Basically How Physics Exams are Made

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

Pls consider sharing if you enjoyed! Flammable maths said that's the only way he'll let me eat today.

[@meowwwww6350]

#Freedomforandrew

[@krishnasimha8097]

Sed

[@marienbad2]

Great video, well funny, now get back to the basement before you get caught.

[@michaelibrahim9275]

Your videos used to be funny Then I became a physics major, and now they’re sad

[@HemantSharma-HS3nh]

Sir, I want to become a physicist... How can I make my self fall in love with physics... And make mathematics as my soul...

[@KyleKabasares_PhD]

You call us “normal”, but I prefer the more general term of “orthogonal” thank you very much

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

normal is actually orthogonal to that which is perpendicular to the transverse direction change my mind.

[@thedoublehelix5661]

Lmao

[@YaamFel]

Wouldn't "normal" just mean ||v||=1?

[@sungodmoth]

@@YaamFel that would be "normalised". Just don't question it.

[@رضاشریعت]

I would go with orthonormal

[@PhysicsOH]

"Lead each exam with a joke" Is that why all my exams start out with me writing my name? 😭😭

[@macewindu3492]

No, jokes have a meaning

[@sai-blade7625]

@@macewindu3492 uff...that's was a good roast

[@BillPark-ey6ih]

Noice! I am ur 1000th like!

[@PapaFlammy69]

Get a load of THIS guy

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

Jeez lay off fella.

[@phantom_drone]

Sure I'll get a load of this guy ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@deathstroke8639]

@@phantom_drone hold up

[@erikawimmer7908]

Moin Papa 69

[@kathanshah8305]

@@AndrewDotsonvideos *jizz

[@maxwellsequation4887]

"I suspect some of you are cheating and everyone dies eventually" Larry

[@nerdalert226]

damnit Larry

[@visualbrick6574]

5:18 "The tears of relief when they find out that isn't the case" I know exactly what you're talking about brother

[@MAgisAWESOME]

"Have you guys seen partial differential equations yet?" Students: "No we're first years" "Ok perfect, I'm just going to embed this variable in a complex number so we easily arrive at the solution! Any questions?"

[@goodboi42]

My God, I can relate to this so much it *hurts.*

[@Leonlion0305]

still remember partial derivatives was thrown around in my first and second year physics, and we didn't get proper introduction until second half (?) of multivariable calculus

[@highgroundproductions8590]

First year physics does use partial differential equations - the wave equation. We don't solve it, but we derive and use it.

[@puddleduck1405]

wait is that when u integrate by parts to solve it, or is that completely different haha? Just cos im in highschool and we did that a while ago

[@jffrysith4365]

@@puddleduck1405 nah, partials are for multivariable calculus when you have to explain that x, y and z exist, and that we are comparing the change in x with the change in y

[@me2143658709]

The painful irony is that Andrew very well might become Larry one day. His students will think, naw Professor Dotson won't do us dirty like that, he made all those old meme sketches. And then they'll cry.

[@catchphase]

I think he prefers the term "tears of relief"

[@coreypreston2277]

Physics Professors - I want my exams to be significantly harder and more complex than the homeworks because they should see how to apply the physics from the homeworks onto the exam questions. Like if the homework is over solving unique electric potentials using the laplacian, they can definitely solve for Schrodinger's equation of the hydrogen atom.

[@Lucky10279]

I avoided a physics class for _precisely_ this reason. I looked up the professor on RMP and everyone complained that the homework didn't prepare you for the exams at all. I really wanted to take the course though, so I emailed the professor to ask about it, in case it was just a minority of students who thought that, but he confirmed that students always tell him that (and yet, he apparently hasn't found it necessary to modify either the homework or the exams), so I'm not taking that class, at least not with him as the professor. Fortunately, I'm an EE major and while the physics class wouldn't satisfied a general math/physics/chem/cs/engineering elective requirement, there are plenty of other courses I can take instead.

