Jeff Canfield's Georgia Perimeter College Web Page

Jeff taught Physics 1111 Lab on the GPC Decatur Campus in Summer 2012:

CRN

Course Number

Section

Title

Days

Times

Location

11585

Physics 1111L

345

Introductory Physics I Lab

Mon & Wed

11:00am-1:45pm

SB-1150



• See Jeff's Physics 1111 course web page for details from previous semesters.

Jeff taught Physics 2211 Lab on the GPC Decatur Campus in Spring 2012:

CRN

Course Number

Section

Title

Days

Times

Location

33322

Physics 2211L

365

Principles of Physics I Lab

Thurs

7:00pm-9:45pm

SB-1150



• See Jeff's Physics 1111 course web page for details from previous semesters (Physics 1111 and 2211 Labs are quite similar).

Jeff taught Physics 2212 Lab on the GPC Decatur Campus in Fall 2011:

CRN

Course Number

Section

Title

Days

Times

Location

21974

Physics 2212L

365

Principles of Physics II Lab

Thurs

7:00pm-9:45pm

SB-1150



• See Jeff's Physics 2212 course web page for details from previous semesters.

Jeff Tutors Math, Physics, Chemistry, and some Computer Science:

• Jeff has a Ph.D. in Physics and has taught Physics at GPC and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
• Jeff has taught General Chemistry at the Ohio State University.
• Jeff knows most General Chemistry, some Organic Chemistry, and some Biochemistry.
• Jeff knows Matlab, C, Basic, UNIX, Excel, and MS-Word very well.
• Jeff knows Mathematica, MS-DOS, html, Fortran, Smalltalk, and Cobol fairly well.

Jeff's Fall 2012 GPC Tutoring Hours:

GPC Learning and Tutoring Centers (LTC):

Campus		Location		Phone Number
Alpharetta		Room 1130		678-240-6085
Clarkston		Room CB-1200		678-891-3590
Decatur		Room SF-1200		678-891-2575
Dunwoody		Room NLRC-3200		770-274-5244
Newton		Room 2N-3300		770-278-1370

• Each site above has a different mix of tutors.
• Check them out to find subject tutors that match your schedule.
• Some locations, days, and times are less busy than others, so keep stopping by until you find a location and time that works best for you.

Online Math Tutoring at GPC

GPC's HP/MESA Lab in CH-3240 on Clarkston Campus

Gwinnett County Public Library offered free access to tutoring via tutor.com back in 2009:

• Perhaps your local library does too.

GPC's pre-Nursing and Nursing Tutorial Lab in CH-1140 on Clarkston Campus:

• Help for Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology.
• This lab has many plastic models of body parts.
• Pearson has online help for various Anatomy and Physiology textbooks.
• memorize.com has many online quizzes and lets you make your own.
• Mnemonics for many subjects are listed here.
• MCAT and other tests practice.

Some Private Tutors

• Try a Google search with the keywords "Atlanta tutoring" to find more.

Helpful Math,Chemistry,Biology,Physics Links from Dunwoody's Science Center

Helpful Links for many subjects from GPC's Center for Teaching and Learning

General Study Tips:

