when you memorize all the equations but forget what they mean in the exam - Parth G Physics

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When physics and mathematics exams ask tough enough questions, it's easy to just write down all the equations you know and try and fudge an answer by manipulating variables.

Sometimes, under time pressure and with exam anxiety going strong, fudging equations is a very valid technique to use. However, it is important to make sure you check your answer at the end. One easy way is to make sure the letters in each equation really represent what you think they represent.

Another method is to use dimensional analysis once you've come up with an answer. This method involves putting all the units in your calculations, and then checking that the final answer has the units you'd expect based on what you're asked to calculate in the question.

Don't do what I did here, and use T to represent temperature and orbital period, p to represent pressure and momentum, and R to represent resistance and the molar gas constant. Make sure you're clear on the meaning of each symbol!

When you're not in an exam, it obviously makes sense to try everything you can to understand the problem before throwing mathematics at it, but under time pressure I have to stress that sometimes this is the only method that works. I once did this in an exam at university, but slightly forgot an equation and as a result ended up getting a sign error.

Then I thought the question was wrong (lol). I still cringe thinking about it. But in the end, throwing equations at the problem as well as using dimensional analysis got me to the correct answer anyway.

Obviously when I left the exam, I tried to understand the problem itself, but that was just for my own physics knowledge and not for any tests that I needed to pass.

Yes, this is just a silly video but I hope you enjoy it. If you've read this far in the description, hopefully you'll have gained a couple of tips on how to deal with complicated problems in exams too.

Here's a final tip from me: if you get a question wrong in an exam or when doing a practice paper, MEMORIZE THE METHOD FOR SOLVING IT. Obviously mathematics and physics is an exercise in outside-the-box thinking, but a lot of it is also just pattern recognition. Anything that you can't figure out the answer to, you can just memorize so the next time you see a similar question you'll know exactly what to do.

I'll be back soon with a video discussing potential energy in depth, explaining it for beginners and going through it in 5 levels of difficulty. Let me know what other topics I should cover too!

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Timestamps:
0:00 - How NOT to Use Equations in Physics
0:56 - soz