FRQ Tips

Coming someday, hopefully soon. 

Coming someday, hopefully soon. 

Coming someday, hopefully soon. 

This style question will tend to ask you to do 3 things every time:

a) Qualitative: Answer a question by making a claim (prediction, causal explanation, etc.) and to justify your answer using qualitative reasoning beyond referencing equations

Strategy: Use the ABCD method described here to link at least 2 physics nouns together while stating key facts and context from the question. 

Errors to avoid: 

• Avoid narration style answers, which tell a sequence of events without using physics terms or principles.
  Instead, justify using clear language (specific physics terms) and link context with physics facts.

• Avoid repetitive answers, which may be 2-3 sentences long, but can essentially be summarized as stating the same principle over again different ways.
  Instead, extend and connect your first idea to another relevant physics idea. 

• Avoid mathematical processes in this section. It is fine to reference an equation as long as you explain the relationship you are taking from it, but you should not be combining equations in your response to part A. If you feel like you need to do that, skip to part B first and derive there to know what claim to make and then write about principles in the qualitative section.

Suggested study activity: Prepare brain dumps for significant terms on the AP exam. These could be flashcards or a page per term in a notebook where you quickly recite the principal facts and connections with each term. 

b) Quantitative: Derive an expression related to your claim

Strategy: Use the steps outlined on the Skill 2A Deriving Equations page to link equations and contextual evidence to show the mathematical development of the expression requested. 

Errors to avoid: 

• Don't skip stating the original equation as found on the formula chart. The first point earned is often for "a multistep derivation starting with . . ." a particular equation.
  Instead, write the equation as it appears on the chart and then apply it to your scenario by substituting in values from your prompt OR substituting from another equation.

• Don't just use the symbols from the formula chart.
  Instead, remember to substitute in terms from the prompt (like using D instead of Δx)

• Don't write equations in random order on your page.
  Instead, work top to bottom and/or right to left with similarly formatted versions of the equations so it is easy to tell what changes were made each step. Remember that derive means to show the logical progression of the idea from start to finish. There are often no points for the right expression at the end.

• Don't write random or disconnected equations on the page.
  Instead, you are earning points for progressing through connected equations, so connect them. If they do not connect, single line cross them out. Incorrect alternative work can mask the points you should be earning. 

Suggested study activity: Make every homework problem and in-class problem a derivation first and plug in numbers last activity. You will get good with repetition.  

c) Translation: Justify whether your derived equation in part b is consistent with your claim in part a. 

Strategy: Use strategy number 1 on page 2.D Analyzing Functional Dependence to explain how the position of terms in your expression result in a prediction that is consistent or inconsistent with your prediction in a.

Errors to avoid: 

• Don't JUST re-explain the physics relationships or restate your claim.
  Instead, start by describing the position of the term the question describes as changing in your derived equation. "In my equation in part b the ________ is found in the __________ of the fraction . . ." and use that to tell what will happen to the relevant term asked about.

• Don't JUST tell what the equation shows.
  Instead tell if that is or is not consistent with what you stated in part a. 

• Don't give up if you have no equation in part B or prediction in part A.
  Instead, go back and make up an equation with the cause and effect variables in it (solved for the effect variable) and make the equation consistent with a statement in can fill in for part A. You might be wrong on those made up answers in A and B, but you can talk about the math being consistent between them and likely earn 2 points here.