How to Study for Physics 1 Exams

Here's the secret most Physics 1 professors won't tell you: the hardest part of every exam problem is the setup — drawing the free-body diagram, choosing the coordinate system, deciding which equation applies. Once you've done that, the algebra is routine.

Students who fail Physics 1 skip the setup step. They scan the problem, grab an equation that has the right variables, and start plugging numbers. It works sometimes. It fails on any problem that isn't a direct mirror of a textbook example.

For every problem — and this really does apply to every problem — follow these steps in order:

• Draw a picture of the physical situation
• Identify all forces (or all conserved quantities, if it's an energy/momentum problem)
• Choose a coordinate system and label positive directions
• Write down the relevant equations before substituting numbers
• Check units at the end

On most exams, the hardest question is an energy or momentum problem that mixes concepts — a block slides down a ramp, collides with another block, and they stick together. Which conservation law applies at each step? (Hint: energy is conserved during the slide, but not during the inelastic collision. Momentum is conserved during the collision.)

Drill these mixed problems. They're the highest-difficulty, highest-value questions on almost every Physics 1 midterm.

In the last three weeks before the exam, do at least one full practice problem per major topic every day. Kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotation, simple harmonic motion. Rotate through them. Don't spend two days on kinematics and skip rotation — the exam won't skip rotation.

If your professor has posted old exams, use them. If not, Crameleon generates Physics 1 practice exams from your course materials, in the same format your professor uses, with full worked solutions.