Online reading assignment question: advice to future students

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
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. The following question was asked after the last lecture, but prior to the final exam.

Tell a student who is about to take this course next semester what he/she needs to know or to do in order to succeed in this course. (Graded for completion.)

"The best advice for success in this class is: always show up to class. Missing class is the quickest way of getting bad grades."

"To succeed in this course, I would just say to make sure that you attend every class, and do your best to do all of the online reading assignments."

"Show up to class."

"To be successful in this course you need to understand the online reading assignments and be an active listener during lectures."

"You learn everything in class, so study your notes and your quizzes."

"Come to all the classes and do the online reading assignments! This will help especially if you aren't good at taking tests."

"Attend the class."

"Come to class, pay attention to lectures, ask questions, do the reading assignments, and read the book. STUDY PAST QUIZZES! They're one of the most helpful study guide you can have in this class!!!!"

"Do all the things early!"

"Just show up to class, do the reading, and don't be afraid to ask questions."

"You will have a lot more fun (and better grades) if you just go to class and pay attention."

"Show up to class and stay for the in-class activities."

"Actually show up to the lectures, it makes all the difference."

"Just do the online reading assignments and read the textbook!"

"Show up to class and don't be afraid to ask questions."

"Take your time doing the reading! Make time for online reading assignments and study continuously."

"Information from previous chapters will always be relevant for the course."

"In the words of Dori: 'Just keep swimming.'""

"Go to all the classes because the activities really help. STUDY THE QUIZZES!"

"Study, study study. The quizzes are similar to the practice quizzes given in class. Show up to class, do your homework. Every point counts. Don't give up."

"I would recommend focusing on the relationship between the concepts discussed, and perhaps forming visual models to help remember. Also, if nothing else, read the blog."

"Stay up to date with the readings. There were times when I fell behind with the book readings and it was twice as hard to read double the material and understand it."

"Come to class and study for each quiz and exam."

"GO TO CLASS, and take a genuine interest--it'll make it worth your while."

"Go to every class and listen intently on what P-dog has to say. If you are ever confused about anything in the class, he will explain it to you in every way possible until you fully understand it."

"Go to class and stay."

"Attend class, do the reading assignments, study the practice quizzes before the quiz day, and study the overall material for the exams."

Online reading assignment question: advice to future students

Physics 205B, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a bi-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 the next lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. The following question was asked after the last lecture, but prior to the final exam.

Tell a student who is about to take this course next year what he/she needs to know or to do in order to succeed in this course. (Graded for completion.)

"Stay on top of all the homework assignments and labs. You don't want to miss easy points for simply doing your work when you may need the cushion later for exams and quizzes. Ask questions, work with your group, see tutors(they are so helpful) and work out every single homework problem! A lot of physics is logic with a just a little bit of equations. You can think your way out of a problem before actually solving for it!"

"It's so helpful to go to office hours and ask questions on the practice quiz problems and follow up with homework problems or in-class problems. P-dog is patient and never gets annoyed no matter the amount of questions asked. It's good to study the material several times because you can advance in what you know each time you review it."

"Stay at the end of lab and write up the lab report while it's fresh in your mind. And pre-lab readings help. And keep practice quizzes and answers."

"Just stay on top of the work, keep going, and ask as many questions as you need to. P-dog is super-patient and will talk with you and help you work through the problem until you understand it. He is one of the few teachers that I have had that has never made me feel dumb for having to ask the same question multiple times in a row. He is by far one of my favorite professors I have had, so don't be afraid to ask for help. Even if the class gets hard, just stick with it, you will be fine :)"

"Instead of trying to answer as many problems as you can before an exam, try to solve a handful in detail. Also, try to get as many points as possible! Even the single points, they rank up at the end!"

"Do the reading and work all practice problems over and over till it makes sense."

"Welcome to Physics 205A. If you want to have success in this class here is what you need to do. I'll break it down in three steps. If you can do these three things consistently, you're sure to pass.
      STEP 1: BE AN ACTIVE LEARNER which means show up! Showing up is a huge part of the process. Don't skip lecture, take good notes, take lab seriously. You'll be engaged and it will be easier to retain the information.
      STEP 2: TAKE GOOD NOTES: Writing notes helps commit new info to memory. After class, go home and re-write your notes from lecture. Not only are you reinforcing what you learned, good notes are invaluable reference material for later quizzes and exams.
      STEP 3: BE SMART ABOUT EXAM PREP. Go through the practice exam blog pages thoroughly. P-dog lays out the practice problems and techniques in good depth. If you are consistently answering the practice tests correctly YOU WILL BE FINE. Don't panic and stick to these three steps and you will have success in this class."

"Definitely do all of the homework, reading assignments, labs and lab reports, and in class worksheets. Those are great buffer points that help out and if you max them out then you don't have to do anymore when it's the end of the semester and you are burnt out."

"Do all the homework and reading assignments. Study for the quiz and test. Do all the lab work."

"You need to keep up with the assignments and be ready for for a barrage of testing the last month before the the final."

"I would say, go to class, do the homework and examples. That’s what will get you through the class and help you to understand the topics."

"It's a pretty straightforward class. Just make sure to do the labs, the homework, and study the material. You should be more than fine if you do those things. Stay focused as well. Don't get distracted with other things like I did."

