FCI pre-test comparison: Cuesta College versus UC-Davis

Students at both Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) and the University of California at Davis were administered the Force Concept Inventory (Doug Hestenes, et al.) during the first week of instruction.

     Cuesta College    UC-Davis

     Physics 205A      Physics 7B

     Spring Semester   Summer Session II

     2009              2002

N    55 students       76 students

low   0                 2

mean 10.0 +/- 5.6       9.1 +/- 4.3

high 25                27

A "Student" t-test of the null hypothesis results in p = 0.29, thus there is no significant difference between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI pre-test scores.

Later this semester (Spring 2009), a comparison will be made between Cuesta College and UC-Davis FCI post-tests, along with their pre- to post-test gains.

D. Hestenes, M. Wells, and G. Swackhamer, Arizona State University, "Force Concept Inventory," Phys. Teach. 30, 141-158 (1992).
Development of the FCI, a 30-question survey of basic Newtonian mechanics concepts.

Previous FCI results:

• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Fall semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Spring semester 2008 pre-tests and post-tests.
• Cuesta College versus UC-Davis, Fall semester 2007 pre-tests and post-tests.

Double rainbow, and Alexander's dark band

200812301725_146
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3161878992/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

Close-up of a double rainbow, with Alexander's dark band between them, taken with a Cingular 3125 (HTC "StrTrk") smartphone, in Aiea, HI.

200812301722_139
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waiferx/3161042535/
Originally uploaded by Waifer X

An additional third rainbow, counting the one painted on the side of TheBus, the public transportation system for the City and County of Honolulu.

Physics clicker question: ball thrown-down versus ball thrown horizontally

Physics 10, Winter Quarter 2009
University of California, San Diego, CA

Cf. Hewitt, Conceptual Physics, 10/e

Students were asked the following clicker question (Interwrite Personal Response System, interwritelearning.com) in the middle of their learning cycle:

Consider a pair of identical cannonballs about to be simultaneously thrown with the same speed from the same height. Ball A is shot horizontally from a cannon. Ball B is thrown vertically downward by a person. Which will hit the ground first?
(A) Ball A.
(B) Ball B.
(C) They will hit at the exact same time.

Section 642701
(A) : 1 student
(B) : 30 students
(C) : 76 students

This question was asked at the end of the class; so there was no more time for follow-up questions or discussion.

Correct answer: (B)

Presumably students misread the question, confusing it with a situation where the first ball was released from rest rather than being thrown down.

(Question and statistics courtesy of Dr. Michael G. Anderson, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, CA.)

Kudos: a great semester

"Thanks for a great semester P-dawg!" by Student 1221
Astronomy 210
December 2008
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

The demonstration referred to is the Cooper Cooler(TM).