September 2, 2007
The key chart graphically relating instaneous, average, and difference kinematic variables.
20070831
The physics chain of pain
September 2, 2007
The key chart graphically relating instaneous, average, and difference kinematic variables.
20070830
The dudes of displacement
Delta Chi fraternity membersFrostburg State University
Frostburg, MD
http://involvement.frostburg.edu/pic_gallery/Delta_chi.jpg
Displacement vector lovers, represent!
20070829
Total lunar eclipse: August 28, 2007
070828lunareclipse.jpgOriginally uploaded by Waifer X
Total lunar eclipse sequence, photographed through Cuesta College's Dobsonian-mounted 8" reflector using a point-and-shoot 4-megapixel digital camera (Pentax Optio S40).
20070828
Physics clicker question: what is not a vector?
Physics 5A, Fall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 2.2
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 participation points.] Consider the following list of quantities:
Position.
Displacement.
Distance traveled by an object.
How many of the above quantities are vectors? _____.
Correct answer: 2.
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
"1" : 16 students
"2" : 28 students
"3" : 2 students
Teachable moment! Students were then asked to identify the one quantity that was not a vector, eliciting various responses, most notably "position." Following discussion ensues:
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 2.2
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 participation points.] Consider the following list of quantities:
Position.
Displacement.
Distance traveled by an object.
How many of the above quantities are vectors? _____.
Correct answer: 2.
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
"1" : 16 students
"2" : 28 students
"3" : 2 students
Teachable moment! Students were then asked to identify the one quantity that was not a vector, eliciting various responses, most notably "position." Following discussion ensues:
- "Displacement" is a vector, pointing from the initial to the final location.
- "Distance traveled by an object" is not a vector but a scalar, and in one-dimensional travel may move back and forth along itself.
- "Position" is a vector, as it points from the origin to the location. Many students were thinking of a location as just a point, and thus not a vector. Or a few students had considered a special case that if an object starts from the origin, then its initial position is then a point and not a vector; but this brings up the special case of a null vector.
20070827
Erasing slate: shocked and awed?
"Untitled" by AnonymousFall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Latest scribbling on the lift-and-erase slate in the hallway, outside the office door.
20070824
Physic clicker question: one billion dinara note
Physics 5A, Fall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Inflacija, by Goranka Matic
As posted on boingboing.net
May 4, 2006
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] Consider an old Yugoslavian billion dinara banknote.
Enter the number of significant figures: _____.
When a number is written in non-scientific notation with empty zeros, the number of significant figures is ambiguous. The rule of thumb here is to follow the "min 2" rule, where this would be expressed in scientific notation as 1.0 x 10^9 dinara. However, assuming that dinara can be exchanged into 100 cents (the practicalities of inflation notwithstanding), then currency would be significant to the hundredths decimal place, so this would be 1.00000000000 x 10^9 dinara.
The point is that there are different rules in science and in finance, so unless it is clear that money is being discussed, the "min 2" rule will apply to ambiguous zeros.
Correct answer: 2, or 12.
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
"1" : 3 students
"2" : 23 students
"10": 1 student
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Inflacija, by Goranka MaticAs posted on boingboing.net
May 4, 2006
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] Consider an old Yugoslavian billion dinara banknote.
Enter the number of significant figures: _____.
When a number is written in non-scientific notation with empty zeros, the number of significant figures is ambiguous. The rule of thumb here is to follow the "min 2" rule, where this would be expressed in scientific notation as 1.0 x 10^9 dinara. However, assuming that dinara can be exchanged into 100 cents (the practicalities of inflation notwithstanding), then currency would be significant to the hundredths decimal place, so this would be 1.00000000000 x 10^9 dinara.
The point is that there are different rules in science and in finance, so unless it is clear that money is being discussed, the "min 2" rule will apply to ambiguous zeros.
Correct answer: 2, or 12.
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
"1" : 3 students
"2" : 23 students
"10": 1 student
20070823
Physics clicker question: significant figures
Physics 5A, Fall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] Consider these five length measurements:
(A) 0.00409 m.
(B) 81.602 m.
(C) 1.970 × 10^3 cm.
(D) 80,000 km.
(E) 80,000.0 mm.
Which measurement has the most number of significant figures?
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 6 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 10 students
This question was asked again after displaying the tallied results with the lack of consensus, with the following results. No comments were made by the instructor, as students were able to discuss and determine the correct answer among themselves.
[0.3 points.] Consider these five length measurements:
(A) 0.00409 m.
(B) 81.602 m.
(C) 1.970 × 10^3 cm.
(D) 80,000 km.