"Do the homework and reading assignments because they are easy points that should not be missed. Even if you don't have time to read the homework just state that you didn't get to it and just for submitting a response you will still get points. These points can easily determines your grade if you are borderline. Write the dates when things are due and make sure to also write the time because '12:00 AM' versus '12:00' PM will cost you points, especially for pre-labs and post labs. You won't be able to submit work online once the survey is timed out, and there go your easy points. If you tend to forget to do post-labs it is a good idea to just complete your post-lab as soon as you finish lab.
      Most labs won't take up all the lab time, so staying in lab to complete this is a good idea. Turning your lab report early will get you an extra-credit point, so that can work as motivation to just get it done.
      Not all the quizzes are summed up for your grade, there will be some that are dropped, so don't be discouraged if you aren't doing so well, there is still a chance to succeed. Midterms are comprehensive, and if you do well in all of the above (homework, reading assignments, post-labs, and pre-labs), then you might not have to take the final.
      Show up to class! Every lecture you are required to do groupwork and this is part of your grade. Practice quizzes are given in the lecture previous to the day on which the quiz is scheduled, so if you do well on this you will know right away that you are going to do decently on the quiz. If not, then you better get to studying because chances are you will be lost. Know what your symbols mean it will be easier to do. Plug-and-chug if you have no clue on how to go about the problem. Being able to read a prompt and break down the information given will show you what SI units or symbols you will use, thus giving you a hint on what equation to use.
      There is extra-credit after the quizzes by doing a group quiz, so even if you know you didn't study or feel that you will do horrible, show up anyways, take the quiz and do the extra credit. A maximum of 20 extra-credit points is applied to course grade. Don't give up, there are plenty of resources, some of which are the Tutoring Center, office hours, Khan Academy, and many more online resources.
      This class is structured to help you succeed not to fail you. Any one can pretty much get a 'C' if they do the minimal work. If you do all of your homework, reading assignments, pre-labs, post-labs and get all your credit you've set yourself up to get a 'B' or and 'A.' Wish you all the best! P-dog is here to help you move on academically, he's on your side!"

"Focus ALL your attention in class. Memorize the concepts of what the instructor is trying to say in the class."

"Make sure you always finish the online assignments and show up to lab. Literally rack up as many points as you can because you'd be dumb not to. Take advantage of the generosity of points this class provides. Also always go over the practice problems before quizzes and exams."

"Make sure you stay caught up on the online readings. If you go into class without some knowledge of the material, it is harder to catch up. Try to max out your points in all of the categories you can, like the reading assignments, homework reports, labs, etc. This will give you room for error on the midterms/final."

"Don't miss the online homework and reading assignments! Don't procrastinate on anything really, staying on top of things helps keep your cool. Taking notes in lecture definitely helps but I really began to understand things when I took notes after/while reading the reading assignments. Even if you don't understand it, try to at least look over all the material before class."

Astronomy quiz archive: Milky Way, nucleosynthesis, cosmology

Astronomy 210 Quiz 7, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30674, version 1
Exam code: quiz07N4pP


Section 30674

0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 :	**** [low = 12.0]
16.5-24.0 :	*********
24.5-32.0 :	******* [mean = 26.3 +/- 8.5]
32.5-40.0 :	******** [high = 40.0]

Section 30676, version 1
Exam code: quiz07SgD0


Section 30676

0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 :	********** [low = 9.5]
16.5-24.0 :	*********** [mean = 23.9 +/- 8.2]
24.5-32.0 :	************
32.5-40.0 :	********* [high = 40.0]

Physics quiz archive: radioactive decay, Feynman diagrams

Physics 205B Quiz 7, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Sections 30882, 30883, version 1
Exam code: quiz07SGnD



Sections 30882, 30883 results

0- 6 :	* [low = 6]
7-12 :	****
13-18 :	***********
19-24 :	************* [mean = 20.3 +/- 5.9]
25-30 :	******* [high = 30]

Online reading assignment: origin of life, are we alone? (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
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 the origin of life, a "Here Is Today" timeline, LEGO® washing tips and the extraterrestrial hypothesis.

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 was absolutely mind blown with the timeline presentation of our universe and its different time periods. My life feels like a blip in the long scheme of things."

"The 'Here is Today' timeline was cool, but it made me feel small."

"The Miller-Urey experiment--how two people can just come up with these experiments and actually get valuable results that teach them about life on Earth."

"Evolution of life."

"The Drake equation was really interesting because finding life in another place in our galaxy would be the biggest discovery of our lifetime (and probably ever)."

"The methods and messages that scientists have been devising and sending out into space!"

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

"I just think the idea of things evolving and changing is a really complex topic and it's a lot of information to take in."

"How one-celled organisms formed into 6.6 billion people."

"I just found it hard to fathom that much time and how short our lifespan really is in comparison to the earths or even our universe's life."

"The Drake equation confusing--how can it have any real meaning when you don't even really know that many values in order to actually use and prove it?"

"Although the Drake equation is very interesting, it is also very confusing, because math."

"I think the whole Drake equation is a little confusing just because all the factors and then it talks about guesses."

Briefly describe a difference between life and non-living things.

"A living thing manipulates its environment in order to grow and make a new generation of things that can manipulate its environment. A living thing is able to adapt, either in its own lifetime, or through changes in successive generations. These functions are encoded in long, complex sequences of carbon molecules. Non-living things do none of these."

