The Physics Wall

I had intended to write this yesterday (Thursday). But my exams finished on Wednesday so I din't have time. Yes, you read that right, my exams finished before I intended to post and yet I didn't have time. It is a funny time, post-exam period. All throughout the intense revision pre-exams and during exams you think about what you'll do once your exams are over. Then they finish and you find yourself bogged down doing a whole load of nothing in particular. Every little thing takes time and the time between each little thing takes even more time. Essentially I've been busy being not busy.

Anyway, I said I would post about my Physics Wall, just like I did with Biology and Chemistry. So, before I find more nothing to do, I better show it to you all:

The equations are all arranged so that they follow a logical pattern. For example you can derive any of the formulae on the top row using the other 3 on that row. The top two rows are for circular motion and gravitational fields. As they are so connected, I mixed the formulas together. The third row is for oscillations. One the fourth row are equations for Thermal Physics and Ideal Gasses. Any chemist will notice that those 4 sheets are very much chemistry related. In fact the last one on that row is also used in AS Chemistry. The bottom row follows on from Thermal and Ideal, but covers the concepts rather than the equations. The larger table is about the Assumptions of the Kinetic Theory of Gasses, for example.

I found the Physics exam hard, but manageable. It is one of those which I simply can't call. I also retook Chemistry Unit 2 (an AS unit) on Wednesday, and thought it went really well.

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed I have 3 periodic tables ... all on the same wall. The top one which is mostly cut off has the most detail. The one on the pin-board is from the University of Warwick. It doesn't include the names, rather just the symbols (which for me isn't a problem as when I'm bored I see how far I can get without checking). The bottom one is a pull out from the Theodore Gray - The Elements wall calendar (not shown) and has picture for all the elements (some just show the discoverer or crest of the university it was discovered at).

Now, for those who live under a rock, it has been snowing a bit. Here's a picture of my dog, Toby, in the nearby park (not taken by me):

I feel it is important for me to express my personal dislike for dog-clothing. Mother Nature clothed them for us. Granted it is cold and I will make an exception this time - but anybody who puts a hat and gloves on their dog is barking mad (sorry, I couldn't resist) and should be ashamed!

Thanks
Matt B

Chemistry Exam

Tomorrow's exam is the most important exam for me. True, Biology was important, but to get into Nottingham I require an A in Chemistry and if I screw this one up, it could well be a deal breaker. Last time my 'Chemistry Wall' consisted of a few posters above my window (you'll see those in another post as I am retaking my Chemistry Unit 2 AS exam). This time around, I have pulled out all the stops and made the Chemistry Wall actually take up a full wall:

There's almost everything for the exam on that wall. Loads on organic chemistry at the top and stuff on rate, entropy, and constants middle to bottom. There aren't any posters on pH as the equations for those I quite easily remember - for pH questions it's working out what the question's asking that's difficult and no amount of posters helps with that problem!

On the wall with the window you can see some AS Chemistry posters, but most of those are new.

Yes, that is a clock in the shape of a conical flask. I made it in High School in year 8 or 9. I was into Chemistry then, and I still am now.

I have also made an adjustment to my New Year's Resolution. I hope to write 52 posts this year. I am posting more regularly and so should meet the target even if the number diminishes in the latter part of 2013.

Thanks
Matt B

Biology Exam

I sat my first exam of my exam period today. AQA Biology Unit 4 (A2). In my opinion, it wasn't that bad. There was only one question on water potential (an AS concept which I'd forgotten about) I wasn't expecting and it was only worth 2 marks.

One thing I have noticed is that those who found the exam hard or unfair are more vocal than those who thought the paper was, on the whole, reasonable. Remember people who don't have a problem aren't going to rush to their computers to complain. So, if you didn't take the exam you may get the impression online that people thought it was a really unfair paper. It wasn't. The paper tested the majority of the specification.

Those who do vocalise about the unjustness of AQA produce funny videos like this:

To be honest the 2010 paper was weird and I would've been annoyed at the randomness, though it wasn't too difficult a paper, and I got a good mark when I did it as a past paper.

