A few more final exam details

The final will have two parts: multiple choice, and problems. The multiple choice section is worth 75% of the exam score, the problems section is worth 25%.

On the multiple choice section, there will be roughly 25 multiple questions, spanning everything up through optics. Roughly half will be qualitative (conceptual), roughly half will require simple calculations.

On the problems section, there will be two sub-sections. In each subsection, there will be 5 problems in total, you can solve any two of them. Thus, you solve a total of four problems out of ten - two from each group. All problems have equal weight, it will not matter which ones you choose. Heavy partial credit will be given, as usual. The sub-sections of problems are not grouped in any logical fashion, the five problems in each section will be a mix of topics.

Your final exam grade will then be calculated according to (exam score) = (multiple choice score)*0.75 + (problems score)*0.25. A certain degree of risk management comes into play here ... do not spend 75% of your time on something worth 25% of the points, and similarly do not spend 5% of your time on something worth 25% of the points. Pace yourself, and watch the time.

You will be given a formula sheet, you are additionally allowed to bring in two sheets of 8.5x11 inch paper, containing any information you like.

The exam will be 8-10:30am on Friday, in 227 Gallalee (the lecture hall). I suspect you will need the entire 2.5 hour period. The exam will be curved, if necessary, to ensure a reasonable class average.

Study your homework sets and exams, as well as the old ph102 exams and quizzes. And get some sleep before hand ... if you have been following things so far, there will be no surprises.

ADDENDUM: if you are allotted extra time for exams through testing services, and would like to exercise this option, we need to talk as soon as possible about scheduling.

Review session / extra credit

Tomorrow (Thurs), 3pm, Gallalee 329 (the lab room). I'll give more details on the final, and work some problems.

There is one last minute chance for extra credit ... here. A short two-page writing assignment that will magically turn your lowest quiz grade into a perfect 100%. The extra credit project is due by midnight Friday, if you choose to do to it. If you ask ahead of time, I will probably accept them on Saturday/Sunday as well.

(Really, it is not that much work. Basically, you watch a movie, and then write about it.)

Random end of classes updates

Ok, it is the end of days ... for ph102 anyway. Several things:

1) There is no lab on Wednesday. You can have the afternoon off to study ... or whatever it is you do. I suggest studying ;-)

2) The final quiz and lab grades are now up on Moodle, as is Exam II. Homework 3 will appear sometime Tuesday evening. After that, all is left is homework 4 and the final. Recall the grade weighting from the syllabus.

3) Homework 4 can be handed in with the final exam without a late penalty.

4) Somewhere in the depths of a heinous sleep-deprivation-induced lapse in judgment, I decided that the final exam will NOT cover waves, quantum or atomic physics (i.e., this week's material).

5) The final *will* cover Relativity, Electricity, Magnetism, Induction, Circuits (ac & dc), and Optics (i.e., everything except this week's material). Study your homework, old homework, and old exams. Oh, and the book and notes.

6) The final will be, contrary to previous rumors, more like 75% multiple choice and 25% problems. It will be held at 8am, this Friday, in our normal classroom.

7) The exam II average was 89%, with a standard deviation of 8.5%. Below is the distribution for exam 2, plotted as the percentage of people choosing each question, and of those, the average score. Clearly, each question should have had a 50% chance of being chosen if they were all equal. Apparently, they were not ... certain questions were perceived as being much harder than others ...

8) There may be a review session on Thursday. Stay tuned.

9), 10) Intentionally left blank.

11) This one goes to eleven.

Lab Today

Today, we'll measure Planck's constant, using LEDs and your lab boxes.

We should just get to the relevant material in lecture today.