Final Exam Information#

Logistics#

The final exam will:

  • be conducted on Canvas in the same format of a Test.

  • be scheduled exam during the official scheduled time

  • be expected to join a Collaborate Ultra session, and then split off into breakout rooms according to your tutorial sections for invigilation (I will invigilate the tutorial exempt students).

  • have the same rules as Tests (but no test window).

  • have a time limit of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

  • include multiple choice questions (similar to Tests).

  • include short answer questions (similar to final/midterm practice Qs).

  • include some long answer questiosn (similar to practice final/midterm Qs)

  • require you to solve some problems with symbols/algebra.

  • NOT include questions on deriving formulas.

  • have some choice (not a lot) in which problems you can choose to do.

Final exam rules#

The usual “Test” rules apply to the final exam also:

  • You must complete the test BY YOURSELF (no friends, no tutors, no classmates, no humans - cats and dogs in the room are - fine).

  • You DO NOT need to add the units in to the answers, Canvas numeric fields require only the numbers.

  • Any form of communication with other humans, terrestrial or extraterrestrial is not allowed (Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Terminal, Signal, iMessage, SMS, MMS, etc…)

  • The test is open-book, open-notes, open-web.

  • Copying the question text and googling IS CHEATING

  • Using google to search for concepts is NOT cheating.

  • You can use ANY resource except CHEGG, Course Hero, SLADER and other similar websites that have Q&A or answer questions.

  • If you come across the same or similar question on google, resist the temptation to keep reading, and close your browser tab.

  • Do NOT take pictures of the questions - that IS CHEATING.

  • Do NOT share test questions with your anyone - that IS CHEATING.

Overall, do not stress! You will be fine :-)

Exam Structure#

Here is the approximate structure of the final exam:

Part A: Conceptual questions (multiple choice questions) (30%)

Part B: Short word problems (numerical answers, similar to Tests) (20%)

Part C: Long word problems - choose N of M (similar to practice final exam) (50%)

Warning

For Part C, you will be expected to submit written work as images (after the exam) supporting your answers.

Show your work#

During the final exam, you will be expected to work on paper (or a digital equivalent using iPad/tablet, etc…).

For Part C questions, you will be expected to submit your written work as images (after the exam) supporting your answers.

Here are our expectations for your work:

  • Your work should be logical, legible, and intelligible.

  • This does not mean that we will grade your handwriting, diagrams, etc.

  • For each question you choose to do in Part C, you should submit your work solving the problem.

Here is an example of what we are expecting:

../_images/work.png

Content#

The final exam will cover all chapters covered in the course, up until (and including) Chapter 11.

Passing requirement#

There seems to be some confusion about the passing requirement for the final exam.

From the syllabus, here is the passing requirement:

Yes. To pass this course, you must do all of the following:

  • Achieve a minimum of 50% on the labs (10.0 / 20) with no more than 3 missed labs

  • Achieve a minimum of 50% on the tests and final exam (25.0 / 50)

  • Achieve a minimum of 50% on the whole course grade (50.0 / 100)

Note that you must achieve a minimum of 50% COMBINED on the tests and final exams.

For example, if you completed five tests over the term and achieved grades of: 8/10, 6/10, 9/10, 10/10, 8/10. This means a total score of 41/50 on the tests. The final exam will be out of 50 marks, so the minimum mark you need to achieve on the final to pass the course is 9/50, or 18%. Please, please, please do not take this to mean that you can take the exam lightly, and that you are guaranteed to pass the course. Failing the final that badly will trigger a manual review of the course work you have submitted so far, and may result in more headache for you in the end. The point of this example is just to assure you that if you’ve been working hard in the course, doing the tests and bonus tests, keeping up with the material, getting help when you need it, chances are, you will be fine.

I will be individually reviewing each case of large disparities between course and final exam performances.

Practice Exams#

You can find lots of past final and midterm exams here along with full worked solutions. Please note that the midterms and final exams on that page were done before the pandemic, so were in person and were closed-book. Another thing to note that we did not do Chapter 12 this term, so you can ignore all questions on rotational dynamics (torque, moment of inertia, rotational energy, centre of mass, rolling friction, and angular momentum).

Academic Integrity#

You will be expected to uphold the highest standard of academic integrity during your final exam for Physics 111, and all other courses as well. As a reminder, here is UBC’s statement on Academic Integrity:

Doing your own work, acknowledging the contributions of others, and seeking help when you need it are all part of what academic integrity means at UBC, as is avoiding tools and services that subvert these practices.

Academic integrity is a commitment to upholding the values of respect, integrity, and accountability in academic work. It is foundational to teaching and learning and is a fundamental and shared value of all members of the UBC community. UBC adopts an educative approach to academic integrity that supports students and instructors around awareness and that values academic misconduct processes that are fair and effective.

Academic integrity is a set of values and skills that must be learned and refined over time. Instructors are responsible for setting clear expectations around academic integrity in their courses, modelling honest behaviour as teachers and scholars, and creating a space for students to develop their understanding of academic integrity. Students are responsible for meeting these expectations in their academic work, developing an understanding of concepts, and seeking support when they have questions. UBC is responsible for creating and sustaining the culture of academic integrity that makes all of this possible.

Everyone plays a part in supporting and enhancing academic integrity at UBC.