Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of commonly asked questions about the self-review library, to help you to get up to speed quickly.
1. What do I need to have with me when taking quizzes?
2. Are there any special formats to use when entering numerical values into the quiz forms?
3. Are the questions for each lecture placed at the same level of difficulty?
4. Do I always need to retype my last name and access code when taking a new quiz?
5. My average score is nowhere near to 100%; should I be concerned?
6. Where are the lecture slides hidden?
7. I think that I found an error in a problem on one of my self-review quizzes. What should I do?
1. What do I need to have with me when taking quizzes?
It is a good idea to have a calculator handy when taking quizzes, as some of
mathematical questions are easier to do with assistance. You should prepare
yourself for taking quizzes the same way you would prepare for any evaluation,
by being well-rested, having reviewed the appropriate topics ahead of time,
and having a quiet environment for study.
2. Are there any special formats to use when entering numerical values into the quiz forms?
Remember that your answers will be read by a computer, so you need to use clear, consistent notation. If your answer is 100, for example, then you could enter "100", "1e2", or "1.0e2" and be fine (leaving out the quotation marks, of course).
The "e2" indicates that your answer is equal to one times ten raised to the second power, so "4.0e3" means four times ten raised to the power of three (or 4,000), "2.0e6" is equal to 2 million, and so on.
If you enter "one-hundred", "10 x 10", "10 0", or "I forgot my calculator!",
your answer will be marked incorrect, so be careful.
3. Are the questions for each lecture placed at the same level of difficulty?
The questions for lectures 1 through 3 are somewhat less challenging than those for lectures 4 through 26. This is to give everyone a chance to get familiar with the self-review library initially, and then come up to speed and begin to focus on the astronomy topics.
Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to study when you begin to work on
lectures 4 and 5, so that you are not taken by surprise. These lectures deal
with visualizing the movements of the Moon around the Earth and the Earth
around the Sun with each passing day, month, and year, and this material can
seem tricky at first glance.
4. Do I always need to retype my last name and access code when taking a new quiz?
You do not need to keep retyping your name and password when taking new quizzes.
If you are working from your own personal computer, then you can go ahead and
"remember this password" when your web browser asks for permission to do so.
You will then be logged in automatically whenever you return to the
self-review web page.
If you are working from a public computer, then after taking your first quiz
of a sequence simply select "Redo Quiz" rather than "New Quiz" and you will
automatically get a quiz on the same set of lecture topics, without having to
log in again.
5. My average score is nowhere near to 100%; should I be concerned?
Don't worry if your review scores are not perfect (just try to stay above 50%
when starting out). The whole point of using the self-review library is to learn and
absorb new material, by attempting to solve problems which are (at first)
unfamiliar to you. You should find that as you spend more time on a
particular topic, the questions begin to make more sense and it gets easier
for you. As you gain confidence and experience, your scores will rise.
6. Where are the lecture slides hidden?
To review the lecture slides for a particular topic, select the appropriate
lecture from the menu at the top of the page. You will be redirected to a
cover page for the lecture. On the left side of the page you will see a list
of numbers: these are the individual lecture slides. Click on each number in
turn to review that particular slide.
7. I think that I found an error in a problem on one of my self-review quizzes. What should I do?
Alert the press! Declare an emergency ... or not.
This self-review system has been written and built by hand by Professor Vogt,
so a few typos and mistakes are probably in there along with all of the
astronomy. Please help us by identifying any problems that you see! The
easiest way to do so is to click on the link labeled Comments at the
bottom of the solution page to your quiz. Any information written there will
go directly to us, and we will be very grateful for your help.
8. I have an idea for a new self-review question, based on one of the lecture topics. Are you interested in hearing about it?
We are delighted when users suggest additional questions for use in the self-review library! Please let us know of your ideas, as it is very helpful to have a range of styles and levels used for questions.