[@obi-wankenobi1750]

@@Lucky10279 EE majors at my school have to take general physics 1 and 2. Im an AE student so nearly everything in physics 1 and 2 applies to me but it’s hilarious seeing all the poor EE’s solving these ridiculous fluid mechanics and thermodynamics problems.

[@SuperPBrady]

4:00 “that way they can put to the test what they’re about to learn” never has anyone described my current academic situation more accurately...

[@bbattemuulen]

"put to test what they are about to learn" - ah, the perfectly logical and normal

[@aviphysics]

Since entropy only increases with time, it makes perfect sense that the students would have an easier time sooner rather than later.

[@popkornking]

If we assume the learning process is asymmetric with time then when the students travel backwards in time to retake the exam their knowledge should be conserved.

[@bbattemuulen]

@@popkornking and figuring out travelling back in time should be a trivial exercise for a physics student preparing to take a physics exam

[@RC32Smiths01]

I don't know man, but this Lawrence guy looks like Andrew.

[@colinfields2036]

No thats impossible Andrew is stuck in Flammable Maths basement

[@RC32Smiths01]

@@colinfields2036 That is true

[@1234huesitos]

Nah, that's not true. This guy truly knows what he's talking about

[@ntlespino]

Long live the Empire

[@samilamby]

LOL the jump from 50+ questions to 4 or less was way too true

[@nunyabiznasspunk]

Of course they're four or less. 1 a, b, ... h. 2 a, b, ... f. 3 ...

[@jasonmayo]

And that'll somehow still be too many questions to finish on time.

[@AldoHacha]

Just thinking of a 4 problems Physics exam raises my heartrate

[@Spencer18861]

My physics 2 professor would give us a study guide and say "if it's on the guide I won't put it on the exam"

[@itisi2042]

That makes 0 sense

[@ReversePrimeOFFICIAL]

But now you know what’s not on your exam lol

[@和平和平-c4i]

@@itisi2042 It is always like that, and (in some sense), it makes perfect sense... The prof assumes we all studied the basic material. Instead, we need to learn to use what we learned in an indirect and creative way. Just plugging numbers in equations is for engineering, not for real physics students.

[@nathanaelgistand1547]

Sadly lol this is the universal STEM professor for any class with a quantitative focus. Literally one of my chemistry professors "I don't understand why it took you all so long, I finished it in about 30 minutes."

[@theamazingone5217]

Sadly, this is my first native language teacher in High School. We told her that the exam was too hard and she replied with: I was able to finish this 40 minute exam in 30 minutes so you have no reason to complain.

[@Lucky10279]

I had a math professor who made his exam three times as long as the homework which he knew took hours to complete and gave us less than 2 hours to complete it. He wouldn't even _tell_ me how long it took him to complete the exam.

[@richhobo1216]

@@theamazingone5217 This was my French 3 teacher in high school. Literally DURING the final, she was taking it with us, and went "c'est tres facile"(which means this is very easy in french) and all of us just looked at each other. It was a very hard test.

[@danielmagpali441]

OMG i have never realized how much teachers do the "check solution" thing, never falling for that again

[@josecordova32]

If Andrew ever becomes a professor, he'll refer his students to this video on how to study for his exams and how he structures them.

[@sushicartman01]

The number of times I had to apply math I would only learn in math class a few weeks later haunts me

[@alisw81]

And that right there is one of the reasons the educational system keeps producing people that hate math with a passion. I'm sorry you had to experience that.

[@MATTHEWMYTHHAVEN]

Stop being stupid

[@papel6280]

I feel like that’s actually a good thing for me though because you’re basically ahead in your math class

[@rockcandy41145]

I just took a physics exam today and literally not a single formula on that formula sheet was useful...

[@farhannoor3935]

most likely it was there so that you dont sue them later on for forcing you to memorize stuff lol

[@aviphysics]

I knew a guy in undergrad that printed his formulas in 6 point font on the allowed index card, and read them with a pocket magnifier.

