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From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 14, 2021 at 10:22 AM EDT
Can we get an announcement for instructions for tomorrow's final?
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Response:
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 6, 2021 at 11:29 PM EDT
The problem 10 in Pset6 is the same as the problem 2 in Fall 2010 Final Exam, yet the solutions provided are not consistent. In the solution of Pset6, specifically part b, the summation of the contribution of the ring diagrams runs from l=3 whereas in the solution of Fall 2010 Final Exam it runs from l=2. (A similar problem appears in the testrev3 problem 1(d), where the summation runs from l=2.) Could you clarify which version is correct? Thank you!
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Response: In case of such conflicts, the solutions from the problem set will be correct.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 3, 2021 at 4:18 PM EDT
Can we have the solutions to test #1 to study for the final exam? Thanks!
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Response: All were previously posted: Test#1 Solutions, Test#2 Solutions, Test#3 Solutions
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 3, 2021 at 1;24 PM EDT
Can we have the review problems for the final exam soon?
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Response: Samples from previous Final Exams (which can serve as review problems) will be posted along with solutions to PS#6 (due to overlap).
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 3, 2021 at 2:58 AM EDT
Can bonus points carry over between different psets?
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From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 2, 2021 at 1:58 PM EDT
Can we submit problem set 6 by emailing Nisarga?
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Response: Please contact Nisarga directly.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 1, 2021 at 8:22 PM EDT
Can we have the solution of the test3?
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Response: Link to Test#3 Solutions
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: December 1, 2021 at 2:24 AM EDT
Are all the psets graded out of 60 points? I.e. is 360 points the maximum possible score for the psets?
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Response: Including optional problems, the grade for an individual problem set can exceed 60, but the overall problem set grade is capped at 36%.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 30, 2021 at 2:42 PM EDT
What is the form of the final exam?
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From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 25, 2021 at 11:06 PM EDT
Is the final exam the same format as the 3 midterms (option of Zoom or in person; problems from Pset 6 + Final Exam Review Problems)?
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Response: The final exam has now been set by the registrar for Wednesday 12/15/2021 from 9:00 to 12:00noon.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 21, 2021 at 10:01 AM EDT
IIn the solution for Pset4 3(c), the final answer should be the inverse of the current one. (The rearrangement in the solution is not correct)
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Response: Also correct.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 20, 2021 at 9:28 PM EDT
I am wondering if there is a typo in the solution of 1(c) for Pset4, the answer should have a minus sign. I checked with Mathematica using the result in 1(b) and I got a minus sign in front.
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Response: Yes, this is a typo, and will be corrected.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 19, 2021 at 10:47 AM EDT
If we want to get extra credits for pset 6, should we submit solutions to optional problems before 12/3? Will related material be covered by then?
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Response: Yes, the due date of PS#6 is 12/3, and the relevant material would have been covered by then.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 11, 2021 at 8:48 PM EDT
I think there may be a typo in Problem Set 5 Problem 1 Part (b): it does not seem possible for there to be both a factor of beta on the left side of the equation and a factor of k_B T on the right side.
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Response: Yes, thank you for the correction; the typo will be removed.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: November 3, 2021 at 10:17 PM EDT
How is the final letter grade determined? ...
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Response: Not an appropriate topic for this forum. You can always contact me directly with specific queries.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 28, 2021 at 12:44 PM EDT
Is it possible to post solutions to the tests so we can learn from our mistakes?
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Response: Link to Test#2 Solutions
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 28, 2021 at 12:44 PM EDT
Hi Prof. Kardar. I want to preface this by ...
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Response: Please note that in this forum I only respond by comments of general interest. You can always contact me directly with specific queries.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 27, 2021 at 9:19 PM EDT
Will the zoom link / instructions for exam 2 be the same as those for exam 1?
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Response: Yes.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 24, 2021 at 1:49 AM EDT
Can we get pset2 back?
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Response: Please contact the TA for any problem sets not picked up.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 4, 2021 at 11:27 AM EDT
Where can we find instructions (zoom link, where the exam will be uploaded, where we should upload our answers, etc.) for the exam?
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Response: As indicated in the page for announcements from September 28
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: October 1, 2021 at 3:44 PM EDT
Will we be expected to perform contour integration on the exam? Can we use calculators or programs like Mathematica during the exam?
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Response: If you find it helpful to rely on integral tables, calculator, or Mathematica, it is fine (in my view unnecessary).
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 30, 2021 at 10:25 PM EDT
I wonder if there is a type in the solution of test review problem #1(b): S_aw *<=* S_as - S_ws. Shouldn't it be "greater than or equal to", otherwise the cosine{\theta_C} will be greater than 1?
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Response: The absence of any angle that satisfies the equility is precisely the reason why a droplet cannot form on the surface, and instead a film covers the surface in what is called complete wetting.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 30, 2021
I'm struggling to keep up with the lectures on kinetic theory. Do you have suggestions for how to study and understand the material better?
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Integral evaluations for the "probability" section of Exam 1. Would we be asked to compute very complicated integrals other than those that are done in the Exam 1 preparation materials? i.e. problem 6 contains some examples-- would we have to know how to do this kind of integrals beyond these exact functions?
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Can you cover derivations for the integrals in problem 6-(c,d) in exam 1 materials?
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Response: These are very good questions for office hours as useful answers must account for the background of the questioner.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 28, 2021 at 4:19 PM EDT
I noticed the anonymous poll asks for our department and year. Will the grading standards be the same for all students (grad vs. ugrad, physics vs. not physics)?