• Go to class, sit in front if you can, ask questions, and take notes.
• Get to know your Professor. If you go to their office hours, they can seem very different from how they seem in class.
• Outside of class, find a quiet place to study, preferably near some plants and with good ventilation.
• Read the assigned sections and do the homeworks.
  • Homework is meant to help you learn by doing. It gives you practice and should help you prepare for tests.
  • Would you expect to improve if you had someone else do your practicing for you?
• Find someone else to study with:
  • Often different people pick up different things in class or as they read.
  • You can remind each other of upcoming deadlines or things your Professor said in class.
  • You can take notes for each other if one of you needs to miss a class.
  • You can provide each other with moral support and keep each other motivated.
  • You may find concept A easier to grasp while your study partner finds concept B easier to grasp.
  • Explaining things to each other helps solidify what you have already learned.
  • Asking each other questions can point out holes in your understanding.
  • Communication and Teamwork are skills useful in any career.
  • You can meet others taking similar Math and Science classes at the Tutoring Centers or
    by participating in GPC's STEM, MESA, LSAMP, or ENLISTEM programs.
  • Meet people with similar interests by doing a STEM Internship.
• Look in your textbook and class notes for examples similar to your homework problems.
• Look in the back of your textbook for answers to certain homework problems.
• Inspect your textbook's table of contents, index, and appendices.
  • The index can help you quickly find a specific topic in your textbook.
• Review the end-of-chapter summaries and special review sections before quizzes and tests.
• Find an online web page for your textbook. Such pages often have interactive content to help you learn.
• Find a student study guide or solutions manual for your textbook. Some of these have detailed solutions to many homework problems.
  • www.cramster.com has solutions to problems from many different textbooks as well as online quizzes.
  • InterAct Math has online resources for many Math textbooks.
• If you get stuck, try searching Google or Wikipedia for the answers.
  • Several good Science Encyclopedias are in Clarkston's Library with call numbers like Ref Q121-Q123.
• Sometimes getting a textbook on the same topic but by a different author can help.
  • Cliff's Notes has online Math and Science summaries.
  • GPC's bookstore sometimes sells QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guides for various courses.
  • Some students find books like XYZ for Dummies helpful.
• memorize.com can help you memorize a variety of Math, Science, Medical, and Technical things.
  • It is interactive, it has matching mode and flashcard mode, and you can edit its contents to suit your own needs.
• Mnemonics for many subjects are listed here.
• Avoid the "Dark Side of Technology" (see here for references).
• Strengthen your learning by identifying your learning style.
  • More about learning styles from GPC's Student Success Backpack.
  • Temple Grandin, herself diagnosed with autism as a child, says "The world needs all kinds of minds".
• Read more study tips from GPC or NCSU.
• Watch some short but helpful videos available at the Decatur LTC.
• Stay healthy, be good to yourself, exercise, eat well, take breaks when you need them, and get the rest you need. These all help you learn better.
  • Sometimes you are too drained to make progress and your persistence will not be rewarded.
  • Take a break or do something else like exercise for a while. This can work surprisingly well.
  • If stress is getting to you, try GPC's Personal Counseling Services.
• If you need some inspiration, watch some online science shows.
• Be glad your teacher isn't Richard Solomon or Pai Mei.
  • May you have the determination of The Bride if they are.
• Even if you're not trying to levitate a spaceship, you can heed Master Yoda's words: "Do, or do not, there is no try".

Some Useful Math Links:

• MyMathLab Login Page
• InterAct Math (online resources for many Math textbooks)
• Links from GPC's Center for Teaching and Learning
• Compass Test Practice
• Khan Academy has helpful videos about many different Math topics.
• Videos for many chapters in Blitzer's "Thinking Mathematically" text used for GPC's MATH 1001 (a.k.a. "The Cow Book").
• Cliff's Notes for Math online
• GPC's bookstore sometimes sells QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guides for Math courses.
• Some students find books like Calculus for Dummies helpful.
• MIT posts notes and problem sets for many different Mathematics courses.
• GPC Math Tutoring Center Links:
  • Clarkston's Math Lab
  • Decatur's Math Handouts (some Compass practice sets)
  • Decatur's Online Math Resources
  • Dunwoody's Math Lab (some Compass practice sets)
  • Newton's Online Math Resources
• Online Math Tutoring at GPC
• GPC's HP/MESA Lab in CH-3240 on Clarkston Campus
• Links for Online Math Quizzes:
  • U Missouri-Columbia
  • Morrison Media LLC
  • Kathryn Maloney and picrust.us
  • Jefferson Lab
  • www.mathisfun.com
  • memorize.com has some and lets you make your own.
  • Do a Google search with the keywords "online college math tests" to find more.
• Math Skills Needed for the MCAT
• MCAT Test Practice
• Links About Calculators:
  • General TI Graphing Calculator Information
  • TI Calculator Tutorials
  • TI-83/84 Plus Calculator Movies
  • TI Guidebooks
  • TI-83 Plus Calculator Guidebook
    • Downloaded 9/24/08 from this web site.
    • It is a big file, so it can be slow to display.
    • p.564 shows how to graph piecewise functions.
  • TI-84 Plus Calculator Guidebook
    • Downloaded 9/24/08 from this web site.
    • It is a big file, so it can be slow to display.
    • p.481 shows how to graph piecewise functions.
  • TI-89 Plus Calculator Guidebook
    • Downloaded 6/10/10 from this web site.
    • It is a big file, so it can be slow to display.
    • p.475 shows how to graph piecewise functions.
  • Freeware for TI Calculators
  • Free Downloadable Software for TI-83/84 Plus Calculators
  • TI Connect Software can be downloaded for the PC or Mac
• Links About Special Math Topics:
  • Basic Algebra
  • Equation of a Line (click here for more practice)
  • Exponents
  • Logarithms
  • Quadratic Equation (click here for more practice)
  • Volumes of Objects
  • Trigonometry
  • Hyperbolic Functions
  • Logarithmic Identities
  • Differentiation (click here for more practice)
  • Integration
  • Taylor Series Expansion of Functions
  • Power Series
  • Sums of Series
  • Pascal's Triangle gives the Binomial Expansion Coefficients
  • NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (a digital successor to a popular book by Abramowitz and Stegun)
• Mathematica Quick Start
  • Mathematica 6 is available in Clarkston's Computer and Math Labs (CL2350 and CL2330 on JCLRC's 2nd Floor).
  • Mathematica Free Trials are available.
  • Mathematica Student Licenses can be purchased online.
• MathWorld, an online math resource from the makers of Mathematica
• Matlab Central has many free program files for use in Matlab
  • Matlab R2007a is available in Clarkston's Computer Lab (CL2350 on JCLRC's 2nd Floor).
  • Matlab Student Licenses can be purchased online.
• How to solve 5x+6y=30 and 3x+7y=12 to get x=138/17=8.1176 and y=-30/17=-1.7647:
  • This kind of problem can be done by hand if there is a small number of equations and unknowns.
  • For larger systems of equations with more than two equations and more than two unknowns, Linear Algebra or matrix methods like below are useful.
  • In Mathematica, an easy way to solve the above problem is to type the following:
    • Solve[{5 x + 6 y == 30, 3 x + 7 y == 12},{x,y}]
    • N[%]
  • In Mathematica, a harder way to solve the same problem is to make its coefficients into a matrix m and a vector b by typing the following:
    • m={{5,6},{3,7}}
    • b={30,12}
    • v=LinearSolve[m,b]
    • N[v]
    • v's first element will be x and v's second element will be y.
  • In Matlab, the same problem can be solved by typing the following:
    • m=[5 6; 3 7]; b=[30;12]; v=m\b
    • v's first element will be x and v's second element will be y.
  • An online Gauss-Jordan Elimination calculator can solve it if you enter the matrix below with 2 rows and 3 columns:
    • 5 6 30
    • 3 7 12
  • TI-83/84 calculators can solve this kind of problem too, as shown here.
  • DC electrical circuits can be solved using the methods above.
• Other Neat Math Stuff:
  • Hexaflexagons Part 1 and 2
  • Turning a sphere inside out (video)
  • Solving the Rubik's Cube
  • Probabilities of Poker hands
  • Nice Guys Finish First, a video about Game Theory, cooperation, and morality
  • Nick's Math Puzzles
  • George Hart's Polyhedra
  • Math-Inspired Beadwork
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Some Useful Physics Links:

