What to do if your professor is not much ''intelligent''?

[Doc Al]

FBD that screwed me up was

...

T = "mg + ma"

"ma" should not appear on a FBD.

What the professor overlooked was that the problem said "accelerating downwardsat a rate of 4.9 m/s²"

She didn't overlook it, she messed it up. Being charitable, she forgot that she took down as positive when she went to plug in the acceleration.

 

[flyingpig]

I might have been thinkinb about those elevator problems

 

[Ryker]

I might have been thinkinb about those elevator problems

Well, this is exactly analogous to the elevator problems, but she still made a mistake.

 

[Borek]

However, I am also concerned that you are at a university with 50,000 students and you have never seen a professor with a PhD? This doesn't seem right. Most universities won't let anyone without a Masters teach(grad students being the exception), and won't grant tenure(or sometimes even full time status) to someone without a PhD.

It may depend on the country.

 

[bobthenormal]

I agree 100% with zketrouble. Proceed very carefully! And if possible, try to act as a group instead of individually!

I agree also.

Even if you get the professor to admit fault, he/she may hate you and grade you with bias from then on.

It's not okay, and in a perfect system people who cannot admit their faults (or make too many mistakes) should be brought to justice, but this is not a perfect world. This is one area where learning that the system IS broken will help you.

The problem is also more complicated than you see it. Professors have egos (essentially a requirement for surviving graduate school) and end up develop a strong ability to intimidate their way out of these types of situations. It does not help that they often genuinely believe they are right because students routinely and boldly challenge them when they are NOT wrong. You probably have seen a student try to challenge the professor and be wrong, I see it regularly. That repeated behavior leads to a thick skin on these issues, and it's hard for the professor to backtrack once they've already asserted that they're right. It becomes more difficult for them to see the truth through their own bias.

I had this happen to me repeatedly on different scales ranging from publicly (in front of class) exposing the problem, to privately (in office hours). I have had the range of responses, some teachers are very comfortable with the fact that they make mistakes, others are mortified of the idea and will fight you to the death over it. And they have a lot more power than you do. In general, the only "safe" way to address the problem is to avoid being seen as an outlier. You have to address it with a group or not at all.

I once had this type of problem with a professor who ran a large research facility on campus and had an entire wing of the school named after him. So you also shouldn't expect that the higher you go, the better you get (i.e. the problem isn't just that your professor doesn't have an advanced degree). In the case of the professor above, it helped me realize that in research, money and results are the deciders. Mostly money. The more money you bring in the "better" you are, and it pays to be an intimidating and confident person when it comes to research grants.

--Bob

 

[Headacheguy]

Thanks for the response everyone. I'll try to convince my classmates about it.

I also would like to apologize for bringing up multiple issues on this thread that is not in the OP. I tend to do it every time.

 

[flyingpig]

"ma" should not appear on a FBD.

I have this feeling you would say that

She didn't overlook it, she messed it up. Being charitable, she forgot that she took down as positive when she went to plug in the acceleration.

I looked at an elevator problem myself and for some reason I would tackle it completely differently and then I realize what this professor was thinking.

The "accelerating downwards" part meant that this is the NET acceleration.

 

[bobthenormal]

Not to pester, but just to help a bit (I used to tutor English to ESL students), the topic of your post uses "much" incorrectly.

Just recalling it off hand (there may be special cases I am not thinking of), it should be attached to a noun not an adjective, as in "much money," "much food," "much intelligence." A more natural sounding choice for English speakers would have been "very," i.e. "What to do if your professor is not very intelligent." or "What to do if your professor does not have much intelligence." (The 2nd one here sounds a little weird though.)

(Also, I'd note that the sentence sounds very insulting, I'm sure most people assumed you didn't mean it in such a harsh way or they would have said something about that... even though it seems well deserved in this case, haha.)

--Bob

 

[Headacheguy]

Hi Bob, thanks! English is not my first language, it's like a second language but still I can't express my thoughts that well.

Yes, I think the title is pretty harsh. I'll remember that... also the ''much'' + noun NOT adj.

 

[zketrouble]

Hi Bob, thanks! English is not my first language, but it's like a second language and still I can't express my thoughts that well.

