20120425

Physics quiz archive: magnetism, induction

Physics 205B Quiz 6, spring semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30882, version 1
Exam code: quiz06LR1r

Section 30882 results
Quiz 6 results (max score = 30):
0- 6 :
7-12 : ** [low = 12]
13-18 : *****
19-24 : ************* [mean = 22.0 +/- 4.9]
25-30 : ****** [high = 30]

20120424

Livetweets: SCAAPT spring 2012 meeting

American Association of Physics Teachers, Southern California Section
Spring 2012 meeting
http://www.scaapt.org/meetings/2012mtg1spr/program.htm

Scraped archive of publicly visible live tweets, using #scaapt2012 and #scaaptsp12 hashtags.

20120423

Overheard: whiteboard penmanship

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

(Overheard after the end of algebra-based introductory physics lecture on Faraday's law/Lenz's law.)

Student: "I have to ask, did you ever take a course in whiteboard writing?"

Instructor: (Beat.) "Uh, what do you mean by 'whiteboard writing?'"

Student: "You know, learning how to write neatly on a whiteboard. You have better handwriting on the whiteboards than me, or teachers in my other courses."

20120419

Astronomy quiz archive: Milky Way, cosmology

Astronomy 210 Quiz 6, spring semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30674, version 1
Exam code: quiz06niLl
Section 30674
0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 : *** [low = 10.5]
16.5-24.0 : *************
24.5-32.0 : ************* [mean = 24.4 +/- 6.5]
32.5-40.0 : **** [high = 36.5]


Section 30676, version 1
Exam code: quiz06suE7
Section 30676
0- 8.0 : **** [low = 7.0]
8.5-16.0 : ******
16.5-24.0 : ************** [mean = 19.8 +/- 8.1]
24.5-32.0 : *********
32.5-40.0 : ** [high = 40.0]

20120409

Physics quiz archive: capacitors, circuits (2)

Physics 205B Quiz 5, spring semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30882, version 1
Exam code: quiz05Vo7x

Section 30882 results
Quiz 5 results (max score = 30):
0- 6 : *** [low = 6]
7-12 : *******
13-18 : ******** [mean = 16.2 +/- 6.7]
19-24 : *****
25-30 : *** [high = 30]

20120407

Physics quiz quesiton: light bulb power dissipation in circuit

Physics 205B Quiz 5, spring semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 2/e, Problem 18.65(e)

An ideal 12 V emf source is connected to two 1.6 Ω resistors, a 7.0 Ω resistor, and two ideal voltmeters, as shown at right. Which light bulb is brighter?
(A) Bulb 1.
(B) Bulb 2.
(C) (There is a tie, but both bulbs are completely dead.)
(D) (There is a tie, with both bulbs lit.)

Correct answer: (D)

The two light bulbs are in series with each other, such that there is the same amount of current I passing through both. (The voltmeters are ideal and have infinite resistance, such that no current will be diverted away from bulb 2). Thus the power dissipated by the bulbs will be the same:

P = I2*R.

Section 30882
Exam code: quiz05Vo7x
(A) : 12 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 12 students

Success level: 46%
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.58