tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post6834604210905900674..comments2024-03-07T07:25:47.018-08:00Comments on Skeptophilia: Advanced eleganceGordon Bonnethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-11121612633643897452017-11-16T03:14:05.394-08:002017-11-16T03:14:05.394-08:00Good read, both of you! Good read, both of you! Paul Hollowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10624002604915760458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-38811547166257174652017-11-15T05:11:43.812-08:002017-11-15T05:11:43.812-08:00Further proof that you and I have separated in spa...Further proof that you and I have separated in space-time - at birth in space and by more than a decade in time ;-)<br /><br />I, too, studied physics. Applied physics to be exact, and was set about to major in astrophysics until a nice paying job came my way and I realized that I was never going to go very far with my degree.<br /><br />You see, I was a C student at best. I mean, when I graduated with a non-specialized Bachelor of Science I was something like 0.1% above the minimum required overall average to avoid getting kicked out of school. <br /><br />Here's where we differ in just about the same way. While classical mechanics was one of my best classes (a solid B!), Electricity and Magnetism was hands down my worst. <br /><br />At our school if you didn't write a final exam instead of giving you a zero and calculating your final grade based on that - the final was always worth 50% of your grade or more so it was impossible to pass the course if you didn't write it - they would give you a 32%. This served two purposes: 1) it would ensure the registrar knew you didn't write the final, and 2) totally fucked up your average (or GPA in more American terms). <br /><br />Well, I wrote the final, which at the time was worth 70% of my final grade (10% lab work and 20% class assignments), and my final grade in the class was.... 30. Thirty percent. Three zero. I would have received a grade 2% better had I stayed in my apartment and slept through the exam than I did for dragging my ass out of bed at 8 A.M. and writing it. <br /><br />Nevertheless, I was determined to continue with my physics education. I persevered and took the class again. I went to every lecture (Tuesday's at 8 A.M. for three hours), did every assignment on my own, studied extra every week, and when the midterm exam came around I still failed it.<br /><br />That was okay though, because now I knew where to focus. So I doubled down on my efforts and prepared myself for the final, which due to my failure of the midterm was worth 70% of my grade - again. <br /><br />I had done okay on my labs. Averaging about 7/10 on them. My assignments acceptable sitting at about a 13/20. I needed just 31/70 on the final to be done with this class forever. <br /><br />I got 22/70. Nine marks short. <br /><br />Back then, if you failed a course twice they kicked you out of your program and I was not ready to give up my dream of being a physicist so into the professor's office I marched. I sat down in front of his desk and... <br /><br />...begged. <br /><br />I showed him my study notes and all the work I did in the margins for my assignments before I handed them in. I walked him through moments from every lecture so he knew I had been to them all, and when I was done he got my exam out and he went through it line-by-line asking me questions and scribbling stuff down on an engineering notepad beside him. <br /><br />When he was done he sat his pen down and he pulled out his final marks sheet (still on paper back then) and scratched out my failing grade and wrote "50" (the only way to get a 50 back then was to be given a fifty, so the registrar would know you were handed the credit. Even if you *actually* got 50 they would round it up to a 51). <br /><br />Then, he looked up at me and said, "Mr. Butters, if I sign this marks sheet as it is will you promise me you'll never take another one of my classes?"<br /><br />I looked him right in the eye and said, "As God as my witness, I promise."<br /><br />He smirked and replied, "He wasn't much help to you in my class so I'm going to need a better witness."<br /><br />Then he signed the marks sheet and waved me out of his office.Andrew Buttershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18129116283463309554noreply@blogger.com