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Re: [Phys-l] docking for correct thinking




On Mar 22, 2011, at 12:07 PM, Bernard Cleyet wrote:

On another list a teacher wrote:

On a related note, I had 2 students come up to complain about the points I deducted from their lab because they had massed a billiard ball and reported it as 1.58 kg instead of 0.158. They lost points for the error and in a few places where they used the erroneous mass to come to wrong conclusions.


Am I legitimately concerned about the punishment for the allegedly wrong conclusion(s)?

Here's what I wrote in response: (not yet posted -- "discretion")


I'm w/ them; their conclusion(s) wasn't (were't) wrong.

bc wonders, if they'd concluded what you think is correct even w/ the 10X error, Dan woulda not docked them?

p.s. I am concerned about this. You've docked them for "correct" thinking, not a good message.


bc wonders if he's off the deep end.

p.s. one of the few things I remember from my HS physics (elite private school) is, if an error made early, no further docking if the remaining is all carried out correctly. (consistently)


Howdy,

People have died because of medical doses that are orders of magnitude wrong! Billions of dollars were lost because of a mixup between SI and English units (minor compared to those who lost their lives).

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)