[@backfisch6030]

My professor for I don't know the English term for that lesson he give us a littleral textbook as a formula sheet and if you don't know what are you looking for you are doomed. But the formula sheet is pretty good on other modules I am giving him that

[@vincentdavis8960]

@@aviphysics Brilliant

[@adrycough]

yea they're literally useless

[@1019jatin]

4:40 "I may provide you with F=ma but I expect you to remember laplacian for spherical coordinates."

[@QuantumTapper]

i'm an auditory learner and i can hear the voices in my head

[@TalhaFaisal1]

Tears of relief and tears of sadness are easily confused. Please review them for the upcoming exam on how to make physics exams

[@josewui414]

Haha, it’s so nice that this is just satire. Wait.

[@abhishekkp7121]

This actually helps reduce stress, from studying Physics.

[@agrajyadav2951]

U reducing a tensor?

[@vedekX]

I came here instead of doing my phys hw I see you

[@abhishekkp7121]

@@agrajyadav2951 😂

[@maxwellsequation4887]

@@agrajyadav2951 lol

[@rikthecuber]

Who gets stressed doing physics?

[@spinor]

*A formula sheet where all the formulae are entirely irrelevant to the actual exam questions* Satan: _Gotta say, I'm a big fan_

[@relariis_the_paradox]

Professor Variance, you forgot: Reduce the number of questions to 4, but be sure to make each question multiple parts, and make sure that every part of those questions was another loosely related, translated question from the aforementioned German or Russian books 👌

[@WestOfEarth]

and each consecutive partial question is dependent on arriving at the proper solution of the former. Didn't find a solution to part a) ? Hahaha, b) thru m) is fucked.

[@Ticketeds]

I see Andrew Dotson: I click.

[@abhishekkp7121]

Exactly

[@Gehr96]

Fun fact: His email is [e-mail]

[@roshanakadorabarrett562]

As a first year physics student, I know I have a lot to look forward to now.

[@SuperPBrady]

I can’t get over how painfully accurate this is.

[@SuperPBrady]

This stings even more in remote learning when physics professors are trying to “alleviate stress” by “not having midterms” Instead we just have 4 consecutive timed Canvas quizzes in the span of our 50 minutes class period that’s coincidentally worth 30% of our grade 🤔 But you know... it’s “better” cause it’s “not a midterm.”

[@TakesTwoToTango]

I can already guess how that went... 1. It's 2019. 2. So our course legally needs to declare how evaluation goes beforehand. We use midterms worth 30% of the grade. 3. Damn, a pandemic. We barely taught under good conditions. We can't really do midterms, if failing students sue we'd lose that every day of the week. 4. Wait, we have a legally binding document that sais 30% of the score is earned in advance.. If we don't do that failing students could sue and we'd lose that every day of the week. 5. I have a cunning plan that cannot fail: have "not midterms". Pretend like that's actually doing anything. Don't mention the lawsuits. 6. So... Should we change those legal documents? Nah, too much work. That pandemic won't keep on going anyway!

[@Leonlion0305]

Yikes, what the heck is that? Physics SAT?

[@dyer308]

Just received my graduate acceptance today from my university of choice!! Your videos inspired me not to give up on physics when i was near quitting after struggling with my first semester of upper level physics courses, love you Andrew!!

[@aviphysics]

One day you will never forgive him. I know I will never forgive the professor that encouraged me to stick with it. I should have switched to engineering when I had the chance (though I eventually snuck into the engineering profession anyway.)

[@0sm1um76]

@@aviphysics That's funny, Andrew made me realize I didn't love physics enough and I now I'm enrolling in a PhD program in EE.

[@admiralhyperspace0015]

I didn't know all physics professors were sadists.

[@brandonklein1]

This is excellent procrastination material for my impending quantum mechanics exam.

[@andyharley2644]

“At this point, you should be expected to memorize Laplace’s equation in spherical coordinates.” I think I died a little inside.

