The second PY212 exam covers chapters 27-30 of Fishbane. There will be four questions. The first question will consist of a few short-answer/multiple-choice questions. The other three questions will be multi-part problems. Partial credit will be given. A formula sheet will be provided. Difficult integrals will be provided if necessary; in general, we are not trying to test your knowledge of math.
Suggestions for study:

Review last exam! Where did you lose credit?

simple numerical math mistake? keep practicing simple problems and you will hopefully eliminate these mistakes as you catch yourself with common errors.
problems with calculus? perhaps the wrong dq or limits of integration? go back to the chapter and find the "Example" that covers the appropriate topic. Carefully write out the solution on your own paper... do you understand each step?
wrong approach? read the "Problem-Solving Hints" at the back of each chapter.
Reading comprehension? If you missed points because you didn't answer the question asked, you need to fix this. Mark the words in the question that actually ask for something- you can underline it or bring a highliter pen.

Practice, practice, practice! Work out problems to which you have the answer. The problems in the study guide by Elby are excellent practice exam questions. Try to solve the problem with only the formula sheet in front of you. Check the detailed answers to boxed problems with the Study Guide. You can definitely master the following rather mechanical skills with practice: resistors in parallel and series, and the right hand rule. Find examples of these in the book and practice until you stop making mistakes.

Reread the chapter text, paying special attention to the highlighted boxes around text and formulas, and the summary at the end. Try to understand how the practical applications work.Try to answer some of the "Questions" at the back of the chapter. The idea here is to reinforce the concepts of the physical principles. The exam will not simply be a test to see if you can plug numbers into formulas and properly multiply and divide... we will be testing to see if you understand the way the world works- at least as far as electromagnetism goes.

Nonetheless, it is important to understand the formula sheet. Look at each formula- do you know what all the variables are? What is r? Maybe it is simply radius... but maybe it is the distance between some point and an element of current. Not every formula applies in every situation. Understand when you can use Ampere's Law and when you should use Biot-Savart. Finally, sometimes you need to rederive a simple relation because we only give you one; for example... practice converting from qvB = mv²/r to r = mv/qB(not given). Are there any others like this?

Now, take the practice exam. Set aside 1.5 hours and quiet test conditions. Again, grade yourself and diagnose as above where your problems occured. Did you follow the Test Taking Tips? If you got a good grade- congratulations, treat yourself to an dog biscuit. If not, you should seek extra help. Keep in mind that there is an abundance of different material in these chapters, and this year's test will not simply be a minor variation on the practice exam. Concentrate on the material that was emphasized in lecture and homeworks.

The study guide by Elby also has more practice questions in the back and even practice exams. Keep your textbook closed, shoo your noisy friends away, and just use the formula sheet to get the most out of practice questions. You might also read chapter 47, which is his own "test taking tips" and other advice about studying.

For further help, see Profs. Kearns or Rohlf or your section instructors. You might also try the University Resource Center- we checked and they do have tutors standing by who can help with PY212. Visit them at 1 University Rd, suite 150 (353-7077) and they will give you the name and number of a tutor. This is a free service.