Yes, I think the title is pretty harsh. I'll remember that... also the ''much'' + noun NOT adj.

Sorry for going off-topic, but out of curiosity, where are you from and what was your first language? Your English is pretty good, its at the same level as my second language (Chinese) and I've been studying for 12 years.

 

[mathwonk]

you should not give up. this sort of behavior is not typical of any professors I have ever known at least in math departments. there are exceptions, especially among some few unqualified persons on temporary hire, but an appeal to the chairperson should resolve it. you should not ever give into stupidity and unfair behavior, once you believe you are right.

I have not read your problem, and offer no opinion on it, but you can always make an appeal in a diplomatic way, and you should. You also seem to have enough support here for believing you are correct.

i am surprised that so many people here seem to think that complaining is a common reason to suffer more unfair treatment. where do you guys go to school, in a taliban stronghold?

 

[mathwonk]

the answer to your literal question however is to avoid unintelligent professors entirely.

 

[Headacheguy]

Thank you Mr. mathwonk, sir.

Until now I still haven't resolved it. My classmates don't want to do anything about it, pretty ironic since almost all of them failed the exam. So the only choice I have is to complain to her--again--myself. Letting it slip is out of the question. I tried to talk to other professors and found one who said he'll talk to her about it.

the answer to your literal question however is to avoid unintelligent professors entirely.

Our system is like high school. The department chooses our professors and we can't do anything about it.

 

[Metaleer]

It may depend on the country.

Indeed, in Spain (before 2007) one could become a permanent, civil servant professor with only the Licenciatura, which is roughly equivalent to a Master's degree.

Thank you Mr. mathwonk, sir.

Until now I still haven't resolved it. My classmates don't want to do anything about it, pretty ironic since almost all of them failed the exam. So the only choice I have is to complain to her--again--myself. Letting it slip is out of the question. I tried to talk to other professors and found one who said he'll talk to her about it.

Our system is like high school. The department chooses our professors and we can't do anything about it.

As someone pointed out, there's no reason a chemical engineering graduate can't teach physics - I've had a Ph.D in engineering teaching a mathematics subject, and he seemed to know the subject like the back of his hand. But this particular teacher should go back to school before she tries to teach more Physics!

It's a shame you can't decide who your lecturer is, as this would have most likely fixed the problem. As many people here have mentioned, the most important issue is to talk to someone else in a diplomatic fashion, so as not to appear like a student merely frustrated due to the fact that he has to take a Physics subject.

i am surprised that so many people here seem to think that complaining is a common reason to suffer more unfair treatment. where do you guys go to school, in a taliban stronghold?

Unfortunately, some countries/states/universities grant too much power to professors, and we all know what happens - power gets to your head.

In a Mechanics lecture, the professor forgot a minus sign and I nonchalantly pointed this out to him ("Excuse me, professor, shouldn't there be a minus sign there?"). And he flew off the handle ("OK, fine, I'll put a minus sign there if it pleases you."). About 15 mins later, when I raised my hand to ask him something, he flipped out ("What the f*** do you want now?!"). After that incident, I just decided to lay low.

 

[PhDorBust]

Anyone else not surprised that the professor is a 'she'?

 

[micromass]

Anyone else not surprised that the professor is a 'she'?

What has that have to do with anything? I've seen enough male profs which were not very intelligent to. And judging from your reaction, you don't seem very intelligent to...

 

[Astronuc]

Anyone else not surprised that the professor is a 'she'?

Gender is irrelevant.

 

[Shackleford]

He's basing his observation on some perceived, personal stereotype of his. Whether or not it's a common stereotype is up for debate. However, by disparaging his intelligence you've shown your own stereotype. It does not mean he's not intelligent "to."

 

[hikaru1221]

Until now I still haven't resolved it. My classmates don't want to do anything about it, pretty ironic since almost all of them failed the exam. So the only choice I have is to complain to her--again--myself. Letting it slip is out of the question. I tried to talk to other professors and found one who said he'll talk to her about it.

