FINAL EXAM

Some General Guide Lines
Read the following
You may construct a cheat sheet 1 sided 8.5X11 standard

1. Study each topic individually: Spend time studying each topic individually and one by one. Don’t skip all over the place and study just one part of Newtonian mechanics and then jump to electrostatics. Focus your energy on a single topic until you master it completely before going onto the next topic. For example, know and completely understand how to use the equations of rectilinear motion before going to harmonic motion or work-energy problems. It is always best to master one topic before proceeding to the next.

2. Use a logical progression of steps when going through the topics: This tip is related to the previous tip. Use the table at the very beginning of this article as a guide or road map to determine the order in which to study. Master the equations and concepts of kinematics first and then proceed to Newton’s Laws of Dynamics. Then proceed to the more advanced topic of circular motion which has similar concepts to kinematics except that it is focused on circular motion and the concepts of centripetal and centrifugal forces. The key is to master each topic individually before going to the next.

3. Practice and review your math skills: Since physics is applied math, being deficient in your aptitude in math will be a detriment in your ability to solve problems in physics. Review your math skills especially in the areas of advanced algebra and trigonometry. Also, review graphing methods for polynomial expressions and trigonometric functions. More importantly, know how to graph equations in both Cartesian (x, y, z) and Polar coordinates (r, θ, φ). Polishing up your adeptness in math will ensure a much smoother transition in applying it to physics and will improve your chances of getting a higher score on the AP Physics exam.

4. Practice drawing diagrams and graphs: Data is more easily recognized if it is done diagrammatically or on graphs and plots. When doing problems dealing with inclined planes, always create a drawing within a Cartesian coordinate system and label all of the forces and their component (x and y) parts. Place ALL the data given in the problem onto the diagram. As you are solving the problem, place any interim data that you have calculated onto it as well. If you do it this way you will not get lost or waste valuable time working out the details.

5. Perform each problem in a step-wise fashion: This is especially important for the FRQ portion AP Physics exam. The multiple-choice questions can be done as you would normally do on any exam. The FRQs require you to follow a logical and step-wise process. Remember, you are utilizing several concepts or equations to answer multiple questions (usually 4 or 5). Follow a natural progression when solving the problem and try not to skip any steps.

6. Understand what the equations mean: The great thing about the AP Physics exam is that they actually give you all of the equations, constants, etc. that you will need for solving each problem on the exam. You really don’t need to memorize the equations, but rather, you need to know what they say and how to use them. The reason they do this is because they are trying to assess how deep your understanding of physics is and not how good your memory is. The only downside to this is that the problems will be harder to solve. At least they give you a crutch to help you concentrate more on the underlying principles and concepts of physics which is exactly what they should be doing anyway.

You really don’t need to memorize the equations, just what they say and how to use them.CLICK TO TWEET

7. Identify the topics you have difficulty with: When solving problems, you may very likely come to a road block. You may be stuck for one or both of the following reasons:

a. You don’t know what equation(s) to use. In this case, do the following. Write down the given variables and their numeric values from the question. Next, go to the list of equations here (listed in the Appendix on page 225) and identify which equation uses those given variables and the variable that you need. Doing this will identify at least one or two equations as possibilities. Choose the equation(s) and attempt to solve the problem again. If you are still having trouble, review the basic concepts for the specific topic and try again.

b. You know what equation(s) to use but you seem to be missing a variable or two. This usually happens when you are presented with a large word problem such as those in the FRQs. Often times they will not explicitly give the variables you need. Instead they will use wording that you need to dissect in order to extract the variable. For example: A car traveling north for 30 km reaches its initial destination in 30 minutes. It then changes course and travels at 40 km east and reaches its final destination in 30 minutes. Using vector addition, find the resultant velocity of the car. For this question you need to calculate the two velocities (north and east) individually and perform the vector addition. So the two velocity vectors to add are:

$\vec{{v}_{N}}=\frac{30km}{0.5hr}=60\frac{km}{hr} North$

and

$\vec{{v}_{E}}=\frac{40km}{0.5hr}=80\frac{km}{hr} East$

It turns out that the resultant velocity vector is the hypotenuse of a 3,4,5 right triangle and the answer is: $o\vec{{v}_{R}}=100\frac{km}{hr}$ in the direction 53.13⁰ east of north.

8. Know and understand the common units for the variables of each equation: The units of each variable in an equation should be known and understood. There is an entire section of physics known as unit or dimensional analysis. When you perform a complex calculation you need to follow through on your units. See this website for more about dimensional analysis.