• Mastering Physics (used in some GPC classes)
• Links from GPC's Center for Teaching and Learning
• Khan Academy has helpful videos about many different Physics topics.
• Cliff's Notes for Physics Online.
• GPC's bookstore sometimes sells QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guides for Physics courses.
• Some students find books like Physics for Dummies helpful.
• MIT posts notes and problem sets for many different Physics courses.
• Links about TI calculators
• Lab-Related Links:
  • Scientific Notation
  • Significant Figures
  • Random vs. Systematic Errors
  • Error Analysis for X+Y, X-Y, X*Y, X/Y, etc.
  • Error Analysis Main Equations and full document
  • Dimensional Analysis (factor label or unit factor method)
  • Customizable Graph Paper such as Linear, Polar, Triangular, Semi-Log, or Log-Log
  • Using Triple-Beam Balances
  • Using Vernier Calipers
  • Using Micrometers and Micrometer Applet
  • Densities of Metals
  • Densities of Metals, Wood, Water, Liquids like Alcohol, etc.
  • Linear Thermal Expansion Coefficients (α) for a few key materials and for many others
  • The standard value for g and how g varies around the world
  • R for general θ in Projectile Motion Lab (see Equation 5 on p.3 in particular)
    • Projectile Motion Computer Demo
  • Friction Coefficients and more Friction Coefficients
  • Resistor Color Code and Calculator
• Web Pages for Touger's Physics Textbook:
  • Electronic Version at 40% off? Free 7-Day Trial?
  • Chapters 2-4 Online
  • Student Companion Site
  • Web Examples (free online - good for practice & review)
  • Web Links (free online - good for practice & review)
  • Detailed Answers to Many Odd-Numbered Problems (free online - good for practice & review)
  • Supplements you can buy
• Web Sites for other Introductory Physics Textbooks:
  • Cutnell & Johnson's 7th Edition (lots of free interactive online content such as MCAT prep questions)
  • Halliday, Resnick, & Walker's 8th Edition
  • Giancoli's 5th Edition (lots of free interactive online content such as MCAT prep questions)
• Sample MCAT Physics and Chemistry Questions
• MCAT Test Practice
• memorize.com has many interactive quizzes, and tools for making your own.
• Other Neat Physics Stuff:
  • Introductory Physics Demos I (includes online quizzes)
  • Introductory Physics Demos II
  • More Advanced Physics Demos
  • Walter Fendt's Physics Applets
  • Michael Fowler's Physics Flashlets and Applets
  • Fermilabyrinth
  • Real World Physics Problems
  • The Physics of Simple Machines, Pool/Billiards, Bowling, Soccer, Golf, Bicycles, Tight-Rope Walking,
    Boomerangs, Rattlebacks or Wobble Stones, Stone-Skipping, Pole-Vaulting, and High-Jumping
    • Some of the above involve torque and angular momentum about different axes, as do the following:
      • Short and long videos about gyroscope precession.
      • English in bowling and billiards.
  • Fictitious or Pseudo Forces like the Coriolis Force and the Centrifugal Force occur in Non-Inertial Reference Frames.
  • Physics Galore from Physics Central
  • Mars Rovers (still going?) "Month in Review" reports are nice
    • These rovers landed on Mars in January 2004 to begin missions designed to last for three months.
  • Phoenix Mars Lander
  • More About Phoenix Mars Lander
  • Galaxy Zoo enables just about anyone to participate in Astronomy research.
  • Solar Stormwatch enables just about anyone to participate in Solar Physics research.
  • SETI@home, Milkyway@home, and Einstein@Home let your home computer use its down-time to work on big physics problems.
  • UIUC Physics Van performs fun shows like in this video.
  • Videos of Harvard Physics Demonstrations
  • Videos of Wake Forest Physics Demonstrations
  • Videos of U of Minnesota Physics and Mechanics Demonstrations
  • Videos of Physics from St. Mary's
  • Classic videos of physicist Richard Feynman discussing gravity, quantum mechanics, time, etc.
• Acoustics:
  • Musical Acoustics (includes frequencies for different instruments)
  • How Different Waveforms Sound (interactive online demo - just press "play")
  • The Human Voice
  • Suzanne Ciani discusses Musical Acoustics on the show "3-2-1 Contact"
• Bernoulli's Equation and Hurricane Safety:
  • Why high winds can lift the roofs off houses.
  • More phenomena caused by Bernoulli's Equation.
• Example of Mechanical Resonance (Tacoma Narrows Bridge):
  • Overview of Bridge Failure
  • Short Video (about 1 min)
  • Long Video (about 4 min)
  • Is it really an example of resonance?
  • Other examples of resonance in bridges:
    • Millenium Bridge in London wobbled as pedestrians walked across it.
    • Anger's Bridge collapsed as soldiers marched across it in lockstep.
  • Tesla's Earthquake Machine was featured in Episode 60 of Mythbusters on August 30, 2006.
    • Mythbusters Episode Guides on Discovery Channel's site and Wikipedia.
  • Tuned mass dampers can weaken mechanical resonances.
• American Physical Society and Physics Central
• The Chemical Register has some career-oriented links for Physics.