"Living things are capable of manipulating their environment and reproducing. Non-living things aren't usually capable of much at all."

"Living things can manipulate its environment and create another generation that can manipulate their environment."

"This is a hard question to answer. I was going to say anything with a heartbeat is alive but I believe that plants are alive but they don't have a heartbeat. I guess if something is alive it can feel something whether it's physical or emotional, but something that is dead feels nothing."

"Something alive has to be able to manipulate its environment and also be able to adapt to changes."

"Non-living things aren't alive."

"Not sure."

Rank the amounts of time it takes for each of the following to have occurred on Earth.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Time after the formation of Earth for single-cell life to arise: a medium amount of time (about 1 billion years) [22%]
Time for the first types of simple single-cell life to evolve into fishlike creatures: the longest amount of time (about 3 billion years) [70%]
Time for fishlike creatures to evolve into more complex land-based animals today: the shortest amount of time (about 0.5 billion years) [39%]

How important is it to you to know whether or not there may be life elsewhere other than on Earth?

Unimportant.	* [1]
Of little importance.	* [1]
Somewhat important.	**** [4]
Important.	********** [10]
Very important.	******* [7]

Briefly explain your answer regarding the importance of knowing whether there may be life elsewhere other than on Earth.

"I think that there are many reasons life on other planets could be useful but at this time in history we don't really have the tech to do anything with the knowledge. We haven't really figured out space travel outside of our own solar system yet; let alone other galaxies."

"It would be cool, but seems impossible as of right now to interact with them."

"Even if there was life elsewhere, it probably wouldn't affect us because we would lack communication to them and would have no way to get there or them to us. It would take a lot of time for that to happen so that's why its somewhat important because it would be cool to know but would not experience it myself probably."

"For me knowing whether or not there is life elsewhere in the universe isnt just about science, its more about religious concepts."

"I think that knowing whether or not there is life outside of Earth is key to understanding and interpreting the human condition, and will help to better understand our uniqueness in the universe."

"It is so fascinating and I am sure if there was life on other planets and we could communicate we could both learn from each other."

"If I were to know one thing before dying I would want to know if there is other life."

"I'm fine here, I don't really care what goes on anywhere else."

"It would be great to know and impossible to afford to get there. We are ruining this planet so it might be comforting to know that life can survive elsewhere."

"It will answer so many questions about our existence and per-existing beliefs about how/why we got here."

"Even if there was life elsewhere, it probably wouldn't affect us because we would lack communication to them and would have no way to get there or them to us. It would take a lot of time for that to happen so that's why its somewhat important because it would be cool to know but would not experience it myself probably."

Which type of star would be least likely to have a planet that could support life?

Massive.	************ [12]
Medium-mass.	* [1]
Low-mass (red dwarf).	******[6]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	**** [4]

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (type of star least likely to have a planet that could support life).

"It took about a billion years for life to form on Earth and massive stars don't really live past that time frame."

"A massive star has a short lifespan, and therefore would die before any orbiting planets had a chance to evolve intelligent life."

"A low-mass star would have a lower luminostity which means it would have a smaller habitable zone."

"The red dwarf probably wouldn't have enough energy to warm nearby planets, or enough gravity to pull planets into orbit?"

"No idea."

Describe what the Drake equation is used for.

"It is used to estimate the total number of communicative civilizations in our galaxy."

"The Drake formula is used to calculate how many advanced civilizations there are in the milky way by calculating all the necessary things needed to happen before intelligent life emerges."

"The probable number of active extraterrestrial life that have the ability to communicate with us."

In your opinion, how plausible is it that the Chilbolton message is a reply from extraterrestrials?

Implausible.	** [2]
Not very plausible.	********** [10]
Somewhat plausible.	******* [7]
Very plausible.	*** [3]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	* [1]

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

"Final reading assignment! Hooray!"

"How do we know when the beginning of life started?" (Yes. Less certain: how it started.)

"Do you ever answer these questions?" (Yes.)

"I'm going to miss this class.

"Can we go over the final in detail? How accurate is the study guide for the final?" (We won't have time to review material for the final exam, but it is mainly comprehensive and the study guide and sample exam questions should be sufficient for you to prepare for the final exam. That is, if you need/want to take it to raise your grade.)

Online reading assignment: origin of life, are we alone? (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
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 the origin of life, a "Here Is Today" timeline, LEGO® washing tips and the extraterrestrial hypothesis.


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 enjoyed reading about how science is actively trying to figure where other life forms could exist, that its not a concept that's disregarded as conspiracy theory."

"That we can quantify how long the observable universe has existed and where humans and general biology fit into that timeline. I used to think history was infinitely long."

"The timeline of events that have happened that show how long it took for everything to happen in the early days of Earth. I found this very interesting because I love thinking about how insignificant everything is in an individual's life is and how the big picture is a lot more important."

"The idea that chemistry can turn into biology by building longer strands of molecules and stacking them on top of one another and enough time is pretty amazing. I find it very interesting that something non-living became living even though it took YEARS."

"The Drake Equation. I thought it was really awesome and interesting."

"It was cool learning about the possibilities of habitable planets with technological civilizations in the Milky Way."

"Seeing just how many factors go into calculating the likelihood of other life was interesting to me, because I've never considered just how perfect conditions would have to be to support it."

