Failed my 1st physics midterm. Now what!

[jmin]

I got a 60% on my physics midterm. As a comparison, I got an 85% on my first organic chemistry midterm.

So I am a weirdo who finds ochem do-able and interesting at times, but physics is just... UGH i hates it!

First.. I don't get it. The numbers don't make sense in my head because I can't "see" it. There are so many equations. Which ones do I use? I don't know! When do I have to account for gravity? Why this or why that? Etc...

I just find physics difficult. I also find math difficult, and trig sucked for me (got a B) so that's probably related.

I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE A NATURAL AT PHYSICS and amazing at it, that is fantastic have a cookie, but I don't care.

BUT if you had difficulty with physics but still managed to work hard and get out with an A, can you help me? Give me some advice on how and what to study, maybe some resources you used that could help, motivational messages, messages of hope... anything really.

Thanks. This is the first college test I've failed, and it kinda sucks a lot.

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[orthomyxo]

First of all, 60% is not failing. It is a D-. Second of all, it's physics, so the curve is going to be very generous. You probably have a B- right there. Relax bro.

 

[jmin]

First of all, 60% is not failing. It is a D-. Second of all, it's physics, so the curve is going to be very generous. You probably have a B- right there. Relax bro.

I don't think so.

The physics test - I looked at it, and I could tell it wasn't that hard (just hard for me). I haven't found out the class' average yet, but I'm almost certain it's at least in the C range, which is where the average midterm grade for my premed science classes at this school have been in (ochem being the exception).

 

[hiyaman]

I got a 60% on my physics midterm. As a comparison, I got an 85% on my first organic chemistry midterm.

So I am a weirdo who finds ochem do-able and interesting at times, but physics is just... UGH i hates it!

First.. I don't get it. The numbers don't make sense in my head because I can't "see" it. There are so many equations. Which ones do I use? I don't know! When do I have to account for gravity? Why this or why that? Etc...

I just find physics difficult. I also find math difficult, and trig sucked for me (got a B) so that's probably related.

I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE A NATURAL AT PHYSICS and amazing at it, that is fantastic have a cookie, but I don't care.

BUT if you had difficulty with physics but still managed to work hard and get out with an A, can you help me? Give me some advice on how and what to study, maybe some resources you used that could help, motivational messages, messages of hope... anything really.

Thanks. This is the first college test I've failed, and it kinda sucks a lot.

You need to seek TA/Professor help with concepts how to use concepts to solve problems.

btw i'm terrible at at physics, except for EM stuff.

 

[orthomyxo]

I don't think so.

The physics test - I looked at it, and I could tell it wasn't that hard (just hard for me). I haven't found out the class' average yet, but I'm almost certain it's at least in the C range, which is where the average midterm grade for my premed science classes at this school have been in (ochem being the exception).

Well then you either go to a school with some smart ass people or some easy prereqs. C average in hard science is unheard of where I go, except maybe in lower level bio classes.

 

[jmin]

Well then you either go to a school with some smart ass people or some easy prereqs. C average in hard science is unheard of where I go, except maybe in lower level bio classes.

I think it's the latter. I go to a state school which focuses on the liberal arts.

Also, the only science classes I've had to take are lower-level science classes... where the average has always been around the low 70's, I think.

For ochem, it's a little different. Class average was 59.

 

[jmin]

You need to seek TA/Professor help with concepts how to use concepts to solve problems.

btw i'm terrible at at physics, except for EM stuff.

Yeah I need to start doing this more often. Our school has a physics drop-in help center, but the last time I went in for help I had to wait 10 minutes for every tiny question I had. Maybe I just went to get help during a busy time period.

 

[Choo]

Or get a tutor. I'm sure there is a phd student, soon to be physicist who will can teach you this stuff for $20-30 an hour. People learn to play instruments more efficiently through private instruction. I bet it would work better for physics as well.

 

[lm1120]

here are my following physics midterm grades

56%
65%
72%
80%

I got an A in the class. Dont worry, physics is a bitch but professors understand that and they curve accordingly. I freaked out after my first midterm too but hopefully your professor is like mine and curves like crazy.

Also, which physics book do you use, if you are using cutnell and johnson let me know I might give you tips on how to study.

 

[hiyaman]

Yeah I need to start doing this more often. Our school has a physics drop-in help center, but the last time I went in for help I had to wait 10 minutes for every tiny question I had. Maybe I just went to get help during a busy time period.