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Response: Grading scheme is blind.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 27, 2021 at 4:26 PM EDT
How will the exam be released/collected if we choose to take it online? Will we have extra time for submission? Also, are the online and in-person exams the exact same exam?
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Response: The pdf of the exact paper-copy test will be made available online (via zoom or otherwise) at 2:30pm. Sufficient time will be available after 4pm to allow for scanning and submission of answers.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 24, 2021 at 2:12 AM EDT
The exam will include pset 2, but we won't have the solutions to that until a week after the exam. How can we make sure we don't make the same mistake twice?
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Response: Probability questions on Test#1 will be inspired by (but not identical to) those on the Test#1 preparation material.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 21, 2021 at 12:02 AM EDT
The course schedule currently has 2 due days for PS5, one on Nov. 18th and the other on Nov. 22th. Is one of them mistaken?
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Response: Nov. 18th is correct, and the additional date has been removed from the webpage. Thank you for catching this.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 19, 2021 at 10:08 PM EDT
Do we need to include our name or pseudonym (or both) on our pset submissions?
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Response: Please include your name on your pset submission.
The Physics Homework bins are located at the intersection of buildings 8 and 16, on 3rd floor on building 8 (connecting to 4th floor of building 16). There is a box that is marked 8.333. If you prefer not to hand in paper copies, you can make arrangements with the TA (npaulATmitDOTedu) to submit your work electronically.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 19, 2021 at 12:02 AM EDT
How will our grade be computed at the end of the term? Is it based solely on the percentage we obtain? If so, what percentage do we need to obtain a B+ (to cover the core requirement of the physics PhD)? Thanks!
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Response:--From the MIT Regulations of the Faculty:
In accord with MIT Rules and Regulations of the Faculty section 2.62, the Physics Department does not grade on a curve. Students are assessed individually, and there is no pre-determined grade spread in any subject. Consistent with this, after Drop Date, students who remain in a class are not in jeopardy of seeing their grades change due to the change in class composition.
Your final letter grade will reflect our best attempt to evaluate objectively your performance in the course:
A: Exceptionally good performance, demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials.B: Good performance, demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle the problems and materials encountered in the subject.
C: Adequate performance, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simple problems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.
D: Minimally acceptable performance, demonstrating at least partial familiarity with the subject matter and some capacity to deal with relatively simple problems, but also demonstrating deficiencies serious enough to make it inadvisable to proceed further in the field without additional work.
F: Failed. This grade also signifies that the student must repeat the subject to receive credit.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 17, 2021 at 1:06 PM EDT
How to hand in problem sets?
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Response: The Physics Homework bins are located at the intersection of buildings 8 and 16, on 3rd floor on building 8 (connecting to 4th floor of building 16). There is a box that is marked 8.333. If you prefer not to hand in paper copies, you can make arrangements with the TA (npaulATmitDOTedu) to submit your work electronically.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 13, 2021 at 9:38 AM EDT
On the "Tests" page, it says "The in-class tests will be composed from a subset of the problems presented here and in the homeworks." However, on the review problems, it says the exam only "will be inspired by (but not identical to)" the practice problems. In other classes, practice problems have often not reflected the actual problems on the exam, and it always stresses me out a ton when there could be surprises on the exams. What would be the best way to prepare for the exams?
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Response: Yes, the statement on the "Tests" webpage was incorrect, and has now been updated. The test problems will be similar (but not identical) to those in the homework and practice material. The Tests, however, will be "open book" with the option of taking them online (over the stated time period).
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 13, 2021 at 9:38 AM EDT
Is there a typo in lecture 2 notes? The equality right above equation I.21 where it says Q3=Q1-W13=Q2(1-nu). Is the Q2 supposed to be Q1?
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Response: Yes, it should be Q1.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 11, 2021 at 12:12 PM EDT
I wonder if the practice problems and solutions for exam 1 have been posted yet? As of now, I got a system error when clicking on the link to exam practice problems.
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Response: I usually post them closer to the test date, but have now posted material for Test#1.
From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 9, 2021 at 12:57 AM EDT
Just to confirm, although homework has a 36% weight in the total grade, attempting all required problems only contributes to 30%. That's said, the optional problems have 6% contribution? What is the formula of calculating the homework grade? The syllabus says that each in-class test is a subset of seen problems. Does the universal set include optional problems in problem sets? Thank you.
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From: <anonymous-8.333-student@mit.edu>
Subject: comments on 8.333 in Fall 2021
Date: September 9, 2021 at 7:17 AM EDT
I have two questions. The first is related to the page "http://web.mit.edu/8.333/www/admin/Organization.html". In the section "Problem sets", I wonder if there is a typo in the sentence "Thus, perfect scores on all the non-optional problems leads to the maximal grade of 30 from the problem sets.". Should it be 36 rather than 30? The second question is related to the number of in-class hours for 8.333. As the class has Units: 4-0-8, I thought that this would be 4 hours in class per week, so two classes of 1h30 and a class of 1h. I mention this because on Fridays, I have a half hour overlap between the 8.309 recitation and this class, and I haven't yet decided if I shall arrive 30 min late every Friday for this class, or leave 30 min early the 8.309 recitation. Some of my colleagues decided to delay taking either 8.309 or 8.333 to next Fall to avoid this issue.
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Response: 1. Thank you for catching the typo, which is now corrected. Full credit for the required problems (with no attempt at the optional ones) will count for %36 of the overall grade. I apologize for any confusion.
2. With the exception of two occasions, 8.333 has followed the current format for the past 20 years. Unfortunately, conflicts do occur, but to change the format of 8.333 would degrade its contents. I understand if- as has occurred in the past- students need to enter or leave in the middle of lectures due to conflicts.