|Dr A. Usher and Tutors|
|Delivery Weeks:||T1:01-11, T2:01-11|
|Credits:||15 NICATS / 7.5 ECTS|
|Enrolment:||101 students (approx)|
Problem-solving is the process of answering questions by using reasoning beyond the mere application of pre-learned procedures. This is a synoptic module that presents students with unfamiliar problems to solve. It requires them to draw on the skills and knowledge of core physics they have built up over their three years at University in order to develop their own solutions to these problems.
Professional physicists are expected to able to tackle many problems by the appropriate application of basic physical laws and by doing so demonstrate their knowledge of the relevant laws and deepen their understanding of the physical world. The ability to solve problems is also an essential life-skill, and most physics graduates earn a living not from their detailed knowledge of physics, but from their ability to solve their employers' problems. The aim of this module is to develop students' problem-solving ability and experience.
A student who has passed this module should be able to:
The examination may consist of problems on any area of physics. However, these will be soluble by applying laws and techniques included within the core modules common to the Physics programmes that include this module. Booklets of past questions and their mark schemes are publish on ELE (see link below). past examination papers and the associated solutions and hints are useful guide to the style of problems that they can expect to encounter in the assessment.
|Description||Study time||KIS type|
|11×1-hour problem-solving classes||11 hours||SLT|
|9×2-hour follow-up exercises||18 hours||GIS|
|9×2-hour problem-sets||18 hours||GIS|
|6×1-hour tutorials||6 hours||SLT|
|Reading, private study and revision||97 hours||GIS|
|0%||Problems assigned by tutor||1×2-hour problem-set||Week T1:08||1-10||Written and verbal|
|0%||Problems assigned by tutor||5×2-hour problem-sets||Fortnightly in Term 2||1-10||Written and verbal|
|100%||Examination||2 hours 30 minutes||May/June||1-10||Mark via MyExeter, collective feedback via ELE and solutions.|
The following list is offered as an indication of the type & level of information that students are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Instructor(s).
|Pre-requisite Modules||Vector Mechanics (PHY1021), Introduction to Astrophysics (PHY1022), Waves and Optics (PHY1023), Properties of Matter (PHY1024), Electromagnetism I (PHY2021), Quantum Mechanics I (PHY2022), Thermal Physics (PHY2023) and Condensed Matter I (PHY2024)|
|Co-requisite Modules||(Electromagnetism II (PHY3051), Quantum Mechanics II (PHYM002))/PHY3055 and Nuclear and High Energy Physics (PHY3052)|
Re-assessment is not available except when required by referral or deferral.
|Original form of assessment||Form of re-assessment||ILOs re-assessed||Time scale for re-assessment|
|Whole module||Written examination (100%)||1-10||August/September assessment period|
Notes: See Physics Assessment Conventions.
|IoP Accreditation Checklist||
|Keywords||Physics; Problem-solving; Physical laws; Unfamiliar problems.|