Lets Learn physics like "A" students

Hi everyone..lately there are quite number of students asked me these questions;
-How to learn physics??
-How to improve my physics??
-How can i get A for physics??
So i think its time for me to share something about the art of learning physics..
Basically all those questions have the same purpose, i.e to learn, understand & perform in exam.


In studying physics, it is essential to develop an ability to analyse problems, to give logic reason, and to differentiate between important and irrelevant material. You should start to train your analytical thinking skills by practicing simple problems, so that later on you can tackle more difficult problems. However,please take note.. trying to memorise physics is practically useless!!


In order to understand physics stuff properly, it needs patient and gonna take some time. For me, learning physics is easier if you have a group of ‘physics friends’ in a study group. Trust me,cooperative learning can be really powerful & it would save most of your time. BUT..please find someone who really want to discuss physics..not someone who love gossiping each other...


"Identifying the DONTS"
A common misunderstanding in studying physics , most students focused too much on calculation questions.
Physics in SPM is not just solving maths problems, although this is an essential part of ‘doing physics’.

A common approach to ‘solving’ problems is to read the question, look for an equation that seems to apply, ‘plug’ some values into the equation and do the maths to ‘swallow out an answer’. You may get the ‘right’ answer without the brain being fully engaged, and therefore u learned very little from the process.

Physics is not simply abaout plugging the values & substituted it to get the right answers.U must actually understand the relationship between each physical quantity in the equation. Usually each equation or formula  came from an experiment conclusion.. but ask yourself,do u know how to design those experiments???

Dont simply Memorise!!!

You may try to memorise all the patterns of sample problems, hoping that similar problems will be asked on the exams. Memorisation does not equal to understanding.  In SPM they loved to twist the questions..So if u simply applies memorising technique, then u'll be in big trouble during exam.

Dont simply follow examples!!

You must be able to follow a set of instructions correctly and intelligently. However, if you find you can only solve problems by following the pattern of a worked-example problem, you obviously have not yet grabbed the basics. You should think again about the basic concepts & principles – or ask for some help. The problems on an exam will be different from the examples worked in class and in the textbook, yet the same strategies and principles will work.

Learn like 'A' students...

To get an "A"..mainly it’s a matter of focusing on the right things. You may think that the only important thing is getting the ‘right’ answer. Teachers, of course, like ‘right’ answers, but beyond that, 'A' students focus on the process of using basic principles of physics to correctly analyse each physical situation.

When you achieve genuine understanding of basic principles and laws, the answers often come easily. Getting right answers with ease is a good indication that you understand the basics. Genuine understanding needs to come first, then continuous practise on solving problems will strengthen  that understanding.

So how can you achieve genuine understanding?

• Do critical thinking..Question everything, especially things that seem obvious.
• Always ask yourself, where does the equation comes from?. Is it from an Experiment or Theory?
• Look for the logical and mathematical connections between equations, laws, theories and experiments. Using a ‘Concept Map’ might help..
• Don’t be too easily satisfied with a correct answer. Ask yourself what that answer tells you.
• Discuss what u've understood with teachers, tutors and fellow students.
• Do exercises.. keep practise, practise & practise :)

SPM Physics: The 'Untold' Facts

Recently, a form 4 student who scored straight As in PMR asked me for my opinion.
He asked me; "Sir,..i want to do ‘medic’ after SPM, but i want to drop physics coz some said it is irrelevant. Should i drop it or not ??

Listening to the question made me remained in silent mode. I took almost half a minute to think of the best way to answer it. I neither say 'no' or 'yes' to his question. At the same time, i'm not going to leave him in clueless. After a carefull thought, i gave him a very  useful facts which i think has broaden his perspective on how important physics gonna be in his future. For me, if u undecided about something, u need to gather as many facts as u can. However, please make sure those info are genuine facts & not a hearsay that u collected from unreliable sources.