"Those crop circles in 2001 as a possible response to the radio message we sent into space 30 years ago."

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

"The concept of the 'goldilocks planet' was confusing to me because I'm having trouble understanding how we came to know this."

"The Drake equation, because it is based off of so many random items it makes me believe that the formula would not be accurate."

"The Drake equation. How did it come to be or how were the different factors determined?"

"The Drake equation, because you have to factor in so many different things, and my head was spinning just reading through it, but if you take it slow enough it's kind of understandable."

"The only thing that was confusing was how they can put variables to stand in place of probabilities that a civilization could sustain itself and live long."

Briefly describe a difference between life and non-living things.

"Non-livings things do not exhibit any characteristics of life. They do not grow, respire, need energy, move, reproduce, evolve, or maintain homeostasis. Living things grow and reproduce."

"A living thing should be able to manipulate its environment while, either throughout generations or within its lifespan, adapt to changes."

"Things that are alive are living, breathing things, that can for the most part move, or at least grow. Non-living things are just things that just sit there and don't do anything until a living thing does something to the non-living thing. Probably not the best description but you get the idea."

"Something that is living is alive, and something that is non-living is something dead."

Rank the amounts of time it takes for each of the following to have occurred on Earth.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Time after the formation of Earth for single-cell life to arise: a medium amount of time (about 1 billion years) [50%]
Time for the first types of simple single-cell life to evolve into fishlike creatures: the longest amount of time (about 3 billion years) [45%]
Time for fishlike creatures to evolve into more complex land-based animals today: the shortest amount of time (about 0.5 billion years) [80%]

How important is it to you to know whether or not there may be life elsewhere other than on Earth?

Unimportant.	[0]
Of little importance.	** [2]
Somewhat important.	****** [6]
Important.	***** [5]
Very important.	******* [7]

Briefly explain your answer regarding the importance of knowing whether there may be life elsewhere other than on Earth.

"Honestly, I feel that there has to be life elsewhere other than on Earth. We've learned about how big the galaxy and other galaxies are, so there's no way we're the only ones alive."

"As a human on Earth, I think our species as a whole has gotten filled with power and ego and believe that we are the pinnacle of biological evolution and apex predators. Knowing that there is other life forms out in the universe would humble us I suppose."

"While I won't be heartbroken if we never learn of other lifeforms within my lifetime it's such a fascinating and broadly-vast universe, I truly do believe there must be SOME form of other life beyond us, and the knowledge that will come from this, and the inevitable advances in our own knowledge would benefit from learning and committing extraterrestrial life into fact, and not speculation."

"It's important to know in case our world suddenly dies and we need a new home. Also because they might attack us."

"Why I feel it is very important for us to know if there are other forms of life besides on Earth is so we can either gain their wisdom or they (if they so desire) can learn from us and our mistakes as a planet. I also find that it is important because it would help humans to realize just how small and irrelevant we are and I feel as if humans need to be humbled."

"I'm not losing sleep over whether or not there is life somewhere other than earth. I like to think about it some times and it's fun to try and think of the different possibilities of how far and how developed they are, but I don't NEED to know."

"It would be cool but I doubt that we'll find them in my lifetime so why worry about it."

Which type of star would be least likely to have a planet that could support life?

Massive.	********* [9]
Medium-mass.	[0]
Low-mass (red dwarf).	******** [8]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	*** [3]

Briefly explain your answer to the previous question (type of star least likely to have a planet that could support life).

"I think that it's probably the massive star because their lifetime is the shortest."

"Massive stars are the least likely to have a planet with complex forms of life because of how often these stars die and how fast they die."

"I don't believe that a red dwarf has enough light to be able to sustain complex life if it were to have planets orbiting it."

"Low-mass stars most likely wouldn't have enough energy to support life."

Describe what the Drake equation is used for.

"Estimating how many advanced civilizations there are in the Milky Way."

"The Drake equation is a probabilistic argument used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy."

In your opinion, how plausible is it that the Chilbolton message is a reply from extraterrestrials?

Implausible.	* [1]
Not very plausible.	********* [9]
Somewhat plausible.	********** [10]
Very plausible.	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	[0]

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

"Do you believe in extraterrestrial life? Not like 'humanoid' beings of science fiction, but living organisms out in the universe. Personally, I find living plants and possibly animals out in the universe, to be far more likely then, like, a Kyptonian society or any other super-intelligence forms of life. Not 'impossible,' but far less likely, your thoughts?"

"Do you believe in aliens?" (I would like to, but science says that I shouldn't until there is hard data.)

"How accurate is the Drake equation if the subsequent values become less certain?" (It doesn't have to be accurate to be useful, as it is a way to organize what you know versus what you don't know (yet) about estimating the number of technical extraterrestrial civilizations.)

"In your personal opinion, how important is it to you to know whether complex life exists outside of Earth?" (Kind of important--especially when it's my job to answer students questions about that.)

"Just how strong and precise would a laser have to be in order to create a crop circle like Chilbolton's from outer space?" (About as strong and precise as someone dragging a plywood board behind them as they walk around the field.)

