P-dog's blog: boring but important

20130521

Physics quiz archive: radioactive decay, Feynman diagrams

Physics 205B Quiz 7, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Section 30882, version 1
Exam code: quiz07f3yN

Section 30882 results

0- 6 :	** [low = 0]
7-12 :	****
13-18 :	************* [mean = 18.4 +/- 7.2]
19-24 :	*****
25-30 :	******** [high = 30]

20130520

Astronomy quiz archive: solar system

Astronomy 210 Quiz 7, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Section 30674, version 1
Exam code: quiz07n4IA

Section 30674

0- 8.0 :
8.5-16.0 :	**** [low = 10.0]
16.5-24.0 :	*******
24.5-32.0 :	********** [mean = 24.1 +/- 7.9]
32.5-40.0 :	***** [high = 36.5]

Section 30676, version 1
Exam code: quiz07Sw0r

Section 30676

0- 8.0 :	***** [low = 7.0]
8.5-16.0 :	*********
16.5-24.0 :	********************** [mean = 18.2 +/- 6.5]
24.5-32.0 :	*****
32.5-40.0 :	** [high = 36.0]

20130513

Astronomy current events question: VLA detecting distant galaxy radio sources

Astronomy 210L, spring semester 2013
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!)

Dave Finley, "VLA Gives Deep, Detailed Image of Distant Universe," April 30, 2013
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2013/vladeep/

Astronomers using data from the Very Large Array radio telescopes determined that background radio emissions from distant galaxies are mainly from:
(A) massive central black holes.
(B) dark matter.
(C) dark energy.
(D) very cold hydrogen clouds.
(E) gravity waves.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 12 students
(B) : 10 students
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 1 student
(E) : 7 students

Astronomy current events question: renaming asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36

Dwayne Brown and Nancy Neal Jones, "NASA Spacecraft Will Visit Asteroid with New Name," May 1, 2013
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2013/may/HQ_13-128_OSIRIS-Rex_Asteroid.html

A third-grade student won a contest to __________ an asteroid to be explored by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
(A) send Facebook messages from.
(B) keep a sample from.
(C) claim mineral rights for.
(D) rename.
(E) be the official spokesperson for.

Correct answer: (D)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 4 students
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 25 students
(E) : 2 students

Astronomy current events question: dark matter detector bubbles

Fermilab press release, "New Dark Matter Detector Begins Search for Invisible Particles," May 2, 2013
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press_releases/2013/Dark-Matter-Detector-2013.html

The COUPP-60 detector at the SNOLAB underground laboratory in Ontario, Canada will detect dark matter particles that produce __________ in a tank of water and fire extinguisher chemicals.
(A) bubbles.
(B) antimatter.
(C) neutrinos.
(D) radioactivity.
(E) photons.

Correct answer: (A)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 26 students
(B) : 1 student
(C) : 2 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 1 student

20130507

Astronomy current events question: Earth's core hotter than previously modeled

Sebastian Anthony, "Earth's Core Is Much Hotter than Previously Thought--Hotter than the Surface of the Sun," April 26, 2013
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/154357-earths-core-is-much-hotter-than-previously-thought-hotter-than-the-surface-of-the-sun

French researchers revised higher estimates of Earth's core temperature based on measuring the properties of iron:
(A) from micrometeorites.
(B) produced in the sun's core.
(C) squeezed between two diamonds.
(D) in volcanic calderas.
(E) placed in experimental fusion reactors.

Correct answer: (C)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 3 students
(B) : 7 students
(C) : 19 students
(D) : 9 students
(E) : 12 students

Astronomy current events question: Betelgeuse hot spots

Aeron Haworth, "Mysterious Hot Spots Observed in a Cool Red Supergiant," April 25, 2013
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=9911

The e-MERLIN radio telescope array observed __________ within the supergiant Betelgeuse, which may be evidence of convection or pulsations in its outer regions.
(A) gravitational shockwaves.
(B) hot spots.
(C) granules.
(D) a pulsar.
(E) iron fusion.

Correct answer: (B)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 6 students
(B) : 32 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 7 students
(E) : 2 students

Astronomy current events question: Einstein's general theory of relativity and PSR J0348+4032 binary system

Dave Finley, "Einstein's Gravity Theory Passes Toughest Test Yet," April 25, 2013
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2013/gravitylab/

Researchers confirmed that changes in __________ from the white dwarf and neutron star pulsar in the binary star system PSR J0348+4032 are consistent with Einstein's general theory of relativity.
(A) hot spots.
(B) absorption line widths.
(C) radioactivity.
(D) brightnesses.
(E) radio pulse timing.

Correct answer: (E)

Student responses
Sections 30678, 30679, 30680
(A) : 2 students
(B) : 8 students
(C) : 8 students
(D) : 7 students
(E) : 25 students

20130501

Overheard: selective with the truth

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

(Overheard during a review session, just before a midterm.)

Student: (Pointing to notes.) "P-dog--is this the right answer?"

Instructor: (Beat.) "Yes, I think so."

Student: "Really? Are you lying to us?"

Instructor: "Why would I lie to you? I would never lie to you."

Student: "That sounds like a lie. How do we know you're not lying to us?"

Instructor: (Beat.) "I may be selective with the truth, but I would never lie to you."

Physics quiz archive: magnetism, induction

Physics 205B Quiz 6, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Section 30882, version 1
Exam code: quiz06h4cK