One thing common amongst the majority of students is they like to know how each other revise. So, I guess I could add in my methods. I read the text book and do past exam papers. Whilst reading the text book I make posters that I stick on my wall and then talk myself through them at random times in the day. Some may think this is excessive but it seems to be working thus far:

If you are interested the image top left with the tree is the Carbon Cycle, beneath that is the Nitrogen Cycle. Then the top row of diagrams shows respiration. The first one is anaerobic, and although in reality follows Glycolysis (the second image on that row) it is far easier to understand traditional, aerobic respiration with it laid out like that. After Glycolysis is the Link Reaction (the big arrow) then the Krebs Cycle and finally the electron transport chain. On that row I made all the images except the anaerobic diagram.

The row beneath is photosynthesis starting with the Light Dependant Reaction, then the Calvin Cylce. The last image on that row is the Lollipop Experiment testing the Calvin cycle. I didn't make the diagram for the Lollipop experiment.

And the bottom row is a mix of stuff. The first being the equations for the Hardy-Weinberg Principle in genetics. Then is the equation and information for the Mark-Release-Recapture mehod. The final graphs/charts are for populations (population growth curve, population pyramids, demographic transition model).

I do posters like these for Physics and Chemistry too. I may upload images of those at some point if I get time.


Thanks
Matt B

AS results

Hi,

I've just collected my AS results. I was hoping for all A's.

I took my ICT a year early so have actually picked up my final result for A2 ICT. I got an A*! Obviously very pleased with that.

In Physics and Biology I got A's. An A is the highest possible in AS level, so am again thrilled with these results.

As you may know, I am hoping to take Chemistry at university and so Chemistry is really the most important result. I got a B. I'm disappointed with this as I thought the exam went ok, but I got a c in the exam, luckily I got an a in January, so it is possible to still get an A overall. I will be resitting the exam and ordering to get my paper sent to me so I can see where I went wrong.

Overall they are fantastic results, but it is marred somewhat by. The subject I'm wanting to take in university being the one I did worst in. I still want to do Chemsitry, and will just have to put more effort into it. Perhaps I was complacent after the success in my January exams and didn't put the needed effort into the exam. Needless to say I will be revising a lot more now. In fact I plan to start revision for the resit  during the holidays.

It might be that I need a new revision technique. Does anyone have any?

Thanks,
Matt B

AS Results are in!

Hi,

Last night I posted about what I was predicting for today's results.

Well, to day I am happy with what I have got would be lying. My predictions were wrong. To say I was thrilled with my results would be telling the absolute truth. I have never been more relieved from a set of results in my life.

I worked really hard for these exams and it seems to have paid off. Surprised doesn't cover the fact the results are so good. Shocked would be better!

Chemistry was the subject that I thought I did worst in, but I got a comfortable A. The UMS (standardised marks) mark required for an A was around 99 and I got 108 so well in the bracket.

I was completely unsure how I did in Biology and guessed a B. I got an A!

The only exam I was confident in doing well was physics. I got an A. To make it even better I got the third highest mark in my year (or class, I'm not sure; there are 2 classes for physics).

I'm doing my ICT a year early. This means that I did 2 years of GCSE in one go in year 10, did my AS level in year 11 and my A2 this year, year 12. I thought I'd completely flunked one of the questions, but it turns out I didn't. I got an A. My ICT teacher said to my parents 'I expected Matt to get an A, but not such a high A.' He then went on to explain I got the highest ever mark in that paper for my school - 95%! 'It was a hard paper' were his words and I modestly agree.

Needless to say I am euphoric with these results and am more ebullient than ever about my academic life.

Thanks
Matt B

Exam Results are Looming

Hi,

Tomorrow is AS Results day for the January exams. Normally I don't get worried for exam results, but this time is different.

The Chemistry exam was the hardest exam I have ever sat. Couple that with the A grade and the cold fact I got a C in the trial exam and the pressure is high. In this case I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. However, I don't think the exam went badly. After speaking to teachers about the exam I feel better. The conversation usually started with me saying the exam was hard and then the teacher pointing out different questions and me saying 'I got that one' a fair few times.

