Optional Assignments


Assignment
 Date Assigned
 Date Due
 points
topic(s) and/or comments
Water draining from sinks & toilets asst.
 Fri., Apr. 12
 Fri., Apr. 19
 0.15
 you must turn in a hard copy of your answers,
email submissions will not be accepted
Forces & winds asst.
 Wed., Apr. 10
 Wed., Apr. 17
 0.4
 Forces, surface and upper level winds  answers
Atmospheric stability
 Fri., Apr. 5
 Mon., Apr. 15
 0.4
 Read this background information, study this example analysis
In class asst.
 Fri., Apr. 5
 Fri., Apr. 5
 0.3
 thermal circulations, 1-cell and 3-cell models answers
In class asst.
 Fri., Mar. 29
 Fri., Mar. 29
 0.3
 clouds and precipitation  answers
In class asst.
 Fri., Mar. 15
 Fri., Mar. 15
 0.4
 humidity variables  answers
In class asst.
 Wed., Feb. 27
 Wed., Feb. 27
 0.3
 electromagnetic radiation, energy balance, greenhouse effect   answers
In class asst.
 Fri., Feb. 22
 Fri., Feb. 22
 0.3 pts
 energy, temperature, energy transport  answers
Upper-level charts asst.
 Wed., Feb. 13
 Wed., Feb. 27
 0.3 pts EC or up to 9 pts
that will be added to your Quiz #2 score
 read Upper-level charts pt. 1, pt. 2, and pt. 3
Surface weather map analysis
 Wed., Feb. 13
 Fri., 22
 0.4 pts EC or up to 10 1S1P pts
 use this example analysis as a guide
see also the Fri., Feb. 8 and Mon., Feb.  11 lecture notes
In class asst.
 Wed., Feb. 6
 Wed., Feb. 6
 0.35
 station model notation and surface weather maps  answers
Layers of the atmosphere
 Wed., Jan. 30
 Fri., Feb. 8
 0.35 extra credit pts or up to 10 pts
added to your Quiz #1 score		 read the Supplementary Reading section about the
troposphere and stratosphere
In class asst.
 Wed., Jan. 23
 Wed., Jan. 23 (end of class)
 0.3
 composition of the air; mass, weight, density & pressure  answers

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