Today's SMA study guide is up.

Your scores for today's SMA session are now UP. Also, the SMA study guide is up in the CPS area, blue mailbox icon.

Last SSG now open.

Penelope's SSG is now open for latecomers. Slide over to Webcourses and snag a spot, FAST!

Her group meets at 8 PM tonight, at the library.

Homework and CPS updates

I just updated all the HW and CPS scores in Webcourses. Right now you have

1. 234 homework points
2. 101 CPS points.

At semester's end, we will convert CPS scores to 24 points on the semester grade, as lined out in the syllabus. For CPS, you will get all 24 points if you have answered 85% of the questions, either right or wrong. So if your "CPS answered running subtotal" reads 85 or more today, you have a lock on the 24 points for now. However, we have about 8 more lectures, so that result can change between now and the end of the semester.

For homework, you just go by the straight percentage. E.g., if you have 204 HW points today, that is about 87% of the homework and you get 14 out of 16 points on your semester grade.

CPS and HW points come in right handy this time of the semester.

Early Bird Special

I just activated another Monday afternoon special study group. It's 4:45 PM at the Library, the Early Bird Special. If you have not gotten signed up yet, get into Webcourses and snag a spot with the William's group!

Lydia and the van de Graaff generator

Sweet video from the afternoon section yesterday.

SSG signups ready

Special Study Groups for Exam 3 are now ready for signups. GO GO GO!

Homework is so lovely, so fine.

Your 22nd homework assignment is now UP. I recommend that you read the pages 411-414 carefully before you tackle this assignment. It is due Monday at the usual time.

I am going to start getting SSG signups ready next. Hopefully by lunchtime or early afternoon I will open SSG signups.

Infra red

We spoke on Monday about thermal radiation as a tool for studying weather, focused mainly on water's spectrum.

Recently NASA crashed a spacecraft into a crater near the moon's south pole. Looking at the spectra of the ejecta from the crash landing, NASA scientists now reckon they have detected a good amount of water. Interesting.

S.I. Review next Monday night

Gloria Scott will hold the S.I. review next Monday night, 6:00-8:00 PM, in PSY108.

We are attempting to schedule the SSG sessions at other times, not conflicting with S.I. review, so that you can possibly go to S.I. review AND to an SSG session.

APOD: Scale of Earth-moon system and a Saturn-moon system

Earlier this semester, we studied the true scale of the Earth-moon system. It is tough to get a good photo of Earth and our moon together, but here is one of Saturn and one of its moons, Tethys, that little blip halfway out and below the rings. Click for full size view. Again, it is plain to see that a moon and its planet are very different sizes. Excellent.