Smart Physics Student

[Toimu]

Some time ago I received a call from a colleague, who asked if I would be the referee on the grading of an examination question. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed he should receive a perfect score and would if the system were not set up against the student. The instructor and the student agreed to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected. I went to my colleague's office and read the examination question:

"Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer."

The student had answered: "Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building."

I pointed out that the student really had a strong case for full credit since he had really answered the question completely and correctly. On the other hand, if full credit were given, it could well contribute to a high grade in his physics course. A high grade is supposed to certify competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student have another try at answering the question. I was not surprised that my colleague agreed, but I was surprised when the student did. I gave the student six minutes to answer the question with the warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. At the end of five minutes, he had not written anything. I asked if he wished to give up, but he said no. He had many answers to this problem; he was just thinking of the best one. I excused myself for interrupting him and asked him to please go on.

In the next minute, he dashed off his answer which read:

"Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula S=0.5*a*t^2, calculate the height of the building."

At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He conceded, and gave the student almost full credit. In leaving my colleague's office, I recalled that the student had said that he had other answers to the problem, so I asked him what they were. "Oh, yes," said the student.

"There are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. For example, you could take the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building, and by the use of simple proportion, determine the height of the building."

"Fine," I said, "and others?"

"Yes," said the student. "There is a very basic measurement method you will like. In this method, you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units. "A very direct method."

"Of course, if you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as a pendulum, and determine the value of g at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference between the two values of g, the height of the building, in principle, can be calculated."

"Finally," he concluded, "there are many other ways of solving the problem. Probably the best," he said, "is to take the barometer to the basement and knock on the superintendent's door. When the superintendent answers, you speak to him as follows: 'Mr. Superintendent, here is a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of the building, I will give you this barometer."

At this point, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think, to use the "scientific method," and to explore the deep inner logic of the subject in a pedantic way, as is often done in the new mathematics, rather than teaching him the structure of the subject. With this in mind, he decided to revive scholasticism as an academic lark to challenge the Sputnik-panicked classrooms of America.

[snowwolfe]

ok

[CockRoach]

hes not smart, but i wouldnt call him stupid

[mistled]

my kind of student.... I once got reaming in AP English for showing how the writing prompt was invalid and that the correct choice to the prompt had to be a certain way simply because of how the question was worded. I think I got some bs about how I knew what the question was intending, so I should have written on that instead.

[MrVulcan]

I do things that my proffs want, the way they want, even if they are very nerrow minded and refuse to see that there are much easier and more efficient ways to do what htey want done. I am out for the grade, in RL I will do things the right way, but when in college I will do things to get the grade.

[xuur]

it all falls under the category of 'theres more than one way to skin a cat'

the fact that each of his answers would in fact arrive at the correct answer, then each of the solutions was indeed correct.

the fact that the professor didnt word the question in a way to arrive at the answer he desired/considered correct shows a flaw in his thinking, not the students.

he was right to challenge it. thats what science is...challenging the known worlds many abstract features in order to arrive at the what can be considered factual.

but beyond that, yeah, the student was being a smartass and should in response, also have been challenged on it.

life is a contact sport....dress accordingly

[Arshune]

If the professor wanted a certain method to be used to figure out the answer, he should have been smart and said so right on the paper. As the old adage goes, "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer."

I hate teachers who try garbage like that, if the kid answers the question differently but still gets it right, that should be bonus points for creative thinking. Just because you're able to do something one way doesn't mean it's the smartest, fastest, or most efficient way to do it...

[Toimu]

Originally posted by CockRoach

hes not smart, but i wouldnt call him stupid

The kid was Niels Bohr...

[Revolution]

Originally posted by xuur
it all falls under the category of 'theres more than one way to skin a cat'

and the other ways are?!?!?!?!?!? There is only ONE way to skin a cat, cut the mofo and pull the skin off.........

As to the student rock on, I'd of dont the rope thing ROFL.....

But to ask, what IS the conventional way to solve the question?? The one you didnt mention? I am actually curious to know(Only took Physics in high school, but it was fun as hell I actually loved going to that class...My teacher used........Dr. Doom .......as a prop.......(If yours did too I bet its the same teacher who the fuck uses Dr. Doom as examples in a physics class?? )

[xuur]

there are multiple ways to effectively remove the outer covering from a feline.

-acid dip
-sanding
-direct removal (your decribed way)
-large amounts of air flow such as would be possible by throwing it from a moving jet or in a wind tunnel
-laser cell disintegration (sort of slow, but it would work)
-tweezer peel
-high levels of radiation
-freezing using a substance such as liquid oxygen or nitrogen and merely breaking it off

the list goes on and on.


(Note: It should probably be noted that the average feline is rarely in favor of ANY of these methods and will, unless deceased before beginning....resist such efforts. Your mileage may vary)

[Revolution]

xuur......You gonna have to check out my thread about legal torture.......


I gonna bump it.......You a perfect poster for that HAHAHA

[�io]

Heh pretty smart kid.

[Lexington_Steele]

It is generally not a good idea to piss off your professors.

[Fire_Monkey]

heh that's great