This is my first post in the UTA Journal as well as my first semester as a UTA. Starting the semester, I did not know what to expect in my duties as a UTA and over the course of the first month I was surprised by how much knowledge I had accumulated and how much of it stuck with me. In fact I was able to help a Physics 1 student with a freefall problem.
In regards to my office hours, I have had two students show within those weeks, one had a question regarding work and its relationship to change in internal energy. I explained to her my methodology for thinking about it noting that delta U = Q-W and that to determine when work is positive or negative think about the relation between work and volume, W=deltaV*P. If the volume increases work is positive and done by the system, if the volume decreases work is done on the system and is negative. The second student had a question on a thermodynamic process involving two hot reservoirs and one cold reservoir. I aided her in identifying a key equation she was missing presented in the notes, e = 1-Th/Tc. Afterwards, she was able to solve the problem.
Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to proctor the first exam something I was anxious about. However, during the exam, I gained a high sense of confidence in myself as I was able to clarify multiple concepts including Gaussian surfaces, flux, electron density, couloumbs law and the conversion from m^3 to liters.
Overall, I feel that I am a significant positive influence for the students in the class. For further posts I will do it on a weekly basis.
Weeks 1-5 (Jan 6 to Feb 5)
ReplyDeleteThis is my first post in the UTA Journal as well as my first semester as a UTA. Starting the semester, I did not know what to expect in my duties as a UTA and over the course of the first month I was surprised by how much knowledge I had accumulated and how much of it stuck with me. In fact I was able to help a Physics 1 student with a freefall problem.
In regards to my office hours, I have had two students show within those weeks, one had a question regarding work and its relationship to change in internal energy. I explained to her my methodology for thinking about it noting that delta U = Q-W and that to determine when work is positive or negative think about the relation between work and volume, W=deltaV*P. If the volume increases work is positive and done by the system, if the volume decreases work is done on the system and is negative. The second student had a question on a thermodynamic process involving two hot reservoirs and one cold reservoir. I aided her in identifying a key equation she was missing presented in the notes, e = 1-Th/Tc. Afterwards, she was able to solve the problem.
Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to proctor the first exam something I was anxious about. However, during the exam, I gained a high sense of confidence in myself as I was able to clarify multiple concepts including Gaussian surfaces, flux, electron density, couloumbs law and the conversion from m^3 to liters.
Overall, I feel that I am a significant positive influence for the students in the class. For further posts I will do it on a weekly basis.
Abish Pius