One of Project BoxSand's goals is to close-the-loop on effective curriculum reform iterations. We are coding all the content and resources, every text, video, and homework question, to a set of atomistic learning objectives. As students go through the course we can see how their path through resources relates to successfully completing these learning objectives. This allows us to find the most effective resources for accomplishing the desired learning outcomes.  

Summary

The goal is to become familiar with the characteristics of vectors in multiple representations and use them for the appropriate physical quantities. Specifically, students need to be able to use physical and mathematical representation to perform vector operations such as scalar multiplication, addition, subtraction.

Atomistic Goals

Students will be able to...

1. Understand there are three mechanisms by which thermal energy can be transferred as heat.
2. Understand that all objects, everywhere, are constantly radiating (just maybe not in the visible spectrum so we don't notice it).

The success of this curriculum relies heavily on preparing for lecture by engaging with the pre-lecture study resources below. The pre-lecture videos and homework have the strongest correlation with success, followed by the reading. More engagement with all of the resources is correlated with better performance in the course. Students who do the pre-lecture study and homework also report much greater satisfaction with the course. Routine is the heavy lifter of success!

Reading

To prepare for the pre-lecture homework and the lecture material, read the following OpenStax textbook chapters, BoxSand introductions, or other linked articles. 

The openstax text covers Conduction in section 14.5, Convection in 14.6 and Radiation in 14.7

Videos

To prepare for the pre-lecture homework and lecture materials, watch the following required videos. Research shows that taking notes by hand is the preferable method for retention. For this reason these videos are paced so that you can write down everything we write down. There are also supplementary videos that are strongly suggested but could be viewed after lecture while working on practice problems. Watching all of these videos is shown to be one of the strongest correlators with success in this course. 

| Required Pre-lecture Videos |

Conduction (4min)

Convection (2min)

Radiation (4min)

Simulations

Other Suggested Resources

Pre-lecture Homework

Complete the following assignment before attending lecture or answering the lecture questions. Watching the videos and performing the suggested reading before attempting these questions will likely be necessary.

    Pre-lecture Homework | Calendar

In order to maximize efficiency while learning physics, education research has suggested a Flipped Classroom approach with multiple Guided Peer Learning (GPL) lectures a week. To get the most out of these events students need to front load the lecture with pre-lecture study, outlined above. Attending a live lecture is highly preferred but if you're unable to, there is an asynchronous alternative. During lecture it is important to either use a digital version with a tablet and pen, or print a copy to write on. If the live lectures feel too fast, read through each lecture question and prepare before class begins. Many questions will be skipped due to time constraints, it is a good study strategy to come back and try to answer those questions.

Lecture Templates

The blank template workbook is provided so that you do not have to write down the questions or redraw complicated figures.

    Lecture Template | Calendar

Lecture Solutions

The completed templates will be available within one week of the last lecture class. It is an important metacognative step to review the questions you've answered that we were unable to cover in class.

    Lecture Solutions | Calendar

The most important post-lecture activity is doing your post-lecture homework shortly after completing the lecture questions. You learn physics by practicing problems! Occasionally there may be additional resources on the BoxSand site that we feel could be helpful in your learning. Those resources will be linked here.

Reading

    1. none

Videos

This concept trailer from OpenStax motivates conduction, convection, and radiation through cooking.

Simulations

    1. none

Other Suggested Resources

    1. none

Example Problems and Practice

1. Sally places a rod of copper with cross-sectional area $A=0.5 {cm}^2$ and length = $1m$ such that one end is touching hot coals at a temperature $T_H = 600K$ and the other is in a bucket of ice at $T_c = 273K$. What is the rate of heat transfer through the rod? What mechanism of heat transfer is this?

2. Sally removes the rod from the fire and uses a digital thermometer to read its temperature. A few seconds later, she measures the temperature again and realizes it has dropped. From this she infers that the rod is at a higher temperature than the room. Assuming the rod is a black-body radiator, what is the rate of heat transfer due to radiation if the rod is at a temperature of $T_{cu}=450 K$ and the room is at a temperature of $T_{room}= 300 K$?

3. Jimmy baked some pizza and now the inside of his oven is at 600 °F . He wans to cool it down to 325 °F so that he can bake some cupcakes. Jimmy thinks he should place a fan in front of the oven to help it cool down, but Jimmy's friend Tony says that, since the oven is at such a higher temperature than its environment (600 °F versus 70 °F in the room), thermal radiation will qiuckly cool down the oven. If the goal is to cool the oven as quickly as possible do you agree with Jimmy or Tony, and why?

Solutions

4. There are additional practice problems you can work for credit | Calendar

Post-lecture Homework

Complete the post-lecture homework assignment as soon as possible after completing the lecture questions. If you need help, and you've already watched the pre-lecture videos and read the pre-lecture readings, reach out to one of our many support systems available here: support site.

    Post-lecture Homework | Calendar

One of the main learning objectives is improving problem solving and critical thinking skills. These are high on Bloom's Taxonomy of thinking and require synthesizing multiple logical ideas and concepts into a consistent framework. To improve these skills requires continually pushing the envelope on what you can analyze. Challenge homework is designed to push you, often to the point of reaching out for help. Luckily we are ready to support you with our live and asynchronous support. The last objective of challenge homework is for you to write out your solutions clearly, have them graded by a human, and partial credit given. Exams are all about partial credit and a clearly organized solution that leads the reader through the logical pieces. Challenge homework is place to practice these steps. For more help on any studies or homework, see our support site.

Your challenge homework solutions are to be saved as a PDF and uploaded to Gradescope.

Challenge Homework Questions

Download the questions below and either answer them digitally with your tablet and pen or by hand.

    Challenge Homework Questions can be found on the calendar.

Challenge Homework Solutions

Challenge homework solutions will be available within one week of their due date.

   Challenge Homework Solutions | Calendar