Hi,

If it's just "talk", then I doubt it will make the situation any better. Until you are sure that you can *sweep* her out, don't do anything "stupid". I mean it. Education is one thing; guaranteeing that you would *survive* to continue enjoying your education is another thing.

I'm pretty surprised that only 1 professor agreed to "talk" (just "talk"?!) to her. It seems that your physics prof is not the only one you have to watch out. Warning: you may encounter any of the professors that you talked to about this problem later on.

 

[Borek]

Anyone else not surprised that the professor is a 'she'?

In my personal experience there is no correlation between gender and level of competence.

 

[Shackleford]

In my personal experience there is no correlation between gender and level of competence.

What about attitude and temperament? You have some male, and female, chauvinists out there who are bitter for whatever reason. I wonder if the person who made "she" comment might be hinting at something like that. However, the statement was broad and vague leaving it up to speculation.

 

[Studiot]

I find it hard to see why so much hot air has been expended in this thread about english and mathematics and signs.

This is a physics question from a physics exam.

So let us examine it and see what can be deduced.

The string is stated as supporting the mass so it must be applying an upward force on the mass.
Therefore it must be elastic.
If it were not elastic the only force it could apply, without breaking, would equal the total weight of the mass - 20N in round numbers.

Since it must therefore be elastic we can ask: How does it come to be applying this tension force.

Well if the mass started out hanging on the string in equilibrium and was displaced, it could be displaced upwards or downwards and let go.
If downwards the tension would increase and the mass would be pulled upwards, back to the equilibrium position.
We are told that the mass is moving downwards so this cannot be the case.
If the mass is displaced upwards then the tension will decrease and the weight of the mass will then be greater than the tension so the mass will move downwards.

Alternatively the mass may be attached to the string with the string loose and then dropped. The mass will then fall downwards under its own weight until the slack in the string is taken up. At that point in its trajectory the string will begin to apply an upward force as it stretches until the upward force exactly balances the weight of the mass.

Either way the tension in the string is not constant during the passage of the mass. It increases from some value or zero to a maximum equal to the weight of the mass.

At any instant the resultant force on the mass equals the difference between the bodyweight and the tension.

We should realize that the bodyweight and tension are the only forces acting

F_r = W - T

But also F_r = ma and we are told that at some instant a = +4.9

We should also realize that this is only true at one instant.

Since we are told m, a, and can assume g and therefore know W we can calculate T at that instant.

This problem, like many others, is best done as a vector sum of forces, not accelerations.

 

[LCKurtz]

I taught mathematics for 44 years at three different universities in the US before retiring. One conclusion I came to early on regarding personalities is that university professors are no different than the general population in their distribution of personality types. Although I suppose the average IQ is above that of the general population, nevertheless you have the same cross section of personality types and/or disorders. They are no better than any other population in that respect, but they probably aren't any worse either.

While no doubt there are many professors at this student's university that are competent, caring, and helpful, this student has encountered an insecure/incompetent one. How many of you have encountered the same type as a boss that you worked for? It happens everywhere. That's life and you have to deal with it however you see fit.

Personally, very early in any semester I would tell my students that if they see anything that seems wrong during a lecture or going over homework to interrupt me and ask about it. Either they don't understand what I just did or I made a mistake. Both things happen and either way it needs to be addressed. No big deal.

 

[PhDorBust]

What has that have to do with anything? I've seen enough male profs which were not very intelligent to. And judging from your reaction, you don't seem very intelligent to...

Don't you think a woman in a hard science would be more insecure about her position than a man?

You also misused 'to' twice in your post.

 

[Ryker]

Don't you think a women in a hard science would be more insecure about her position than a man?

You also misused 'to' twice in your post.

Touché.

 

[lisab]

Don't you think a woman in a hard science would be more insecure about her position than a man?

No. Do you think that?

 

[Bourbaki1123]

Anyone else not surprised that the professor is a 'she'?

I'm a little more surprised by the implicit sexism here.