The Biology was one of those exams where I don't know if it went well. After most exams I have a gut feeling about how it went, but this one I really just don't know. Nobody really discussed the Bio exam so I don't even have the comfort of knowing I got at least some of the answers right. Funnily enough I got a B in the trial exam despite finding the subject harder than Chemistry. Like above, I would be thrilled with an A, disappointed with a C, unsurprised by a B and devastated with less than a C. The really worry for this one is that there have been rumours going around that 1 in 5 people failed the exam. However, I did some digging in the past exam statistics and learned in 2011 30% got an E or less and in 2010 35% got an E or less. I take solace in that the rumours going round are little more than just rumours. The exam grade boundaries are determined by how hard the exam was (hard exams have nicer boundaries) and how well everyone did. The boards are ruled by percentages and they aim to get a certain percentage of A's, B's, etc... on each paper by adjusting the boundaries.

The Physics exam was the only exam I am confident with. I felt good after that exam and so am hoping for the A. I would be disappointed with a B here and pretty upset with a C or less. However, as explained above if nationally the paper was done well the grade boundaries will be higher. Also, I have found that the exams you feel went best are those you get the most unexpected result in.

ICT is the only subject with coursework that I take. The sciences have practical exams but they are not worth as much. I can be comforted by this fact if the ICT exam doesn't go as planned. I think I should at least get a B, but I just don't know. I was stupid and didn't look up the EC Regulations even though they were mentioned in the case study and a 6 mark question came up on that. I may have got 1 or 2 marks there, but it could make the difference if the boundaries are tight.

So, the short story is I just don't know how I did in my exams so there is really no point worrying as there is nothing I can do.

I will post my results tomorrow, no matter what they are. If they are good I will like to share it with you all, if they are not so good I want you to know about the changes I will make to my work and revision techniques and attitudes.

Thanks
Matt B

Exams nearly over

Hi,


My January exams are nearly over. In fact all my AS exams are over; I only have my A2 ICT exam to do on the 26th.


The biology exam went better than I was expecting. It was easier than many of the practise papers, but still relatively challenging. The physics exam couldn't have gone any better. The questions asked were generally all ones in my best areas and only one or two stumped me for longer than the time allowed. However due to the quick speed I answered other questions I had time to spare. The chemistry exam was by far the hardest exam I have ever done. Ironically it is also the only exam with the first 20 marks being multiple choice. Some of the questions were really hard and there were no 'wow, that's easy' questions. I thought chemistry would be the best exam then physics, then biology, yet it seems that the order was completely different.


I have a bit of time before the ICT exam and there is little I can do in the way of revising as it's one of those subjects where you need to revise as close to the exam as you can whilst still getting it all in. I'm going to use this time to catch up on some writing, reading, and Skyrim playing.


Thanks
Matt

Doctor to be?

Hi,


As all of you who have read my profile or the blog description will know, I aspire to go to medical school and then become a doctor. However, I've been thinking about the future, as you do when a new year starts, and started asking my self some probing questions. Why do I want to be a doctor? Well, the honest answer is that I want a job that challenges me daily and will push my academic abilities to their limits. The thing that shocked me was that money came (all be it low down) on the list above wanting to help people. I hadn't realised that wanting to help people wasn't actually very high on my list. Money is not going to be what I base my future career on as I want to be happy in my job more than I want to be paid for a job I'm not happy in. The fact was that I needed to rethink.


So, I got out my 'Getting into medical school 2012 entry' book and flicked through the pages until I found a page titled 'Commitment' on page 30. On the page was a list of things I should have done or be in the process of doing if I seriously want to become a doctor or go to medical school. Granted the first 3 questions I answered yes. The fourth question 'have you attended a first-aid course?' I answered 'only if one I did when I was 10 counts'. The fifth question 'have you arranged a visit to your local GP?' I could answer yes, but I only did so because I had to to have any chance of getting into medical school. The next questions 'Have you arranged a visit to your local hospital to see the work of doctors first hand?', 'What day of the week does your favourite newspaper publish a health section?', 'Do you know what the main causes of death are in this country?', my answer to those were No, Don't know, I only know because I studied them in school respectively. Doesn't bode well, does it.


