wp home > junior year writing > sourcebook for instructors > physics 381

Physics 381: Writing in Physics

William Mullin, Fall 1999

Course Prerequisites
a) ENGLWRIT 112, College Writing. You cannot take the Junior writing course before you have finished the Freshman writing course. b) PHYSIC 284, Modern Physics I, or equivalent. If you have not had this course I recommend that you drop 381, and take it only after you finish Physics 284.

Course Goals 
Physics 381 is designed as a part of the University's writing requirement. Since its main goal is to improve your writing skills, you will do considerable writing—the theory being that you learn it by doing it, with some coaching from the instructors and your fellow students. The course is taught in the Physics Department rather than, say, the English Department for several reasons:

• If a Physics professor tells you writing is important to your field, you might take the advice more seriously than you would hearing it from a professor in the English Department.

• The course content is in your major. There is indeed course content; see below.

• There are styles and techniques of writing that are peculiar to Physics and to the sciences; an English professor is unlikely to be able to demonstrate these.

The course content is the interpretation of the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is taught in our Modern Physics courses, Physics 284 and 424, as well as the senior course, Physics 564. However those courses, while touching on questions of interpretation tend to concentrate on problem solving and the applications of quantum mechanics. The fundamental concepts tend to border on philosophy, and are usually swept under the rug in these introductory courses by use of the standard “Copenhagen interpretation.” What we want to emphasize in this course is “quantum weirdness”, the way certain experiments and their interpretation force us to take on a very unusual view of the world, at odds with our intuitive classical view. The wonderful feature of quantum weirdness is that we can approach it very qualitatively and use it for verbal rather than quantitative or mathematical presentations.

Physics has two parts: the mathematical part, including variables, equations, derivations, and experimental data; and a verbal part, in which we interpret what the equations and variables really mean qualitatively. Mastering the latter part is fundamental to being a physicist, and yet we do not emphasize this aspect sufficiently in our course work, which is usually more problem-oriented (i.e., mathematical). This course is an attempt to fill in that deficiency.

Textbooks 
The required texts for the course are two books on quantum mechanics and quantum weirdness to be found in the Textbook Annex. They are

• George Greenstein and Arthur Zajonc, The Quantum Challenge,  Jones and Bartlett Publishers (1997).

• David Lindley, Where does the Weirdness Go? Basic Books (1996).

I also plan to hand out my own notes on the subject. There are many other books that you might acquire for your library and that would be useful to this course, for example,

• Jim Baggott, The Meaning of Quantum Theory, Oxford University Press (1995).

• John Gribbon, In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat, Bantum Books (1984).

• John Gribbon, Schrödinger’s Kittens and the Search of Reality, Back Bay Books (1995) (the sequel to the above Gribbon book).

• Nick Herbert, Quantum Reality, Anchor Books, (1985).

• N. David Mermin, Boojums All the Way Through, Cambridge, (1990). (Mermin is one of the most graceful writers among physicists. Sec. II is perfectly on the subject.)

• J. S. Bell, Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics, Cambridge (1991) (Bell single-handedly changed the way we understand quantum mechanics. The book has several classic articles intended for a popular audience.)

• P. Davies and J. Brown (eds.), The Ghost of the Atom, Cambridge (1986)

There are many others books on quantum mechanics. I will hand out reprints of individual articles.

You are expected to own a writing Handbook. If you still have one from your Freshman writing course, it will do. Otherwise buy whatever one you want; at least one will be on the shelves for sale at the Textbook Annex in connection with ENGLWRIT 112.

How Classes Will Be Conducted/Attendance
While most graded writing will be done outside of class, there will be short non-graded writing assignments in class. In class we will also discuss the required readings, have brief lectures if necessary, and do peer reviews of draft papers. Because papers are due at class time and handed to other students for peer review during class, and because class discussion is crucial, it is important that you attend every class. In fact, you are allowed only two unexcused absences before your grade is affected. Lateness for class can be a problem in this course, so being on time also will be counted in the attendance part of your grade.

Writing Assignments
Each paper you write will go through several drafts. You will presumably make notes, outlines, etc., and then write an initial draft . You will polish this by one or two more drafts and put into neat form for handing in. This is the mid-process draft (MPD). Note that it is not the first or rough draft, even though it is probably the first one seen by anyone else. The MPD is read by fellow students and by me and/or the TA. Suggestions for improvements are then incorporated into the final draft. It is even possible that this “final draft” may need revision.