Ok.. back to this student, what did i tell him that made him changed his mind? Its simple, i said when u studied something u must learn the art to relate it in our real life. I provoked him with these questions, .. "U intended to do medic,..are u good in biology??"  He replied "yes..i love science & human anatomy". Then..I asked him about basic human blood system, it seems that he could answer it very well. Finally, i trapped him with this question..,
"Have u ever heard about this medical term..."blood pressure"?? ..he answered 'yes'.
Next, i asked him "do u understand what causes that "pressure"??? Then he looked at me with a puzzled look.. His face suggested,he admitted that he knew nothing about pressure & yet if he'll become a doctor, he'll be learning in detail about 'blood pressure'. So if  he didnt take physics, it is going to give some disadvantage for him in the future.
In the end i dont need to answer Yes or NO.. all i did is to let him think of what kind of  facts that he needs in order to decide his future.

Almost the same skills are needed in answering physics questions.All u need to do is to gather as many facts  as u can in a given question. Nevertheless, u shouldnt forget the most crucial part, ie the 'untold' facts. Identifying the untold or hidden facts is vital to solve any problems whether it is a calculation or subjective questions.In exams, some words or phrases has hidden meaning...for examples:

stationary object or at rest = it tells,the object has zero initial velocity or all the forces acting are in equilibrium

uniform/constant velocity = it has zero acceleration, thus the net forces acting is zero,ie equilibrium

boiled water = it tells that it has 100 degree celcius

'cooled under ice point' = it tells that the temp is 0 degree celcius

denser object = the object is heavier

There are many other words or phrases with double meaning in physics questions..so please watch them out!!

Ok now lets get back to the 'blood pressure' stuff. Ok seems most of my visitors are this year SPM candidates, so i want u to give some thought on the following statement:

For those who has 'penyakit darah tinggi', doctors advised them not to eat too much salty food.Can u explain by using relevant physics concept, why they discouraged them not to take too much salts?


U can discuss it in a comment section or the chatbox. Give it a try!! Lets see who has the talent to become a 'future doctor' that took physics :)

SPM Physics: Archimedes Principle

In  form 4 chapters, there are some important physics principle need to be mastered now b4 its too late. In each principle u must understand and able to do the following:
i.state the principle
ii. relate the factors that affect the principle
iii. understand the experiment (if available)
iv. the calculation part (if available)
iv.describe its application

Among those requirement, most students have been focusing too much on doing calculation. Bila jumpa formula jer,  u guys are keen to do exercise on solving the mathematical problems.In the end u 've ignored one of the most important part, i.e its application. Usually the application part will be asked in the paper 2 either section A, B or C. The application part requires u to explain almost everything on how the things work based on relevant physics concept.

As a continuation from our previous discussion regarding hot air balloon, i want u to recall about its famous physics principle i.e Archimedes Principle. Watch this video for a better understanding about it...





If u've gone through the videos or revised this principle through reference books, make sure that u are able to describe the following applications by relating it to Archimedes principle:
1. submarine
2.hydrometer
3.cargo ship
4.hot air ballon
5.plimsol line and others

U may discuss about it with others in the comment section or the chat box. Enjoy your revision :)
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Archimedes & Hot air Balloon

Ok..today i'm gonna answer my previous question on hot air balloon...some of u did answer it with some common sense on why the balloon rises easily in the early morning..
However in SPM, using common sense only isn't enough for u to get full mark..u must relate your answer with relevant physics concepts or principles.

...Physics concept??? What physics concept???
To make it simple, if hot air balloon rises, it needs a larger force pulls it up  to counter its  weight that pulls it down.
In SPM, this upward force is called buoyant force..atau in bahasa melayu we call it 'daya apungan'.Thats why the balloon can rise & float, coz ada 'force' yang tolong mengapungkannya. So the question is how to have this 'daya apungan' big enough to pull the baskets??

This buoyant force concept comes from a famous principle called 'Archimedes Principle'.Now, lets analyse how can we can relate it to this principle...

Archimedes Principle
Mr Archimedes states that...
If an object is fully / partially immersed in a "FLUID" the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.


