Those of you with the foresight/work ethic to start studying before the night before:

Test Preparation SAT Subject Test Preparation
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<p>I envy you.</p>

<p>/signs off</p>

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<p>At least Brown doesn't look at test scores...</p>

<p>;]</p>

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<p>I HATE YOU.</p>

<p>How did you get an 800 with minimal Phys studying? It's taken me a couple of hours just to read though PR. </p>

<p>How strong was your background (what did you cover in Physics I)?</p>

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<p>Lollllllllllllllll I wouldn't call what I'm doing studying, but I'm looking at sparknotes for the Math II thing to see if there is anything silly that I can't remember. I planned on learning basic Latin grammar before now, but I'm not going to try and do that in one night! Ahaha, I know enough to get through 2 AP Latin classes, I think this will be okay. And lit is hopeless for me anyway! :]</p>

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<p>You'll do well on Lit!! It's like the one SAT II where prep can't help you. You can either read and understand stuff or... you can't. Lol. And you definitely can.</p>

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<p>Firstly, lo siento. It was a bit too easy.</p>

<p>Anyways, besides luck, I probably just got the 800 because I remembered those formulas I gave to you, failed on three practice tests (and thus was able to easily identify what I didn't remember/hadn't learned), and really enjoyed Physics, so I understood much of it. Obviously, the curve helped a bit, too.</p>

<p>My studying consisted of not reading the PR book, except when learning Hooke's law/spring stuff that we hadn't covered in our physics class. Otherwise, I just took the two practice tests, which netted me a 740 (790 without moronic math errors), and 680 (700 without errors), respectively. I didn't really find learning from it to be that easy, but the practice tests were nice and very representative of the real test in style (not in difficulty, obviously, as the second practice test I took at 8:30 the night before). I also got the physics textbook I used in 10th grade to brush up on certain definition or rules, such as those for elastic collisions, or the right hand rule, and read it in the car on the way there. Essentially, I took practice tests to diagnose what I forgot, and then brushed them up elsewhere. As I stated, I guess the fact I hadn't forgot that much assisted in making studying so quick for me.</p>

<p>Most importantly, cheat (i.e. save yourself time) on the kinematics problems as much as possible and use calculus. When it shows you three graphs and ask for the ones of the acceleration and velocity, its rather easy is you just remember how derivatives function...</p>

<p>I'm not sure how much my Physics course covered. I guess everything on the test except the spring stuff. The teacher wasn't exceptional, but I think the book did a transcendent job of illustrating concepts. That might have helped in learning them so easily, since they were presented in such a lucid manner.</p>

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<p>Haha! I second the OP. I just covered 3/4 of physics today. Sooo draining. I'm gonna take a practice test in a little bit. I should probably get off. =&lt;/p>

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<p>lol don't worry SAT math and physics is really easy :)
just be sure not to slow down somewhere unnecessarily during physics (like I did :P ) lol I stopped at one question because it asked something so basic I wondered if it was a trap</p>

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<p>Resnick/Halliday/Walker - Fundamentals of Physics :D haha</p>

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<p>^ Time is what I'm most worried about, although I haven't yet taken a practice test. </p>

<p>I'm planning on taking a practice with a formula sheet (lol) then one without. Then I have to LEARN CHEM OHMYGOD. </p>

<p>

<em>sympathizes/empathizes hardcore</em></p>

<p>I have like ten pages left of PR. AAAHHHH!! Then I have to go through an entire Chem book, lol. OMGIHATEMYLIFE. </p>

<p>Good luck tomorrowww (today)!</p>

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<p>lol the toughest magnetism question in my SAT was to define the radius of an electron's path in a magnetic field:
r = mv/bq
which comes from mv^2 / r = bqv
or more appropriately, q.(v X B)</p>

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<p>UGH THAT'S SO HARD lol. I hate magnetism.</p>

<p>PR kept telling me how to use the right hand rule but, like, never explained it. Or explained it in two very unclear sentences. Luckilyyy my parents showed me how it worked, haha.</p>

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<p>Mmkay, so I had a longer post, but I accidentally hit back, and unlike most forums, CC doesn't like to save what you typed. So...</p>

<p>You should start by getting of CC, or quickly inventing a time machine/instantaneous travel device so you can go to Guam or Hawaii and standby test there.</p>

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<p>Oh, that's terrible, really. Was the class only one semester, or something? It seems as if it was rather inadequate, to be honest.</p>

<p>
[quote]
In fact, everyone at my school is telling me that I should NOT take Physics because my background is just not adequate. One person literally said to me, "You're going to do poorly on Physics no matter what, and your Chem score is going to suffer because you'll have devoted time to Physics." So I'm determined to get 700+ on each, to prove him wrong, but... I dunno. :|

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<p>Aren't these only for RPI and CWRU? I don't think your SAT II science score is going to have much impact on your acceptance, considering they are safety, rather than reach or match. If nothing else you can retake one of them in January for MIT. The guy (or girl, but it just seems like something a guy would say) is sort of right about splitting your resources (time is a resource, according the economics textbook). Still, nothing motivates for performance like the need to shove success in someone else's face, so I'm certain you'll do fine in both. :)</p>

<p>
[quote]
On my other test dates, I've gone to sleep early (easy to do when they're tests that don't require prep, like, uh, Literature) but tonight I'm like, eh, why should I get any more sleep than usual? Lol. So I'm gonna cram as much as possible.

