Online reading assignment question: interesting Midterm 1 physics topics

Physics 205B Reading Assignment 14, spring semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

120317-interestingwordle
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Wordle.net tag cloud for interesting topics covered in Midterm 1, generated by responses from Physics 205B students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA (http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5022150/Untitled).

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

List at least three words describing interesting subjects covered in class (up through this midterm). (Graded for completion.)

[Responses have been edited to consolidate related common subjects.]

Student responses
Section 30882

doubleslits interference
lasers telescopes farpoint
physics, physics, physics
refraction EMwaves refraction
polarization, lenses, raytracings
lenses, polarization, refraction
raytracings, electricfields, reflection
reflection, lenses, interference
electricity shocking
lasers, electricity doubleslits
lenses, refraction, polarization
charges, diffraction, polarization
electricfields
refraction, electricfields, potential
myopia capacitance complicated
diffraction, lenses, diffraction
polarization, lenses, electricfields
none
EMwaves, electrons, lenses
TIR reflection, lenses, raytracings
EMwaves, lenses
lenses refraction interference

Describe your most interesting subject, and briefly explain why this subject interested you. (Graded for completion.)

The following are all of the student responses to this question, verbatim and unedited.

"constructive and destructive interference. it is interesting to me that when 2 waves, such as radio waves, meet and are destructive interference then you will not hear anything"

"I enjoyed the section on snell's law, because mythbusters mentions this law , when looking at someone above ground while underwater refraction will change the image"

"Electrical fields, It has interesting effects on the migration of snake species"

"refraction emwaves snells law"

"polarization because i have polarized lenses for my camera and sunglasses."

"Lenses are super applicable to daily life."

"Optics because I now know what my optometrist is doing when I have an eye appointment"

"how a telescope works by bringing to object closer"

"electricity because it can be shocking. literally"

"Electricity with the attract and repel thing."

"the most interesting for me is lenses because it's interesting to learn how glasses, microscopes, and telescopes work.
diffraction is the most interesting b/c I think its fascinating that light+light can equal darkness"

"I picked electric fields as the most interesting subject in this midterm. Electricity as a whole fascinates me and what we have covered on the subject so far is limited."

"electric fields and electric potential were really hard for me to understand at first, but after having a few friends explain it to me, it has become one of the most interesting."

"Lenses, they look cool, and make other things look cool"

"telescopes"

"I found the subject of converging and diverging lens the most interesting because lens are everywhere in our daily life. I felt like i could relate to this material the best of any of the subjects."

"None"

"Electrons and Charges, because of the endless uses of the principle in daily modern life. Understanding the concept helps to understand a lot of other things in the modern world; well, better at least."

"I liked doing reflection and refraction"

"light passing through objects"

"i enjoy the lense applications in vision, telescopes and ray tracings"