Fiddling

When I am fiddling around with grades in Webcourses, you might see points etc. disappear momentarily then reappear a few times during the day. It is normal. So do not panic when you see this.

Semester pointage is UP.

You can take a look at the "Total semester points" row of your My Grades page in Webcourses. It now includes all the exam points, including yesterday's final exam, plus all the bonus points you may have earned.

Side note on bonus points:

1. The Ch. 24 bonus came about through the average score of your Ch. 24 mini-quiz attempts.
   1. One bonus point if your avg. was 6.50 or higher;
   2. Two bonus points if your avg. was larger than 12.50
2. There are some bonus points embedded in your final exam score, which is why Webcourses considers it an 88 point exam. To see if you earned the bonus points here, just select the final exam's "View Submission" method from the Assessments page and view your attempt -- specifically, items 69-72. These bonus points are embedded in your final exam score and come into the "Total semester points" through the "Exams subtotal" row.

Later this week, after giving final exams to my lecture sections, I will start posting your semester grades. But for right now you can get a good idea from your "Total semester points" figure.

FINAL EXAM TODAY

The final exam is ready for 1:00 PM launch. Everything else will go off the air at that time.

Create questions for the final exam.

The Discussions area for creating final exam questions is now open. You can earn two bonus points if your question is good enough to use on the final.

Bonus learning module

If you want to shoot for some bonus points, try the bonus learning module for this week, covering a few of the concepts in chapter 24 on the wave theory of the electron. It opens at 8:30 AM today, will close at 12:30 PM on Saturday.

Read carefully!

ALSO: there is a new mini-podcast on electrons and protons, in the iTunes U area.

Learning module for next week -- early birds

I have set the Week 15 learning module to activate this Friday, tomorrow, a little early, so that you can get an early bird start on it over the long weekend, if you desire. It covers chapter 23.

AND there is a new visual podcast in our iTunes U area, featuring the Rutherford model of the atom, a main target of chapter 23.

Electromagnetism and electromagnetic waves

This dipole magnetic field, a diagram from your textbook, with field lines indicated by teeny iron filings, is a central object in learning about the concepts of electromagnetic radiation.

1. A bar magnet has an S pole and an N pole, and the field lines sprout from the N. This field line configuration is known as "the dipole field."
2. A pair of opposite charges, like a proton and an electron, would form identical electric field lines if the proton was above and electron below.
3. Electromagnetic radiation is, in itself, a union of electric and magnetic fields, coupled together and propagating across spacetime at the speed of light, c = 3×10⁸ m/sec.
4. This is not accidental. Michael Faraday found in the 1830s that electric and magnetic fields were unified, one physical phenomenon. And that is why we call it the electromagnetic field.

Your next learning module, for the week of Nov. 22, is now up. It is about electromagnetism.

Exam 4 is now running!

Your last midterm of the semester is now running in Webcourses. GO! GO! GO!

Learning modules for this week and next week!

I decided to give everyone a head start on the learning module for next week, ahead of Exam 4 next Thursday. So this week's learning module and next week's are both up in Webcourses now.

Go for it!

New mini-podcasts

There are several new thermodynamic visual podcasts in iTunes U. View and listen to strengthen your grasp of Chapter 13 concepts and calculations.

Week 11 learning module is activated now.

You can start working on the Week 11 learning module now. It focuses on chapter 13, on heat and thermodynamics.

Image: "Courtesy of SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA."

Bonus points opportunity

The bonus question discussion area is now open in Webcourses. If you create a good enough question, so good that I include it in Exam 3, then you'll earn a bonus point on the exam.... plus YOU will know the answer to at least one question ahead of time!

GO FOR IT!!

Exam 3 lineup

Midterm exam 3 on Thursday will cover chapters 8, 15 (mini-chapter), 11 and 12.

Week 10 learning module; iTunes U mini-podcast

Week 10's learning module is up, covering chapter 12.

Also, there are some new minipodcasts to view in iTunes U, mostly about textbook exercises in chapters 11 and 12.

