User talk:Guy vandegrift/Archive 10

Possibly interested in some sort of Physics project...
Hello Guy,

I got your note on Wikipedia regarding my 4-vector stuff. Please describe more about what you had in mind.

http://scirealm.org

scirealm@aol.com

SciRealm (John Wilson)

My response
I looked at scirealm.org and was quite impressed by the layout. I also have an interest in unifying physics around such symmetries, and found a way to "derive" linearized general relativity from 4-vectors and quantum mechanics and posted it here because nobody else wants it. I myself placed the "fringe science" template on it, even though several experts have looked at it and nobody claimed it was wrong (just pedagogically unhelpful).

You can choose to work on Wikipedia, Wikiversity, both, or neither. I have contributed to Wikipedia, Wikibooks, Commons, and Wiktionary. The comment that I have "struggled" with Wikipedia doesn't quite hit the mark. I do "struggle" with the fact that virtually all Wikipedia articles are useless as teaching materials. I am NOT struggling to change the rules or policies regarding Wikipedia articles, and would strongly oppose any effort to do so (don't fix what's not broken). I see the solution in Wikibooks and Wikiversity, and make an analogy to a small bookstore that features a large encyclopedia. The bookstore becomes very successful because of this encyclopedia and wants to grow. Does it grow by changing the encyclopedia, or does it grow by adding books to its inventory? The answer is obvious. There are so many examples in the business world where a company starts by selling one product and evolves by offering more products (e.g. amazon.com) that I am convinced that someday Wikiversity, Wikibooks, or something like them will become larger and more important than Wikipedia. It's also fun to work on Wikiversity where you get to help invent the rules, instead of Wikipedia where you have to obey the rules.

Looking at your website at scirealm.org, I see a number of ways you can contribute, and personally recommend all but the first in the following list:
 * 1) Develop a Wikiversity resource on special relativity. Instead of copying material from your website, try to organize it better and link to it from Wikiversity.  You can then attempt to place a sister-link to the Wikipedia article.  I do not recommend this because there is no pressing need for better ways to teach relativity.
 * 2) Get involved with Wikiversity Journals.  There are a number of models for such a journal, but I like the idea of chopping up Wikipedia articles and republishing them in a pedagogically useful format.  I would be delighted if you could take over as chief editor of Second Journal of Science.
 * 3) Contribute to Quizbank. Your website suggests that you are adept at programming.  I really need both programming as well as editing for Quizbank, which I personally believe is my most important project.  There is no reason why a significant portion of undergraduate college education cannot be converted into an open source project where students not only learn the material but are given the opportunity to demonstrate basic competency.  The cost of this significant portion of a college education would be ZERO.

--Yours truly --Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 17:28, 31 May 2016 (UTC)

Hello Guy,

A resource on 4-vectors definitely sounds interesting. That's basically been one of my hobbies for years. I work full time so I don't know that I would have time to be a chief editor of anything. What sort of time requirement is it? You are correct that I program. The programming part sounds interesting. Could you give some more details on what you need?

Looking forward to reading your paper on "linearized general relativity from 4-vectors and quantum mechanics". John Wilson - SciRealm


 * The programming part requires a fluency of wikitext, basically it involves software that takes quizzes posted on Wikiversity and converts them into wikitext that can be converted into pdf files. If you are proficient at Latex, it would be preferable, since you wouldn't need to go through wikimedia to do it.  For an example of such a pdf file go here.  I will eventually distribute exams to instructors that contain questions randomly selected from this study guide.  Two versions are offered.  I make the exams short enough so the instructor can add one or two additional questions.  In this way we can greatly reduce the time it takes teach intro physics courses.


 * Regarding the journal, I created a mockup edition and have let it go dormant. If you are interested in finding and fixing one Wikipedia/Wikiversity article every couple of months, you should do it.  I have ideas about the journal that I have not yet incorporated.  For one thing, I think any Wikipedia effort should be written in an editor's Wikipedia sandbox and then "blanked".  The journal posts the a permalink to the sandbox's history.  It is possible to minimize the text informing the reader that it is your sandbox.  For example, my Wikipedia sandbox is currently empty, but w:Special:Permalink/723090944 is an article that I submitted to EJP on Bell's theorem.