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<p>Haha, that sounds good. But Literature easy? That is not true.</p>

<p>And yeah, you're welcome for the assistance.:)</p>

<p>
[quote]

PR kept telling me how to use the right hand rule but, like, never explained it. Or explained it in two very unclear sentences. Luckilyyy my parents showed me how it worked, haha.

[/quote]
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<p>Oh lol, thanks for mentioning the reason I didn't use PR for information. They didn't do a very good job explaining concepts, as you noticed.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I wish I lived in Cali (like you HAHAHA I'm hilarious) and had three more hours more than I do. Arrghhh. All-nighter? Mayyybe. </p>

<p>The class was a year long, but yes, inadequate. As a demonstration: The same teacher also teaches AP Physics. My friend, who is brilliant and got a 2400 and does all these math competitions and is PRESUMABLY fairly good at science, got a 2 on the AP test after taking the course last year. Yeeeeaaahhh. And she's gotten like seven or eight 5s on other AP tests... maybe a 4 or two sprinkled in.</p>

<p>Hmm. MIT is my only school that NEEDS a science, but all of them are gonna see the scores. Rrrgh. </p>

<p>On an unrelated note, PR just gave me this problem:</p>

<p>An enemy spaceship of the Empire is traveling toward the planet Ceta Alpha VI at a speed of 0.4c. The ship emits a beam of antiprotons at the planet that travel at a speed of 0.5c relative to the ship.</p>

<p>I LAUGHED FOR LIKE FIVE MINUTES HAHAHAHAHAHHA</p>

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<p>Lol, they're gonna become so massive by traveling at 0.9c lol</p>

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<p>If its past four, I would say go for the all-nighter, only because you'll be more aware during the test than if you don't go to sleep. Otherwise, you should probably try to get some rest.</p>

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<p>Oh...that is sucky teaching. Like, really sucky teaching. That's a shame. I bet the teacher would be out by now if they were in Washington D.C.'s public schools. So yeah, your school didn't help at all.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Hmm. MIT is my only school that NEEDS a science, but all of them are gonna see the scores. Rrrgh.

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<p>As I said, take in January. Don't most colleges accept tests from that date?</p>

<p>And yeah, that problem is a classic. I remember thinking it was good the writers had a sense of humor when I saw it. I did get it wrong though. The most important thing, btw, on those problems is to know that contraction occurs longitudinally...that is, things appear shorter when traveling at those velocities. I almost guarentee there will be a question regarding that.</p>

<p>Also, can it be established that you really live in Virginia?</p>

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<p>Good call. Although I do enjoy my 1.5 hour sleeps... mmm one REM cycle.</p>

<p>Lol yeah he kindaaa sucked. He was amusing, though. </p>

<p>I want to be done with SAT IIs. Even if I get sub-600s on them both, I'm not retaking. I've got three 700+s and if my sub-600s hurt me then the school and I just aren't meant to be. :)</p>

<p>Thanksss, yeah, I think that's right... hmm... I'ma use the v1 + v2 /[(1 + (v1v2/c^2)] thing if it comes up on the test; should help even if the question is in theoretical form. </p>

<p>Lol'd at the Virginia comment. Fair enough.</p>

<p>Okay, pregunta, and it might be dumb, but I suck at understanding: </p>

<p>...[As] v gets closer to c, gamma gets bigger and bigger. For example, for passengers on a spaceship moving at, say, v = 0.99c relative to the earth, the value of gamma is about 50. So, if someone on the ship says that they've been on the ship for 2 years (as measured by them), we here on earth would say that the elapsed time is 50 * 2 = 100 years.</p>

<p>How would this person age? Like, in their view, would they be looking 50 years older every year? Or since their body is traveling at this speed, would it see time in the inertial frame of reference of the spaceship and could MOVING REALLY REALLY FAST BE A KEY TO IMMORTALITY?!?!</p>

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<p>yep, time dilation, length contraction and mass increase lol
hey poseur, I haven't seen that expression you've written, but I guess it's by differentiating the length contraction thing? (dx/dt)</p>

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<p>Haha, they never seem to work for me (just one cycle). But, I have noticed that it is best to align sleep with them, because I am alway more tired when I don't get sleep in hours that are a multiple of 1.5.</p>

<p>Amusing? How so? Like your chemistry teacher amusing?</p>

<p>Lol, I can't blame you. I'm really, really, glad in retrospect my test taking was confined to two dates. It really sucks taking them multiple times. I'd hope you wouldn't get sub-600's, though. Getting a 600+ on Physics is ridiculously easy, at least.</p>

<p>Well...I actually just realized that ideally, your statement would be correct in ten months. So I'm not going to raise a further issue with it. :)</p>

<p>Spidey, I think that is true. Based on Wikipedia's graduate-school level equations and explanations, at least.</p>

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<p>Answer my edittttttt!</p>

<p>And yeah, the formula is presented as v' = ...!</p>

<p>Also, lol yep. And you can reciprocate by saying that I live in RI. :)</p>