I would use your class TA's office hours, your more likely to get more questions answered there than the regular physics tutoring center. Although depending on your class your TA might be swamped. For me, most of the time the TA's office hours only had about 2-3 students and we basically just worked on homework problems together so it was pretty nice.

 

[barcoderider]

It's the first midterm! As long as you work really hard for the rest of the class you can still pull off a good grade.

I think the only way to really learn Physics is to do lots of practice problems so you're used to applying the concepts.

 

[USCTrojan11]

here are my following physics midterm grades

56%
65%
72%
80%

I got an A in the class. Dont worry, physics is a bitch but professors understand that and they curve accordingly. I freaked out after my first midterm too but hopefully your professor is like mine and curves like crazy.

Also, which physics book do you use, if you are using cutnell and johnson let me know I might give you tips on how to study.

Man thats so unfair. I got 94, 100 and 93 on the final. They were worth 25%, 25% and 30% each. And the averages were 75, 89, 65. Yet somehow I ended up with a B+. I hated that teacher. Got the highest grades in class on last two (highest on final by 12) and he still had the nerve to give me a B?

 

[bobow98]

Hey, I failed my first midterm last year too. Pulled A- on the second and final, and ended up with a B+.
It all depends on the teacher. If you're a girl, cry a little. It might make him feel guilty and increase your grade. I'm serious.

 

[Helen Wheels]

Okay, I am no math whiz and I have always struggled with math. Here is how I got through two semesters of physics. Of course, go to class and take good notes, read the assigned chapters in your text, and do all the assigned problems.

Here is how I studied. As you read the text, work through all the example problems until you understand them. You should do this before working on any assigned problems. It will make everything go smoother.

Before test time re-do every sample and assigned problem at least five times. This is a very time consuming way to study but, like you, I couldn't "see" things in physics. I found that redoing problems over and over allowed me to start seeing patterns. So, after awhile I would see a problem with a ball being thrown around and know certain equations tend to be used for this. Or I'd see a boat crossing the river against the current problem tends to use these equations and so on. On tests I tended to initially read a problem and panic but if I could recognize a pattern and narrow down the equations I would usually be okay if I could get the problem started.

That's how someone who is terrible with math can pull off an A in physics. I was horrible in both semesters of o chem and ended up with a C both semesters.

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

Physics is 100% problem solving. Do problems over and over again. If you're doing that, you should be aware of what you're not getting well before the exam. Practice, practice, practice. Don't just go to your professor and say "I don't get it." Have specific, well thought out questions prepared in advance. You'll get more out of it and it will make a positive impression.

And don't underestimate the importance of concepts. Being good at math has very little to do with solving the problems, as the math involved is generally not very complicated. The challenge in the problems is understanding the physical principle at play and picking the formula accordingly. So don't just flip to the back of the chapter and start trying to solve problems. Make sure you understand the fundamental ideas first. Something that's always helped me is pretending to teach the concepts to someone while I'm studying alone in my room. That way I can see if I really understand it or if I'm just talking out of my ass.

Good luck. You'll do fine fella. Least the semester is almost over.

 

[indianjatt]

That's ironic. My first chem midterm had an average/mean of 50%. haha

 

[circulus vitios]

Understand the problem conceptually. Think about which variables you're trying to find and what they depend on. All of this should be done before you start punching numbers into your calculator. There might be multiple ways of doing the problem (different formulas, energy conservation vs kinematics, etc.) If you're using the wrong formula then you should understand why you can't use the formula. When you get an answer think about its order of magnitude and if it agrees with what you have (ex: if you drop a baseball 1 meter, would it make sense for it to hit the ground at 100 meters/sec?)

 

[IvyHopeful20]

I'm not a natural.

Do problems. Then, do a few more. After you're doing them right, do a bunch more problems. I did every single problem in the back of the book - assigned or not. Tests were easy after that - you'll be breaking the curve in no time.

In physics 1, write down all the known variables like:

Xo=
Vo=
Vf=
a=

That will help you in figuring out which equation to use.

As for gravity - think about if the problem would look different in space. If it does, you need to account for gravity.