Here are my recommendations:
 * 1) Feel free to pursue you hobby on Wikiversity making a page on Relativity, but don't expect it to have much impact.
 * 2) The best way for you to help me with my programming is to wait a week or two and I will send you code or pseudocode that I wrote and you can give me a few tips. I have no formal training in computer programming.
 * 3) Don't hesitate to get involved with the Second Journal of Science because it is currently dormant. If you bring that up to a snail's pace it will be a great improvement.

Yours truly--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 23:15, 31 May 2016 (UTC)

Hello Guy, I noticed that the links to the 12pg paper and the 30pg paper both seem to point to the 12pg paper. I just did a very brief scan-thru of 12pg... I will need to do a more in-depth read to comment much. "Lorentz gauge" should be "Lorenz gauge". Two different scientists.


 * I fixed the link to the 30 page paper. Regarding the two scientists, I knew there were two but always assumed it was the length contraction guy who gave us the gauge.  Thanks for straightening that out for me. Also, since our campus does not go beyond 1st year college physics (calc and trig based) I don't do much relativity any more.  One exception involves figures 2 and 3 in the Bell's theorem paper (at w:Special:Permalink/723090944) those are simple space-time graphs that are appropriate perhaps as a lab in those classes.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 02:22, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

Second Journal of Science
Hi Mr. Vandegrift,

I'm primarily a Wikipedian, and happened to stumble across the Second Journal of Science today. It seems like a great project, and I might have an idea about helping. I did write a research paper related to food science two years ago as part of a research class. I never had time to attempt any formal publication, however it may be suitable here? Also, I have been contemplating about the reliability of Wikipedia, and some have developed a peer review tag for Wikipedia articles, so at least you can have assurances about specific articles that their content is genuine. I wrote a series of historical articles that I would love to have peer-reviewed in a similar fashion, so they can be assuredly as reliable as research papers or books could be. I'm still debating which avenue to take this in, however. What are your thoughts on the food science article? I am very well connected with two schools' science departments, and may be able to recommend or help set up a program in which the students can publish their works through the SJS. Thoughts? Ɱ (discuss • contribs) 23:18, 15 June 2016 (UTC)


 * I happen to know a food science professor who owes me a small favor, so if you submit an article, I will be glad to have it reviewed for you. The current standard for SJS is that articles are "editor reviewed", so one reviewer is all I need. Keep in mind that if your paper is accepted, it will be published open source, and that might be a problem if you try to republish it somewhere else.  I recently learned that the European Journal of Physics accepts open source articles, but with a hefty page charge of about $2700 (for the record, SJS currently has ZERO page charges).  The idea of teaming up with other schools' science departments sounds exciting.
 * Your article would appear in the very first issue of SJS (what was posted was an unrefereed mock edition). Your article will probably be in good company because it will likely appear next to  this Wikipedia article that is up for deletion because it fails notability, even though it is a summary of an article accepted by the highly exclusive American Journal of Physics (See also Wikipedia:Special:Permalink/725436840). Thanks for telling me about the peer review tag, I will look into it when I get the chance.   --Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 10:14, 16 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Okay, great. Should I email you what I have? I'll inquire to the schools and see what they think. As far as I know, the peer review tag has only been used for one article. The tag itself is located here. Ɱ (discuss • contribs) 20:40, 16 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Just write your article on Wikipedia, Wikibooks, or Wikiversity and send me a link. If you write it on Wikiversity the article will be stored as both the "accepted" (original version), as well as a resource on Wikiversity that you and others may edit in the future.  If you write it on Wikipedia, you will probably want to write in your sandbox.  The SJS will post a permalink to that article in your sandbox's history.  If it is a complicated document involving equations or templates, you should know that the Wikiversity environment is slightly different than Wikipedia's.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 02:45, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Okay, I'll look into that soon... One of the college associates responded back with interest. I should probably use email to discuss this in further detail; it should interest you well. Would you provide an email address, or use this link. Ɱ (discuss • contribs) 22:16, 23 June 2016 (UTC)

Quiz pdf
Hi there,

I am studying for the ABR certification exam and your Basic Physics of Radiography looks like a good study aid. I'd like permission to use the pdf (questions and answer key) for this purpose.

