, it will be rewarding Learn WHY your WebAssign answers are correct. Don't just move on and accept them. Do the webassigns and take good notes Be prepared for the hardest class you have ever taken Pay attention during class to make homework and labs much easier. Make sure that they study everything as it goes by. Since the class is so cumulative, if you don't understand something while the class is focusing on it you can get really messed up. Don't procrastinate