[@oscarstaszky1960]

I'd rather have an easier time performing surgery on a grape than literally memorizing all laplacian derivations of any curviliner coordinates LMAOOOOOOOOOO

[@physics3632]

I really love when professor add only 6 questions but there’s 20 parts to each question which requires you to use the answer from the previous part that way if your first answer is wrong half of your exam is also wrong

[@michaelupdike-bz6rg]

you forgot that you have to put 1 question that is completely different from anything you have learned. I told my dad my prof would do that as a joke on my EM final and sure enough.

[@CrittingOut]

1:12 this is so fucking accurate like honestly what is it with university students and being offended by absolutely anything

[@brooksbryant2478]

I'm in AP high school physics and the stuff about people thinking the same problem with different numbers is definitely true, and lots of my friends that don't like physics use chegg so I can confirm the part about first years is accurate

[@collegestudent6071]

My quantum 2 professor is extremely efficient at making exams. He just puts 2 questions on there, and we don't even have to show work since there's no partial credit. And if you get 1 wrong and fail the exam it just motivates you to do better on the next one. It's amazing.

[@StarWarsTherapy]

Chegg forces me to write my own problems and I am no doubt hated for it

[@stt5v2002]

Things may have changed but here is how we did undergraduate physics exams in 1992-1996. There would be 4 or 5 questions. The final question would feature a terrifying and demoralizing illustration. This question was nearly impossible for anyone to answer. But since a 65 would probably be an A, getting 4/20 points for that question was gold. A formula sheet was provided, but would not under any circumstances be useful (you were spot on with that one.) It would take 37 days to grade the exams, but it was implied that the grades would be posted at any point after ten days. That way the students can get exercise walking to the physics building every day for a month.

[@LucasSilva-ut7nm]

I'm from Brazil and my physics professors followed all those suggestions, it seems like a worldwide standard...

[@Gehr96]

Who can actually remember Laplace in spherical coords?

[@samyakkshinde6864]

Only the first term😅

[@leonmozambique533]

nah after lots of e&m and Calc 3 it comes up often enough to be remembered

[@j.pesquera]

@Nicholas Parris Who has time to derive the Laplacian in spherical coordinates during an exam or quiz though? That would probably chop off 30-40 min. of your exam time. Just write it down on scratch paper and act like it's apart of the scratch paper you're using for the exam, I used to do that all the time. Yea, sure, technically it may be bending the rules a little but who remembers these equations? And who has time to derive them on an exam? Not me

[@Vulcan-vs1rf]

@Nicholas Parris yeah just derive it and miss squared at some term nice!

[@j.pesquera]

@Nicholas Parris Well, if you can remember exactly how to derive the Laplacian then you should be able to memorize it as well.

[@andreacosta2238]

Me when I see new math: It's some kind of elvish. I can't read it.

[@maureendotson4634]

Thank you so much for my gift basket Andrew! Love you 💕 ~Mom

[@Andreych95]

"You dont want to make the test TOO easy" Why tho?

[@Drewbie_T]

You forgot the: walking around while the students take the exam, looking at a student solving a problem incorrectly, then letting out a discomforting sigh.

[@deemedepic7721]

Hey Andrew, in one of your previous videos, you mentioned that you got String Theory for Dummies when you were a teenager - I got that book last week and I just wanna say thank you for that recommendation, it is exactly what I was looking for, not just because I'm a dummy, but also because it's such a good book! Edit: I was actually reading it when this video was posted - quantum foam sounds yummy.

[@savboo10]

"Tack on 30 seconds to the exam so students have enough time to finish", hahahhahahah. That's so funny and true. I had a physics teacher tell my class he didn't understand why we didn't finish our exam in 60 minutes b/c it only took him 45 minutes to complete it 😹

[@aaronrashid2075]

"This is what my score would've been on rate my professor" Or would it?

[@catchphase]

Hey, vSauce! Michael here.