~Ann Marie Santiago asandago@med.wayne.edu

You don't need permission to copy, distribute and even sell this material as it is protected under CC-BY-SA. An effort to convert these quizzes to Quizbank form is under construction at Quizbank/Basic Physics of Digital Radiography. I also corrected the bug that prevented the quiz from appearing in proper form at Basic Physics of Digital Radiography/The Quiz.

How soon do you need the pdfs? Can you wait a few days?--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 23:43, 1 August 2016 (UTC)

Oh gee, I guess I misunderstood the "Note to Reader". Sure I can wait. Only came across your quiz because my search included several terms that matched a question in your quiz. Eager to know the correct answer, I requested the pdf because the link did not completely clear my confusion. Thanks for all you've already contributed!!! ~am

Lab
Hello, I will not be there tomorrow for lab due to a college visit, so I was wondering what I should do. Should I make up the lab or if you could email me the lab and I can do it on my own. If you could let me know as soon as possible that would be great. Thanks.

Sincerely, Lacey Hayes


 * There is plenty of time to do a makeup lab. See me before or after class.Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 02:08, 13 September 2016 (UTC)

My username is missing in PHY2410
User:S55364c (added from IP w student)

sick
hi mr. vandegrift,

i'm sorry I wasn't in class today. I started throwing up at school so I ended up going home. I know that the test was today and I hope you will allow me to make it up sometime soon.

which school can offer me education
Hie my name is Sicelosenkosi Mbiba i learnt at Green Gables HighSchool in Bulawayo Zimbabwe I am a boy aged 18 wrote Ordinary level and passed 5 subject which include History,Integrated science, Physics,wood work and geography

Was wishing to get a school which will accommodate me with my subjects Thank you Ñ


 * I am not involved with schools, but if someone in Zimbabwe wanted to open a school and use my exams, I would be happy to send a copy to the instructor. I have exams for Astronomy, Physics, and a non-mathetical science course called "How things work".  See them at Physics equations, Astronomy college course and How things work college course.  The exams are described at Quizbank.


 * The system is not yet complete, but one could construct parts of a course using these materials. The instructor would need to add more, and adding more is what Wikiversity is all about.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 14:06, 26 September 2016 (UTC)

Exam
Hey Guy, I had a question regarding tomorrow's exam for physics 1110. Would it be possible for us to use our own equations sheet for the exam instead of the one provided for us? I have been studying and realizing that the hardest part of the class for me is differentiating the equations. Therefore, I would find it extremely beneficial if we were allowed to use our own note card of equations. We would put the equations on a standard 3x5 note card and have you check the note card prior to class to ensure there are no solutions or even any numbers at all on the cards. If you were to allow it, I would like to possibly use that idea towards our project on how to improve the class. Anyways, I Am going to go back to studying the equations. If you could give me an answer back as soon as you decide, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You


 * Sorry, that is not possible, but we can go over the equations that you need before the test.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 00:11, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

Current Grade
Professor I waas reaching out to you on your talk page to ask what my current grade is in the class? I got a notification on what I have in WINGS but you told me different, we can talk about it in class as well.

Thank you

Cantelli25

I haven't posted any grades yet. I probably shouldn't discuss grades here, send me an email at guy.vandegrift@wright.edu.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 18:23, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

Essay
Professor

I have completed my essay on the imitation game. It is up on my page ready for review.

Cantelli25

Message from Crind.
I can come on Mondays and Fridays Physics 1120 --Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 14:32, 14 December 2016 (UTC) (but actually written by user:CRind

Finals
This is Sharon Chen I was not able to take the finals on Wednesday because I was sick. Please message me back to schedule a makeup date and any times will work for me.

I will email you with an answer right now.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 16:59, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

Advanced Classical Mechanics
Hello, Guy,

I appreciate the recent thanks for the minor edits I've made to your stellar Advanced Classical Mechanics course. I find the ample use of LaTeX to be rather refreshing. I also noticed the Chaotic Motion chapter is as of yet uncreated ... perhaps some day I could contribute to this final chapter.--Penskins (discuss • contribs) 19:45, 16 December 2016 (UTC)


 * Yes, do to complete that final chapter! I have stopped working on that project in order to focus on getting an open sourse test bank for introductory courses.--Guy vandegrift (discuss • contribs) 20:22, 16 December 2016 (UTC)