L
LoveBeingHuman:)
Has anyone else noticed this? Isn't that kinda weird?
Anyone notice that momentum isn't in the content outline for chem and physical foundations?
Try to not compartmentalize your studying. The idea is to draw connections between disciplines and understand how your body doesn't work only in the context of chemistry or only in the realm of physics. Biology is chemistry. Chemistry is physics. Physics is math. It's all beautifully related. So a concept like momentum, while usually taught as an isolated concept, is pervasive and is in fact related to topics covered on the MCAT. For example, law of conservation of momentum is just a formulation of the conservation of energy. Newton's first law was also originally expressed by Newton in this form: F = dp/dt. In other words, force causes a change in momentum - that was the original and purest definition of force. You get the modern form as it is usually taught by F = dp/dt = d(mv)/dt. Since mass does not vary with time, this reduces to F = m*dv/dt = m*a.
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All that being said... it's still useful to know what's on the test. Perfect deep understanding is ideal but, practically speaking, most of us have to memorize some formulas and focus more on certain areas than others. My understanding is that momentum (as it is taught in a standard undergrad physics class) is not tested on the MCAT.
Well, one should understand momentum as a concept but you probably don't need to know the formula. What I mean by understanding momentum as a concept is that momentum is inextricably intertwined with Newton's first law and also conservation of energy - both of which are on the test. Newton's first law states that an object's momentum does not change unless acted upon by a force. Conservation of momentum is an expression of conservation of energy.
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I think that what OP is getting at is what they can expect to be tested on. Understanding is great and all, but prioritizing studying is a must for the MCAT.
@OP I would be wary writing any one topic off. Going through the Section Bank and Q pack so far, the AAMC pulls a lot of material seemingly out of thin air but then, you go back to the MCAT outline and yup, it could fit under one of the topics listed, it just was not explicitly listed.
I'm not saying that prioritizing is not a good idea - it is. But one should not go off the MCAT outline superficially - topics are very related and so hindsight is always 20/20. "Oh, momentum was tested and wasn't on there but it's related to the first law!" Hence the point I'm making is identical to your second point above.
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Your test could contain a lot of stuffs not on the outline. I actually don't know why they even post an outline. My test had something that every post on this forum has ever said would never be on the test. It was a funny moment mid-section.
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Can you give us a clue, like what CC it was under?
Are you saying it did NOT appear on the outline or fit under any of the given topics (I find that really hard to believe), or are you saying other people, NOT the AAMC, told you not to expect this one area under a given concept category (what I think happened)?
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