How to Study?
Dear Student
The following is a guide to study PHYS 101. Please read it and try to follow it as much as
you can.
Before class:
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Before starting a new chapter, open your textbook and read the introduction and the
summary of the chapter. Look at the heading of each section, read the captions of the
figures and images and look at the equations. This will give you a clear picture about the
chapter.
Before each lecture, check the lecture schedule to see what sections will be covered. Go
over these sections quickly. This preview will improve your ability to follow the lecture.
On your physics notebook, write down quick notes while you are reading and prepare
questions for the lecture.
Each chapter of the textbook has new vocabulary and terminology. Make sure you
understand their meanings before going to class.
Math is at the heart of physics. So the better your math, the better you'll do in physics.
A good knowledge of algebra and trigonometry is needed.
Use your imagination to relate the physics concepts to your everyday life. For examples,
how is the velocity related to the speedometer of the car? Can the acceleration tell me
something about the performance of a car?
During class:
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Come to class on time.
Bring your textbook and your physics notebook. Follow the lecture and write down the
important points from the lecture. Try to understand the way your instructor solves the
problems
Ask the questions that you have already wrote down in your notebook. Also do not
hesitate to ask any question about the concepts that you did not understand
After class:
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Keep in mind that passing the PHYS 101/102 courses with a good grade requires time
and effort. This means that you need to read the textbook and your notes, do the homeworks, and prepare for quizzes and exams. So make it in your schedule that you spend
at least one hour each day for studying physics. Do not delay, because every chapter
depends on the one before it. And studying a couple of sections every day is easy to
digest rather than studying the whole chapter in the weekend. Here are few hints
You should study the lecture material on the day of the lecture. Open your textbook and
start reading it and use the notes you have taken in class to help you understand the
concepts which are not clear in the textbook.
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If there are things still not clear, then immediately e-mail or see your instructor.
Try to understand the sample problems, the checkpoints and the problems solved in
class. Then try to solve them yourself.
Once you finish reading, try to solve problems from the textbook which are similar to the
sample problems. Then solve a couple of easy problems (one dot) then a couple of
problems with 2 dots.
If you cannot solve the one-dot problem, then there is a problem with your
understanding. Go again and try to read the textbook and the notes again. Once you
find that you can solve the one-dot problems, this means you are starting to
understand.
Tips to Solve PHYS 101 Problems
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Passing the PHYS 101 course with a good grade requires from the student to read the
textbook after each lecture and then solve some problems. It is recommended that you
follow the following strategy:
After each lecture, read the sections covered from the textbook
Understand the sample problems and then try to solve them with the textbook closed
From each section, try to do at least two of the textbook easy (one dot) problems
From each section, try to do at least two of the textbook two-dot problems.
Do the Home work problems
Join a study group that meet once a week to discuss and solve old exam problems. This
will make you familiar with the styles of the exam problems.
Here are few tips to solve the problems:
Read the problem carefully.
Make sure you know what the problem is exactly asking for.
Make a list of the quantities given in the problem.
Try to get more information from the text. For example, a phrase like “starting from
rest”, means the initial velocity is zero.
You may need to make your own diagrams or charts which may help you understand the
problem better. If possible, try to write the information on the diagram.
Make sure that you have a good understanding of the Math of the problem.
Check the units. You may need to make change of units, usually to SI units.
Now from the formula sheet or the textbook, try to pick a formula that contains all the
quantities given and asked for in the problem.
If one formula is not enough to solve the problem, then there might be an intermediate
step. So you may need another formula to completely solve the problem.
Before the exam, pick one of the old exams, and test yourself before going to the actual
exam.