Some Useful Computer Science Links:

• Links from GPC's Center for Teaching and Learning
• memorize.com has many online quizzes and lets you make your own.
• Mathematica Quick Start
• MathWorld, an online math resource from the makers of Mathematica
• Matlab Central has many free program files for use in Matlab
• Numerical Recipes (according to Wikipedia)
• Numerical Recipes
• O'Reilly publishes many handy CS books
• Association for Computing Machinery

Some Useful Chemistry Links:

• Mastering Chemistry (used in some GPC classes)
• Links from GPC's Center for Teaching and Learning
• Khan Academy has helpful videos about many different Chemistry topics.
• Cliff's Notes for Chemistry Online
• GPC's bookstore sometimes sells QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guides for Chemistry courses.
• Some students find books like Chemistry for Dummies helpful.
• MIT posts notes and problem sets for many different Chemistry courses.
• Online Periodic Tables:
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory's Version
  • Radiochemistry Society's Version
  • American Chemical Society's Version
  • CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics' Version
  • Michael Dayah's Version (click on "Orbitals" to see electron orbital configurations)
• Some Helpful Mathematics:
  • Scientific Notation
  • Significant Figures
  • Random vs. Systematic Errors
  • Error Analysis for X+Y, X-Y, X*Y, X/Y, etc.
  • Error Analysis Main Equations and full document
  • Dimensional Analysis (factor label or unit factor method)
  • Links about TI calculators
• Some Useful Reference Books:
  • CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
  • Merck Index
  • Physician's Desk Reference
  • Stryer's "Biochemistry" 5th Edition:
    • Many end-of-chapter summaries, problems, and answers are online.
    • You can electronically search and read this book's relevant sections online.
  • Alberts et al' "Molecular Biology of the Cell" 4th Edition:
    • You can electronically search and read this book's relevant sections online.
  • Siegel et al's "Basic Neurochemistry" 6th Edition:
    • You can electronically search and read this book's relevant sections online.
  • More electronically searchable life science and healthcare books are available here.
  • Several good Science Encyclopedias are in Clarkston's Library with call numbers like Ref Q121-Q123.
• GPC's pre-Nursing and Nursing Tutorial Lab in CH-1140 on Clarkston Campus:
  • Help for Anatomy, Physiology, and Microbiology.
  • This lab has many plastic models of body parts.
  • Pearson has online help for various Anatomy and Physiology textbooks.
  • memorize.com has many online quizzes and lets you make your own.
  • Mnemonics for many subjects are listed here.
• General Chemistry Help:
  • Khan Academy has helpful videos about many different Chemistry topics.
  • General Chemistry Online (lots of interactive content)
  • IUPAC naming conventions
  • NIST Chemical Formula Search
  • Online Chemistry Quizzes
  • Chemistry Games (know the elements, balance reactions, etc.)
  • memorize.com has many interactive quizzes and tools for making your own:
    • Balancing Reactions
    • Electron Orbital Configurations
    • Oxidation Numbers
  • Richard Bowles has interactive Chemistry web pages on topics like Balancing Reactions.
  • Sample MCAT Chemistry and Physics Questions
  • MCAT Test Practice
  • WKRP's Venus Explains The Atom
  • Oxidation Numbers (click here for more practice)
  • Atomic or Electron Shielding Constants
  • Pictures of Orbitals in Elements
    • More pictures are here if you click on the "Orbitals" tab.
  • Equilibrium Constants
  • Reaction Kinetics
    • Kinetics and Mechanism of Iodide Oxidation by Iron(III)
  • Enthalpy of Formation (more values are here)
  • Heat of Vaporization
  • pH of Acid-Base solutions (more help is here)
  • Phosphoric Acid Titration
  • NIST Chemistry WebBook
• Organic Chemistry Help:
  • Khan Academy has helpful videos about many different Organic Chemistry topics.
  • IUPAC naming conventions
  • NIST Chemical Formula Search
  • NIST Chemistry WebBook
  • Chem Helper (has practice tests, tutorials, and a message board)
  • Amino Acids found in Proteins
  • Genetic Code
  • Carbohydrates (includes monosaccharides and disaccharides)
  • Interactive 3D Stereochemistry Tutorials from Penn State and U Calgary
  • NMR and IR Spectra from UCLA
  • NMR and IR Spectra from UCBoulder
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Organic Chemistry Reactions (nice summaries and quizzes)
  • Organic Chemistry Reactions by Name
  • Ohio State University Organic Chemistry Resources:
    • Electronic Flashcards (good for memorizing reactions)
  • memorize.com has many interactive quizzes, and tools for making your own.
  • MCAT Test Practice
  • Smith's "Organic Chemistry" 2nd Edition:
    • Online quizzes (with answers) for each chapter (for example, Chapter 1)
• Some Humorous/Educational Chemistry/Biotech Videos:
  • The PCR Song
  • Mass Spectrometry Ad
• American Chemical Society
• The Chemical Register has many career-oriented links for Chemistry.

