Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

Just to wrap up my last lecture session for the term that I started talking about yesterday, for conservation of mechanical energy, the rules stated the following:

First they had to make the illustration and particularly identify the points that are indicated in the problem, hopefully in order.

Then they had to give the equation of total energy for each point, paying particular attention to when certain energies are zero (point of maximum height for kinetic in any vertical motion, just before it hits the ground for potential) to simplify their equations.

Then they had to equate the summations to look for the unknown.

We had just three sample problems. One was for horizontal friction, one was for inclined friction, and the third was for conservation of mechanical energy.

We didn’t finish the third one, but I gave that to them as an assignment. In retrospect, they again did not submit it.

That’s one of my disappointments for this class. They don’t seem to understand that the assignments are not only practice for them, but also boost their grades in the end with the sheer volume of their submissions.

Anyway, that is their loss because the next subject (intermediate mechanics, obviously) would definitely test their understanding of the basic principles given this term.

Now on to finals week: my first exam to be given was for the same class, but for the lab sessions this time.

I was already in front of the room waiting for them to get ready. Somehow one of the students asking me what kind of questions there were going to be in the exam set me off.

I just replied that there were two sets of questionnaires with their test booklet, so it was up to them to decide which one they wanted to answer. So his question was moot. As if it could help cramming a few minutes before the exam started.

Session 909 also thought knowing the type of questions would help. Class dismissed.