(E) 80,000.0 mm.
Which measurement has the most number of significant figures?
Correct answer: (E)
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 2 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 24 students
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] Consider these five length measurements:
(A) 0.00409 m.
(B) 81.602 m.
(C) 1.970 × 10^3 cm.
(D) 80,000 km.
(E) 80,000.0 mm.
Which measurement has the most number of significant figures?
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 5 students
(B) : 6 students
(C) : 3 students
(D) : 3 students
(E) : 10 students
This question was asked again after displaying the tallied results with the lack of consensus, with the following results. No comments were made by the instructor, as students were able to discuss and determine the correct answer among themselves.
[0.3 points.] Consider these five length measurements:
(A) 0.00409 m.
(B) 81.602 m.
(C) 1.970 × 10^3 cm.
(D) 80,000 km.
(E) 80,000.0 mm.
Which measurement has the most number of significant figures?
Correct answer: (E)
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 2 students
(B) : 0 students
(C) : 1 student
(D) : 0 students
(E) : 24 students
20070822
Physics clicker question: significance of signficant figures
Physics 5A, Fall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Invisible Measuring Tape, by rm
icanhascheezburger.com
March 27, 2007
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] The number of significant figures measures:
(A) accuracy.
(B) precision.
(C) determinacy.
(D) significancy.
For many students "accuracy" and "precision" are synonymous, but there is an important distinction between them!
Correct answer: (B).
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 11 students
(B) : 15 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 2 students
N.B. This was the very first clicker question of the semester!
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Cf. Giambattista/Richardson/Richardson, Physics, 1/e, Chapter 1.4
Invisible Measuring Tape, by rmicanhascheezburger.com
March 27, 2007
Students were asked the following clicker question (Classroom Performance System, einstruction.com) near the beginning of their learning cycle:
[0.3 points.] The number of significant figures measures:
(A) accuracy.
(B) precision.
(C) determinacy.
(D) significancy.
For many students "accuracy" and "precision" are synonymous, but there is an important distinction between them!
Correct answer: (B).
Student responses
Sections 0906, 0907
(A) : 11 students
(B) : 15 students
(C) : 0 students
(D) : 2 students
N.B. This was the very first clicker question of the semester!
20070821
Astronomy current events questions: August 28, 2007 event, and Mars e-mail hoax
Astronomy 10L, Fall Semester 2007
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events (skytonight.com, from Sky & Telescope magazine), 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!)
A sample quiz is given to the students on the first lab meeting of the semester, and is not graded.
[0.2 points.] What special astronomical event will occur from 2:52 AM to 4:22 AM on August 28, 2007 for observers in San Luis Obispo, CA?
(A) A total lunar eclipse.
(B) A total solar eclipse.
(C) A discarded service module from the International Space Station will burn up as it enters the atmosphere.
(D) Daylight savings time will end.
(E) The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak.
Correct answer: (A).
[0.2 points.] What recent e-mail hoax is circulating on the internet regarding Mars?
(A) Mars will appear as large as the full Moon, to the naked eye sometime this month.
(B) Mars is completely covered by a dust storm that shrouds the entire planet.
(C) A NASA space probe launched this month will land on Mars only nine months from now.
(D) The NASA already lost radio contact with the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity over one year ago.
(E) The temperature of Mars proves that global warming is actually caused by sunspot activity.
Correct answer: (A).
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA
Students are assigned to read online articles on current astronomy events (skytonight.com, from Sky & Telescope magazine), 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!)
A sample quiz is given to the students on the first lab meeting of the semester, and is not graded.
[0.2 points.] What special astronomical event will occur from 2:52 AM to 4:22 AM on August 28, 2007 for observers in San Luis Obispo, CA?
(A) A total lunar eclipse.
(B) A total solar eclipse.
(C) A discarded service module from the International Space Station will burn up as it enters the atmosphere.
(D) Daylight savings time will end.
(E) The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak.
Correct answer: (A).
[0.2 points.] What recent e-mail hoax is circulating on the internet regarding Mars?
(A) Mars will appear as large as the full Moon, to the naked eye sometime this month.
(B) Mars is completely covered by a dust storm that shrouds the entire planet.
(C) A NASA space probe launched this month will land on Mars only nine months from now.
(D) The NASA already lost radio contact with the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity over one year ago.
(E) The temperature of Mars proves that global warming is actually caused by sunspot activity.
Correct answer: (A).
20070820
Neverending cycle
"For Dan In Taiwan" by Jessica Hagyindexed.blogspot.com, July 30, 2007
And so it begins, the start of another academic year at Cuesta College!
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