Real-World Problems

Real-world problems are challenging because they often require a level of analysis that goes beyond typical textbook problems.  As in real life, there usually is more than one "right" answer based on the assumptions and estimations that must be made.

Keep the following points in mind as you analyze real-world problems for this class:

• Use the GOAL problem-solving protocol as a way to organize your solution to.
  
• Be sure to identify any assumptions or estimations that are relevant to the problem.
• Report numerical results so that your answer will agree with anyone else who correctly analyzes the same problem (round numbers appropriately).
  
• Remember to justify any claims you make by citing reputable sources or showing example calculations that validate the statements you make.
  
• If you obtain information from another source, you must include a reference to that source in your work.  Failure to give credit for material that is not your own is an Honor Code violation!

Criteria for a good real-world problem suitable for an exam:

• Interesting and relevant to a typical student in this class; not just another "plug-and-chug" textbook-like problem with a trivial result that makes you say "who cares?"  The statement of the problem should be phrased in such a way that the solution has purpose and meaning.
• Requires ability to apply one or more physics concepts appropriate for the relevant exam.  The ideal problem is one that combines physics principles from each of the chapters covered by the exam.
• Requires assumptions, estimations, or includes additional information that is not required to solve the problem.
• Challenging yet short enough so that a well-prepared student can write a complete solution (using GOAL) in less than an hour.
• The submission of an original real-world problem must be accompanied by a complete solution that clearly identifies the assumptions and estimations that must be made.  The problem and solution must be clearly written (free of spellling and grammatical errors and preferably using the GOAL protocol), and the values used in the problem must be physically plausible (e.g. no cars going 500+ mi/hr)