Physics II

[Ibrahim90]

hey guys,

I just had an exam today, in Physics II. I am no sure how well or not I did, but I don't think I did to great on it. having spent much time getting ready for it (5 hours today, and another 5 yesterday-the exam was in the evening), I feel seriously disappointed in myself with how I did. how I study is to work on series after series of example problems and homework problems in the book-the idea being that the more I do these problems, and the more diverse, the more flexible I am with regards to dealing with the problems, and better able to answer a variety of questions. evidently, this doesn't work well when I actually take the exams.

which is why I am posting this: since it is clearly the case that my current methods of studying are obviously ineffective for exams (that is working on the problems everyday for at least an hour or two, followed by at least another 10 hours of studying for the two days preceding an exam), how best do I prepare for this?

I figured some of you would be pretty good at this electricity related physics, so why not ask?

(by and by, I only studied 5 hours today, since that was exactly how much time I have from waking up till the exam-same with yesterday. I do take a few minutes break to relax-I often forget to close the computer, so I appear to be logged on for several hours XD, and there is a class from 9-11 am).

[MrBogosity]

Unfortunately, this has far more to do with your professor and how the exams are set up than what you actually know about physics.

[evensgrey]

I have to agree with Shane on this.  The appropriate method of study for tests is mostly about how you're being tested.

If the testing is going to be about knowing the formulas and you'll fail if you don't know them, then you're going to have to get those formulas down by rote.

If you're going to be tested on how well you understand how to USE the formulas, then going through problem sets is probably going to be helpful.

Physics courses are the sort of thing where it can go either way.  Same with maths.  (Except for statistics, which is rather difficult to do anything with unless you have the relevant tables, and if you're going to have to let the student use the tables, you might as well let them use the whole book.  You can set up a stats test to either force the student to grind through computing stats from a mass of data, which is pointless because that's almost always done by machine and has been for years, or you can have the student devise statistical tests and show what they mean, which is the part of statistics that's actually important.)

[Ibrahim90]

yeah, I see what you are saying. If that is the case, then I am actually doing nothing wrong really: the problems are mostly regarding application of the problem, not theory (though I wish it were-not as pointless to me*).

but now I have another problem: I'm clearly practicing as advised, but it doesn't seem to help much. is there something else to this?


*I'm a geology student-I have other more pressing concerns unfortunately. as neat as physics is.

[MrBogosity]

You could try studying the theory more; that might help you put things into practice on test day.

[Ibrahim90]

well, having taken all your advice into consideration, and after a series of unbelievably difficult exams...I got the results back......

I made an A.

thanks for all the help.