There are several adjustments to the Week 7 schedule, to accommodate the Wed. Nov. 8 Seminar.

• Monday November 6:
  • 9:00 – 10:30 Math Quiz + Lecture
  • 10:30 – 10:45 Break
  • 10:45 – 11:45 Physics Lecture (even though we announced in week 6 that it was double math lecture, it is actually math quiz + lecture followed by physics lecture)
  • 11:45 – 12:15 All Program Check-in
  • 12:15 – 1:30 Lunch Break
    • 12:30 – 1:30 Student-chosen Mini-Lessons or Individualized Instruction
  • 1:30 – 3:00 Chemistry Lecture
• Tuesday November 7:
  • 8:00 – 8:30 Physics Quiz in Physics Lab || Math Lecture in Chemistry Lab
  • 8:30 – 12:00 Physics Lab & Lecture || Chem Lab & Workshop
  • 12:00 – 1:00 Lunch Break
  • 1:00 – 1:30 Physics Quiz in Physics Lab || Math Lecture in Chemistry Lab
  • 1:30 – 5:00 Physics Lab & Lecture || Chem Lab & Workshop
• Wednesday November 8:
  • 9:00 – 11:15 Seminar
  • 11:15 – 11:30 Break
  • 11:30 – 1:00 Math Lab
• Thursday November 9:
  • 9:00 – 11:00 Chemistry Quiz and Lecture
  • 11:00 – 12:00 Lunch Break
    • Student-chosen Mini-Lessons or Individualized Instruction
  • 12:00 – 1:00 Physics Workshop
  • 1:00 – 2:00 Math Workshop
• Friday November 10: Campus closed for Veteran’s Day. Should we arrange special extra tutoring on Saturday and Sunday? Let us know.

I have compiled a document listing essentially all the equations I expect you might have put, or will put, on notecards for the quarter, based mainly on what is in chapter summaries in Wolfson. This is in the fileshare under physics handouts and included here as well.

I have formatted this as a set of tables organized by chapter with plenty of whitespace associated with each equation. My hope is that you can use this sheet as a study aid in two ways: first, by consulting it when making decisions about what to put on a notecard for a quiz, and second (and more importantly!), by taking the time to fill in the boxes next to each equation with notes about its meaning and/or conditions for validity. So for instance, you might annotate the equation v=v_0+at by reminding yourself that it is valid only when acceleration is constant.

I should also add that I tried not to impose my own standards on this list. When it comes to notecards, you should exercise some judgment. Don’t put equations that you already know well, and don’t just put everything from my sheet just because it’s on this list. Sometimes you might wish to use a different form. For instance, I’d be inclined to just write conservation of momentum as p_1i + p_2i = p_1f + p_2f rather than the textbook’s form m_1i v_1i +… because I also know p=mv. Also recognize that older chapters are still relevant; Chapter 2 kinematic equations will come back time and time again, and you might need them on every quiz. You should also make some calls regarding how much annotation you need to put on your cards.

Please let me know if you find any typos on these equations!

Download (PDF, 110KB)

For Quiz 5 I will ask for revisions on #3, the final problem. There are some things I particularly want to see: a Newton’s Second Law analysis (do not use work and energy methods!), and careful justification of each equation you use (for instance, n=mg turns out to be true, but how do you know this is the case in this problem?). You need to draw a proper free-body diagram and use it in your solution.

To aid in the revisions (which I remind you are not merely corrections) I have developed a template you can use to guide your reasoning. This is in the program handouts for Physics on the fileshare as well as this post. Quiz 5 is also included in both locations. Use of this template is optional, but recommended if you are struggling with the format I am requesting for revisions.

If you have old quizzes (Quiz 2-4) and have not submitted revisions for those, please do feel free to submit them late. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your learning and understanding, no matter your performance on the original quiz.

Download (DOCX, 15KB)

Download (PDF, 55KB)

• Chemistry: McMurray & Fay 6.4 – 6.7
• Math: Stewart 3.5 – 3.7
  • Math Reading Responses due via WebAssign 6pm Sun. Nov. 5
• Physics: Wolfson 9.1 – 9.3; 9.4 – 9.6
  • Physics Reading Response due via MasteringPhysics 8pm Sun. Nov. 5
• Seminar Reading for Wed. Nov. 8

Our third seminar will be from 9 – 11am on Wednesday November 8. Schedule changes due to this are noted in your Replacement Reading Schedule.

The readings for the seminar focus on issues of representation in physics, this time with emphasis on race:

• Why Race Matters in Physics Class
• An Open Letter to SCOTUS from Professional Physicists (also, link including timeline and list of signers)

We will hand out paper copies of these articles and book chapters in class Monday so that you can mark those with your annotations and questions, and have them available during Seminar (without people using electronic devices during the discussion).

Pre-Seminar Writing Assignment. Beyond reading the two pieces, we would like for you to respond in writing to the following prompts. Please keep all the prompts in mind as you are completing the reading.

• Please type up your responses and bring them with you, along with the two reading handouts, to Seminar.
• Your typed responses will serve as your Seminar Entrance Ticket.
• Faculty will collect these at the end of Seminar and check for evidence of attempting to complete.

These readings are responses to comments made during an oral argument before the Supreme Court that revolved around the educational benefits of racial and ethnic diversity (Fisher v. University of Texas, 2015).  Discussions about identity and difference are often hard, and discussions about race are particularly so. Given the larger political context and particularly our local campus context, we understand that discussing the content of these readings will be challenging, and differentially challenging for each of you. The readings themselves offer some theoretical frameworks and tools to help us have these conversations better.

1. Consider particularly the discussion of racial anxiety. Based on your understanding from the law review article discussion of racial anxiety, try to write down up to 3 specific guidelines for your interactions in Seminar that could be adopted to manage the challenges created by racial anxiety.
2.  In past seminars, we discussed impostor syndrome and mindset theory, as well as gender and class issues in STEM classrooms. Which of the issues addressed in this week’s Seminar readings can be thought of more broadly in terms of creating an inclusive STEM classroom, and which seem particularly related to race and ethnicity? 

The law review article lays out four specific considerations regarding the benefits of diversity in the STEM classroom. In answering each of the following you may draw on either that article or the letter from physicists (or both). For each, your typed response should quote, paraphrase, or summarize the element of the assigned reading, indicate article and page, and describe why you chose it.

3. Identify at least one specific element of the discussion of the role of diversity in innovation and problem-solving that you found particularly striking or surprising. Why?
4. Identify at least one specific element of the discussion of implicit bias that you found particularly striking or surprising. Why?
5. Identify at least one specific element of the discussion of racial anxiety that you found particularly striking or surprising. Why?
6. Identify at least one specific element of the discussion of stereotype threat that you found particularly striking or surprising. Why?

• In case you missed our Academic Planning and Statement Workshop I on week 6 Wed. Nov. 1, here is the handout.
• For your convenience: Pre-Workshop Writing Assignment.
• I neglected to assign a formal due date for completion. If you can, treat it like you would a Math Lab (since we used the Math Lab slot for the workshop) and try to save it to your Cubbie by 5pm Thu. Nov. 2.