Suggested Math Review

    - ratios, fractions, decimals
    - basic 2D/3D area, volume and circumferences
    - scientific notation
    - percent, percent changes
    - basic algebra
    - single equation manipulation
    - solving simultaneous equations
    - graphing: equation of a line, xⁿ, slopes
    - vectors; component and polar form, addition and subtraction

                    Algebra Reveiw Worksheet (sols)

                    Multiple Representations Worksheet

 

Supplementary Websites: (always a work in progress... check for updates)
    Math Review: Purple Math, Physics Phenomena, GCSE Maths
    Kinematics: UofO applets, Physlets, PheT simulations

    Tutoring sites: Free-lance, Khan

 

How to Succeed In This Class

          Lecture in this class will possibly be structured different than you’ve experienced in classes previously. Each lecture we consist of a number questions aimed at progressively increasing our knowledge of the topic at hand. I expect students to come to class already possessing a rough draft knowledge of the day’s topic. That rough draft knowledge comes by front loading some studying before class by reading the book, and/or watching the videos I’ve created. If you have a basic knowledge, which includes identifying equations and the variables in those equations, we have a great place start and to really use time in class wisely – we don’t have to spend time with me regurgitating a previous lecture that is already out on video. I believe this method of teaching will show it can produce gains in understanding and retention but will be highly correlated with ample engagement with the material and the class system. Arguably the main reason is the one we all know is true, those who spend time studying and practicing physics, on average, do better. The entire class system has been created over the years by asking the students that have shown high gains, how they engaged with the material and their studying. Those that did well expressed doing the things I’ve laid out for us to do in this class. So now the path to mastery that students have shown me works, have become the class norm. I know it is a lot of work but if you get organized and plan a consistent diet of directed study, it will work – please come see me if does not.

          My recommended approach surrounding engagement with the lecture: see the Daily Learning Guide

• Read the sections in the book, and/or watch the pre-lecture videos in the Daily Learning Guide before coming to class
• Answer the pre-lecture questions on M.P.
  
  • If you have difficulty go back and work with the book or the videos more
• Come to class and engage with your neighbors in group discussions on all the questions
• Shortly after class (within a of couple days) do the post-lecture assignment on M.P.
  
  • If you have difficulty got back and work with the book or the videos more and/or seek out help from the wormhole, the instructor, or a fellow student
• Repeat this process and don’t get behind, many topics are dependent on prior knowledge
• Don’t engage with the homework until you’ve completed the post-lecture assignment on a topic

Misc. suggestions:

• Start your notecard when you initially start to read/watch the material
• Develop a regular study group – I had a group of about 6, that met for 5 hours twice a week, and it was where the majority of my learning occurred
• Watch the videos in a group and discuss what the lesson is afterward
• Print out the notes from the previous year and write on top of those when watching in the videos and/or reading the book.
• Some students have expressed success with various combinations of videos before textbook and vice versa

 

Student Testimonials

Physics is a very tough class!  That being said, I have personally experienced that however much time and effort I put in to the course directly relates to how well I did on exams.  Practice is essential to understanding the concepts and application of equations to problems.  Even though it's a pain, everything in lecture makes way more sense after watching the pre-lecture videos, so keep up on those.  DON'T GET BEHIND!!  With hard work and coffee in hand, you will succeed! 

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The amount of work you do is haunting but its all worth it in the end.

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I took my pre-lecture video notes in a separate section of my notebook than the practice problems done during class. My notes with all the practice problems on them were about 8 pages on average. When the midterm came around, I could condense my video notes into a page or two and all I had to do was staple them together. Taking the notes separately made it a lot easier to prepare for the midterms. This way all I had to do was rewrite key equations on a piece of paper and staple it to my example problems instead of rewriting my entire notebook.

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1. Grasping the conceptual aspect of physics is more important than knowing just the equations

2. Form your study groups to discuss these concepts, as well as the homework

3. Pre-lecture videos are essential BEFORE class, or before tests because lecture is meant to supplement the learning, as it is only 50 minutes long.

4. Take PH20X from KC Walsh, nobody else.

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When studying for tests the Stop and Thinks in the book is very helpful for difficult concepts.

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This course is challenging conceptually, something that you may not realize before you see your tests. There's no one way to prepare for that, and there's also not one way to learn it either. It took me a couple of terms, but by the end I learned that the easiest way to make sure you truly understand the material is to use ALL your resources: watch the pre-lecture videos, take notes on mastering physics problems that seemed particularly challenging, take advantage of your recitation and lab TA's, and read over tough areas in the book. The more practice you have the easier it gets, even if you think you understood something the first time around.

Also, if you're in it for the full year, just know that EVERY TERM BUILDS OFF THE FIRST! Making it through the term and scraping by won't cut it, the next term's concepts just continue to add to the basics, so stay on top of it and try not to fall behind. Once you get into a routine it will get pretty easy to balance.

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Start making your notecard day one.

Use the wormhole as much as you can and be super polite to the TA's 

Make friends with three other people and meet in the wormhole every week to work on Challenge Homework.

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1. Watch the pre-lec videos- before lecture!!! That way you can practice, build knowledge and ask questions during lecture. The days I didn't want them, I might as well have not been in lecture because I didn't know what was going on.  Also, if you watch the videos ahead of time it creates less work later on in the term.