"I once witnessed an unidentified flying object. I walked to a car across my friend's house at night looking at the clear night sky, and saw a plane cruising across the sky blinking its light. As I appreciated and watched it move slowly across the sky, it quickly changed direction upwards and away from with swiftness I didn't believe was possible then immediately faded from view as if it had accelerated at an unrealistic magnitude far, far away. The (what I believed was a plane) did not reappear in that clear night's sky, and I was left wondering where it had gone. All I saw was the trajectory of the blinking light change, and it fade into the distance; I can believe that the light could have burn out at a lucky moment, but I can't explain how suddenly it seemed to change course."

Online reading assignment: QED, strong, weak interactions

Physics 205B, spring semester 2019
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 presentations Feynman diagrams (Phillip "Flip" Tanedo, Cornell University/USLHC Collaboration) and quantum electrodynamics (QED) (Christopher "Bot" Skilbeck, cronodon.com).

"The Feynman family poses by the famous camper"
Ralph Leighton
symmetrymagazine.org/article/may-2014/saving-the-feynman-van

Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe what you understand from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview. Your description (2-3 sentences) should specifically demonstrate your level of understanding.

"In a Feynman diagram matter particles and force particles interact with each other."

"Quantum electrodynamics can be explained simply with the feynmans diagrams. Electrons that are going toward eachother will emit a photon which causes the repel of one another. The positron and electron can annihilate into photons which is detectable."

"Feynman diagrams contain one line going in, one coming out, and one squiggly (or else invalid). Positrons annihilate electrons."

"How to draw a Feynman and for the most part what I means with the particles and the photons. I am starting to understand how to read the diagrams for example what kind of interaction is happening."

"A system can borrow some energy for a long time or a lot of energy for a short time. This meaning that if a system creates a highly energetic virtual particle, then that particle is shorter-lived."

"About as much as I did after the last lesson. I'm starting to get what we covered last lecture in class but I'm still really fuzzy on a lot."

"I understand nothing."

Describe what you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview. Your description (2-3 sentences) should specifically identify the concept(s) that you do not understand.

"A lot of this material from the reading was really hard for me to understand. I struggled the most with figuring out the charges on photons, pions, etc."

"I'm having a hard time understanding the section in general. I kind of get how to read the Feynman Diagrams, but other than that I don't get the conceptual meaning behind it all."

"ALL OF THE THINGS."

"Pretty much everything."

The above (valid) Feynman diagram depicts an electron exerting a (repulsive) electric force on another electron. The charge of the "virtual" photon (γ) exchanged between them is:

negative.	**** [4]
zero.	************** [14]
positive.	*** [3]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	***** [5]

The above (valid) Feynman diagram depicts two nucleons exerting (attractive) forces on each other. The charge of the pion (π) exchanged between them is:

negative.	**** [4]
zero.	** [2]
positive.	************ [12]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	******** [8]

The above (valid) Feynman diagram depicts weak force interaction between a proton and a electron. The charge of the "intermediate vector boson" (W) exchanged between them is:

negative.	*** [3]
zero.	**** [4]
positive.	********* [9]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	********** [10]

The (valid) Feynman diagram in the previous question above depicts a(n) __________ decay process.

α.	* [1]
β+.	***** [6]
β–.	* [1]
electron capture.	****** [6]
γ.	** [2]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	********** [10]

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

"I'd like to know what is these symbols in the diagram and be able to read them."

"Can you go over the diagrams again and how to read what the letters mean? I'm having trouble understanding."

"I think I will be fine after having a lecture on this material. I am just wondering how much of this we are going to need to know since we have one week left of class."

"For future classes, would there be any way to break up the QED readings into a more digestible form? Or break up the readings into smaller chunks? I think that might help to keep people from being overwhelmed by the amount of confusing information in the readings. I know that makes a lot more work for you, but I think it could help. Even if you didn't do anything with it, I think it could be helpful if you warned people to take it in small chunks over multiple days (I'm a chronic procrastinator, so I definitely didn't do that, but a heads up might help future classes) :) Keep up the hard work! The semester is almost over :)"

Physics midterm question: comparing same-energy, different potential capacitors

Physics 205B Midterm 2, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

A capacitor is connected to a 1.5 V battery and a different capacitor is connected to a 6.0 V battery. Both capacitors store the same amount of electrical potential energy. Discuss why the capacitor connected to the 1.5 V battery has a larger capacitance than the capacitor connected to the 6.0 V battery. Explain your reasoning by using the properties of capacitors, charge, electric potential, and energy.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Correct. Discusses why the capacitor connected to the 1.5 V battery has a greater capacitance than the capacitor connected to the 6.0 V battery because:
  1. from EPE = (1/2)⋅Q⋅(ΔV), both capacitors store the same amount of electrical potential energy; such that the capacitor connected to the 1.5 V battery holds a larger charge than the capacitor connected to the 6.0 V battery; and
  2. from C = Q/ΔV, since the capacitor connected to the 1.5 V battery has a smaller potential difference and a larger charge than the capacitor connected to the 6.0 V battery; then the capacitor connected to the 1.5 V battery must have a larger capacitance.
• r:
  As (p), but argument indirectly, weakly, or only by definition supports the statement to be proven, or has minor inconsistencies or loopholes.
• t:
  Nearly correct, but argument has conceptual errors, or is incomplete. Typically assumes that both capacitors have the same charge, and/or does not explicitly use the given fact that the capacitors store the same amount of electrical potential energy.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at applying properties of capacitors, charge, electric potential, and energy.
• x:
  Implementation/application of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit. No clear attempt at systematically applying properties of capacitors, charge, electric potential, and energy.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.
  

