PHY198S

Physics at the Cutting Edge (2020-21) -- PHY198S

Midterm oral exams

Midterms will be held during the week of March 08-12. Each student has booked a half-hour timeslot, of which about 25 minutes will be spent chatting with me. The remaining 5 minutes is a cushion in case of minor technical difficulties. (If you end up having a major emergency at the scheduled time of your exam, like loss of power+internet or a natural/human disaster, text or call me. We will reschedule your exam, but it may get pushed to a less convenient time/day.)

Stylistically, I treat these oral exams like a conversation. I am not here to catch you out, trick you, or to make you feel small or humiliated in any way. My goal is simply to give you opportunities to show what you know, by asking experience-appropriate questions and listening carefully. If someone struggles to get started, I give them hints. I will not deduct marks for nervousness, hydrating, stimming, or stumbling over words or grammar. I will just add marks when you correctly describe or explain some relevant physics to me.

What are you allowed to look at during the exam, other than your Zoom window with me in it? Quoting from the syllabus: Sole allowed aid: one-page single-sided summary sheet created by you. If you print your Aid Sheet, it should be on standard US letter-sized (8.5x11 inch) paper. Please note: I will not be surveilling exactly what you look at during your exam, because I am a university educator, not a cop!  In return for trusting you, I expect you to behave honourably, in accordance with the UofT Academic Integrity policy. I will do the same.

The midterm exam covers Week 2 through Week 7 inclusive, encompassing six weeks of material. Because our entire conversation has to fit within 25 minutes, I will be able to spend at most 4 minutes per Week of material -- including the time it takes to ask my question(s), how much time you take to think before answering, and how long it takes you to give your answer(s). So I will not be delving deeply into any one aspect, and I will keep my questions qualitative. If you need to show me something, just write/sketch it on paper and hold it up to the camera.

How to prepare? Here are two suggestions. First: compress each of your Week 2 through Week 7 Summaries into 1/6 page chunks for your Aid Sheet. Second: verbally practise answering the following question for each week's material: What were the key physics ideas you learned that week, explained at a level that another PHY152 student not taking this course could understand?. Time yourself, and ensure that your thinking-and-answering time fits within 3 to 3.5 minutes.