[@MD30474]

Hey, I'm 24 and doing my first year of undergrad physics in England after initially dropping out of uni at 20. Just want to say thank you for your videos, they always help motivate me, whether its motivation to get that extra intuition and understanding on good days or grind through and get it done on the bad ones :)

[@yenyelinito]

This was so good HAHAHA Sponsor transition 10/10, made me download audible

[@perpetual_bias]

oh my god man, every single joke hit so close to home. i absolutely love your humor. keep it up!

[@matthewmalaker477]

Did nobody see the Lorentz invariance reference?

[@andreemery4964]

Where is it?

[@AdityaKumar-ij5ok]

is it the equations written on the graphic tablet behind? idk much, just takng the guess

[@matthewmalaker477]

@@AdityaKumar-ij5ok No. It's not that.

[@northernskies86]

Lawrence N. Varence

[@Quotenbrtchen]

First thing I saw once I read it out loud

[@macewindu3492]

"Take an old russian textbook and just translate the questions" My russian Professor: Don't mind if I do

[@MegaSKyFall]

was watching u since grad school, now I'm enrolled in a phd program and teaching high school physics

[@Charlie-up8hy]

I've had a professor who was somehow so determined to not have to give re-exams that the last question of the exam was just "explain something you know well from the course" and he described it as "a mercy question if you exam went badly". That how I got a 14 on an exam I skipped like half the questions of.

[@ArtyfexRS]

Actually scary how true this is.

[@lotteboer7132]

I had two exams this semester where a question turned out to be too difficult so they just made it a bonus question. I mean I don't mind getting a higher grade but it was also pretty stressful

[@physicsgenius4464]

I love Kelly in these skits (even if its just saying cut)! More more!

[@nightlight3169]

"That way they can put to the test what they're about to learn." This felt so true now I'm in my first year of college, where my chem mini-quiz #39 tests the material that mini-lecture #40 gave.

[@edwardsanchez5350]

At 4:41 holy crap... that brings back memories... I had to memorize the Laplacian in spherical coordinates.

[@BB-nb5cp]

It really put things in perspective. Like I have the opportunity to put my new found knowledge to the test. Knowledge prove yourself to me.

[@jamespatrickgabriel8195]

What's funny is, I am currently making a Physics exam. Thanks for the tips! 😂

[@deathstroke8639]

Tips?

[@10thletter40]

@@deathstroke8639 we should ask how that went... but Im too scared to. Good luck students. Good luck

[@alinoon2546]

When he said 50 to 300 questions, I started screaming. On a quantum 1 exam wr had 75 questions on a 1 and a half hour exam! Etf is physics

[@uhkneerudh]

>Name of the college is University College Collegiate >Initials are YCC

[@urasgungor9244]

I do love it when I can see the exam

[@isaachester8475]

2:33 This one hits the nail on the head with pinpoint accuracy... talk about TENSE.

[@nikkyb3963]

This gave me so many undergrad flashbacks

[@saifuddinareeb657]

"that way they can put to the test when they're going to learn" freaking died

[@alexsamag]

Another way ( at least it really worked for me) was if possible get exams from previous years and solve them as if you were doing the real exam as a practice run. If I had not been doing that I would probably still studying the degree in Physics.

[@black1blade74]

That is the exam meta for sure

[@kylerheron9328]

Why does this actually feel like a mandatory, pre-semester training conference presentation for professors?

[@revlord5868]

yo i was just binge watching all of your videos today and u uploaded xD very epi c c

[@sirapplepine]

I literally had this exact thing happen to me. I learned Schrodinger's equation in QM and the lecturer was talking about eigen this and eigen that... I didn't learn about eigenstuff in mathematics until the week after our midterm test.

[@bananaman-qj4nu]

That office hours one hit close to home. I emailed my math professor the other day asking some questions, telling him I couldn't attend his office hours because I had work at those times. In his reply, he said that we could meet that afternoon, at the same time his office hours are scheduled. The only difference is that his hours are Tuesday and Thursday, and his email was on Wednesday.

[@michaeloconnell3532]

I seriously came to this video hoping for tips when taking physics exams.