Learning module up for this week.

The weekly learning module for this week, Week 9, is now up in Webcourses. You may commence the learning.

Do not forget to post questions in Discussions. It can really help you savvy the new concepts to discuss it with me, the two TAs and with other students.

Exam 2A do-over, view your results.

You can view the general feedback on Exam 2A for several questions. I will be filling in the general feedback for the other questions that currently lack the feedback info.

So go to the Assessments page, select "View Attempt" for Exam 2A, and then look over the feedback. Hopefully, I will have the feedbacks completely filled in by today. So keep checking.

I will also do this for Exam 2x -- from Fiasco Day.

New grade for Exam 2

You now have an exam 2 grade. As a few of you requested, you can keep the grade you earned last Thursday or yesterday's grade, whichever is higher. :)

AND, 80% of the class did better on Exam 2A, as expected. Good.

New mini-podcasts

There are some new mini-podcasts available in our iTunes U area. They cover topics from chapters 5, 6, 7 for Exam 2A on Thursday, plus one new one in chapter 8 for working ahead toward Exam 3.

GO GO GO!

Combo learning module

Every semester at this point, we take a breath and throw in a combo learning module of two chapters, usually chapters 8 and 15. This is because chapter 15's concept guide is short and sweet, yet we can now hack into it with momentum and energy concepts.

So look for the week 7 learning module in Webcourses. Its material will be covered on Exam 3, but we can start working on it now, before the Exam 2A do-over on Oct. 14, next Thursday.

Exam 2, family emergency

Yesterday there was a family emergency in my family that prevented me from activating the proper exam 2 for you all yesterday at lunch time.

So the exam 2 that everyone took yesterday was the wrong test. Webcourses copied it over automatically from Summer semester when it created our Fall semester Webcourses area. The test everyone took yesterday was a leftover test from Summer!

Many of you have commented on the inclusion of chapter 8 questions and so forth. Now you know why. I usually take these auto-copied exams and revise them with new questions, renumber the questions, take out old questions, make new diagrams, and so on, all oriented to what we do each semester. So what you all had yesterday was fresh for the summer class, but not in synch with this semester's class. It grieves me to read your comments of dismay, and I apologize for initiating this confusion.

So by way of making it up to everybody for the fiasco yesterday, we will have a Chapter 5, 6, 7 do-over exam, Exam 2A, next Thursday, 12:05 PM - 11:59 PM, and we will get our brains re-organized for it. Yesterday's exam 2 score will be erased. Exam 2A will have the usual range of questions, from basic questions all the way up to one or two brain burners; I will append a few bonus questions, too.

I apologize again for the fiasco! But we shall prevail!

Learning module is ready

Week 6 learning module is ready for study.

Learning module for this week is now up.

Momentum this week and energy next week are two of the most important concepts that we use to describe the universe. We study dynamical systems like the Montserrat volcano or clusters of galaxies or an ocean current in the North Pacific or the coherent storm of photons in a laser beam with the concepts of energy and momentum.

This week's learning module introduces momentum. The learning module is now activated. GO GO GO!

Week 4 learning module is up!

As promised, your learning module for this week is up. It covers the concepts of Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.

Exam 1 results are UP.

Your Exam 1 results are now available. Look in your My Grades page on Webcourses.

This week's learning module

I will release a learning module for this week, Week 4, a little bit later this week. It's content, universal gravitation, will not be on this Thursday's Exam 1.

So concentrate on the first three learning modules in your prep for Thursday's Exam 1.

New learning module!

Your Week 3 learning module is now available in Webcourses, and it has the concept guide to lead your pathway through studying the concepts.

Also, there is some extra reading you can get started on. It is available through the UCF Library online journal access system. I will probably ask a few questions on Exam 1 or Exam 2 concerning these readings, so start looking them over and reading for comprehension.

Adding force vectors visual podcast

There is a new podcast in iTunes U with some extra coaching on how to add up two force vectors. It uses a simplified example from hockey.

