I'm failing physics how can i succeed?
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I'm in the exact same position as you - I'm going for 100% in maths yet I can't seem to get my head around physics at all! I too have the knowledge yet the application is very difficult imo. I'm going to do past papers with my teacher in the room so he can explain anything I don't understand, I hope that it will work!
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I am facing the same problem... I was think like, "why do the past papers when u havent finished revising!" But just today i did my mocks so bad!!
Planning to start doing tons of past papers and memorising the answers there! And understand it ofcourse!
Anything eles i can do?
I notice people read spec, but y?
Dont u already know what you have to cover by the board text book content???
Plea help me! Shar ur expertise?
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Planning to start doing tons of past papers and memorising the answers there! And understand it ofcourse!
Anything eles i can do?
I notice people read spec, but y?
Dont u already know what you have to cover by the board text book content???
Plea help me! Shar ur expertise?
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Original post by Joinedup
Half the battle is knowing what is a conserved quantity and being able to see how conservation can help you answer a question.
Probably just doing a lot of practice questions will sort you out
Probably just doing a lot of practice questions will sort you out
Thing is i can't do the practise question .-. i get stuck on them and don't know what to do.
Original post by Abby3112
I'm in the exact same position as you - I'm going for 100% in maths yet I can't seem to get my head around physics at all! I too have the knowledge yet the application is very difficult imo. I'm going to do past papers with my teacher in the room so he can explain anything I don't understand, I hope that it will work!
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LOL at least i hope your teacher makes you understand, I'm literally ripping my teachers soul out and making him depressed xD
Original post by MaleVip
I am facing the same problem... I was think like, "why do the past papers when u havent finished revising!" But just today i did my mocks so bad!!
Planning to start doing tons of past papers and memorising the answers there! And understand it ofcourse!
Anything eles i can do?
I notice people read spec, but y?
Dont u already know what you have to cover by the board text book content???
Plea help me! Shar ur expertise?
Posted from TSR Mobile
Planning to start doing tons of past papers and memorising the answers there! And understand it ofcourse!
Anything eles i can do?
I notice people read spec, but y?
Dont u already know what you have to cover by the board text book content???
Plea help me! Shar ur expertise?
Posted from TSR Mobile
General underlying principles are what you should learn.
Application of them is slightly different which is what the exam paper set out the questions like.
Not all text books cover everything written in the specification.
My experience is i'm stoopid and i can't fix it... no matter the amount of help
but then again i'm still carrying on next year with physics ._.
Original post by Someboady
I'm failing toooooo! I get almost full marks on all the past papers I do. Tried out the specimen papers. Rip. Just absolutely flopped em. idk what to do 
Are u doing ocr a?
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Original post by MaleVip
AQA new spec
sorry OCR scrub 
Original post by MaleVip
I'm ocr a too
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Original post by Abby3112
How are u doing with it? Had any mocks?
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Original post by MaleVip
Yeah we have exams pretty much all year (grammar school) so I've done all of the spec papers now - I'm pretty damn terrible at the multiple choice questions!
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Original post by Abby3112
Yeah we have exams pretty much all year (grammar school) so I've done all of the spec papers now - I'm pretty damn terrible at the multiple choice questions!
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Ah... Lucky you! Use elimination for mc.. There is always 2 or 1 obvious outlier... Could you guide me how to prep for the other questions?? Is it like tons of past papers?
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Original post by Someboady
I'm failing toooooo! I get almost full marks on all the past papers I do. Tried out the specimen papers. Rip. Just absolutely flopped em. idk what to do
dude that's 100% better than me i get like no marks on the past papers and rip my soul for specimen bro
Original post by thefatone
dude that's 100% better than me i get like no marks on the past papers and rip my soul for specimen bro
:'( I feel for you. 20 days to fix this crap dude. Lets freaking do this. Im going to try and forget the specimen papers and try them again in like 10 days lmao xD... And I need to get my practical skills on point
Original post by Someboady
:'( I feel for you. 20 days to fix this crap dude. Lets freaking do this. Im going to try and forget the specimen papers and try them again in like 10 days lmao xD... And I need to get my practical skills on point
For my internal mock it's on the 10th of may so rip me bro, i don't get any study leave either....
Original post by thefatone
For my internal mock it's on the 10th of may so rip me bro, i don't get any study leave either....
Oh whens your actual exam then?24th may too?
I just had my mock and absolutely flopped it. The pressure got to me and we weren't given the full amount of time so I just rushed it like mad. Messed up so bad :'( Couldnt even do like 20% of the questions
I feel for you dude.. but at least you get to get help from your teachers.. i dont have any teachers :'( supervisers only
Original post by drizzyyeezy
Have you got the set 2 specimen papers??
Unfortunately not yet... my teachers gave them to us to do in class but didnt let us take them home... i failed that test anyways
theyre pretty hard :/ Should get them soon though!Original post by drizzyyeezy
Let me know when you do then 
and what was so hard about them??
and what was so hard about them??I dont even know dude. I just panicked. I was told.. you have 40 minutes to get as many done as possible. So I rushed through it. Got stuck on loads of questions... skipped each of them after the first attempt and moved on trying to maximise my marks.. I couldnt even identify the topics in Paper 1. I'll be doing Paper 2 soon
It seems to me some of you are struggling because you have tried to learn physics as if it were like mathematics, by memorising algorithms to solve problems.
There is an element of this with physics when applying equations but BEFORE you get to that 'plug n chug' as someone else said, you need to understand what's actually going on at a practical level.
