Are the grades curved? What is the equivalent letter grade?
A. The grades posted on the grades page are not curved. They are the raw grades you would have if the semester were to end today. Grades will not be curved until after the semester is over. In general, you should be in the top 10-15% of the class to expect an A, and the top 40% to expect a B (this isn’t Harvard: you don’t get an A as a reward for hard work in high school). The 50th percentile is near the B-/C+ boundary. It is rare that a student who faithfully does the work, takes all tests and the final, and participates in discussions, will get less than a C. • Q. Are the quizzes and tests cumulative? A. In general, yes. Quizzes will tend not to be cumulative, and will mostly be based on the material since the last quiz. Tests will also concentrate on the material since the last test, but as we build up to answering the question (What is N?), you will need to remember the early material. • Q. Do we have to know all the laws such as “inverse-square law,” “black body law,” “Wein’s law,