Contact me only in Webcourses with course mail.

Please remember to use course mail in Webcourses to contact me privately. I do not use conventional email during the semester.

Four boxcars of wind energy

Uh oh! Now there are four storms on the North Atlantic freight train.

Three new visual podcasts in iTunes U

There are now three more visual podcasts in iTunes U with which to study.

1. A sketching problem based on an exercise in previous edition and similar to Ex. 3.66 in the 7th edition
2. Astronaut's weight on Mars, Ex. 3.80
3. Ice skater, Ex. 3.83

Remember: You must click the GET button to get a specific podcast and view it, or the SUBSCRIBE button to download the most recent podcast and all future podcasts.

If the podcast is not downloaded, clicking the PLAY button only gets you the audio stream. The visual content will appear in the Now Playing window (lower left of iTunes) only if you download to your computer.

Pop out the Now Playing window to view full screen.

Uh oh. More trouble in the North Atlantic.

The North Atlantic freight train rolls on. Danielle took off for vacation in Europe, now Earl and Fiona and mystery storm "G" are bearing down on us.

What might help us avoid getting run over? The jet stream.



When we start getting those cold fronts reliably plowing across Florida in a few weeks, then we'll be safe. But until then, hold onto your hat!

Alert, Aug. 30th

From UCF Vice President Schell:

FYI: Athletics will be conducting an emergency simulation at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 2. A medical services helicopter will land on the soccer field, and ambulances and fire trucks will also be involved. Please let folks know about this training exercise to prevent any unnecessary anxiety, and also be prepared for phone calls from on and off campus during the event.

Week 2 learning module is ready.

For your study activity, you can now head in to the Week 2 Learning Module. The central study tool is the concept guide for chapter 3. From it you will branch out to

1. the Ch. 3 mini-quiz
2. the iTunes U podcast
3. discussion areas
4. etc.

Discussion areas are quite helpful, and you can look at them as virtual study partners. In fact, my two TAs and I always scan the discussions and add in some tips and coaching to help you along. Works nicely.

See

new podcast, exercise 2.72

There is a new visual podcast for Exercise #72 on p. 33 of our textbook, concerning the takeoff acceleration of a Cessna 172. Look in iTunes U.

Freight train, North Atlantic

National Hurricane Center is showing a set of storms lining up. I have noticed recently: every few years, we get a freight train of hurricanes and tropical storms heading our way across the Atlantic Ocean.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to live inside a shooting gallery!? ;)

iTunes U

You can now light up our visual podcast area in UCF's iTunes U service. The link is on the Webcourses home page, with the blue musical notes icon. It will light up your iTunes program, then direct it to our podcast area. When you see the 747 carrying the space shuttle, you'll be in.

Right now there are a few podcasts to help you study:

• How to use a concept guide
• How to correlate mini-podcasts to 7th edition.
• Trajectories and instantaneous velocities
• Roofer's nail
• Granny car
• baseball example from the problem solving manual.

If you get stuck trying to get in there, post a query in "General semester topics" in Discussions. We'll work it out. It can be a bit tricky for Windows users.

I will be loading in more mini-podcasts as we go through the semester.

Note: these are not videos. They are "enhanced audio" in .m4a format. All the diagrams and equations are in the artwork track, and you have to use the GET or SUBSCRIBE button of iTunes to actually see the visual content. Diagrams are worth a thousand words, especially in this course!

Grades

The grade scheme is available for viewing in Webcourses. Look for the grades icon on the Webcourses home page.

A bit of work to do this week.

I just activate the Week 1 Learning Module in Webcourses, with a concept guide for chapter 2 that you can use to direct your study. There is also a mini-quiz to tackle, but you should also try the questions and exercises mentioned in the concept guide.

We will have a concept guide for each chapter, and they should form the nucleus of your study activity. There are tons of ways to study, but they should all orient to the concept guide.

Get started.

There is a short blurb sheet of chores for the first day or so of fall semester. Look on the home page in Webcourses.