Grading distribution:
Sections 30882, 30883
Exam code: midterm02u7aH
p: 22 students
r: 1 student
t: 18 students
v: 0 students
x: 1 student
y: 1 student
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 2334):
Another sample "p" response (from student 1842), substituting in Q = C·ΔV into the electric potential energy equation:

Physics midterm question: comparing voltmeter readings

Physics 205B Midterm 2, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

An ideal 9.0 V emf source is connected to a light bulb and two resistors, with a voltmeter connected to the light bulb, and another voltmeter connected to one of the resistors. Discuss why the two voltmeters have the same reading (in volts). Show your work and explain your reasoning using Kirchhoff's laws, Ohm's law, and properties of voltmeters.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Correct. Discusses/demonstrates how the two voltmeters have the same reading because:
  1. due to Kirchhoff's junction rule, the current flowing through each of the 4.0 Ω resistors is one-half of the current flowing through the 2.0 Ω resistor; and
  2. since each voltmeter will read the voltage drop (I⋅R) of their respective resistors, the smaller current (factor of one-half) flowing through the 4.0 Ω resistor will be compensated by its larger resistance (factor of two).
• r:
  As (p), but argument indirectly, weakly, or only by definition supports the statement to be proven, or has minor inconsistencies or loopholes.
• t:
  Nearly correct, but argument has conceptual errors, or is incomplete.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at applying properties of Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of ammeters.
• x:
  Implementation/application of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit. No clear attempt at systematically applying Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of ammeters.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Sections 30882, 30883
Exam code: midterm02u7aH
p: 28 students
r: 4 students
t: 2 students
v: 8 students
x: 0 students
y: 0 students
z: 1 student

A sample "p" response (from student 1950):

Physics midterm question: ammeter reading after switch is closed

Physics 205B Midterm, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

An ideal 6.0 V emf source is connected to an ammeter, a resistor, a light bulb, and an open switch. When the switch is closed, determine whether the ammeter reading (in amps) will decrease, increase, or remain the same, and explain why. 
Show your work and explain your reasoning using Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of ammeters.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Correct. Discusses/demonstrates how ammeter reading will increase when the switch is closed because:
  1. when the switch is open, the equivalent resistance is 3.0 Ω, and the ammeter will read the current of this circuit I = ε_eq/R_eq = (6.0 V)/(3.0 Ω) = 2.0 A;
  2. when the switch is closed, no current will flow through the 0.5 Ω resistor (flowing only through the zero resistance path of the closed switch), such that the equivalent resistance decreases to 2.5 Ω, such that the ammeter will read a higher amount of current in this circuit I = ε_eq/R_eq = (6.0 V)/(2.5 Ω) = 2.4 A.
• r:
  As (p), but argument indirectly, weakly, or only by definition supports the statement to be proven, or has minor inconsistencies or loopholes.
• t:
  Nearly correct, but argument has conceptual errors, or is incomplete.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at applying properties of Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of ammeters.
• x:
  Implementation/application of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit. No clear attempt at systematically applying Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of ammeters.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Sections 30882, 30883
Exam code: midterm02u7aH
p: 20 students
r: 4 students
t: 10 students
v: 6 students
x: 1 student
y: 0 students
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 1001):
Another sample "p" response (from student 1810):

Physics midterm question: stationary loop near constant current wire

Physics 205B Midterm 2, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

A square metal loop of resistance R is held stationary near a wire that carries a constant amount of current. Discuss whether or not there will be any induced current in the square metal loop, and explain why. Explain your reasoning using the properties of magnetic fields, forces, motional emf, Faraday's law and Lenz's law.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Correct. Explains how there would be no induced current in the square loop of wire because:
  1. from RHR2, the direction of current in the straight wire creates a magnetic field at the location of the square loop points into the page, creating a magnetic flux through the square loop that points into the page; and
  2. since the current in the straight wire is constant, the magnetic field it creates at the location of the square loop will have a constant magnitude (along with its constant direction), such that there is a constant, unchanging magnetic flux (magnitude and direction) through the square loop; so
  3. from Faraday's law and Lenz's law, since there is no change in magnetic flux through the square loop, there will be no induced emf and no induced current in the square loop.
  (May instead use RHR1 and discuss how the fictitious positive charges in each segment of the square loop are stationary with respect to the magnetic field of the wire, such that there is no force exerted on them to create an induced current.)
• r:
  As (p), but argument indirectly, weakly, or only by definition supports the statement to be proven, or has minor inconsistencies or loopholes:
  4. did not clearly indicate the direction of the magnetic field/flux through the square loop; or
  5. argues that there is no induced current in the square loop because there is no magnetic flux through the square loop (when there is a magnetic flux through the square loop, but it is constant); or
  6. argues that there is an induced current in the square loop even though the magnetic flux through the square loop is constant.
• t:
  Nearly correct, but argument has conceptual errors, or is incomplete.
• v:
  Limited relevant discussion of supporting evidence of at least some merit, but in an inconsistent or unclear manner. Some attempt at applying properties of magnetic fields, forces, motional emf, Faraday's law and Lenz's law.
• x:
  Implementation of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit. No clear attempt at systematically applying properties of magnetic fields, forces, motional emf, Faraday's law and Lenz's law.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Sections 30882, 30883
Exam code: midterm02u7aH
p: 14 students
r: 15 students
t: 4 students
v: 3 students
x: 5 students
y: 0 students
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 0691):
Another sample "p" response (from student 4692):

Physics midterm problem: brightness of light bulbs in circuit

Physics 205B Midterm 2, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

An ideal 9.0 V emf source is connected to several light bulbs that all have the same resistance. Calculate the powers dissipated (in watts) for each of these light bulbs. Show your work and explain your reasoning using Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of electrical power.

