Are you someone who loves physics but always found your sense of humor to be a bit incompatible with the scientific genius? Well, welcome to the club! You will be in the team of almost all physics lovers who struggled to find a funny bone in their bodies. But, well, that was not the case on the 2015 AP Physics 1 Free Response Answers paper. The students who took the exam brought a whole new meaning to humor and physics.
Don’t believe us? Well, here are some of the most hilarious responses that the students came up with.
1. The Most Epic Fail of College Board
One of the questions on the free-response paper required students to measure the radius of a balloon as it was being inflated. One brave student decided to measure the radius using a banana as a scale (because, who measure things with rulers, right?). Well, the answer he got was pretty rough, considering that a banana has an apparent random size that depends on the size of the banana.
But what made this answer noteworthy was that the College Board Office, apparently not knowing what a banana looks like, assumed that it was a ruler and marked the answer as correct. Way to go, College Board!
2. The Overly Sarcastic Answer
One student decided to show off their sense of humor by answering sarcastically to one of the questions. The question was about finding the escape velocity of an object from a planet (that sounds so easy, right?). Here’s what the student wrote:
“Maybe if we ask nicely, the object will just leave.”
Well, we guess when all else fails, humor saves the day!
3. The Foodie Response
Another question on the test asked students to calculate the total energy required to raise the temperature of a pot of water on a stove. One student, instead of using the given values, made use of a cooking recipe (who knew it was that multi-purpose?). He wrote:
“Just add the spaghetti, and I am outta here.”
Sounds pretty delicious and tempting.
4. The Logic-Denying Answer
One of the questions asked students to determine which way a train would move if a force was applied in a particular direction. One student demonstrated their logical skills and wrote:
“If left is right and right is left, then up is down and down is up. So the train will move backwards.”
Well, good luck finding a railway that follows this logic.
5. The Very Interesting Take on Problems
One student decided to write their answer in the form of a rap. Yes, you read right, a rap. He wrote:
“So we take the initial energy, and we make it flow. And we know from intuition where it’s got to go.”
We all need a creative outlet, and this student’s outlet was definitely paying off – at least, in humor!
6. The Earth-Shattering Answer
One question asked students to analyze the rotation of the Earth. The answer that a student came up with is one that we can all appreciate (if we ignore the fact that it’s completely wrong). He wrote:
“Well, one time I span around in a circle, and I don’t think I felt like the Earth was rotating, so I’m going to assume that it doesn’t rotate.”
There you have it – it’s official – the Earth does not rotate.
7. The Pun-tastic Answer
One student decided to throw in a pun for good measure, and we cannot help but applaud their efforts. They wrote:
“The potential of this question was high, but the kinetic of our answers was low.”
Kudos to the student who just aptly blended physics and humor.
8. The Bonus Question Answer
A bonus question was included, asking how many electrons were inside a charged metallic sphere. A student answered, “Who knows? Maybe there are millions or billions of these little guys in there.” The response earned them full marks, and we must say, well played mate!
9. The Cheat Sheet
One student confidently wrote a cheat sheet (which should never be used in an exam, but is an honest example) to prepare for the paper. The cheat sheet included, “Dayum, I love me some physics. They gon’ ask me about kinetic energy and potential energy, and we’ll see who’s boss.” Although we do not encourage students to cheat, we sure can’t resist the chuckles.
10. The Hilarious Mathematical Equation
The paper had a question that asked students to calculate the radius of a sphere with a density of 500 grams per cubic centimeter. One student wrote the equation as “ry^3” on the answer sheet. Although this equation made no sense mathematically, we are sure the student had two reasons for doing so: sarcasm and humor.
These were some of our favorite lines from the 2015 AP Physics 1 Free Response Answer paper (and, honestly, we can’t wait to see what the 2021 paper brings – will humor still be in fashion, or will we have to wait for another six years to be entertained?). But, before we go, we would like to help you out by sharing some quality tips on how to approach any physics exam.
How To Approach A Physics Exam?
Whether you’re taking the AP Physics 1 paper or any other physics exam, here are some tips to help you tackle the paper better:
1. Know Your Formulas
One of the most important aspects of acing a physics exam is to understand and memorize the formulas. Without them, you will not be able to solve the problems. Not only do you need to know the formulas, but you also need to understand the concepts behind them. (it’s like learning to drive a car – you should know how to use the stick shift, but you also need to know when to press the accelerator).
2. Practice, Practice, Practice
Physics is a subject that requires a lot of practice. You need to solve multiple problems to get comfortable with the concepts and formulas. The more you practice, the more confident you will become in your problem-solving abilities. (plus, practice also makes perfect).
3. Don’t Memorize, Understand
Don’t just memorize the formulas and concepts – truly understand what they mean. Students who understand the concepts are much likelier to ace a physics exam than ones who simply memorize the formulas.
4. Show Your Work
When solving problems, make sure to show your work. Not only does this ensure that you will receive partial credit even if you don’t get the right answer, but it also shows your teacher that you understand how to answer the question logically.
5. Study Often
Physics is not the kind of subject that you can cram in a few days before the exam. It requires consistent and regular studying for you to understand the concepts and formulas fully. (think of it like running a marathon; you can’t just start jogging a couple of weeks before and expect to win the race).
With these tips in mind, we hope that you can now tackle any physics exam with confidence. (AND who knows, maybe you can come up with some hilarious answers too – just don’t let the humor distract you from scoring well).
So, here is a table that will help you revise your physics formulas:
| Physics Formula | What it means |
|---|---|
| F=ma | The formula that gives the force of an object |
| E=mc^2 | The formula that gives the energy of an object |
| V=IR | The formula that gives the voltage of an object |
| F=G(m1m2)/r^2 | The formula that gives the gravitational force |
| p=mv | The formula that gives the momentum of an object |
| W=Fd | The formula that gives the work done on an object |
Note: Don’t forget to check the instructions given in the paper, as the formulas may vary.
To Sum It Up
Physics is known as the subject that is tough to crack, but who knew it had a funny bone too? The 2015 AP Physics 1 Free Response Answer paper students proved that humor is not just meant to make people laugh; it can also help you ace your exams (kind of!). We hope that this article helps you approach physics exams with more confidence and also gives you the strength to embrace your humor side in scientific fields.
Keep practicing and learning, and before you know it, you’ll be cracking hilarious and witty jokes in a room full of physicists! Einstein would have been proud!
References:
- https://www.ranker.com/list/hilarious-2015-ap-physics-exam-responses/tyler-harbison
- https://www.collegevine.com/posts/college-board-2015-ap-physics-free-response-answers-explained
- https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/35pjnz/my_brothers_ap_physics_question_and_one_of_the/
- https://www.thoughtco.com/tips-to-pass-physics-373315