Chapter 3: The Trap in the Question

Translation made by chatGPT-4

Xu You rubbed his hands together, ready to tackle the exam questions.

Though it was just a minor test, it marked Xu You's first battle after experiencing a state of deep learning.

Xu You was eager to see what kind of results he could achieve after a single lesson's study.

After receiving the test paper, Xu You glanced over it briefly.

Indeed, the types of questions were basically the same as those in the recent monthly test.

Even some common mistakes from the monthly test had been carefully integrated into this minor exam.

Maintaining his state of deep learning, Xu You began to answer the questions at full speed.

At that moment, the bell rang for the end of class.

Some students got up and headed for the restroom.

Others, ignoring the physics teacher's advice, ran to the playground to clear their minds.

Despite the movement of some students, the classroom remained relatively quiet overall.

After all, it was still an exam, deserving of a minimum level of respect.

Except for a few students who were writing furiously.

Most students were still puzzled by the questions on the minor test.

Some flipped through their previous monthly test papers, looking for similarities.

Others glanced at their deskmates to see if they had solved the problems.

But for the most part, there were just bewildered looks exchanged between deskmates.

"This question can be directly solved by applying the principle of uniform acceleration."

"For analyzing forces in equilibrium at a common point, just draw a vector triangle."

"This is exactly the same type of question as in the monthly test, just with different numbers."

Under the state of deep learning, Xu You's performance in answering the questions was surprisingly good.

He faced little resistance with the initial questions.

At most, he only needed a bit more time for calculations.

What Xu You didn't notice was that his exaggerated state had been seen by his deskmate, Dong Chao.

"Xu You... are you bewitched by learning?"

From Dong Chao's perspective, Xu You seemed to be operating at double speed.

He barely looked at the questions before quickly writing down the answers.

This was completely different from the Xu You that Dong Chao knew.

Although Dong Chao's grades were usually worse than Xu You's, he was faster in solving problems.

Xu You was known in the class for his diligence in study, but not for outstanding grades.

His speed in answering questions was also on the slower side.

Dong Chao even wondered if Xu You was just randomly writing down answers.

But when Dong Chao saw the clear process on Xu You's paper, he didn't think it was written haphazardly.

Just over ten minutes had passed.

Xu You was already on the last major question.

This last question was noticeably more difficult than the previous ones.

Although the type of question was similar to that of the monthly test, there were some variations.

This was why the physics teacher had set the passing score for this minor test at 80 points.

Losing points on this last major question was understandable.

But there was really no excuse for losing points on the other questions.

This was a problem about a conveyor belt, a challenging concept in mechanics.

Such questions test students' ability to analyze independently.

Even with knowledge of solving techniques, accurate analysis of the question is needed to score full marks.

"First, compare the coefficient of kinetic friction and the tangent value of the slope angle to determine the relationship between the sliding friction force and the gravitational force acting down the slope, thereby determining the direction of the object's acceleration."

Xu You was not flustered by the increased difficulty of the question.

Instead, he immediately clarified his approach, identifying the starting point of the problem.

This was a method mentioned by the physics teacher in the last lesson.

In his state of deep learning, Xu You had fully understood and memorized this approach.

Soon, Xu You determined the direction of the object's acceleration and, using Newton's second law, calculated the magnitude of the acceleration.

The overall problem began to clarify.

"This is the feeling!"

Although it was just a beginning, Xu You had already found an excellent sense of solving the problem.

He incorporated the acceleration value obtained through mechanics into the kinematic equations.

Xu You quickly solved for the length of the mark on the conveyor belt in the first question.

This first question was not considered difficult.

But being able to solve it proficiently at least shows that the student has a decent grasp of the basics of motion and force.

Just the major question on motion and force alone could stump half of the students.

Xu You did not become complacent but immediately delved into the second question.

It asked for the velocity of a small block when it left the conveyor belt.

Simply put, this question involved the block first decelerating along the conveyor belt and then accelerating in the opposite direction.

Once the displacement and acceleration were determined, the velocity of the small block when leaving the conveyor belt could be calculated using the formula.

Through the result of the

 first question, Xu You first calculated the displacement and the acceleration of the second phase of motion.

Just as Xu You was about to continue with the formula, he realized a problem.

"No, there's a trap in this question!"

That is, the final velocity of the small block could not exceed the speed of the conveyor belt.

If this was overlooked, it could lead to a fatal mistake, resulting in lost points.

Such mistakes, like the reversal of speed after a car brakes, are basic yet easy to make.

The main reason is that students are not proficient enough in solving problems and do not understand them thoroughly.

In about twenty minutes, Xu You had completed answering all the questions.

Since Xu You started answering questions during the break, there was still half an hour left until the end of the exam.

Seeing that there was ample time, Xu You spent a few more minutes checking his answers from start to finish.

After confirming that all his answers were entirely correct, Xu You decided to submit his paper.

His deskmate Dong Chao was copying Xu You's answers and had not even finished half of them when Xu You went to submit his paper.

"Wait..."

Dong Chao wanted to stop him but it was already too late.

At this moment, Lu Zhiyao also finished her paper and got up to submit it.

In usual minor tests, Lu Zhiyao was always the first to submit her paper.

Not for any reason other than to finish early and move on to other tasks.

A minor test certainly wouldn't make Lu Zhiyao stoop to checking her work.

Just as Lu Zhiyao got up to submit her paper, she found that someone had already gone ahead of her.

Lu Zhiyao frowned slightly and looked closer, realizing that the student was Xu You.

Lu Zhiyao hadn't spoken much to Xu You and only had a basic understanding of him.

Seeing that it was Xu You, Lu Zhiyao immediately relaxed.

Xu You was the type who worked hard but learned slowly.

Although Xu You's grades were quite good in the class, there was no way he could have finished the paper so quickly.

He must have had some questions and wanted to consult the teacher.

Lu Zhiyao naturally wouldn't compete with other students over the speed of answering questions in a minor test, a pointless endeavor.

But if someone in the class suddenly finished faster than her, Lu Zhiyao would still feel a bit uncomfortable.

(End of Chapter)