Break up the problem into known and unknown information. The sections of a question lead logically from one part of the solution to the next and so reading the full question gives a good understanding of where the whole question is leading. That will give you clues as to which information is required at the start and you can progress from there.
OP: Can you post two or three questions of the type you struggle with? I will try to give as full an indication of the thought process you need to grasp and replicate for all topics.
There is an element of this with physics when applying equations but BEFORE you get to that 'plug n chug' as someone else said, you need to understand what's actually going on at a practical level.
Break up the problem into known and unknown information. The sections of a question lead logically from one part of the solution to the next and so reading the full question gives a good understanding of where the whole question is leading. That will give you clues as to which information is required at the start and you can progress from there.
OP: Can you post two or three questions of the type you struggle with? I will try to give as full an indication of the thought process you need to grasp and replicate for all topics.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Someboady
Oh whens your actual exam then?24th may too?
I just had my mock and absolutely flopped it. The pressure got to me and we weren't given the full amount of time so I just rushed it like mad. Messed up so bad :'( Couldnt even do like 20% of the questions
I feel for you dude.. but at least you get to get help from your teachers.. i dont have any teachers :'( supervisers only
I just had my mock and absolutely flopped it. The pressure got to me and we weren't given the full amount of time so I just rushed it like mad. Messed up so bad :'( Couldnt even do like 20% of the questions
I feel for you dude.. but at least you get to get help from your teachers.. i dont have any teachers :'( supervisers only
... my internal exam is 10th of May
Original post by uberteknik
It seems to me some of you are struggling because you have tried to learn physics as if it were like mathematics, by memorising algorithms to solve problems.
There is an element of this with physics when applying equations but BEFORE you get to that 'plug n chug' as someone else said, you need to understand what's actually going on at a practical level.
Break up the problem into known and unknown information. The sections of a question lead logically from one part of the solution to the next and so reading the full question gives a good understanding of where the whole question is leading. That will give you clues as to which information is required at the start and you can progress from there.
OP: Can you post two or three questions of the type you struggle with? I will try to give as full an indication of the thought process you need to grasp and replicate for all topics.
There is an element of this with physics when applying equations but BEFORE you get to that 'plug n chug' as someone else said, you need to understand what's actually going on at a practical level.
Break up the problem into known and unknown information. The sections of a question lead logically from one part of the solution to the next and so reading the full question gives a good understanding of where the whole question is leading. That will give you clues as to which information is required at the start and you can progress from there.
OP: Can you post two or three questions of the type you struggle with? I will try to give as full an indication of the thought process you need to grasp and replicate for all topics.
i see... maybe that's a problem with my nature... in any case here's a question which i can't do by myself.
(unfortunately i don't have a diagram but i'm sure you can draw one >_>
Figure 1 shows a swimmer standing at the end of a diving board above a swimming pool. The mass of the swimmer is 72kg and the horizontal distance between point A and his centre of mass is 2.4m.(point A is the bit of the board which meets the edge of the pool)
Calculate the moment of the swimmer's weight about Point A(done)
The swimmer dives off the diving board and his centre of mass falls through 3.2m before he reaches the water. Calculate the swimmer's vertical speed as he enters the water. Neglect air resistance.(done)
The water brings the diver to rest when his centre of mass is 1.6m below the surface of the water. Calculate the average total upward force acting on the diver which brings his vertical velocity to 0.(can't do)
^^ no idea where to start or what to do.
Original post by thefatone
The water brings the diver to rest when his centre of mass is 1.6m below the surface of the water. Calculate the average total upward force acting on the diver which brings his vertical velocity to 0.(can't do)
^^ no idea where to start or what to do.
The water brings the diver to rest when his centre of mass is 1.6m below the surface of the water. Calculate the average total upward force acting on the diver which brings his vertical velocity to 0.(can't do)
^^ no idea where to start or what to do.
There are two clues.
The first is the word 'average'. It means you don't need to do anything complicated and all the information you need to solve is included at the start with the description. That is also iterated by the question leading us to the 'centre of mass' and also the dimensions referenced to the centre of mass. So we cannot do anything without using that information.
Conceptually, the diver jumps from the board and must accelerate under the force of gravity. He will achieve a maximum vertical speed up to the point he hits the water. At that instant, the water upthrust acts to decelerate him. He will then decelerate until at some depth below the surface, his downwards velocity is arrested.
The key here stated in the question is 'Force' and immediately you know that force = mass x acceleration. Upthrust acts in opposition to gravity.
The second clue is that word 'average'. which means use the centre of mass as the reference for all calculations.
You should have by now realised that this is nothing more than a question which needs SUVAT to solve:
1) find the final velocity of the diver at the point his centre of mass hits the water. (centre of mass because the question says to use the average upthrust).
2) use that calculated velocity as the initial velocity in calculating the deceleration experienced by the divers centre of mass within the distance he stops under the surface of the water. THIS IS THE PART OF THE SOLUTION THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE FIRST CONCEIVED AS NEEDING TO SOLVE. i.e. because we thought of upthrust as f=ma and to get to the depth stated, there needs to be a deceleration. That immediately takes us to SUVAT and an appropriate equation needs the initial velocity. Hence to get there we need to solve part 1 above.
3) Once you know that deceleration, we can use that force = mass x (-ve)acceleration equation to calculate the 'average' force required to stop him. i.e, that force is the average upthrust.
See how you get on and come back.
(edited 7 years ago)
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