[Physltest] [Phys-L] Re: California standards test in physics

[Marc Kossover <zeke_kossover@YAHOO.COM>]

Others have already commented on some parts, but I
will add my own two cents (which my students can
convert to dollars, no problem, but sometimes can't
convert centimeters to meters.)

> 8. A ball is thrown straight up and then falls
> straight back down. When it attains maximum
> height, the ball's velocity is
> A equal to its displacement.
> B equal to its displacement divided by the time.
> C at its maximum.
> D at its minimum.

For additional clarification, answer choices A and B
need to have added to them "...displacement at its
maximum height."

<http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/css05rtqphysics.pdf>

Question 10 has a plane on a string flying in a circle
and wants to know what will happen to the path of the
plane after the string is cut. The answer choices are
drawings of the plane's path. Besides the fact that if
the plane actually works, the path will be really
strange, the drawing of the plane's path in the
question and the plane's path in the answer are from
different perspectives. The problem should say that
the answers are the paths looking straight down from
above.

----

I will also insert my standard complaint that, like
most state tests, the released questions are at a low
conceptual level. Further, the test includes many
parts which are frequently taught in chemistry and
includes virtually nothing interesting from optics.

Marc "Zeke" Kossover
The Jewish Community High School of the Bay




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