Dear Student

The following is a guide to study PHYS 101.  Please read it and try to follow it as much as you can.

Before class:

1. Before starting a new chapter, open your textbook and read the introduction and the summary of the chapter. Look at the heading of each section, read the captions of the figures and images and look at the equations. This will give you a clear picture about the chapter.

2. Before each lecture, check the lecture schedule to see what sections will be covered. Go over these sections quickly. This preview will improve your ability to follow the lecture.

3. On your physics notebook, write down quick notes while you are reading and prepare questions for the lecture.

4. Each chapter of the textbook has new vocabulary and terminology. Make sure you understand their meanings before going to class.

5. Math is at the heart of physics. So the better your math, the better you'll do in physics. A good knowledge of algebra and trigonometry is needed.

6. Use your imagination to relate the physics concepts to your everyday life. For examples, how is the velocity related to the speedometer of the car? Can the acceleration tell me something about the performance of a car?

During class:

1.  Come to class on time.

2. Bring your textbook and your physics notebook. Follow the lecture and write down the important points from the lecture. Try to understand the way your instructor solves the problems

3. Ask the questions that you have already wrote down in your notebook. Also do not hesitate to ask any question about the concepts that you did not understand

 After class:

Keep in mind that passing the PHYS 101/102 courses with a good grade requires time and effort. This means that you need to read the textbook and your notes, do the home-works, and prepare for quizzes and exams. So make it in your schedule that you spend at least one hour each day for studying physics. Do not delay, because every chapter depends on the one before it. And studying a couple of sections every day is easy to digest rather than studying the whole chapter in the weekend.  Here are few hints 

1. You should study the lecture material on the day of the lecture. Open your textbook and start reading it and use the notes you have taken in class to help you understand the concepts which are not clear in the textbook.

2. If there are things still not clear, then immediately e-mail or see your instructor.

3. Try to understand the sample problems, the checkpoints and the problems solved in class. Then try to solve them yourself.

4. Once you finish reading, try to solve problems from the textbook which are similar to the sample problems. Then solve a couple of easy problems (one dot) then a couple of problems with 2 dots.

5. If you can not solve the one-dot problem, then there is a problem with your understanding. Go again and try to read the textbook and the notes again. Once you find that you can solve the one-dot problems, this means you are starting to understand.