Wes's Big Exam Thread - 3 Hours of Physics Fun

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a Physics exam that includes both basic and advanced calculations. The original poster, Wes, is a Biology/Education major preparing for this exam at Laurentian University, where specific resources are permitted during the test.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants express concerns about the integrity of the exam format, questioning the allowance of online resources and interactions. Some participants discuss the implications of these rules on the evaluation of knowledge. Wes shares a specific question related to quantum energy in a mass-spring system, seeking clarification on the spring constant.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with various perspectives being explored regarding the exam's structure and the appropriateness of the allowed resources. Some participants provide insights into similar experiences, while others question the rationale behind the exam rules.

Contextual Notes

There are concerns about the clarity of the exam rules, particularly regarding the distinction between allowed interactions and resources. Participants note the potential for confusion over what constitutes acceptable help during the exam.

Wes72
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I am Wes, and I have a Physics exam this morning at Laurentian University. I am actually a Biology/Education major and will likely take a Physics minor.

This exam is on basic physics and some more advanced calculations.

For this exam, we are allowed to use all course notes and laptops for online resources. The only thing that we are not allowed to use is instant messaging.

I decided to register with ths forum for help with this exam, I will post questions as I need help with them and check back often for responses.

All help will be appreciated. My exam starts at 9am Eastern Time (about 35 minutes from the time I post this).

Thanks in advance :)


By the way, our instructor does allow orum and email interaction, this is not cheating. There will also be several supervisors watching our laptops at all times.
 
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Then it boggles my mind why there is even any need for an "exam" when you can literally get someone else to answer the question for you. Is this really an exam to evaluate your knowledge, or just a test of your ability to find the answer online regardless on whether you know the material or not?

Zz.
 


Is your school in Disneyworld?

:biggrin:
 
i wish do your best and good luck!:-p
 
Are you sure that you're allowed to interact with other human beings via cyberspace during the exam. I agree with ZapperZ - this boggles the mind. It would be very easy to contact the http://www.laurentian.ca/physics/FACSTAFF/doug.html" of your physics department.

I once wrote a very difficult Applied Math exam for which we could bring anything, except another person. Things explicitly allowed included notes, any books, food, and alcohol. The exam took 6 hours.

Regards,
George
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What I am doing is 100% legal. I actually disagree with the professor about how easy this exam is, I got through the first half of the test without any problems at all. Here is an easir question tha I am not completely sure about. I am a bit weak in thinking of normal things in a quantum sense:

If the magnitude of the quantum of energy of an oscillating mass-spring system is .8x10^-33J, and the mass is 1.5KG, determine the spring constant k for the spring.
 
Wes72 said:
I am Wes, and I have a Physics exam this morning at Laurentian University. I am actually a Biology/Education major and will likely take a Physics minor.

This exam is on basic physics and some more advanced calculations.

For this exam, we are allowed to use all course notes and laptops for online resources. The only thing that we are not allowed to use is instant messaging.

I decided to register with ths forum for help with this exam, I will post questions as I need help with them and check back often for responses.

All help will be appreciated. My exam starts at 9am Eastern Time (about 35 minutes from the time I post this).

Thanks in advance :)


By the way, our instructor does allow orum and email interaction, this is not cheating. There will also be several supervisors watching our laptops at all times.

This makes no sense at all. If forum interaction and e-mail are allowed then why would instant messenging be banned? why not let students walk out and go talk with anyone on the phone or, even better, go sit with someone at the library and get someone else to do their exam for them?

Maybe the prof really meant that consulting static web pages was allowed, but even that boggles the mind. How is that supposed to help test the indestanding of the students?

But I would not be totally surprised to learn that using forums and e-mails is actually allowed in a Canadian university level exam...Being ethical and attaining a result from hard work is not politically correct in Canada...
 
Wes72 said:
If the magnitude of the quantum of energy of an oscillating mass-spring system is .8x10^-33J, and the mass is 1.5KG, determine the spring constant k for the spring.
I think there's a clue here folks. We've been punked! :smile: :smile:
 
George Jones said:
Are you sure that you're allowed to interact with other human beings via cyberspace during the exam. I agree with ZapperZ - this boggles the mind. It would be very easy to contact the http://www.laurentian.ca/physics/FACSTAFF/doug.html" of your physics department.

I once wrote a very difficult Applied Math exam for which we could bring anything, except another person. Things explicitly allowed included notes, any books, food, and alcohol. The exam took 6 hours.

Regards,
George
My Algorithms exams were like that (but they weren't 6 hours and alcohol wouldn't have been legal). I've never had an exam in my memory where food was banned.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #10
berkeman said:
I think there's a clue here folks. We've been punked! :smile: :smile:

I hope this is true but I'm not so sure. The Laurentian exam schedule shows that exams for Introductory Physics II and Conceptual Physics II took place this morning at 9.

Also, even though I don't like the wording of the question, the instructor may have had something like the following in mind.

The quantum of energy of a quantum harmonic oscillator is given by

[tex]E = \frac{1}{2} \hbar \omega = \frac{1}{2} \hbar \sqrt{\frac{k}{m}},[/tex]

which can be solved for [itex]k[/itex].

Like I said at the start - I sure hope you're right.

0rthodontist said:
... and alcohol wouldn't have been legal

No one actually brought alcohol, but at the end of the exam, the prof said "I'm going to the (student) pub, and the first round is on me!" Four out of the five students in the class took him up on his offer.

Regards,
George
 

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