Solution and grading rubric:

• p:
  Correct. Solves for the powers dissipated by each light bulb by:
  1. finding equivalent resistance of the circuit by recognizing that the top light bulb is in series to the lower three parallel light bulbs);
  2. applying Ohm's law to determine the current of the equivalent circuit, which is the current flowing through the top light bulb;
  3. determines the power dissipated by the top light bulb;
  4. applies Kirchhoff's loop and/or junction rules to solve for the voltage difference used by and/or the current flowing through each of the lower three parallel light bulbs; and
  5. determines the power dissipated by each of the lower three parallel light bulbs.
• r:
  Nearly correct, but includes minor math errors. Typically incorrect calculation in (1) or in (5), but otherwise everything else is consistent with this error.
• t:
  Nearly correct, but approach has conceptual errors, and/or major/compounded math errors. Multiple issues in (1)-(5), but still attempts to systematically analyze most of (1)-(5) even with wrong numerical values.
• v:
  Implementation of right ideas, but in an inconsistent, incomplete, or unorganized manner. Some attempt at applying Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of electrical power.
• x:
  Implementation of ideas, but credit given for effort rather than merit. No clear attempt at applying Kirchhoff's rules, Ohm's law, and properties of electrical power.
• y:
  Irrelevant discussion/effectively blank.
• z:
  Blank.

Grading distribution:
Sections 30882, 30883
Exam code: midterm02u7aH
p: 10 students
r: 6 students
t: 7 students
v: 18 students
x: 2 students
y: 0 students
z: 0 students

A sample "p" response (from student 1982):
Another sample "p" response (from student 8812):

Astronomy current events question: solar winds releasing lunar water vapor

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Elizabeth Zubritsky, "Meteoroid Strikes Eject Precious Water From Moon" (April 15, 2019)
nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2019/ladee-lunar-water

Data collected by NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer spacecraft verified that water vapor on the moon is released by:
(A) solar winds.
(B) cryovolcanoes.
(C) helium hydride.
(D) meteorite impacts.
(E) gravitational waves.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 30679, 30680
(A) : 6 students
(B) : 3 students
(C) : 6 students
(D) : 20 students
(E) : 1 student

Astronomy current events question: x-rays from neutron star merger detected

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Lee Mohon, "A New Signal for a Neutron Star Collision Discovered" (April 16, 2019)
nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/a-new-signal-for-a-neutron-star-collision-discovered.html

NASA's Chandra x-ray space telescope recently detected x-rays emitted from the merger of:
(A) black holes.
(B) neutron stars.
(C) elliptical galaxies.
(D) matter and antimatter.
(E) a giant and a white dwarf.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30679, 30680
(A) : 4 students
(B) : 23 students
(C) : 4 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 3 students

Astronomy current events question: Saturn's rings coating its moons

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2019
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events, and take a short current events quiz during the first 10 minutes of lab. (This motivates students to show up promptly to lab, as the time cut-off for the quiz is strictly enforced!)

Gretchen McCartney and JoAnna Wendel, "NASA's Cassini Finds Saturn's Rings Coat Tiny Moons" (March 28, 2019)
jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2019-051&rn=news.xml&rst=7360

Data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft indicate that material covering the surfaces of Saturn's moons may come from:
(A) solar winds.
(B) Saturn's rings.
(C) comet impacts.
(D) the asteroid belt.
(E) hydrocarbon rain.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30679, 30680
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 25 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 2 students
(E) : 3 students

Online reading assignment: Milky Way history, big bang clues (SLO campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2019
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 the history of the Milky Way and big bang clues, a comic strip adaptation of Neil deGrasse Tyson's "The Most Astounding Fact" 2008 interview for TIME magazine, and Minute Physics' video explanation of Olbers' paradox.


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.

"Black holes."

"The theory of how we know what the Milky Way looks like is particularly interesting to me. Just how we can understand what our surroundings in the universe are based off of what we can see is pretty amazing."

"Learning about what the universe is made of and how everything formed."

"I found it really cool how you said that we are all made of stardust. It's a cool idea."

"I think overall the big bang is very interesting, it's fun to learn where we came from."

"That we can tell how old a star is based on how much metal there is, like if it's an old star it's metal-poor but if it's a new star it's metal-rich."

"I think it's cool we came from stars. 'Everything is made of stardust.'"

"All the different kind of metals."

"To know that we are all made up of matter that originated from the universe itself is absolutely wicked."

"That the universe started pretty much with only hydrogen because that is not a lot of variety."

"I like the idea that we are essentially made up of stardust because it connects my sense of self and body to the great unknown of space."

"To learn that newer stars will be more metal-rich. I thought it would be the other way around, with older stars being more metal-rich, because that was just the way my train of thought went."

"The Milky Way being built up from absorbing small galaxies over time, the YouTube simulation was pretty cool."

