Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri
Spring 2004
Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri
Spring 2004
May 3, 2004 CHEMISTRY 104-2 Professor Bassam Zekin
Shakhashiri
FINAL EXAM HANDOUT Final Examination: 12:25 to 2:25 p.m., Thursday, May 13 721, 722, 725, 726, 731, 732, 735, 736 1351 Chemistry The final examination is comprehensive. It covers the entire course from the first lecture of January 21 through the lecture of Wednesday, May 5. As mentioned in the course syllabus and announced in class, the final examination will constitute 33% of the semester grade. The entire exam will consist of multiple choice questions of different point values. The total point value is 100. Please follow the instructions on the front page of the examination. Questions and problems are of the same degree of difficulty as on the three examinations, but the answers are in the multiple choice format. Pay special attention to the statement of each question and to the choices of answers. Solve each problem before selecting an answer. In some cases, "none of the above" may be the correct answer. ALWAYS SELECT THE BEST ANSWER. You have been preparing for this exam all semester long. I have already mentioned in class how you may go about reviewing and preparing for the exam. Here is a summary of the suggestions:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Final exam scores and the semester letter grades will be posted at 9:00 am, Saturday, May 15 near Room 1328 Chemistry. Please do not ask me or your TA about your grades before that time. If you like, you may leave a self-addressed post card or envelope with your TA and we will mail you your final exam score and semester letter grade. Your semester grades will be based on the following:
As announced in the syllabus at the beginning of the semester, the lab grades will be normalized by me to take into account variations in grading among TAs. The grades for the entire semester may be curved prior to assigning letter grades using the scale announced in the syllabus as the guide. Improvement and progress in performance will be taken into consideration after the total scores for all students are curved. Improved performance on the final exam can greatly help you since the final exam has the same weight (33%) as all three exams combined. In addition, if your final exam score is higher than the average of your three exams, the three exam scores will be replaced by the final exam score in calculating your cumulative score. So, it is really worthwhile for you to do your very best on the final examination. Each student's total performance will be reviewed in detail by me and your TA prior to assigning the semester letter grade. I will keep your final exams on file for one year; you may view your final exam in my office (9355 Chemistry) anytime after the grades are posted. If you plan to stop by, please contact me ahead of time via E-MAIL to make sure I am around. You can judge your course standing now by looking at the cumulative score of the three exams and comparing that to the level of achievement shown in the syllabus. REMEMBER: YOUR TA AND I WILL LOOK FOR PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT ON EXAMS ESPECIALLY THE FINAL EXAM. I am sometimes asked to write letters of recommendation on behalf of former students. I am pleased to do so especially if given enough advance notice. I usually consult the TA prior to completing my statement. If you wish to have me write a letter, please contact the Reference Letter Center at 905 University Avenue (room 160) and follow the procedure they have developed. Always indicate the lab section number, the name of your TA, and the semester you were in my course. If their format does not serve your purposes, contact me directly.
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SUMMER (AND BEYOND) READING 1. Sobel, Dava. (2000). Galileo's Daughter, New York, Penguin. 2. Sobel, Dava and Andrewes, William J. H. (2003). The Illustrated Longitude. New York, Walker & Co. 3. Science Section in the Tuesday edition of the New York Times 4. Sacks, Oliver. (2001). Uncle Tungsten, Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 5. Braun, Stephen. (1996). Buzz. The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine. New York: Penguin Books. 6. American Trilogy: The Declaration of Independence; The Constitution; The Bill of Rights. Madison, (2004) Parallel Press, University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries 7. Shakhashiri, Bassam Z. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Vol. 1 (1983), Vol. 2 (1985), Vol.3 (1989), & Vol. 4 (1992). Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 8. Djerassi, Carl, This Man's Pill, (2001) Oxford University Press. The autobiography of the "father" of the birth control pill, who is also a novelist, poet, art collector, and an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin (Ph.D. in Chemistry) who received an honorary degree from Wisconsin 9. Drake, Frank and Dava Sobel. (1992) IS ANYONE OUT THERE? The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. New York: Delacorte Press 10. Levi, Primo, The Periodic Table, (1984), Schocken Books, A memoir by the Italian chemist, essayist, novelist, and survivor of Auschwitz. ONE LAST COMMENT At the first class meeting, and virtually every time we met in the lecture hall, in my office, at exam times, at the Bull Session, and elsewhere, I have shared with you both in writing and orally my goals and expectations. In addition, I have attempted to provide guidance, encouragement, and support. As you have heard me say many times: it is important that each of us take our responsibilities to ourselves to the community most seriously. If you are eligible to vote, please do so! Thank you.
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