PMU199Y

Essay 1

Grade Weighting: 5%

This is the first of three written assignments due in Fall semester.

Due date: Wed 01 Oct 2014 by 2:10pm

Please note: the following description may look long at first, but don't panic! I have deliberately designed it like a FAQ, so that it is straightforward for you to figure out what I expect. Just take a deep breath, read the instructions carefully all the way through to the bottom, and then ask me if you have any remaining questions.

Topic: the LHC and the Higgs

Answer the following questions:-

  1. What is the LHC, and why would anyone care? (50%)
  2. What is the Higgs boson? Discuss its recent discovery. (40%)
  3. What do particle physicists hope to see at the LHC in future? (10%)

Note: before you start, you may wish read my Essay Grading Rubric. Here's the executive summary: essentially, I grade for two things: (1) physics accuracy, and (2) how well you explain things (pedagogy).

Useful Resources

Your primary source of information for our course is my Notes, which I make available here on this web site. Our required textbook is also likely to be useful in writing your essay. (The index of Greene's book shows where to find relevant pages.) Another good book is Dan Falk's book Universe on a T-shirt, which should be available in the library.

Reputable, understandable sources of online information about the LHC include:

Please note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable source/reference in this course. The primary reason is that Wikipedia's accuracy is best on topics that are known by many people in enough detail for the article to be authoritative. Unfortunately, bona fide experts in modern theoretical physics are far less common online than unqualified cowboys who think they can do modern theoretical physics. The second issue with Wikipedia is that the level of technicality of physics articles is often mismatched to PMU199Y student needs. You may of course use Wikipedia as a mechanism of finding reputable sources, such as books written for laypeople by physics professors.

If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of a source, please ask your friendly professor by email. That is what I am here for.

Page Setup

Your assignment should be about two-and-a-half pages in length, including references. If you write less than two pages of content (i.e., the part that isn't the list of references), the maximum grade you can score will be correspondingly lower.

Make sure that your assignment is typed, single spaced, on US letter-size (8.5 x 11 inch) paper, with one-inch margins, in a plain font (e.g. Verdana) of size 12pt (twelve points), in black colour.

Please use the APA system of formatting references.

Note: do not use a separate title page. This is a waste of paper. Just write your student name and number in the header (or top line) of page 1 of your essay.

Here is an example of what your essay might look like.

Style

Stylistically, please write this essay conversationally - as if you are verbally explaining this stuff to your favourite artsy cousin who knows little or nothing about science. Use the first person and the active voice. Don't forget to use paragraphs properly.

Handing In

Essays must be handed in before the deadline in both of the following two ways, for the safety of students (and instructor):

(1) an electronic version, with your name and student number on it, sent to the prof by e-mail from your official UofT email account;

(2) a printed version, with your name, student number and signature on it, handed in to the prof personally at the beginning of class. This must be stapled together properly or it cannot be accepted.

At least one of the two versions must be handed in before the deadline – preferably the electronic version.

Document Format

The only two electronic document formats I encourage you to use are: Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Portable Document Format (.pdf). Note: LibreOffice is a great alternative to Word for editing .rtf files; it works on Mac Windows and Linux and costs $0.

The filename for the attachment you submit to me by email must include your name and our course code PMU199Y. Please use a filename like pmu199y-essay1-firstname-lastname.pdf.

Academic Integrity

Compliance with all UofT academic integrity guidelines is, of course, compulsory. For clarification of what is expected of UofT students, please carefully study the handouts on Academic Integrity (the Writing handouts will also be useful). For example, do remember to properly quote and reference all sources you use, and don't cut-and-paste content from the internet. Please read How Not To Plagiarize.

Essays will be run through the University's TurnItIn.com system for detecting cheating in essays. All this does is checks whether you have lifted paragraphs or phrases straight from common sources without referencing properly. If you don't cheat and do use good citation hygiene, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Please follow the instructions at turnitin.com on how to register. Our class ID and password were given out during class on September 17th -- they will not be provided on this website for security reasons. If you would prefer not to participate with Turnitin, you must provide alternative evidence that your essay is your own work. You must discuss this with me in person; I require proof of at least two rough drafts along with the finished essay.

You are also required to print, fill in, and sign the Essay Checklist. This is compulsory.