"Something that I thought was really cool and kind of messed with my mind is that if we are looking at a star that is 1,400 light years away we aren't looking at how it looks now. We are actually looking at how it looked 1,400 years ago."

"I thought it was really cool how in the TEDTalk it talked about how light years work and that it takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach us so when we see it we see what the sun looked like 8 minutes ago. When we see the Big Dipper were actually seeing what it looked like 80 years ago."

"Kipling's 'The Elephant's Child' story, because I have never heard of any part of that story and it was intriguing."

"The big bang theory."

"The big bang section. It was interesting to learn about some of the things we think are true about it!"

"All of the matter here on Earth (and space) originally came from stars. Everyone is connected through old roots."

"I loved the videos from Minute Physics! I'd never heard of them before this course, and am very interested to check out more of their stuff!"

"The big bang theory is interesting to me. I find it interesting because it explains how life on Earth began."

"I found the entire presentation very interesting because we take so many classes about the history of Earth but I have never thought about the history of a galaxy."

"That the claim that there is 'no center of the universe' is an absolute, and is not possible to make that claim seeing as how we haven't found the boundaries of the universe, scientists just assume that it is boundless?"

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

"Black holes, still."

"How the universe began with just hydrogen. What created the hydrogen?"

"How did all of the metals get here?"

"The hydrogen/metals section. I skimmed through the section and couldn't find the answers to the questions below."

"Understanding the metallicity of stars is confusing to me. If stars are fussing hydrogen and run out of energy at iron then how are they 'metallistic?'"

"I found the production of elements to be kinda confusing."

"Monolithic collapse or how the Milky Way changed from spherical to flattened shape, was confusing to me."

"Light years, distances..."

"Lookback time seemed like an odd concept. Why are we looking into the past? Does it have to do with older stars?"

"So the night sky is dark but isn't? this was confusing to me because if the universe is forever expanding does that mean it will eventual all be bright and what would happen to the dark matter?"

"I want to go over more about the big bang."

"What is causing galaxies to move away from each other? I know, we are far from galaxies, but I am wondering how they are separating."

"Something I found interesting and confusing was the Hubble law and that everything is expanding."

"Learning about why galaxies move away or towards us was a bit confusing. I think I just need it explained in class to really grasp the idea."

"From the video 'Why is it Dark at Night,' I understand that it takes time for light to reach us as it travels through space. So are there places in the universe such as the earliest point where the big bang happened where space would be bright?"

"The Hubble constant. Is everything in space moving at the same speed?"

"The space between galaxies and how the space between galaxies actually expands. I have found half of this class to be confusing. My mind is much more in tune with art and music rather than science and math."

"The big bang was confusing."

"Nothing specifically."

"I still need to read this material."

"I'm honestly just kinda confused about all of it so some review would be helpful."

"I didn't find anything confusing enough to put in this box."

Indicate how the amount of these elements in the universe have changed over time.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Hydrogen: decreased [64%]
Metals (elements heavier than hydrogen and helium): increased [71%]

The outermost layers of __________ are more abundant in metals (elements heavier than hydrogen and helium).

extremely old stars that formed a long time ago.	****** [6]
young stars that formed very recently.	***************** [17]
(There is a tie.)	* [1]
(Neither, as stars cannot have metals.)	[0]
(Unsure/guessing/lost/help!)	**** [4]

Indicate what produced these elements.
(Only correct responses shown.)

Hydrogen in the sun's core: the very early universe [46%]
Helium in the sun's core: the sun [32%]
Carbon in your body: another star, in the past [43%]
Calcium in your bones: another star, in the past [46%]
Iron in your blood: another star, in the past [46%]
Gold and silver from mines: another star, in the past [50%]

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

"I would love a little more lecture for this section as I didn't get a chance to read in detail yet."

"What are some of the reasons some people don't believe in the big bang?" (You don't have to believe in the big bang, you just have to understand how to interpret the evidence. Other people's interpretation may differ. Some other people may not bother even looking at the evidence.)

"Do you believe that the universe is infinite?" (Well, the universe is finite in the sense that because looking further out in space means that you are looking further back in time, and since time "began" at the start of the big bang about 14 billion years ago, then there is an edge in time to the observable universe, about 14 billion years out away from us in all directions. So I'll go with that.)

"If the universe started out with just hydrogen, who/what are the hydrogen's mommy and daddy? (The big bang. Well, actually just after the big bang (energy) cooled down enough for protons and electrons to form, which is what hydrogen is made of (one proton and one electron).)

"I couldn't figure out where gold and silver originate from, but I'd love to know." (Star poop. Gold and silver (and everything else heavier than helium) are by-products of stars consuming hydrogen for fusion, forming metals, and then exploding, casting all that stuff out the rest of the universe for new stars (and planets) to form. So basically, star poop.)

"Explain the Hubble law, thanks :)"

"I thought reading about the big bang was interesting because being raised Catholic I don't know a lot about it." (Interestingly enough, it was a Catholic priest (and scientist) who was the first to propose the big bang theory.)

"Please help."

"Very happy to have done better on the second midterm than the first."

"I killed the second midterm."

"Can we go over the final exam material every class in preparation for the final exam?" (We are doing that, in the sense that the last two weeks of the semester use all the concepts we've learned earlier.)

"How was your weekend?" (Mrs. P-dog and I celebrated Sinkhole de Mayo. How was your weekend?)