Online Math, Science, and Inspirational Videos:

• Math and Physics videos.
• PBS has many online science shows such as "Nova", "NerdTV", "WIRED Science", and "Nature".
• "Nova" has some shows about Physics and Math.
• Nova's "Science Now" and Scientific American "Frontiers" are good shows.
  • For example, "How Smart Can We Get?" is about Einstein's brain, tips for boosting memory, etc.
• The Vega Science Trust and GEOSET have many science videos.
• The BBC has many online science radio shows.
• The Discovery Channel has some online videos. Their show called "Mythbusters" often involves Physics.
• Google lists some full episodes of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" show.
• "Bill Nye The Science Guy" and Nickelodeon's "Mr. Wizard's World" were both good science shows.
• Lab TV has many science videos such as kids making LEGO robots.
  • First LEGO League.
  • LEGO model truck videos.
  • North Georgia LEGO Train Club.
  • Mechanical and Structural Engineering using LEGO's.
  • A technical tutorial about LEGO gears.
  • A blog linking to several expert LEGO builders' sites.
• "Citizen Science: People Power" describes several big science projects that non-scientists can contribute to via the internet.
  • Among these are Foldit, EteRNA, Phylo, EyeWire, etc.
• YouTube has Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's "Peak Oil" presentation chopped into 7 parts.
  • There are more presentations like it. C-SPAN often has such presentations.
• Al Gore and Bono's "Unified Earth Theory" talk from the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland is on YouTube.
• President Obama speaking at a solar energy facility (Oct 27, 2009).
• President Obama's "Message for America's Students" (Sep 8, 2009).
• Erin Gruwell's 2009 Bay Path College Commencement Speech.
• Dean Kamen's 2009 University of Arizona Commencement Speech.
• Robin Chase's 2009 SUNY-Oswego Commencement Speech.
  • Click here for the transcript.
• Juan Williams' 2009 speech about voting rights.
• TED: Ideas Worth Spreading has many interesting (and sometimes controversial) science and technology talks.
  • Here are some where the physicist Richard Feynman talks about energy, atoms, heat, chemistry, etc.
  • Here is one where Mae Jemison talks about bridging the gap between the Arts and the Sciences.
    • Here is another talk by Mae Jemison about Science Literacy.
• Lorenzo's Oil was a good movie based on a true story about a lay-person who reads many articles on his own and
  prods the right scientists in order to develop a cure for his son's rare neurological disease.
• Guinea Worm and River Blindness are two diseases the Carter Center is working to cure.
• " US teen invents advanced cancer test using Google".
• Many problems in the world need solving. Good ideas can come from anywhere.
• Pick a problem and go after it. Think Globally. Act Locally.

More About Jeff

Miscellaneous Links:

• GPC Home Page

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