About the final

I will be working on grades today, this morning for a bit and then this afternoon a bit more. So do not be surprised to see rows vanish and reappear on your My Grades page in Webcourses! It's just me mucking about with the grade book.

I decided to keep things simple and embedd the bonus activity X in the actual final exam. It is still officially a 50 point exam, but now you can score over 100%, up to 54 points on it. SWEEEET.

However, the bonus activity X being embedded in the final exam does not change the semester baseline total: that's still 200 points. So I add up all your exam points and bonus points (if any) and then look up your grade on the points table:

A	185 points
A-	180 points
etc.

I hope to have semester grades computed by supper time.

Final exam = GO!

Your final exam is now running, available for 90 minutes, and you must finish by 11:59 PM tonight.

WHAT A SEMESTER!!!!!!!! Now you must close out a wild and woolly Summer B by crushing my final exam.

Tomorrow morning, maybe lunch time, I will start working on your semester grades etc.

New podcast for de Broglie waves

I just finished up a podcast concerning the de Broglie waves in exercises 67 and 68 in chapter 24.

GO!

Ch. 24 mini-quiz is ready.

You now have the Ch. 24 mini-quiz ready to go. Look in the Week 6 learning module and see if Dr. de Broglie's waves can make sense to you!

Week 6 learning module is UP.

All three concept guides for Week 6 are now available in the Week 6 learning module. Also, the chapter 23 mini-quiz is up. Still working on chapter 24's mini-quiz... look for it by Monday night.

GO! GO! GO!

Ch. 23 concept guide is ready; new podcast.

The chapter 23 concept guide is ready to use. It is way different from the other concept guides, but hopefully it will be useful for studying.

There is a new visual podcast in iTunes U. It is related to a part of the chapter 23 reading.

I will try to make up a mini-quiz to go with chapter 23 by Monday.

ALSO: concept guide coming soon for chapter 24. Maybe Monday you will see that.

Week 5a learning module is going.

We now launch into the last three chapters of the semester, starting with Ch. 22, about electromagnetic radiation. We leverage that big concept to learn about the quantum world.

Learning module 5a is available, and it will have some chapter 23 and 24 concept guides by Saturday.

GO! GO!! GO!

Bonus questions, Exam 4

You can now propose bonus questions for Exam 4, in Discussions.

By the way, I chose two questions for Exam 3, but I forgot to type them into the test! By way of making amends, I will use them on the final exam as BONUS questions. Nice.

Ch. 21 mini-quiz is UP.

I just cleaned up the Ch. 21 mini-quiz and it is up and ready for your study activity.

Week 5

Almost all of the Week 5 learning module is now ready for you. I only have the Ch. 21 mini-quiz to fuss with. Expect it later today, maybe tonight.

If you have not already figured it out, this part of the semester, our Week 5, is a bit easier... not so many homework exercises, more conceptual questions emphasized, a few sections in chapters getting skipped over etc.

BUT, do not let me catch you nappin' on Exam 4, Thursday!!!

Week 4a learning module is up

Chapter 15 gets a simple treatment, just a few main concepts to work on. The concept guide is set up now in the Week 4a Learning Module in Webcourses.

GO! GO! GO!

Whewwww! What a test! New subtotal.

OK, Exam 3 is now on the books, and you can look at your score in My Grades.

Also, I just activated the "Exams subtotal" row in My Grades, which will eventually have 200 points' worth of testing in it two weeks from now. But right now, it has 110 points (or fewer) from the first three exams. You can estimate your semester grade -- if I were to give smester grades this afternoon -- by dividing your subtotal by 110 and then looking it up in the percentage column of the "Exams, grades" PDF on the home page.

Water columns

There is a new visual podcast with calculations etc. related to water columns and water pressure. Check iTunes U.

Suggest question for Exam 3 (bonus)

The "Suggest question for Exam 3 (bonus)" discussion is open in Webcourses. You can earn a bonus point, one half of a percentage on your semester grade, IF it is good enough to use on Exam 3.

