Tricks to doing well in physics?

[bioboy23]

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Such a trip, I'm totally the opposite. Give me logical reasoning any day of the week over - well, just about any thing else!
For OP: I loved physics. As many others have said, do lots of practice problems. Also be well-rested before any exam. I mostly did well in physics but bombed one test after a weekend of no sleep.
EDIT: also when you're writing up a problem, always always include the units. Like, make sure you write out "m/s" or whatever; don't just assume you'll remember what the units should be because you're talking about speed. You can get really far with careful unit analysis.

Let’s combine brains and conquer

 

[jazzmetal]

Let’s combine brains and conquer

I was seriously thinking the exact same thing. So we do have *some* thought processes in common!

 

[rabbott1971]

Brush up on your algebra if it is rusty or sub-par. Good algebra skills are crucial for physics. Might be good to do a quick trig review as well, and brush up on the unit circle.

Lastly, make friends with your calculator, and be sure your calculator can solve the quadratic equation. Personal note: This was the only time in all my pre-med classes that my $11 calculator was not sufficient.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Brush up on your algebra if it is rusty or sub-par. Good algebra skills are crucial for physics. Might be good to do a quick trig review as well, and brush up on the unit circle.

Lastly, make friends with your calculator, and be sure your calculator can solve the quadratic equation. Personal note: This was the only time in all my pre-med classes that my $11 calculator was not sufficient.

If you know the quadratic formula, you don't need a fancy calculator. If you don't know the quadratic formula, you can derive it by completing the square of a general polynomial of the form ax^2 + bx + c = 0. That's where your algebra skillz come into play.

 

[__AVI8R__]

Such a trip, I'm totally the opposite. Give me logical reasoning any day of the week over - well, just about any thing else!
For OP: I loved physics. As many others have said, do lots of practice problems. Also be well-rested before any exam. I mostly did well in physics but bombed one test after a weekend of no sleep.
EDIT: also when you're writing up a problem, always always include the units. Like, make sure you write out "m/s" or whatever; don't just assume you'll remember what the units should be because you're talking about speed. You can get really far with careful unit analysis.

I second this. Unit analysis is the quickest check for some errors in calculations.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I second this. Unit analysis is the quickest check for some errors in calculations.

You can answer some MCAT questions without even knowing the formula just through unit analysis.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Oh, something I can help with!
I went from a 52 on my second physics test (which is thankfully being replaced by whatever we get on the final due to generous prof) to getting a 92. In my case, a lot of problems were inspired by the problems in the book. I have the following advice that applies to pretty much every math-like, quantitative heavy class - practice problem! By the time you are doing the 50th problem in the book, not only have you statistically started to enjoy the subject more, you also are now in the comfort of your home/library doing what you will be doing on the test. There really is no way around understanding the concepts and just practicing them, every single day.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Oh, something I can help with!
I went from a 52 on my second physics test (which is thankfully being replaced by whatever we get on the final due to generous prof) to getting a 92. In my case, a lot of problems were inspired by the problems in the book. I have the following advice that applies to pretty much every math-like, quantitative heavy class - practice problem! By the time you are doing the 50th problem in the book, not only have you statistically started to enjoy the subject more, you also are now in the comfort of your home/library doing what you will be doing on the test. There really is no way around understanding the concepts and just practicing them, every single day.

Your last line is important. Doing practice problems without learning the concepts is just learning pattern recognition, which you can't rely on. When you get to the exam and get thrown a curve ball, you'll have a rough time. I've seen it over and over again. People will waste hours and hours and hours doing tons of practice problems to learn all the patterns and ****, then still get stuck when a problem is a little different. When they finally buckle down and try to learn the concepts, they spend way less time studying and do better.