Guidelines for study and for exam preparation   

The guidelines listed here are to be read in conjunction with those in the Syllabus.

Goals of Exams
* To reinforce the important knowledge taught in the course;
* To promote the learning of the course material through a reward system.

General Study Guidelines
* Students need to spend 8 to 12 hours outside of class/discussion-session time, according to the Carnegie-unit rule for a 4-unit course (see the Syllabus), and also according to the guideline given by TB1, p.xxvi.
*  Read assignments, before each class, using the new HW problems as a guideline.
*  Read class page (which gives preview of the coming class) on the Course Web, before each class
* Take lecture notes.
* After each class, review your lecture notes and compare them with the class pages and 10C list on the Course Web.
* After each class, review the class page (which gives highlights for each class) and  the 10C list pages in the Course Web. The class pages give a chronological documentation of the material taught. The 10C list pages give a logical summary of the important contents of the course.
* Do the HWs and understand all the problems and answers before handing them in.
* If there is anything unclear to you, ask Professor Chau right away during the class, or right after the class before the blackboard is erased, or send her an e-mail anytime.
* Only those course materials in writing (during the lectures, in the class highlights, HWs, TB1 and TB2) will be in the exams. Materials in TB1 and TB2, but not written down in the lectures and not in HWs, will be less than 30% of the contents of exams. (Hopefully, with this clarification, students will enjoy more during the lecture, and will not feel pressured by those web links on Chau's course web. However, as in all learning, such culture, "peripheral view," is important for enhancing true learning and making learning enjoyable.)

Exam Study Guidelines
* A pyramid approach:
    ** Top: HWs & 10C lists;
    ** Second to the top: Lecture web pages & and your notes;
    ** Third to the top: TB1;
    ** The bottom: TB2 & class demos, movies, and web culture links.
* With the understanding of the Top, you should get most of the exams. So, the items in the Top are your first priority, especially if you are short of time. However, we all know that we can not cramp knowledge. The brain needs time and varied stimulus to soak in knowledge and, more importantly, to apply knowledge. That is why students should read assignments first, then participate in class, start homework early, ask questions by sending Chau e-mails, attend discussion sessions, work out and finally finish HWs in a neat fashion.)

* Items to be clearly understood and memorized for the Final Exam, in additional to those in Quiz 1,2, & 3.
    ** For short-answer type of questions, Energy conservation, its varied forms [potential energy {gravitational and electric), mass-kinetic energy, radiation energy] and its varied applications are the most important. Next is angular momentum conservation. [We can easily reach this conclusion by a survey of all our short-answer questions.]
    ** Concepts and equations given in Addenda to HW10.
    ** Luminosity and apparent brightness.
    ** Hubble's law, revisited.
    ** Eras of the universe.
    ** Possible fates of the universe.
    ** 10C list.
    ** All HWs & Quizzes.

* Items to be clearly understood and memorized for Quiz 3, in addition to those in Quiz 2:
    ** Formula of angular momentum of a rotating object about a point (e.g., Earth around the Sun).
    ** Units for angular momentum (same as h or h-bar).
    ** Spins of particles are integer or half-integer in the unit of h-bar.
    ** Charge of particles are quantize in the unit of e, the proton charge, i.e., Q_p = e.
    ** and all those covered in HW6 & 7.
    ** and all those summarized in 10C5-8 and in 10C9-10.

* Items to be remembered for Quiz 2:
    ** Speed of light, c.
    ** Newton's universal law of force and its potential energy (no need to remember the number of G, but you need to know how to figure out its units).
    ** Planck's energy equation (no need to remember the value of Planck's constant, but you need to know how to figure out its units.)
    ** What Planck scales are about so that when you see them in terms of G, c, and h, you can judge whether they are right.
    ** The one relation among the wavelength, frequency, and speed of a (monochromatic) light wave.
    ** Einstein's E = mc^2, and the exact meaning of m in terms of the rest mass.   
    ** Time dilation and space contraction.
* You do need to remember the important derived units:  e.g., units for speed, momentum, angular momentum, acceleration, area, volume, density, energy, force, frequency, etc.

During the Exam Guidelines
* Read the exam carefully. If you need clarification, go to the front to ask Professor Chau. (Needless to say, no answers to exam problems will be given.)
* The problems in exam are always such that no calculators are need. (Tables will be provided if necessary.) Therefore, the feeling that you need a calculator may well be a signal that you are on a not-so-good track.

Final Exam Reminder
* Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm, Thu, 3/18/04
* The final exam will be comprehensive.
* At least one third of the final exam will be on new materials after Quiz 3. The other two thirds of the final will be distributed on materials of the whole quarter.
* New material after Quiz 3:
    ** lectures 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. (See your own notes and compare with class web page.), also as summarized in  10C-9-10.
    ** HWs 8, 9, & 10; and Addenda to HW10.
    ** Weeks 8, 9, & 10 reading assignments, see Reading Assignment web page.
* Style will be similar to that of Quizzes.
 * The Pyramid study approach, with 10C list and HWs on the top of priority,  is still highly recommended.

Quiz 3 Reminder
* Time: 3:10-3:50pm, Thu, 3/4/04
* The test is cumulative.
* Main material to be tested:
    ** lectures 11, 12, 13, 14 (See your own notes and compare with class web page.), also as summarized in  10C-5-8.
    ** HWs 6 & 7; 
    ** TB1: S3 (Spacetime & Gravity), S4 (Building Blocks of the Universe);
    ** TB2: Chapter 7 (The "Super" in Superstring), Chapter 8 (More Dimensions Then Meet the Eye), Chapter 9 (The Smoking Gun: Experimental Signatures), Chapter 10 (Quantum Geometry):
             *** mainly things asked in HW6 & 7.

Quiz 2 Reminder
* Time: 3:10-3:50pm, Thu, 2/19/04
* Main material to be tested
    ** lectures since Quiz 1; 
    ** HW 3,4, & 5; 
    ** TB1: Chapter 5 (Universal Laws of Nature), Chapter 6 (Light), and S2 (Space and Time);
    ** TB2: p.23-p.165,  mainly things asked in HW3, 4, & 5.
    ** C1 to C4 of the 10C list, which gives a logical summary of the important material to be tested in Quiz 2.
* There will be about 10 problems, a combination of short-answer and multiple-choice problems. For multiple-choice problems, students should only mark one answer.
* Although Quiz 2 is on the material mentioned above, the basic material covered in Quiz 1 will be used. Therefore, it is important that all students clearly understand that material for Quiz 2 is cumulative. Students are urged to fully understand the answers to Quiz 1, especially where a mistake was made by the student. It will be good to review C0, which gives a succinct summary of Quiz 1 material and serves as a basis for Quiz 2 and future exams.
* Students are always encouraged to contact Professor Chau by e-mail if there are any concerns and questions, as soon as possible. Active responses from students at her meeting with them during discussion sessions on 2/10/11 and 2/11/04 were very helpful. Those who had actively participated and gave constructive suggestion well deserve bonus points. Please sent an e-mail to her, as always.