Online reading assignment: motion

Physics 205A, fall semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

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.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters (Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 2/e, Chs. 2.2-2.5) and previewing a presentation on constant acceleration motion.

Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.

"I'm learning more about the formulas and enjoy the connections with higher level calculus. The graphs are pretty."

"Honestly, I am having a hard time finding something interesting. This is very dry, unfortunately."

"I found your 'learn it, know it, live it' motto interesting and amusing!"

Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.

"Some of the equations I couldn't wrap my head around. I need them explained to me in a different way than the book explains them."

"Nothing was too confusing in the reading mainly because I have taken calculus and a physics class in high school so the material is very familiar."

"The formulas were a little confusing since I never took calculus."

"The chain of pain is confusing."

Briefly describe the difference(s) between a chord slope and a tangent slope on a graph.

"A chord slope passes through a curve at two points and is the average slope between them. A tangent slope runs along a point on a curve, but does not pass through it and is the slope of the curve at that point."

"Honestly, I don't remember reading about those and couldn't tell you what the difference is."

Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.

"How much calculus must we know for this course?"

"I could really really use your help on this reading material in class. It's way too deep for me to teach myself and just have it brushed over in class."

"I'm glad you simplify all this stuff in class. I would be so lost otherwise."

"Are the surveys for Monday's lecture due at 12:00 AM on Sunday night? Because I got an error message at 11:00 PM last Sunday."