How to Get an ‘A’ in Physics: A 7 Step Guide to Success

A lot of people say that getting an A in high school physics is impossible. This is completely wrong.

Even the most optimistic teacher, like me, would never say that physics isn’t hard.

But if you work hard and do these things, you have a good chance of getting that mythical A.

1. Make good notes

This step is a good place to start in most subjects, but it is especially important in physics.

Physics classes can be pretty hard, and it’s easy to end up just staring into space as the equations roll around you.

That’s not the best situation, but it can be hard to avoid once the teacher gets into the swing of things with the kinematic equation.

But if you write down the main points, you can come back to them later and go through them at your own pace. Especially if your teacher writes an equation on the board, you should definitely write it down.

Make sure to write down what they stand for as well, so you don’t end up asking, “Where did that C come from? What the heck does that mean?” kind of thing.

You should write down everything important your teacher says, but if you remember these key points, you can figure out the rest later.

2. Know how to use your formulas

Next, you have to figure out how your formulas work. Get used to breaking down your equations, figuring out how the different parts work together, and figuring out what units your answer will have.

Learn the different ways that the formula is often rearranged and the other formulas that tend to go with it.

For example, if you’re working with the equation for friction (the frictional force is equal to the coefficient of friction times the normal force), try rearranging it a few times, so you’re used to it in all its common forms.

This is an equation for a force, so it might be helpful to know how to use it in other equations that use forces, like F=ma. If you can do this step, it will be much easier to do the next one.

3. Use your formulas as much as you can.

It sounds pretty much the way it is, but it’s really important to stress.

You won’t get an A in physics if you don’t use the equations you’ve been given over and over again until you cringe when you hear the word “friction.” That’s all there is to it.

Do the homework problems your teacher gives you.

Find more in your textbook and do those, too. Make sure you checked your answers and did them right.

If you can do that, you’ve already done most of what you need to do to get that A. Still, there are a few more hints and tips that will help you along the way.

4. Look for numbers that make sense

Physics is a subject where it’s easy to make a lot of small mistakes, and when each one costs you a point or two, they add up quickly.

Because you probably won’t have as much time to check your work in an exam as you would normally, the best way to avoid mistakes is to know what kinds of answers you’re looking for.

If you are doing a friction problem and your calculator says that the object will experience 758,437N of frictional force, you should probably take a step back and say, “Huh, that’s really, really high.” Most of the time, your answers to certain kinds of questions will all fall within a certain range.

Anything outside that range is a sign that something is wrong.

If you’ve done a hundred friction questions and always gotten answers between 2N and 15N, you’ll know something is wrong when you get a crazy big (or small) answer on the exam.

So, you can go back and check to see if you forgot to multiply the normal force by the coefficient of friction instead of dividing it, or if you made some other silly mistake.

Sometimes there won’t be a mistake, but that’s a good sign that you should check again.

Is your child having trouble? Find out more about how we help students in high school.

5. Start early EEIs

Extended Experimental Investigation or Early… is what EEI stands for. Okay, I can’t come up with a second “E” word, but you get the idea. You can’t really begin an EEI the night before.

To be honest, it takes a lot of guts to start even a week early.

Between testing and research, you’ll be working on these things for months, so you should plan ahead.

You’ll be fine if you start as soon as your teacher hands them out. If you wait until the last minute, they will turn into what everyone says they are: hell.

6. Study before you take the test.

This one is similar to the last one, but it’s different enough that it deserves its own heading. At the end of the day, you’ll need to have done a certain amount of research on the topic of your EEI before you can write the final report.

You can decide whether to do this before or after you collect your data. But you should really get up early and do this before you test because it will make your job a lot easier.

Not only will you know what to look for when you’re collecting data, but you’ll also often find helpful tips online that will help you improve your experiment.

Plus, you’ll have less to do at the end, when you’re pulling out your hair and trying to write a report about your findings. It’s a win-win situation.

7. Make a list of formulas

The last step should be done at some point during the semester or when you are studying for an exam. It’s very important either way.

Collect all the formulas you’ve used this term, write down what each variable means, and put everything on one A4 page (they should probably fit, go double-sided if you have to).

This can be the first step in your review. Then, when you start to understand what you’re writing about, try to use it less and less.

Even if you know you’ll get a formula sheet on the test, it’s still a good idea to stop using it as much as possible. If you don’t, you’ll spend a lot of time during the test flipping back to the piece of paper with all the tiny equations on it.

If you can get to the point where you don’t need it, you know you’ve got those equations in your head and are ready to rock this exam.

Physics is hard, but lots of people pass it, and some even get A’s. If you do what I say, you’ll be one of them. Good luck!

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