Optional Assignments


Assignment
 Date Assigned
 Date Due
 points
topic(s) and/or comments
Atmospheric Stability
11:59 pm (midnight)
on Fri., Apr. 24
 0.4
 read this background material
then study this example
Water draining from sinks & toilets
in the N. & S. Hemispheres
12:00 pm (noon) on
Tue., Apr. 21
 0.15
Forces & winds assignment
 Mon., Apr. 6
 12:00 pm (noon) on
Mon., Apr. 20
 0.4
 surface & upper level winds in the N. & S. Hemispheres and the forces that cause them
Thermal Circulations/3-cell Model Assignment
12:00 pm (noon) on Thu., Apr. 16
 0.4
 read this online back ground information
Clouds and precipitation assignment
 Tue., Mar. 31
 Fri., Apr. 3
by noon MST
 0.25
 clouds and precipitation producing processes  answers
Humidity assignment
 Thu., Mar. 26
 Mon., Mar. 30
by noon MST
 0.35
 humidity variables, drying moist air, rain shadow effect  answers
Humidity variables assignment
 Tue., Mar. 24
 Wed., Mar. 25
by noon MST
 0.25
 humidity variables  answers
In-class optional assignment
 Tue., Mar. 3
 Thu., Mar. 5
 0.2
 electromagnetic radiation  answers
In-class optional assignment
 Thu., Feb. 27
 Thu., Feb. 27
 0.2
 energy, temperature, energy transport  answers
Upper level charts assignment
 Tue., Feb. 25
 Thu., Mar. 5
 0.3 EC pts or up to 9 pts that will be subtracted
from your Quiz #2 pts missed total		 read Upper-level Charts part. 1, part. 2, and part. 3
copies of the assignment will be handed out in class
Surface weather map analysis

 Thu., Feb. 20
 Thu., Feb. 27
 0.4 EC pts or
up to 10 1S1P pts
 use this example analysis as a guide, see also the Tue., Feb. 18 lecture notes.
The troposphere & stratosphere Thu., Feb. 6
 Tue., Feb. 18
 0.35
 read this online material before answering the assignment questions
Station model notation & surface weather maps
 Tue., Feb. 11
 Thu., Feb. 13
at the end of class
 0.3
 copies of the assignment will be handed out in class  answers
Atmospheric composition & air pollutants
 Thu., Jan. 23
 Tue., Jan. 28
 0.2
a copy of the assignment will be handed out in class  answers

You can download and print the assignment in Microsoft WORD format by clicking on the appropriate link above.  Copies of the assignment will often be distributed in class.

If you make an honest attempt at answering all the questions, you should be able to earn full credit on each assignment even if you don't answer all the questions correctly.  An honest effort includes having the assignment done before coming to class and turning the assignment in at the beginning of class.  It is OK to work together with other students in the class, but everyone should contribute.  You shouldn't just copy another student's work.

There will be a sufficient number of optional assignments for you to be able to earn at least 3 points extra credit by the end of the semester.  The extra credit points are added to the average grade computed prior to the final exam.

Note:   Don't be concerned if you get work back without a grade.  Usually only papers with less than full credit will have a grade marked on them.  Papers without a marked grade have earned full credit.  An individual assignment is generally only worth a few 1/10ths of a point of extra credit (see table above).  A paper with a grade of 4/5 really means you earned 0.4 out of 0.5 points extra credit.  1/10ths of a point extra credit may not seem like much.  But the accumulated total at the end of the semester can have a significant effect on your grade. 

Also note: The fact that you do not have any answers marked wrong does not necessarily mean you answered all the questions correctly.  Frequently the grading load requires that we only grade some of the questions on the optional assignments.  You should carefully compare your answers with the answers once they appear online.