20130325

Online reading assignment: circuit analysis

Physics 205B, spring semester 2013
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 and previewing presentations on circuit elements and circuit analysis.

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 loved the electrochemistry unit in my chemistry class, so I'm interested to learn about electricity from a physics point of view!"

"I've learned this before in high school, I liked it then because I was taking an electronics class. Not too sure how I like it now."

"I really liked seeing the group of kids messing with an electric fence, passing the shock. It's fun to do that."

"If we follow a complete loop in an electrical circuit, such that we wind up were we started, the electrical potential rises and the electrical potential drops must all add up to zero. This is interesting because it all goes in a loop."

"The video of the electric current going through plywood is really fascinating."
"Kirchhoff was a pretty cool guy. He analyzed circuits and wasn't afraid of anything."

"Connecting resistors in a different manner increases or decreases the current. I'd like to see this in person."

"I think that it is interesting that we are going over material that everyone can easily relate to."

"Nothing really."

"It's all interesting and I am looking forward to learning about how circuits work."

"The video of the metal melter was really cool and i want to try it!"

"How your car battery supplies less voltage due to the internal resistance of the battery when supplying amps to your starter."

"I find the loop rule interesting. It seems like such a simple concept but makes so much sense."
Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"Formalas."

"I am a little confused on what the point of resistors are, I get that the more resistance the lower the current flow, but why?"

"I found the concept of resistance a little confusing. I just need some clarification on how it can be measured or used."

"Electricity in general has always been confusing to me. I think it's confusing how electrons flow in the opposite direction of what we call 'current.'"

"Nothing was too confusing."
If you go through a resistor along the direction of current, the amount of current __________ and the voltage ___________.
decreases, decreases. : 2 responses
decreases; remains the same. : 4 responses
decreases; increases. : 2 responses
remains the same; decreases. : 2 responses
remains the same, remains the same. : 1 response
remains the same; increases. : 1 response
increases; decreases. : 0 responses
increases; remains the same. : 1 response
increases; increases. : 0 responses
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!) : 7 responses
Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"I finally figured out everything for this past midterm and now I have to start all over!" (It's the circle of life. Or at least, of introductory physics.)

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