Help!

[ Navigating ][ Viewing ][ Display codes ][ Printing ][ Hints for this course ][ Exam hints ][ Observations ][ Comments by students ]

Navigating by the image map	The interface for the course Web pages use a frame design to make it easier to jump between the various topics. On the top left is a navigation image bar which remains static as you move around. For example, clicking on the "Homework" portion of the map will bring you to the page which provides links to the different chapters. However, if your browser does not support client image map, you can still access the different pages by clicking on the highlighted word as described in the previous paragraph.

Viewing the Web Page	These Web pages are optimized for the latest Netscape browser, version 4.0. This browser is free to educational users and can be downloaded from the Netscape home page. If you have an older version of Netscape or a different Web browser or if your browser is not configured properly (like missing the symbols font set), certain symbols may not be displayed and printed properly. For example, Greek characters use the symbol typeface and will not appear in version 1 or 2 of Netscape. (To find out which version of Netscape you are using click on "Help" and then "About Netscape".) If you see Greek symbols below, then your browser supports the symbol typeface. abcdefghijk .. However, if you see "abcdefghij..", then your browser does not support the symbol typeface. Web browsers do not support equations. Thus equations in homework solution pages are actually graphic files and may thus contain symbols. For example, the equation below is in graphic format. whereas F = kq₁q₂/r² is in text format.

Special Display Codes.	Beside the Greek characters the pages also use codes that are not part of a normal keyboard. Below is a list of some of the display codes.
Codes	Meaning
½	Fraction 1 over 2 i.e., 0.5
´ or ×	Both stand for multiply or times.
° or °	Degree as in angles or degree C as in temperature.
· or ×	A dot centered vertically, like a period but moved up.
µ	Proportional
¥	Infinity (Any number you can think of, I can think of a bigger number!)
»	Approximately equal
¹	Not equal
Ö	Square root
®	Right arrow
	Up arrow
¯	Down arrow

Read this if you are having problems printing.	Most computers are set up so that if you want to print the information on the screen, click first on "File", then "Print". Click OK on the dialog window that appears after you click "Print". You should then get the output on the printer. Certain pages are scanned images with a width of about 640 dots. On some computers this maybe too wide and you may not see the whole page and be able to print the whole page. If you cannot print the whole page on your printer, try the following. Click on File and then select Page Setup. Set the margins (left and right) to be as small as possible (usually 0.1 inch). Try printing with this page setup. If you are still losing part of the page after having tried option 1, again go to Page Setup under File. Select Landscape instead of Portrait for the Page orientation. This option may not be available for all Web browsers. If you are working from your home computer, save the homework solutions image files on disk. (To save the image on disk, use the right button of your mouse and click on the image. Select Save Image as .. option.) Then you can view the solutions without having to connect to your service provider. If, however, you have an image editor, for example, Lview for PC, you can use the image editor to resize the image so that you can print it on your printer.

Hints for doing well in this course.	Many students find physics difficult and frustrating. Below are a few tips for doing well in this course.
	Read the chapter and the lecture notes. Try some level 1 problems first. These problems are one-step problem. They serve as confidence builders. Often level 2 or 3 problems are combinations of level 1 problems. When doing a homework problem, read the problem carefully. Establish clearly in your mind the quantity/concept the question is asking for. If you cannot figure out what the question is asking for, read the English and don't worry about the physics for the time being. Often, physics problems use every day language to ask concepts which may not be used in the text. For example, friction is a force that slows down motion. But you may come across problems that ask for the retarding force. Even though the problem doesn't ask for the frictional force, retarding force is equivalent to the frictional force. Once you understand what the question is asking for, try solving the problem by first putting down all the quantities given in the question. If you have understood the concepts and remember the appropriate formula, you should be able to solve the problem. If you got stuck and have no idea how to do the problem, go back to the appropriate section and study any example problem(s) that may be related to the homework problem. The point here is to get some POINTERS as to how you should proceed. If you are still stuck, discuss the problem with a study partner. You should not let your study partner tell you how to do the problem but ask for some hints as to the appropriate concept(s). If everything above fails talk to your tutorial instructor or Dr. Wiebe/Dr. Capstick. When you manage to do all the problems test yourself by doing some extra problems at the end of the chapter. If you have understood the concepts you should have an idea how the solve the problem immediately. The point here is to sharpen your thinking and to build confidence.

Hints for taking the Exam.	Take a few minutes and read ALL the questions. Mark the questions you know how to do first. Do the question you can do first and MAKE SURE you do it right. Since you know how to do the problem you should need less time than allocated. If you can do more than half of the questions correctly then this serves as a confidence builder. You should feel more relaxed when you come across a more difficult problem and thus can think more clearly.

Observations.	The top student in one my former classes has never taken physics before. When asked how she managed to get excellent grades, she said she did EVERY PROBLEM at the end of each chapter. Over the years, I have found that the top students do a lot more than the assigned problems. To morale is, you need to practice doing the problems.

Comments by students.