My CUTF Project is developing, redesigning, and creating supplemental materials for take home labs for PHYS 0476 Introduction to Physics for Scientists and Engineers 2. This is a two part project. The first few weeks will involve developing computational labs using various softwares including Wolfram Mathematica and Microsoft Excel. Students have already received three such assignments at the time of this post. The first was a basic introductory assignment to the various softwares they will be using. The second assignment was used as a supplemental assignment for teaching Coulomb’s law. This lab walked students through creating a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to find the net force on a charged particle due to other charged particles in the area as well as creating a line of charge in Wolfram Mathematica and seeing its effects on another charged particle. The most recent assignment also used Microsoft Excel, but this time it used summation to teach students how to approximate difficult integrals that are difficult or even impossible to evaluate by hand. All of these labs fit smoothly into the course by mirroring the subjects they are currently learning in class. The second part of this project will begin in a few weeks. The second major part of this class is on circuits and circuit analysis, so students will be receiving various electrical components and several labs to help teach the subjects from the lectures. I will be responsible for developing a lab teaching the unique derivative and integral features of capacitors and inductors.

I am looking forward to working with Profesor Hong to develop these labs and this project as I feel that it will be very beneficial for the students to learn about many of the great tools that are available to them here at the University of Pittsburgh. It is also very beneficial to learn about the practical applications of the content they are learning about in class.

Personally I am looking forward to developing my communication skills throughout this project. Whether I am interacting with future employers, peers, or students, it is important to maintain a professional presence and tone. I hope to develop my communication skills inside and outside of the classroom while I am working on this project.

My name is Quincy Bayer. I am a sophomore computer engineering major, and I am also pursuing a minor in mathematics and theater. I also enjoy playing cymbals in the Drumline of the Pitt Varsity Marching Band.

This is the first page of the guide I wrote for lab 1 about Coulomb’s law. It walks the students through creating a line of charge in Wolfram Mathematica.