[@djdaniels00]

"what should we study for the exam, professor?" "well you should have a solid understanding of the courses that lead up to this course, and you should understand the concepts in the textbook, my notes, my lectures, and the homework" so.... everything? This is a paraphrased version of what actually was said in my grad level semiconductor device physics class this semester. The professor got his PhD in '71 and I think he just hates students now. Hurray!

[@greccoante8711]

I'm in love with this guy.

[@alexcampbell3791]

My E&M professor actually gave us a question on an exam where we had to apply the laplacian in spherical coordinates with r, theta, and phi dependence and expected us to know it from memory without giving us a heads up before the exam

[@onemanenclave]

I like my humor extra dry (no intro music that gives away that it's a joke video and no hints in the title either).

[@AndrewDotsonvideos]

Yeah it's just hard to communicate in a title/thumbnail if the video is serious or not when I also make videos that actually give advice. Less people will watch if they think it's a serious video.

[@TyranAmiros]

Thank you for some good Internet Physics Etiquette!

[@Charlie-up8hy]

4:36 The ultimate terror I've had when I finished studying for an exam and take a look at the formula sheet (some prof provide them in advance) and see formulas that I don't know what they're for like *what did I miss?!* *PANIC*

[@prysrek8858]

When on the hard exam is a funny meme in the end: 😓 😌 😓

[@bagxx4128]

3:45 I recommend the theoretical physics books by Torsten Fließbach.

[@Johnrtfg]

"put to the test what theyre about to learn" omg im dyinggggg ahahahaha 4:10

[@Peter_1986]

One time when I prepared for an exam in partial differential equations, I actually ended up sorting problems from older exams into specific types of problems, and then I memorised the solution steps for the types of questions that I had the most problems with, and then I simply wrote exactly those solution steps when I got them on my own exam. I believe that this is a legal method.

[@hydrochloricacid2146]

My entire undergrad has basically been: "Here's the actual formula..." (Cut to terrifying formula) "...and these are the simplifications we'll make in order to use this simpler one, which will completely supplant the previous one"

[@bobsesay4014]

I have a Theoretical Mechanics exam tomorrow and this hit home. Lolll

[@bensparrow3356]

One positive thing I will say is that physics exams will often let you choose say 5/7 problems that you want to do, which is super helpful for our grades and allows the test to cover several topics while not testing our memorization of 200+ pages of Jackson E&M. Great vid

[@Ethan-wh1ng]

this is the best academic video I've ever seen

[@dhacker0921]

This guy is super underrated!!!

[@MadMac5]

For graduate Physics courses, one can come up with assignment questions by just giving the students a problem that's very similar to what you are working on now. That way they can do your work FOR you, and you don't need to pay them a cent unless they're already one of your students!

[@MrMentholSlim]

as a student who processes information best threw hearing stuff. i feel 2 ways about exams, on one hand, i love the format, on the other hand, i hate that i cant think outloud

[@alithemathguy]

3:52 My math teacher is guilty of that, For the Surface Integrals test she took all the problems from a textbook.

[@gabrielbelouche3954]

My physics professor used IE Irodov Problems in General Physics Spanish translation for our online asigments.... in physics I at college those were tough problems i did solve most then i found some random vids in hindi about those problems that helped me out.

[@spencerminyo8590]

While it may have been a joke here, I actually had a physics professor translate from his undergrad textbook (Romanian I believe) with the intent of making the exam impossible to google - it was an online final due to COVID. That was probably the hardest exam I've ever taken. Great professor though!

[@polka-dothi-tops1454]

I hate how accurate this is I almost cried at the part about formulae sheets

[@pseudolullus]

3:56 that's pretty good advice, ngl

[@aadityabhetuwal5990]

What we learn in class: deriving Schrödinger's wave equation from general wave equation. What comes in the exam: Arrive at Schrödinger's time independent equation from Schrödinger's time dependent equation.

[@eddievyfvinkel7204]

Thanks Andy, you're absolutely hilarious!