 

[lm1120]

Man thats so unfair. I got 94, 100 and 93 on the final. They were worth 25%, 25% and 30% each. And the averages were 75, 89, 65. Yet somehow I ended up with a B+. I hated that teacher. Got the highest grades in class on last two (highest on final by 12) and he still had the nerve to give me a B?

I hate professor like that, if you pulled off the highest grade on the last three tests then obviously you deserve an A. That makes no sense.

 

[Corpsman Up]

Like everything else, it really depends on your professor. Are the tests mostly quantitative or are there a lot of conceptual problems?

The best way to do physics is to do a lot of problems. Make sure you understand what every single equation is used for and realize that a single equation typically covers about 2 pages of text. So when im in a time crunch, I wont even read the book, ill just do a bunch of problems anf get used to how I can manipulate the equations.

Also something to consider, your schools physics department might be incredibly hard. At my school, physics is much, much easier than our chemistry department. So if your school has a rep for a tough physics department, dont get discouraged, just put your head down and work harder.

Oh, also try cramster.com

 

[Barcu]

Work through practice problems in a study group. It will help a lot.

 

[Cleavername]

i pulled a 95 on the first one, about to have the second one tonight. average was a 57 for my class btw. i sh$t u not i got a 95.

 

[orthomyxo]

i pulled a 95 on the first one, about to have the second one tonight. average was a 57 for my class btw. i sh$t u not i got a 95.

Cool story bro.

 

[omgyou8myrice]

First of all, relax.

Second of all, realize that not everyone is good at everything. I think I'm a fairly intelligent guy, and let me tell you, organic was a nightmare for me. Conversely, I kicked ass at physics with hardly any effort. There is no rhyme or reason why, just know that some things click for one person and not for another. There's a reason why I had to order a second textbook for organic as well as a dummy guide for it in order to understand some reactions that my classmates could understand just off my professor's lecture slides.

The only advice I can give you for physics is to do practice problems, and truly understand WHY they used the equation that they did. I also found it extremely helpful to just write down every known bit of info a problem gave you (I.e mass = 6kg, velocity = 3 m/s), and then look at which equations you have that use those values. I know it sounds extremely basic/obvious, but that's about all you can do short of knowing what the equations are used for.

 

[ischemic2]

Means you gotta study harder in physics, and yes it is that simple.

 

[Rankik]

It's just like the other people said, one of the best ways to do physics is to do the practice problems and try to understand why something is happening.

I have taken high level physics, and I can visualize what happens, but even so, I still have to practive through the problems so that I can understand how they work.

I am not sure how in-depth your physic class is, but if you are taught how to use vectors, you must learn how these work. When you do, all the basic mechanical problems will become a lot easier. This would help you when having to know to take gravity into accout, as you would know to factor in normal force and friction (if it is not assumed that there is no friction ).

If it is a basic physics class that does not go into the vectors, then again, practice the problems. It also helps to note your units of measurement, this can help you figure out what equations to use also. For example, if something is falling, and you need to know how much force is being placed on the object, you should know that force is normally measured in Newtons. Which, in turn is kg*m/s^2, thus, that shows you that you need to account for both the mass, the kg, and it's acceleration, m/s^2, which would be due to gravity, 9.8 m/s^2.

I wish you the best of luck in your next exams and hopefully some of this information was of some help

 

[duckgirl24]

Physics is 100% problem solving. Do problems over and over again. If you're doing that, you should be aware of what you're not getting well before the exam. Practice, practice, practice. Don't just go to your professor and say "I don't get it." Have specific, well thought out questions prepared in advance. You'll get more out of it and it will make a positive impression.

And don't underestimate the importance of concepts. Being good at math has very little to do with solving the problems, as the math involved is generally not very complicated. The challenge in the problems is understanding the physical principle at play and picking the formula accordingly. So don't just flip to the back of the chapter and start trying to solve problems. Make sure you understand the fundamental ideas first. Something that's always helped me is pretending to teach the concepts to someone while I'm studying alone in my room. That way I can see if I really understand it or if I'm just talking out of my ass.

Good luck. You'll do fine fella. Least the semester is almost over.

+1

For the physics I took, the beginning was definitely the hardest for me because it had so much pre-calc/trig stuff that I had forgotten how to do. I really think practicing problems is the best way to study.

Also, writing down everything you know from the problem, the variable you're looking for, and constants lets you narrow down what equation to use. As much as it sucks, a lot of physics just comes down to algebra.