The term 'fluid' is used in the statement above..do u understand what fluid is? Senang cerita fluid ni adalah benda yang mengalir such as liquid & gas. In the case of hot air balloon, the object is the balloon. The fluid is the surrounding air ( udara) which is the one that was displaced.

THEN according to archimedes principle..we can deduce a formula like this:

Buoyant force  = Weight of AIR  displaced  ( since W=mg)
Buoyant force  = mg  [(mass of air displace ) x (g)]
(since density ρ = m / V ,  so m = ρV)

Therefore,
Buoyant force  = ρVg (air displace)
                          ( ρ =density, V =volume)

From the formula, Buoyant force depends on the air density.
We can say that the bigger the density, the larger the buoyant force...
Ok this is the key factor to determine the right time for hot air balloon to take off .
..
Early in the morning, the air is cooler than in the afternoon. Cooler air is denser  than hot air, i.e it has higher density. According to the relationship above, cooler air will result in bigger buoyant force. So the balloon has a larger buayant force to counter its weight. Thus the balloon will be easier taking off in a cool temperature rather than during hot tempperature. This explain why the organiser choose those two session, i.e early in the morning and in the evening.

Another point,when buoyant force is bigger, so we can carry more loads. Thus if the same no of 'burners' is used,more participant can be carried in the morning compared to afternoon.

Please noted this discussion is only concerned about the air density surrounding outside the balloon. 

There are many other factors that allow the balloon to rise faster..so its your task to figure it out yourself  :) 

haha ni ada sikit clue, cuba u all masak maggi, then observe..asap dia naik ke turun :) ????

tapi kalau bukak freezer peti ais cuba tgk asap dia naik ke turun??

May b u can also try this activities at home..

Hot Air Balloon in Putrajaya

Recently i managed to catch a closer look on hot air balloon event which was held in Putrajaya. Unfortunately when my turn was almost there, the lightning flashed and the sky rained on us. Well at that time i would rather stay on the ground rather than risking my life a close encounter with the lightning :).. In the end the organiser had postponed the balloon from taking off .
Here is some of the interesting shots to be shared during the event..

The picture looks interesting rite :)...anyway i have some questions  to all of u. During the event, the organiser allowed spectators to ride the ballon only for these 2 sessions, i.e


i. as early as  8am  to  11am, or
ii. ..from 6pm  to  8pm

Haha..by using relevant physics concept :), can u explain why these two session are chosen? Why can't it be at 12pm, 3pm or 4pm?
Lets share your answer in the comment section..let's see who can give the most accurate answer :)

Superconductor

Superconductor is one of the most fascinating features in physics. This concept allows a bullet train to float a few milimetre on its rail, causes less friction to make it moves at 'super' speed. However we're unlucky coz in SPM we wont study abt it in detail.If u wanna pursue your career in electronis,electrical or mechanical engineering.. i think its good to be exposed about it as early as possible.


To understand superconductor, u must understand the word conductor itself. Conductor is like a wire which can conduct electricity. Usually a wire has resistance. Resistance comes from the word, 'resist'..i.e it resists the flow of electrons or current. Different wires has different resistance.But bear in mind, not all conductors are wires.


So..how about superconductors?? 


Under low temperature, the resistance of a conductor decreases. But under extremely low temperature, some conductors has almost NO resistance...i.e it has ZERO resistance. If this condition is achieved, the conductor now has transformed itself into Superman :) ops!!...it supposed to be SUPERCONDUCToR.


Kalau nak senang faham..bayangkan superconductor ni mcm sebatang highway ..
Tapi katakanlah highway tu sekarang bapak u yang punya :)
So bila hari raya, disebabkan highway PLUS tu bapak kita yang punya. So kalau u jalan kat highway tu takde siapa pun yg nak kacau..takde traffic jam..takde polis...i.e takde apa2 halangan. Kalau u nak main skateboard kat situ pun boleh :) 
Senang citer kita kata highway tu takde "resistance". (ZERO RESISTANCE)


Kalau nak tau lebih detail pasal superconductor ..Wajib tgk video2 ni!!