During the semester I will assign approximately five papers, each a minimum of 1250 words (if you are unsure of the number you have, use your word processor to count the words). Shorter papers may lose credit. Length counts because writing is somewhat like learning to play a musical instrument; the longer paper your paper, the more you have practiced, and the more you improve your writing.

I will assign some in-class writing projects, and you will also keep a journal describing your reactions to the assigned readings.

I will strictly enforce due dates for the various drafts; see the accompanying due date sheet. Since everyone’s schedule (peer reviewers’, instructors’) depends on having the papers to read, it is absolutely necessary that you turn in assignments on time. You will be allowed one free late assignment. Each further late assignment will lower your grade. Plan ahead.

There are many possible styles of writing in physics and science in general. Mostly we will be concerned with writing qualitative pieces, those without a lot of mathematics. These involve qualitative interpretations of physical concepts where one is not able to hide behind a flurry of math symbols. The technical level used depends strongly on the capabilities of the intended audience. Among the types of writing involved in physics, in rough order of increasing degree of sophistication of the intended audience, are a science article in a newspaper (for example, Science Times in the Tuesday NY Times), a Scientific American article, a chapter from a conceptual physics text, a Physics Today article, a Physics Department colloquium, a proposal to the National Science Foundation or some other agency, a textbook chapter, a journal article, etc. Learning to write at a variety of levels will help you in whatever profession you enter.

All writing that is submitted should be done on a word processor. There are computers available in several locations, including the Departmental resource room in Hasbrouck 205.

Peer Critiques
One or more fellow students will critique every MPD. Lest you feel that this is the blind leading the blind, let me note that the peer critique is done as much for the reader’s sake as for the writer’s! Reading someone else’s material gives the reader a lot of insight into how others solve writing problems—or not. Moreover, the student critic can usually give helpful suggestions of ways to improve the writing. The TA and I will also read every MPD and provide further  suggestions for improvements. On a later page of this outline you should find “Guidelines for Preparing a Critique of a Draft Paper.” Read this as a guide to writing.

Conferences and Portfolios
Occasionally I will talk to each student individually about his or her writing. At such a conference I may want to look at all of your work to date. You should keep a portfolio with all your notes, outlines, rough drafts, MPD’s, and final drafts of all papers so I can see how you attack your work. The portfolio will be handed in at the end of the semester for final evaluation.

Oral Presentations
Each student will make at least one oral presentation, and possibly two, based on the writing he or she is doing.

Grades
While I will give you analyses of the strong and weak points of your writing, generally I will not assign a letter grade. I feel that seeing a low letter grade on a paper may discourage a poor writer who may be working hard and improving rapidly. Also good writers may begin to take it easy upon seeing a high grade. However, I will be glad to look over your portfolio at any time and tell you how you are doing and what your likely grade is—it is not meant to be a military secret, just disassociated from each individual piece of writing.

Class participation will also be counted in the final grade. Approximately 15% of your grade will depend on your contributions to the discussion. If you are really shy and don’t like to speak out, I will try to work out some alternative to help you earn these points.

It would be wonderful if there were no time pressures in student life and everyone was always perfectly organized, highly motivated, and got all assignments in on time. Exams would be unnecessary, etc. But in the real world, it is often the fear of penalties that makes us do what we might have wanted to anyway. So…

Late papers (unless excused for good reason) affect your grade as follows:

• First late paper (less than five days late)—no penalty

• First late paper (more than five days late)—grade is lowered on that paper one grade level at the beginning of each five-day period of lateness)

• Second late paper—grade on that paper is lowered two grade levels (an A becomes a B) at the first missed date and that is repeated for each three-day period of lateness.

• Subsequent late papers—your final overall grade is lowered one level for each missed due date.

         
Lack of attendance and lateness to class (unless excused for good reason) have the following penalties:

• Two absences—no penalty         

• Third and fourth absences—Grade on next paper due is lowered one grade level.

• Each instance of late arrival (beyond 5 or so minutes) counts from one-third up to a full absence depending on how much of class is missed. 

Plagiarism
Occasionally a student author writes a paper containing plagiarism even though the author had no intention of being dishonest. The student simply did not know that the method of using source material was improper. Attached is a detailed description of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it; please read and understand it. You are responsible for knowing what is and what is not plagiarism.

Updated September 3, 2008

 

UMail / UDrive / Spark / Spire