PHYSICS 1050 SPRING 2003
Astronomy of the Solar System
Dr Mike Fanelli
Section 02
Tuesday & Thursday
9:30 AM - 10:50 PM
This page provides details about the exams for this class. If you have questions, email, or better yet, ask in class!
| Test 1 - Feb 06 | Test 2 - Mar 04 |
| Test 3 - Apr 03 | Test 4 - Apr 29 |
| Final - May 08 |
Test 1 will cover: Chapters 1 & 2
Test 2 will cover: Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6
Test 3 will cover: Chapters 7, 8, 9
Test 4 will cover: Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13
REVIEW SHEETS:
Review sheets are provided below for the material covered in this course. These
sheets are organized by topic, not necessarily for a specific exam or test.
Study those segments of the reviews relevant to a specific exam, as defined above.
Review sheets can be viewed or downloaded here:
Review sheet #1: covers Celestial Sphere
through Electromagnetic Spectrum.
Review sheet #2: covers Radiation Laws through
the Solar System.
Review sheet #3: covers Earth through Venus.
Review sheet #4: covers Mars through the Moons
of the Outer Solar System.
Review sheet #5: covers Uranus, Neptune, Pluto,
and the small bodies within the solar system.
Please note that the review material for Test 4 spans ALL of review sheet 4, and PART of review sheet 5. Anything related to chapter 14 will NOT be included on Test 4.
PREPARATION FOR EXAMS:
Here is a guide to aid you in preparing for the class exams:
(1) Read the chapters reviews carefully. Be sure of the meaning of each
highlighted word in these reviews.
Answer keys for test are posted when the tests are
returned. Each solution key provides the correct answer, and, for some of the
more conceptual questions, a short discussion of the answer.
Please be aware of two facets of this course which will cause the
class average to change during the semester.
Estimating your current course letter grade:
Here's how to determine your grade status in this class:
As stated in the course syllabus, an adjustment to this scale may be made at the end
of the semester, to reflect the overall class performance. Based on previous experience
with astronomy survey classes, the usual adjustment is to drop the lower limit for
each letter grade by a few percentage points.
Since the final letter grades will reflect the class performance, a good way to
estimate your letter grade is to compare your cumulative test score with the class
average, given above.
The class average is defined to be the border between a B and a C.
If your total is substantially better than the class average, you have an A.
Option II - Dropping the low test score
You may drop your lowest test score, in order to improve your final grade. This action
is optional. If you choose to drop a test, you must
indicate this choice in the appropriate place on the final exam cover sheet. Students who
completely missed one test will have that score dropped automatically.
How does this work ?
Should I drop ?
(2) Complete the T/F and fill-in questions. The correct answers for these
questions can be found at the back of the text.
(3) Work the Review and Discussion questions at the end of each
chapter. Each question can be answered in one-to-three sentences. Many test
questions are generated directly from these review questions.
(4) Read through your class notes.
(5) Download and work through the relevant review sheet.
(6) Read through the chapters carefully, always attempting to understand
the primary points presented in each section.
(7) You may also complete the self-tests for each chapter presented on the
textbooks webpage: http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/chaissonat4/
Complete the quiz and submit it for grading-- you will receive comments on
both your correct and incorrect answers. I have found this site somewhat useful, but be
aware that many of their questions are more mathematical than those I will use on
exams.
(8) After attempting the assigned math problems, review the posted solutions.
TEST SOLUTIONS:
Click on the link to view and download each answer key. Answer keys are formatted
as HTML files.
Test 2
Answer key
Test 3
Answer key
Test 4
Answer key
TEST RESULTS:
EXAM
MEAN
RANGE
NUMBER
Test 1
200 - 135
Test 2
195 - 90
Test 3
205 - 135
Test 4
210 - 95
Final
Running cumulative class average after Test 4
= 668 (83.5%)
Highest cumulative score = 765 (95.6%)
(1) When students drop the course, their scores are deleted, and
no longer counted in the averages. Only scores for students who complete the
course are counted towards the class average. Since people often drop the class
because of low test scores, this has the effect of raising the
averages for the first two tests (which occur before the drop deadline).
(2) The average quoted above is based on 4 test
scores. A substantial number of students will opt to drop one score, their
lowest score. Their good scores will be weighted more, resulting in an overall
class average at the end of the semester, that will be larger than the average
after Test 4, which is the last average quoted before the final.
(1) Total up your 4 test scores.
(2) The 4 exams are worth a total of 800 points. Divide your score
by 800. You will get a fraction between 0 and 1.
(3) Multiply this fraction by 100. Your current class score is now expressed
as a percent, from 0 to 100%. (The more mathematically inclined among you will see
that you reach the same result in one step by dividing your total test scores by 8).
(4) Compare your percent to the grade scale given in the syllabus.
If your total is somewhat better than the class average, you have a B.
If your total is somewhat lower than the class average, you have a C.
If your total is substantially worse than the class average, you have an D.
If your total is less than 50%, you are in danger of failing the class.
If you choose to drop your lowest test score, then....