Anyway; if it were the U.S. you could certainly do something about it. Students pay her salary, so students should be allowed to make as many justified complaints as they want. I would even look into suing the university for damages if no one would correct the issue and I ended up with an F in the course because of the professor's refusal to correct her mistake.**

The thing is, that simply doesn't occur (to my knowledge) at my university. Students fill out course evaluations and they are taken relatively seriously (depending on the specificity, commonality and the nature of the complaint). If there is a dispute and the student has a legitimate complaint, the student will almost always be accommodated.

As far as other countries go (maybe Norway and Canada excluded) I have no idea how the system works.

Jeez, I really hope the edupunk movement and the increasing use of open course ware forces a new, less broken, more efficient educational paradigm into place.

**I should say that there is a caveat here when it comes to legal action, it goes both ways. There is a professor at my university (sociology I think) who sued for his tenure and obtained it that way. He claimed it was racial discrimination, and he is probably the most over the top anti-American (I know the political right uses this gratuitously, but it is applicable here; he actively insults American students for not being multilingual enough and for how ignorant we are for not knowing which leader runs X third world country etc.) black supremacist I have ever met.

 

[Fredrik]

You should talk to either the department chair or the dean. A pass/fail rate on a midterm of 13% screams "Problem!"

Only 4 people out of 72 passed the first calculus exam we had at the university. How many percent is that?

Actually, they had to lower the requirement for a pass from 16/32 to 13/32 just to not have to fail 100%. Those were the days.

 

[Fizex]

After I argue with the professor, I went stupid and decided to not pretend to listen anymore, (I usually study at home with MIT CW, because most of the time I can't understand her) read a novel from my phone.

She caught me and asked me to go out and not attend her lectures anymore, and to just see her on the final exam. She's mad at me, that's for sure.

That's pretty rude and disrespectful. You should approach situations more calmly. What if you were in Walter Lewin's class and you started reading your phone? He'd kick you out too (well maybe not since it's on camera but he would if there wasn't).

I noticed half of the PF would just let this go and the other half would fix the problem. That is interesting.

 

[DR13]

I noticed half of the PF would just let this go and the other half would fix the problem. That is interesting.

Really? It seems like the vast majority say to do something (though what that something is varies a bit).

 

[AlephZero]

The string is stated as supporting the mass so it must be applying an upward force on the mass.
Therefore it must be elastic.

Pardon ?

If it were not elastic the only force it could apply, without breaking, would equal the total weight of the mass - 20N in round numbers.

PARDON ?

Unless the laws of physics are completely different from the Newtonian mechanics used in mechaniical engineering, those two statements are pure nonsense.

 

[Ryker]

After I argue with the professor, I went stupid and decided to not pretend to listen anymore, (I usually study at home with MIT CW, because most of the time I can't understand her) read a novel from my phone.

She caught me and asked me to go out and not attend her lectures anymore, and to just see her on the final exam. She's mad at me, that's for sure.

If you weren't disturbing the class by reading the novel, then I don't see how she can expect you not to attend her lectures anymore. I think she has taken this way too far, first by not being fair enough to at least consider your complaints about the problem and then this.

 

[mathwonk]

just take this as an exercise in surviving as a sighted person in the valley of the blind. just get through it and get out alive.

 

[Jokerhelper]

Pardon ?



PARDON ?

Unless the laws of physics are completely different from the Newtonian mechanics used in mechaniical engineering, those two statements are pure nonsense.

I think what the person meant by "elastic" is stretchable, as in being able to deform without causing a fracture. If that's what he or she meant, then those two statements make sense to me. Could you explain why that's not the case?

 

[Studiot]

Pure nonsense huh?

Well what is the Science Advisor's role?
To advise and explain?
Or to be sarcastic?

Rethinking in the light of your statement I now realize that the string may be inextensible (non elastic) and still satisfy the condition stated, if the other end is attached to another mass and the resulting assembly is draped over a pulley. Such a situation could lead to the mass accelerating downwards as stated. I suppose the mass could also be hanging from the ceiling of the famous elevator, much loved of theoretical physics.

We are, however, not granted such information in the text of the question and the only coordinate system we are given relates to some fixed body (the earth?).

The fact remains that my earlier elastic explanation also fits the facts, and is not pure nonsense.
The only mistake is that I wrongly attributed it to be the only explanation.
No doubt that there are others.