"It was occasioned by the fall of an apple,
as he sat in a contemplative mood ..."
William Stukeley
Memoirs of Sir Isaac Newton's Life
PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS II
PHY2044
STRUCTURE OF TESTS, QUIZZES AND IN-CLASS PROBLEMS
The tests will normally consist of two sections; section A will comprise
problems that require numerical answers and section B will consist of
conceptual-type problems that require "word" answers. The questions I
use on tests fall into four main categories:
- Those that require straight memorization where you will
have to remember definitions and laws. However, I should warn you that
there will be very few of these types of questions since I will allow you
to use notes during the test.
- Those that require deductive thinking (or reasoning) where
you
will be given information and you have to produce a numerical answer by
reason,
logic and/or deduction. You are probably familiar with these types
of questions; they are similar to those you will meet in class, in the
homework and as the numerical problems encountered in the textbook as
examples.
- Those that involve creative thinking where you will be
confronted with a problem that requires some thoughtful input
from you - not guesswork! Examples include so-called conceptual
questions - they will be familiar situations that you have to analyze
using the information learned in class - and problems that
require you to make estimates, approximations or to use your imagination
to achieve an answer.
- Those that involve critical thinking where you will have to
evaluate, make decisions and form conclusions from a given set of data or
statements or other information.
You will probably have had considerable experience of the first two
types;
memorization is pretty obvious and deductive thinking may involve
substituting numbers into an expression or formula to obtain an answer.
The latter two types of questions will test your understanding
of the material. However, please do not worry unduly; I will try to
expose you to all these different types of thinking during class periods
using active
learning techniques. The main thing is that
I will not simply be asking you to memorize and reproduce stuff
from your notes or from the book.
In reality, many of the questions on the tests will involve a combination
of
these different thought processes.
Also, you should find that the ability to think creatively and
critically will be useful to you throughout your time as a
student at FAU.