Models of Motion – 2014-15

• The Week 10 Calendar page is available.

Our Winter seminar will continue to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will continue to involve reading and writing about math, science, history, and culture.  Our readings are as follows:

Simonyi’s Cultural History of Physics (we will finish this book by reading Chapter 5 in the first couple weeks of the quarter).

Ascher’s Mathematics Elsewhere: An Exploration of Ideas Across Cultures (we will start this book after completing Simonyi).

Strogatz on The Elements of Math, a series of 15 articles on math published in the New York Times.  The articles move progressively from simple counting to university-level math, explained with a general audience in mind.

In general, our Tuesday sessions will focus on Strogatz articles and on writing projects and workshops, while our Thursdays will be taken up by discussions of Simonyi and then Ascher.

• Portfolios are due Thu. Dec. 11 by 9 am outside Rachel’s office, Lab 2 room 3268.

• From the Program Syllabus: “Throughout the program, you will maintain a portfolio of your work consisting of all the above assignments and assessments as well as any notes or other material that reflect your work. The portfolio will be submitted at the end of week 10 and will inform faculty evaluations. It will also provide a lasting record and resource for your own future reference. In addition to the above assignments and assessments, your Portfolio will also include a Self-Evaluation and updated Academic Statement.”

• The Assignments and Assessments Account which you received in Week 7 serves as a good guide for the work expected from you this quarter and so what should be presented in your Portfolio. Use the Account as a portfolio checklist.
  • Consider carefully whether you should be producing new work just for your portfolio. The portfolio collects artifacts that represents work you should already have completed as part of the regular work of the program. We welcome the inclusion of completed work that you did not submit on time, or revisions of old work (e.g. quiz revisions), but it is probably best if you include work that you have already completed or would normally complete as part of your program work.

• Your portfolio and its various elements should be clearly labeled with your name, neatly organized, and carefully presented.
• Include a Table of Contents as the first page of your Portfolio.
• Put the Assignments and Assessments Account and the Program Activities Log immediately following your Table of Contents. The Account should be fully completed, and the Log completed to the best of your ability.
• Include printed copies of your Self-Evaluation and updated Academic Statement. Also post both documents to the appropriate place at your my.evergreen.edu (note: hopefully you’ve already posted an updated draft Academic Statement so you will be able to register for classes next year).
• Include your revised Seminar Papers submitted for faculty review. (If you turned in Seminar Papers but haven’t received them back from your faculty, then you know your faculty still has them and you’ll get them back at your evaluation conference. If this is the case, leave a placeholder spot in your Portfolio).
  • You do not need to include your posted Responses to Seminar Papers (do track whether and who you responded to in your Assignments and Assessments Account).
• Include your Problem Set notebooks.
  • You do not need to include your Reading Responses.
• Include your graded Calculus Problem Sets including the attached feedback sheet. Organize in order.
• Include your Lab Notebook; update its Table of Contents.
• Include your Quizzes. Organize by Mathematics quizzes in order, then Physics quizzes in order.
• Include your Exams, and if applicable Exam Revisions (if you haven’t received them back yet, then you know we still have them; leave a placeholder space).

• You may include any other material that reflects your engagement and especially your learning (e.g. reading or lecture notes, quiz revisions you completed on your own, etc.). If you include such material, make sure to clearly indicate in your Table of Contents that you have included this supplementary material and clearly indicate that material in your Portfolio with some kind of clear visual marker (like a post-it note).
• If you have included required material that you did not submit on time, make sure to clearly note that in your Table of Contents and clearly indicate that material with a visual marker.
• If you did poorly on a MasteringPhysics problem set submission but your corresponding work in your Problem Set Notebook is a better indicator of your understanding, again note that both in your Table of Contents and also mark the assignment(s) in your Notebook.

• Mon. Dec. 1, 3 – 4 pm, Krishna in CAL Cancelled, sorry. As needed, find time to talk with Krishna on Tue. Dec. 2 in lab, during problem session, before or after class, during breaks re: academic planning
• Wed. Dec. 3, 2 – 3 pm (HW), 3 – 3:45 (academic planning), Rachel Lab 2 3rd floor
• Wed. Dec. 3, 3 – 5 pm, Seth Lab 2 3rd floor
• Thu. Dec. 4, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Krishna Lab 2 3rd floor
• Thu. Dec. 4, 3 – 5 pm, Seth, Sem 2 E2107
• Thu. Dec. 4, evening, Geneva, QuaSR
• Fri. Dec. 5, 9 – 10 am, Krishna Lab 2 3rd floor

Our tentative winter class meeting schedule is below. Click on the image for a larger version.

Note the changes, most of which are a result of your feedback:

• There is an hour long lunch break on Tuesday and Thursday.
• There is a bit more lecture time.

The Week 9 Schedule is standard and given at the Week 9 Calendar page.

• As announced in class in Week 8, you can bring a personally prepared 3 inch x 5 inch note card to Monday’s Quiz.
• Academic Fair is Wed. Dec. 3 from 4 – 6 pm in the CRC.
  • Those of you leaving or thinking about leaving the program should take advantage of this opportunity to meet with faculty in the programs you are hoping to enter in winter.
  • Those of you remaining in the program might take the opportunity to meet faculty in programs you are interested in taking next year or who you hope might sponsor you in contracts in the future. Note that at this time, most faculty are likely to have just a broad picture and not many details about programs they are teaching next year.
  • Those of you not sure about what you should do in winter should take advantage of this opportunity to see what is available but also make sure to speak with Rachel or Krishna.

Week 10’s schedule is significantly modified due to the exams and end-of-quarter activities.

• Quiz 9 on Week 9 material will be Mon. Dec. 8 at 9 am – 10 am in Lecture Hall 2 as usual.
• There will be an open review following the Quiz from 10 am – noon.
• There is no class on Monday afternoon.
• Exam 2 will begin at 9 am Tue. Dec. 9 in LIB 1540. Exams will be collected at noon.
• There will be a Self-Evaluation Workshop on Tue. Dec. 9 from 1 pm – 2:30 pm in Sem 2 E3105.
• On Wed. Dec. 10, we meet from 9 am – 1 pm in LIB 2708. You will have a group reflection and revision opportunity for Exam 2, as well as peer review Academic Statements and Self-Evaluations. You will be able to sign up for an Evaluation Conference during this session. This will be our last class meeting of the quarter.
• Portfolios are due Thu. Dec. 11 at 9 am outside Rachel’s office Lab 2 room 3268.
• There is no class meeting on Thu. Dec. 11.

• Evaluation Conferences will be held from Mon. Dec. 15 – Wed. Dec. 17.

Some students have asked about assembling materials for end-of-quarter portfolio submissions, including required elements and preferred format.

• We’ll discuss this in class on Wed. Dec. 3 so come with your questions prepared.
• The Assignments and Assessments Account gives an overview of assignments and assessments throughout the quarter, most of which should go in your portfolio.

You can find password-protected solutions to the week 8 Calculus and Physics Problem Sets linked at the Week 8 Calendar page, in the Assignments area for each subject.

• Lab Notebooks available for pickup outside Lab 2 room 3255. Arranged roughly in alphabetical order, so please try to preserve that order for other students.
• You will receive individual emails with short summaries about your lab notebooks soon.