By the way: I did not use any of your suggested questions on Exam 2. Lots of good ones, a few I had to reject outright. However, I did like one of the questions a LOT, but it is better for a final exam than for a midterm. SO...... One of these questions will be on the final exam. And that student will get the bonus point after the final exam on Aug. 6.

Learning module 4 and eleven visual podcasts

There are now eleven mini-podcasts for you to use in studying chapters 11, 12 and 13 this week, most of them from the exercises that might be tripping you up.

Also: Learning module 4 with concept guides is up, a replication of module 3a.

Chapters 12 and 13 UP

If you view the Week 3a learning module, you will see the concept guides for chapters 12 and 13 now available.

Chapter 12 is one of my favorite chapters, because I love the Bernoulli Effect!!

Learning module for the rest of this week.

We are now applying our basic scientific concepts to larger critters -- gases and atmospheres, liquids and oceans, solids and crystals, with culmination in thermodynamics of matter and radiation. The first concept guide, for Ch. 11, "Structure of Matter," is up and ready to go.

There will be some more readings, too -- asteroids and YORP.

Now open, "Suggest question for Exam 2 (bonus)" discussion

You can now create questions for Exam 2, in the "Suggest question for Exam 2 (bonus)" discussion area in Webcourses.

Love those bonus points. Two students nabbed one for Exam 1. Nice.

Mercury mini-podcast

I just set up a new mini-podcast on the orbital angular momentum of the planet Mercury. It explains and works out Exercise 82 in chapter 8. Look for it in our iTunes U area.

ALSO: there is a nice digital movie from a few semesters ago, with two UCF students demonstrating angular momentum. Sorry, the audio is iffy -- it was my first ever digital movie!

Chapters, chapters, chapters

I made up a PDF of the chapters that will be covered on each exam, including the final exam. Look for the coffee cup icon in our Webcourses home page.

New mini-podcast, Ex. 7.71

I just uploaded the new mini-podcast for Exercise 71 in Ch. 7.

Three more mini-podcasts

There are three more mini-podcasts in our iTunes U area, all three about momentum concepts. I created them for the 6th edition of the textbook, but we can use each for our 7th edition, viz.

1. Grade school for momentum, now Exercise 50, p. 113.
2. Woman who jumps on the skateboard, recorded with slightly different masses and initial speed, but same strategy as our Ex. 64, p. 113.
3. Popups, now Exercise 58, p. 113.

I will be trying out a new podcasting method today, so look for an energy-related mini-podcast sometime this afternoon..

Week 3 learning module is UP.

Your week 3 learning module is in place -- click the light bulb icon on the Webcourses home page. As a matter of fact, it has been available since yesterday, and it is the same as the Week 2a learning module, so....... GO FOR IT!

Angular momentum

The rather curious vector quantity called angular momentum is now set up for study, using the ch. 8 concept guide. You also have the chapter 8 mini-quiz to work on. GO FOR IT!!!



Angular momentum and spin, in a distant star system with planets, β-Pictoris.

Chapter 7, energy... plus readings

Your readings about the gravitational tractor are now up in the Week 2a learning module, though you have actually had links for two weeks or so. I will be asking questions about the concepts of asteroid diversion on Exam 2. To help you break down the articles, I also slapped a tip sheet on the readings into the Learning Module.

Chapter 7's concept guide and mini-quiz are now available, too. GO FOR IT!

Chapter 6 concept guide and mini-quiz

You can go for the chapter 6 concept guide now. Also the chapter 6 mini-quiz is ready.

I have two more chapters to update, and I will set them up asap.

Exam feedback

You can view the feedback blurb for each exam question by selecting "View Submission" from the Assessments page. I never publish the exam questions themselves, but these feedback blurbs let you see what each missed question was about, roughly.

Deluxe dynamical quantities in chapters 6, 7 and 8

You can start reading and studying about momentum, energy and angular momentum in chapters 6, 7 and 8. I will have concept guides available in a learning module by supper time today. Exam 2 will cover these three chapters.