Posted in Pure Physics

Reflections on Sec 4 Physics class (9/12/12) …

Just like in the Sec 4 A Math class ytdy, we revised Sec 3 Physics instead, but I will move on to Electricity in Jan 2013. The two students in this class are from Nan Hua and NJC, in case you want to know, although I find it strange that parents ask me which schs the students come from (I’ll write another article soon – ‘The kinds of parents who call me’). C’mon, if you are weak in Physics, you are weak in Physics, even if you are a graduate from Harvard. Apparently, parents are concerned about the syllabi. However, let me tell you something – even two IP schs or two non-IP schs can be at different topics in Physics at the same time. As for level of difficulty, Sec 4 Physics is Sec 4 Physics; no IP sch is going to teach Quantum Physics at Sec 4 ok, except, maybe, NUS High. In fact, some O-level sch prelim papers are harder than those of the IP schools.

We covered Kinematics and Moments ytdy, and as usual, students have misconceptions about free-falling objects, free body diagrams, kinematics graphs and what constitutes ‘perpendicular distance’ and ‘line of action of the force’ in the calculation of moments. Since they were new students, I also listed the 6 ways that examiners make physics questions difficult, and these have nothing to do with physics! (I will post an article abt this some time soon). Every year, I find that students THINK that they know Kinematics and Dynamics, but they can’t answer some conceptual questions I ask. Even some JC students have actually not understood their Sec 3 Physics!

Ilyasa

Related post:

(1) Sec 4 Physics tuition.