2. Go to the worm hole and get help on challenge HW, do not just suffer through it alone.  At the wormhole you are guaranteed to get help from a TA or a student that has already finished the question you are stuck on.

3. Don't try to cram before tests- it won't work. Instead, do a small workload every day.

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If there was ever a course, or series of courses, that demonstrates that you get out of a course what you put into it, this is the course.  KC Walsh is a superb physics instructor and if you can’t do well in his courses, it’s all on you.  However, if you put in the time, keep up with the work, and attend class, you will do well.  For those that do not know, KC has flipped his class.  If you are not familiar with this concept, KC provides lecture videos, reading, and limited, basic homework problems that are done before the class in which he discusses the material.  If you watch the videos, read the text, and do the pre-class homework (which is pretty easy) then you are ready for class.  Then, during class time, KC, instead of teaching the material – and you seeing the material for the first time – relies on the fact that you know the basics (because you did the reading, watched the videos, and did the basic homework) to instead spend the entire class period solving problems – easy problems, moderately difficult problems, and hard problems.  And, as problem-solving and applying concepts is the essence of physics, as well as the hardest part of physics, he is spending his time and yours together going beyond the basics, ensuring that you really understand the applications.   The challenge homework is tough but if you keep up, you can do it.  Just don’t try to do it all the night before it is due.  This is a tough course but the grading is very fair and those who come to class prepared – watched the videos, read the text, did the pre-class homework – will do well.  Most students do not take physics because they love it, they take it because it is a pre-requisite for something else or to prepare for the MCATs or other standardized tests.  Therefore, people think that it is hard and they will not do well.  In this case, that is not true as long as you keep up with the work and come to class prepared to solve problems by, you guessed it, watching the videos, doing the reading, and completing the pre-class homework.  This is a great learning model – I will use it when I am teaching physics in the future because it works. You just need to put in the effort to be prepared for class. Those who struggle are invariably the ones who either do not come to class and participate in the problem-solving or those who walk in unprepared, seeing the material for the first time.  Don’t be that guy or girl!

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Physics here at Oregon State is just like doing cardio or eating brussel sprouts, it is extremely painful and discomforting while you are doing it, but after you are done, you feel a lot better, and you leave knowing that you have gained both physically and mentally. What exactly do you gain? Well that depends on the person, but one thing is for sure -- if you put in the effort and are willing to push yourself, you will not only leave physics with a good grade, but you will leave it with the self satisfaction knowing that you were able to overcome one of the TOUGHEST courses here at Oregon State. 

 

Physics has really changed the way I look at everyday life, which is both a good and bad thing. Now when I look at a dumbbell, all I see is forces and my mind automatically relates it to torque. I find myself constantly trying to figure out moment arms. 

Surprisingly, the biggest thing I learned from physics isn't physics related, but rather it was how to be a better student. Physics demands so much of you as a student with all of the online homework, challenge homework, lab worksheets, and so on. I had to constantly adjust and readjust my learning technique, but in the process of adapting to the course, I not only learned how to master physics, but I learned the techniques that will allow me to master any of my future courses. 

 

Physics is one of the few classes where you REALLY have to think with you head and not just regurgitate material. 

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One piece of advice that i would give to future physics 20X students is that the system may be slightly different from what they are used to but to trust that it works. I made the mistake of waiting till the second term to start watching the pre-lecture videos, thinking that i could just come to class and understand everything. It is amazing how well the system works if you just give it a try. 

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Physics 201, 202, and 203 were among the most challenging, stimulating, and interesting classes I have ever taken. Embrace it as an opportunity to understand how and why things work in our world. Here is my advice on how to succeed in this course. Stay current with all of the tasks on the Daily Learning Guide. Read the relevant chapters in the Textbook and take notes on concepts and equations. Compile these notes and rewrite and reformat them with section outlines, titles, and highlights so that you can easily reference and select tools from your toolbox. Watch ALL the Pre-Lecture Videos and add any extra information to your notes. Complete the Pre-Lecture Assignment. Go to class, sit towards the front and center, ask questions and get engaged. Too many students don't do these essentials, complain that it takes too long and they don't have time for it, and then perform poorly on exams. Excuses! That's nonsense - stop whining and invest your effort. Yes, we all have other obligations, but our main occupation right now is 'STUDENT'... so figure out a way to make it happen. Make physics a priority. Falling behind quickly snowballs - don't let this happen to you! If it does, work extra hard to catch up. I found it best to do all of the Pre-Lecture Preparation the night before lecture before going to sleep. Sleeping on it really helped solidify and cement the concepts. This is what enabled me to succeed. Best wishes to you!

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KC’s method works!  This course provides you with many opportunities to learn and apply the subject of physics. KC provides a textbook, classroom and online problems, synthesis homework, multiple lecture videos, applets, and additional resources.  Use them!  I cannot stress this enough. To be successful in the course, you have to put in time and effort; that shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. But everything you need to be successful is readily available.  You will rarely find yourself so set up to succeed.

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Being a transfer student coming from LBCC to OSU, the biggest thing that helped me to succeed in the class was having a study partner who was already familiar with the structure of the OSU course. Just as anyone taking this course should have a study group or partner, this provided both me and my study partner with that. It also gave me an invaluable resource of someone who could fill me in on what work was necessary and most essential each week to stay caught up, and how to best prepare for the exams. If I had not had this resource, the first few weeks of the term would have been incredibly frantic, attempting to not only learn the material but also when things were due and how they were to be completed.