Freight train gets better and better

The North Atlantic freight train rolls on. Danielle took off for vacation in Europe, now Earl and Fiona and mystery storm "G" are bearing down on us.

What might help us avoid getting run over? The jet stream.



When we start getting those cold fronts reliably plowing across Florida in a few weeks, then we'll be safe. But until then, hold onto your hat!

Erin's reaction time

You guys in the after lunch bunch, Sec. 0002, we forgot to calculate Erin's average reaction time! Oh, no!

Here are the drop distances:

1. 30 cm
2. 20 cm
3. 21 cm
4. 8 cm

And the average drop distance is (79 cm)/4 which is 19.75 cm.

Now: we know what the general formula for drop distance is, connecting drop distance with drop time, second by second.


So for Erin, her average drop distance equals one half g times the square of her reaction time:


Better convert those centimeters to meters.


Now: divide both sides by 4.9, and you get t_reac² = 0.0403 sec². Hit the square root key on your calculator, and you get Erin's reaction time, t_reac = 0.20076 sec, very similar to Kendall's reaction time from the morning section 0001.

Nice work, Erin and Kendall.

Alert

From UCF Vice President Schell:

FYI: Athletics will be conducting an emergency simulation at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 2. A medical services helicopter will land on the soccer field, and ambulances and fire trucks will also be involved. Please let folks know about this training exercise to prevent any unnecessary anxiety, and also be prepared for phone calls from on and off campus during the event.

Astounding

Supplemental Instruction schedule (S.I.)

Schedule for Supplemental Instruction (S.I.) with Gloria Scott this semester:

SI schedule
Monday	1:30-2:20 PM	BA 225
Tuesday	4:30-5:20 PM	BA 209
Wednesday	9:00-9:50 AM	BA 220
Thursday	4:30-5:20 PM	BA 110

HW 1 is up and running.

Homework 1 is ready for work. You have four attempts that you can take, and I will record your highest score. Our assignments will ordinarily be a bit longer than this one. Read carefully, though, because although it is shorter, it can challenge your brain. Good.

This assignment is due for each section at the beginning of Monday's lecture.

1. For section 0001, due at 10:30 AM;
2. for section 0002, at 3:30 PM.

Due to the way Webcourses works, this assignment must be set to expire at 3:30 PM, but it will disappear for section 0001 students at 10:30 AM. So even though Webcourses will show 3:30 PM, you guys in the morning section must always keep in mind that the assignment will disappear for you at the start of your lecture, 10:30 AM.

Lecture podcasts UP. Homework #1 by lunchtime, Saturday

Today's lectures are now up in iTunes U for your viewing and listening study time.

ALSO: Our document camera work is now in PDF and stashed in the doc cam folder on the home page in Webcourses. Look for the tiger icon.



Final note: the first homework assignment will be activated by lunchtime Saturday, if not sooner. You will have until the beginning of your lecture on Monday to complete it. All homework links will be in the pickup truck folder on the Webcourses home page.

Freight train in the North Atlantic

National Hurricane Center is showing a set of storms lining up. I have noticed recently: every few years, we get a freight train of hurricanes and tropical storms heading our way across the Atlantic Ocean.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to live inside a shooting gallery!? ;)

127

CPS roster is up to 127 now. Media legend superstar William Hung is jealous. Nice.

CPS study guides are UP.

We did not have a huge CPS session yesterday, just a few practice questions. But after the CPS deadline next Wednesday, Sept. 1, we will have significant study guide files for each session. I just fixed up your guys' study guides, one for each section.

Look at yesterday's study guides in the William Hung folder on the Webcourses home page.

After lunch bunch, your CPS data for today is UP.

Afternoon section 0002 students, I just uploaded your early CPS bonus for today and your performance data. Take a look on your My Grades page in Webcourses.

Today's lecture podcast is UP.

You can now go to iTunes U through Webcourses and subscribe to the morning or afternoon lecture today. Both lectures are up.

Unfortunately, we have no homework for Friday. :(

Early CPS bonus

If you had your CPS clicker registered for lecture this morning, you will see your Early CPS bonus point on your My Grades page in Webcourses.

Good. You are starting the semester with an A+ average. ;)

Afternoon section 0002 students, you will get your change at 3:30 PM, so get that clicker registered asap.

Also, the raw data for today's session, L2, is also UP in the My Grades page:

1. L2 answered:   how many of the CPS questions you answered, and
2. L2 correct:   how many of the questions you answered correctly.

Today's session is just for practice, but next Wednesday, the L5 answered and L5 correct numbers will count in your semester grade.

CPS hotline

The hotline for CPS help is 888-333-4988, and online chat works nicely, too. If you need help, call or chat, and mention that you are registering through WebCT with a "powerlink" and they will know what to tell you.

25

Now 25 of you are on the CPS roster.

Good to see everybody getting organized.

iTunes U

I just set up our link to iTunes U, where my visual podcasts will be stored. Look on the home page in Webcourses.

Here are some tips:

1. Turn off popup blocking.
2. Mac users should be able to click right through. It will automatically light up your iTunes application and start it at our podcast area.
3. The podcasts are .m4a files, "enhanced audio," with all of my diagrams, equations and notes embedded in the artwork track. So the visual stuff on the computer display in the lecture hall is like a huge multi-stage album cover, synchronized to the audio.
4. Because they are .m4a enhanced audio, you have to GET or SUBSCRIBE to see the visual diagrams, equations etc. Just pop out the "NowPlaying" window in the lower left of iTunes.
5. Windows users not using Firefox: Unfortunately, you must endure the tortures of the Bill Gates Evil Empire before your iTunes will light up. All kinds of nasty warnings and dialog boxes show up to intimidate you. But we set up a PDF blurb sheet for you with some tips that ought to defeat Windows and allow you to click through and get your iTunes set to the podcast. Look for the iTunes vs. Internet Exploder icon on the Webcourses home page.

There is a short follow up podcast concerning uranium and the dice analogy. Normally, I will podcast the entire lecture and upload it right after we dismiss.

GO try it out.

Diagnostic test

There is a diagnosic test for everybody in a separate GEP area of Webcourses. It should be on everybody's list of Webcourses.

It's a 25 minute chore. Try to get in there before 3:30 PM, Wednesday.

Nice. First four students are registered for CPS!

Lovely! Four students are already registered with their CPS device! Way to go, Jackson, Jennifer, Ryan and Chelsea!!

Jackson, Jennifer, Ryan and Chelsea are taking down the sweet bonus points as we speak. Excellent.

Register CPS in Webcourses; bonus points

You can register your CPS in Webcourses anytime before the deadline, Wed., Sept. 1. Only in Webcourses!

We will do some practice CPS questions this Wednesday and Friday plus next Monday, just to get the hang of it. If you can register your clicker

1. ...by Wednesday, you will get one bonus point.
2. ...by Friday, another bonus point
3. ...by next Monday, one bonus point.

One bonus point for every class day before the Wednesday deadline next week, so get hustling!