By this point I realised that I seriously needed to think about my future career, so I sat down and asked 'What is my favourite subject?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What am I most interested in out of all the subjects I've ever studied?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject am I best at?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject do I really want  to take further?' Answer:  Chemistry. 'What subject should, therefore I be thinking about taking at  uni?' Answer:  Chemistry.


Well, I think that little session was fairly conclusive in where my interests actually lie. So, I dug out some old (well, 2010/2011) university prospectuses and looked up Chemistry. To my surprise there were actually a number of different Chemistry courses including one that immediately caught my eye. MChem Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Chemistry including 1 year in industry. Well, that is pretty much exactly what I would love to study at university. It has my passion for Chemistry, my interest in chemical side of medicine and a years placement to help get into a career at the end of it. I did a bit of digging on the university website and found that the requirements were AAB, so it wasn't going to be a course people did because they had bad grades. I also found that the final year is actually a big research project within a real research group. Perfect!


Of course, finding this out is all well and good, but I am not going to get ahead of myself yet. I couldn't clearly find out what the university wanted on top of the grades. What work experience is expected? What external interests are they looking for?


There are certain ideas for answers to those question I came up with my self. I know that I read around science out of school so if they need someone interested and knowledgeable about Chemistry I would fit the bill. I also know that online collaboration in science is becoming increasingly popular with projects such as PolyMath being so successful and  other fields becoming increasingly interested. So, how does this help me? Well, although completely different in so many ways, I do run an online fantasy writing group with around 95 members. I delegate responsibility to certain members, I keep others in check and on the whole I keep the whole thing running. The reason this is good is that I am no stranger to online communication and organisation. It shows leadership skills in both an online environment and of a large number of people.


Ever since I first started enjoying science at an early age, I knew I wanted to 'be a scientist when I grow up'. Well, now I am at the stage where I need to make the decisions which will very likely dictate what I will be. Medicine may have sounded a good option for a while, but when I got down to thinking seriously I knew where I wanted to go. I know I want to research and hold an academic position. I also know I want a PhD and, although you need one to specialise in certain areas of medicine, that I want one in an area I am interested in. A four year Chemistry degree including industrial experience followed by a 2-3 year PhD in something Chemistry related all ending with me getting a job in Pharmaceutical/Chemical research would be my dream future.




And, also to prove that I am keeping to my new year's resolution of learning new words here is a paragraph including all the new words I have learned so far:


Ab ovo of 2012 I have been striving to improve myself without turning into a bit of a popinjay. Of course if I improve myself to the point of getting a high paid job then I will need to ensure my relation with the bank remains a professional, fiduciary one, without causeries becoming unheard of. I can assure that any bank manager wishing to steal my money can expect to be keelhauled. In a way this blog has become an omnium-gatherum of random, somewhat connected things.


In easier speak this translates to:


From the beginning of 2012 I have been striving to improve myself without turning into a bit of an arrogant, vain person who struts about. Of course if I improve myself to the point of getting a high paid job then I will need to ensure my relation with the bank remains a professional, trusting one, without informal chats becoming unheard of. I can assure that any bank manager wishing to steal my money can expect to be severely rebuked (or hauled under the keel of a ship). In a way this blog has become an miscellaneous collection of random, somewhat connected things.


I'm well on the way to becoming a literary master of words no one uses any more!


Thanks


Matt B

It feels so good!

Hi,

I don't think, unless you're in GCSEs/A Levels, that you can know how good this feels!

All my GCSE exams are over, and all I have to do is going to a few A2 ICT classes because I opted to do the fast track ICT course (finish everything a year early). Ashame I don't have the full extended holliday, but it's not like we'll be doing much in those lessons anyway.

Thanks
Matt B