Depth Charge Extra Credit Opportunity

Depth Charge Report

Suppose you have been assigned to write a short article for the company newsletter. Your boss wants you to provide a deeper look at a topic only briefly mentioned in a longer article. This "sidebar story" must be focused enough to cover in one or two pages, and written for a literate audience of coworkers - scientists and engineers.

Style: your audience is like that of the New York Times Science section, or Discover Magazine

Scope: cover the topic in one or two pages (double spaced)

Citations: cite references within the text (use numbered endnotes to show sources for each idea in your piece). Include a list of references at the end, using a standard format (for examples, consult Physics Today, a magazine/journal in the library).

Topic: choose from the list below or submit your own (submit in writing for approval before 21 May )

Schedule:

paper is due 4:00 pm, 30 May 2003 - in my mailbox.

If your writing should be improved, rewrites will be due 4:00 pm, 6 June 2003.

Extra credit allocation: your average test grade will be improved by completing this report. I will give the report a score out of 10 points (maximum). This number will be added to your test scores in the averaging process.

Report scores will be based on the following criteria. You are urged to have a colleague read, proof, and critique your writing. Revise it several times; I can tell first drafts, and they don't receive many points.

Content is solid and interesting.

The topic is made clearly relevant in the introduction.
Supporting information is valid and relevant.
Conclusions are valid and clearly stated.

Organization and writing mechanics are unobtrusive.

Paragraph structure supports the flow of information.
Transitions are present and appropriate.
Sentence structure is appropriate.
Punctuation and grammar makes your point easy to understand.

Research and format concerns:

Sources are of high quality (see note below).
Sources are cited (within the text) and listed (as endnotes).

Each category will be scored as

Outstanding: exceeding instructor expectations
Excellent: of very high quality
Adequate: expectations are met
Unacceptable: expectations are not met

Sources may begin but not end with your texbook. Web sources are not encouraged, as their content is unregulated. ONLY ONE WEB SOURCE IS ACCEPTABLE, and it must be cited properly ( with full URL and date you downloaded it). Ask the librarians for help searching and for style guidelines if you are unsure. I tend to use journal articles as examples in reference and citation style. Try searching the INSPEC and Wilson databases, and watch for magazines like Discover and Scientific American.

Suggested topics: Answer one of the following burning questions, or come up with one of your own...

What are the historical reasons we use U for potential energy?

How did the development of kinematics and the technology of warfare influence each other?

What are micromachines, and how do Newton's laws of motion operate on a microscopic scale?

Do interactive physics applets on the web help students understand Newton's Laws of motion?

How does the Estes model rocket company help students and teachers work with ideas from physics?

What is the latest word on conservation of energy (and mass)? You'll want to see what science magazines have been publishing lately...

How could you help my wife's grandparents get a sense of what is meant by the following: what's a Newton, a meter/second? What does it mean to use a 100-W light bulb rather than a 60-W? Compare these things (and others) to quantities of everyday life.

How do police investigate traffic accidents using physics?

What are the physics of riding a bicycle -- and keeping it upright!

What are common misconceptions in Newtonian Mechanics? Find three on this list that you used to believe, and write about the accepted views. (Choose from the Energy, Force and Motion, and Work and Power sections only.)

Physics 114 - Newtonian Mechanics

Depth Charge Report