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

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

New Year's Resolutions

Hi,

I hope you are all enjoying your first day of 2012.

The bad thing about a new year, other than spending the first few months of it writing 2011 instead of 2012, is that you need to make a resolution or two. Normally I set one which I fail. Last year I think I resolved to finish The Magician's Tattoo. Ha! In the whole of 2012 I think I wrote a chapter and half and edited the other chapters a little. There is too much other stuff going on. I did, however write 3 short stories and 12 articles which is good. Sadly that was not my resolution.

This year, I'm going to make things easier for myself and set realistic resolutions.

1. I resolve to upload 52 posts to this blog in 2012. The aim is one a week, but by saying 52 I can allow myself to catch up on weeks I miss and still succeed.

2. I resolve to write more than 2011. I have not quantified this so that I don't get bogged down in numbers. If I continue with my article a month and an annual halloween and christmas story plus a contest story I will succeed on the grounds that I write 2 chapter this year.

3. I resolve to revise more than in 2011. Simply by revising for the January exams will let me tick this one off. GCSE allowed me to get good grades with minimal revision... A Levels don't!

4. I resolve to learn over 150 new words this year. This one will be easy. For Christmas I got a page-a-day calendar called 365 new words a year. The calendar ab ovo has taught me a new word. Ab ovo, by the way is the first 'word' in the calendar and means 'from the beginning'. Its current meaning came in the 16th century when Sir Philip Sidney adapted it to mean 'from the beginning'. Originally 'Ab ovo' meant 'from the' and was followed by any suitable word. For example Horace, the roman poet, wrote 'Ab ovo usque ad mala' which translates to 'From the egg to the apple'. You can see in that sense 'ab ovo' means from the. OK, I'm going off on a tangent here, but you get my drift.

5. To get an A in all of my AS levels and an A or above in Fast Track A2 ICT. This is more of a requirement for the rest of my life as med schools need those As

I will be emailing this list to myself through 'futureme' and I will receive it next year.

Thanks for reading

Matt B

GCSE Results

Hi,
I collected my GCSE results at 10am today. I was rather nervous before hand but I am pleased that I now know what they are.
The result in bold is the result for the subject. The results beneath it is the breakdown.

ICT – A*

I did a yr 10 exam retake and got an A*
In my yr 11 exam I got an A*
In my coursework I got an A*

Double Science – A*, A*

(You get two results for normal double science)

I got an A* in all exam modules
I got 1 A* in 1 coursework module and 1 A in another CW module

Electronics – B

C in yr 10 exam
B in yr 10 CW
B in yr 11 exam
A in yr 11 CW

Mathematics – A*

A*s in all exams

RE – A, A*

(You get 2 grades – 1 in yr 10 and 1 in yr 11)

A in yr 10 exam
A* in yr 11 exam

Business – A*

A* in all exams
A* in controlled assessment

English Language (Yr 10) – A

A in all coursework bar 2
A* in 2 coursework pieces including creative writing
A in exam

English Literature (Yr 11) – A*

A* in all coursework bar 1 or 2
A in the 1 or 2 non A* coursework pieces
A* in Exam (On Of Mice and Men, An Inspector Calls, and an unseen poem)

French – B

Speaking – C
Writing – B
Reading – A
Listening – B

I am very pleased with these results. 7 A*s, 2 As and 2 Bs.
I will be taking Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and ICT for my AS Levels; I hope to continue all 4 into A2 (Final year of A Levels).
The aim is to take medicine at university.

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

3 More Exams to Go!

Hi,

As the title suggests, I've only 3 more exams left.

GCSE ICT Exam (OCR)
GCSE Science Exam (OCR)
GCSE Electronics Exam (OCR)

If you want to see examples of these exams go to http://www.ocr.org.uk/

Thanks
Matt B

English Exam

Hi,

I've got a big english GCSE exam tomorrow at 9 am. It's on Of Mice and Men, An Inspector calls and an unseen poem. At 2hr 30min long, it's the longest exam I have. Good news though, is that once I've finished the exam I no longer have to go to the english class! I will be able to read the books I want and write more once all my exams are over.

Wish me luck!