9. Label all vectors properly: Many students lose valuable points on the AP Physics exam by leaving out the small arrows above the variable letter of a vector and by leaving out the direction of that vector. Always place a small arrow above the variable’s letter if it is a vector quantity and indicate its direction. See some examples below:

$\vec{v}=80\frac{km}{s}\quad Northeast;$

$\vec{a}=30\frac{km}{{s}^{2}}\quad at\, 60^{\circ}$

$\vec{a}=20\frac{rads}{{s}^{2}}\quad at\, 45^{\circ}$

10. Use negative g (a= -g) in acceleration due to gravity equations: This is a very common mistake by students in physics. When using equations involving the acceleration due to gravity, remember to change the sign from positive to negative in the equation. The force of gravity and the acceleration due to gravity points down towards earth and thus needs to be a negative value in these equations.

11. Conservation of Energy applies to everything! There are applications to this main concept all over the AP1 exam… including applications to kinematics (projectile motion). Even in kinematics, you can use the idea of conservation of energy, and then cancel the masses to solve. Thanks for the tip from Kristin C. at Southwest High.

12. I would recommend that students practice working at a pace that is comparable to the AP PHYSICS 1 time frame. For example, if you know the AP test is 6 Free Response problems over the course of 90 minutes, then practice doing 1 Free Response problems in a span of 90 minutes divided by 6 problems. The worst scenario is a student not understanding the pacing needed to adequately work through the test. Thanks for the tip from Douglas P. at Upper St. Clair High.

13. If you’re absolutely stuck, try conservation of energy! As long as the problem isn’t a collision problem, you should be okay! Thanks for the tip from Melissa D.

14. Learn how to use a scaffolding equation to help make decisions.(i.e. if P triples while T is increased by a factor of 15 what happens to the volume of an ideal gas in a sealed container. Writing out the scaffold PV=nRT or PV=NkT will provide a good framework for working out the solution)Thanks for the tip from Ari E.

15. I think with AP Physics 1 and 2 there should be less of an emphasis on mathematical skills and more an emphasis on conceptual understandings. I would say a great token of advice would be to solve every conceptual question in your Physics book. I try to assign many of them for my AP students and it generates a lot of discussion. Class discussions over the questions usually lead students to have a deeper understanding of the Physics concepts. My tip: Solve as many conceptual questions as possible. Find more online and solve those. Challenge your classmates by thinking up “what if” questions. Thanks for the tip from Ross G.

16. Generate a plan. Schedule time to study that isn’t part of your typical study time for class. Maybe preview new material before you get there. Inside of your study plan, students should develop methods for assessing their knowledge. Then based on their self assessment, they should re-design their plan to help themselves master the concepts. Most importantly, student should NOT try to cram. Physics is a subject that you cannot cram for. What you know on test day likely was developed months in advance. Thanks for the tip from Ross G.

16.

a.Bring in a print out of your albert I.O. with your name date and period

~Mr.Crane

17. Knowing the fine details of a concept is what really gives insight into difficult problems. Thanks for the tip from Bill S. at AC Reynolds High.

18. Do your algebra, show your work. Thanks for the tip from Eric T. at Rocky Mountain.

19. Keep It Simple Silly! – With every complex question, it can be broken down into the different simple concepts and then solved using those concepts. The questions are not there to trick or confuse you, but to give you an opportunity to show your knowledge. Break it down and show every step along the way. K.I.S.S. Thanks for the tip from Andrew C. from Canyon Crest Academy.

20. Care must be taken to be proficient at completing questions quickly without sacrificing accuracy. Students who excel on the exam have figured out how they can identify what a question is asking and then answer it quickly without making the errors many students make when they start to race against the clock. Thanks for the tip from Takoa L.

21. Avoid pronouns in the writing section and end your conclusion in the experiment question with “if the data gives this then the conclusion must be that the claim is true. If the data says instead that then the conclusion is false.” Use if-then statements to bring together results and conclusions. Too many students lost points on last year’s circuit question AP 1 because they did not attach a conclusion at the end of the result statement. Thanks for the tip from Wayne M.

22. For the same scenario/problem, 1) Explain what is happening in words, 2) Prepare graphs of what is happening,3) Use formulas to calculate what is happening, & 4) Connect the verbal, graphical and algebraic descriptions. Thanks for the tip from Beau W.

23. On the AP test, write down every step. Pretend your grader doesn’t know anything about physics. This way you cover all conceptual ideas. Thanks for the tip from Rachel H.

24. Physics is more than plugging just numbers into equations. It is understanding the meaning behind those equations and conceptualizing the problem (with drawings) to know which numbers are appropriate with which equations. Thanks for the tip from Lena E. from La Cueva High.

25. Don’t memorize how to do problems. Use the laws and principles to get your solutions from scratch. Thanks for the tip from Todd C. from Brea Olinda High.

26. Never sit and stare at a problem– Have a plan and follow the plan- Identify what you know, draw a diagram, identify the topic, use an equation if necessary, show your work… Thanks for the tips from Stacy S.

27. Annotate and review your equation sheet. I have my students write out “key words” that indicate a certain type of problem on their equation sheet. They practice, review and re-write their annotated equation sheet through out the year to help remind them of all topics through out our course of study so nothing goes too long without being reviewed. Thanks for the tip from Stacy S.