Supervisions: Work to Do
Instructions
- For each supervision you need to do the work from the table below, and hand it in according to these instructions in advance of the supervision.
- There's advice on the advice page if you want it.
- If anything is unclear, please e-mail me on mds51@cam.ac.uk.
- If you are isolating due to covid, let me know: in this case the supervision will move to Zoom. All other supervisions will be in person. Directions, and the link for Zoom, are here. Remember to bring a copy of the question sheet with you to supervisions.
- If you'd like to re-arrange the time of your supervision you must ask me one week in advance. For anyone who is wondering whether this applies to them, I explain at tedious length at the bottom of this page.
Easter Term 2023
I usually update this table on Wednesday mornings.
| Date of Supervision | Work for IA Nat. Sci. Maths | Work for IB Physics A | Work for IB Physics B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Course A) | (Course B) | |||
| 24th-29th April | No supervision this week. | Holiday work. | ||
| 1st-6th May | Holiday work. | More holiday work. (Add Q1 if you like.) | More holiday work. | |
| 8th-13th May | Questions 1-10. Omit 4(d) and 9(a)(iii). | Questions 1-11. In question 3, only deal with the first three products (A^2, AB, AC). | Questions 2-5. (Plus 1 if not done last week.) | Questions 17-20. |
| 15th-20th May | Questions 11-17. | Questions 12-26, omitting 20 and 21. Optionally add X34 or X35. | Questions 6 and 7, then 1-4 from the new sheet. | Questions 22-25. Optionally add 21. |
| 22nd-27th May | Questions 18-20 from question sheet 1, and 1-4 from question sheet 2. | Questions 27-31 from question sheet 1, and question 1 from question sheet 2. | All of the remaining questions on the question sheet. Also bring with you (but do not hand in) any questions that you have about the past papers that you are doing to prepare for the exam. | |
| 28th May - 3rd June | All of the remaining questions on the last question sheet. Also bring with you (but do not hand in) any questions that you have about the past papers that you are doing to prepare for the exam. | No supervision this week. | ||
Holiday Work: Easter 2023
As always---and especially this holiday with Tripos looming---it is important to do lots of revision over the holiday.
When doing past Tripos papers, I think it's always a good idea to try them under timed conditions first, to practise working under time pressure, and then to go back and spend longer---in some cases much longer---to fix what you couldn't do in the time and make the best answers that you can. (You don't need to tell me which bit is timed in the work that you submit, though; please make sure that all of your final answer to a question is in one place, and just submit that.)
At the end of lectures in the Easter term, I'll make available worked solutions to the 2018 past papers in IA NST maths and IB Physics B, so it might be a good idea to save those papers for revision shortly before the exams. (Those for the 2018 Physics A are on the TiS, as are solutions to both Physics A and Physics B for several other past papers.)IA NST Maths: Course A
The work is due in by 12 noon on Wednesday 26th April. I'll begin supervisions from Monday 1st May.
- Complete questions 19-25 from the question sheet.
- From 2019 paper 1, complete all of section A, and questions 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.
- From 2019 paper 2, complete questions 1-6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16.
- [Optional.] Any questions of your choice from the 2010 and 2014 past papers. I shan't mark these, but if you let me know you've made a serious attempt at the papers, and promise not to pass them on to anyone else, I'll send worked solutions.
IA NST Maths: Course B
The work is due in by 12 noon on Wednesday 26th April. I'll begin supervisions from Monday 1st May.
- Complete questions 24-28 from the question sheet. Optionally add 29 and/or 30; they are good for you.
- From 2019 paper 1, complete all of section A, and questions 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20.
- From 2019 paper 2, complete questions 1-6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, and 19.
- [Optional.] Any questions of your choice from the extension question sheet.
- [Optional.] Any questions of your choice from the 2010 and 2014 past papers. I shan't mark these, but if you let me know you've made a serious attempt at the papers, and promise not to pass them on to anyone else, I'll send worked solutions.
IB Physics A
The work is due in by various deadlines. I'll begin supervisions from Monday 24th April.
- Complete questions 3-8 and 10-12 from question sheet 4. Add 13 and/or 14 only if you feel enthusiastic about them.
- From 2019 paper 1, complete all questions apart from part (a) of D13.
- From 2019 paper 2, complete questions A1, A2, A3, B7, B8, B9, and D12.
- [Optional.] Any questions of your choice from the 2010 past papers. I shan't mark these, but if you let me know you've made a serious attempt at the papers, and promise not to pass them on to anyone else, I'll send worked solutions.
IB Physics B
The work is due in by various deadlines. I'll begin supervisions from Monday 24th April.
- Complete questions 9-16 from the thermodynamics queston sheet.
- From 2019 paper 1, complete all questions apart from A4 and A5.
- From 2019 paper 2, complete questions A3, A4, A5, B6, B8, B9, C10, and C11.
- [Optional.] Any questions of your choice from the 2014 past papers. I shan't mark these, but if you let me know you've made a serious attempt at the papers, and promise not to pass them on to anyone else, I'll send worked solutions.
Lent Term 2023
I usually update this table on Wednesday mornings.
| Date of Supervision | Work for IA Nat. Sci. Maths | Work for IB Physics A | Work for IB Physics B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Course A) | (Course B) | |||
| 17th-21st January | No supervision this week. | Holiday work. | ||
| 23rd-28th January | Holiday work. | More holiday work. (Add Q1 if you like.) | More holiday work. | |
| 30th January - 4th February | S1, S2, S3, S4, 5, 6, 7, 8. | S1g, S1j, S2c, S2f, S3b, S4b, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8a, 8b, 8c. | Questions 1-6. | Questions 10-15. |
| 6th-11th February | Questions S9, S10, and 11-13. | Questions 9-13; optionally also X26 (and/or X24 or even X25). | Questions 7-11. | Questions 16-21. |
| 13th-18th February | Questions S1 to 8. The second part of 8 is optional. | Questions S1a, S1c, S2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9. | Questions 12 and 13, then 1-5 from the new sheet. | Questions 22-27. |
| 20th-25th February | Questions 9-12. Part (ii) of 12 is difficult and optional. | S3 and questions 10-16. Optionally omit 13(ii) and 16(c). | Questions 7-12. | Questions 28-33. |
| 27th February - 4th March | Questions 13-18, omitting 16. | Questions 17-22. Question 20 is optional (but do attempt it if you can). Optionally add X30(a). | Questions 13 and 14, then 1-4 from the new sheet. | Questions 34-38. |
| 6th-11th March | Question 19, then S1 and questions 2-7 from question sheet 3. Optionally include 9* and/or 8* as well. | S1, S2, and questions 6-13. | Questions 5-9. (Omit 9 if the lecturer hasn't lectured far enough.) | Questions 39-41 from fluids, and 1 and 2 from thermodynamics. |
| 13th-18th March | Questions S10-S13 and 14-18. | S3, S4, and questions 14-23. Omit 22, and optionally omit 15. | Questions 10-12 from question sheet 3 (adding 9 if not done last week) then 1 and 2 from question sheet 4. | Questions 3-8. |
Holiday Work: Christmas 2022/23
Whichever course you're doing, the first item of holiday work is to revise the work from the Michaelmas term. Many of you have tests coming up! And if there are questions that you didn't get right the first time, and you haven't re-attempted them yet, then it's good to do that over the holidays.
IA NST Mathematics
I'll begin supervisions for IA NST Maths on Monday 23rd January, but this work is due in by 10am on Wednesday 18th January.
- Complete questions from the question sheet: K1-3 (A-course) or R11-14 (B-course).
- Download the 2014 past papers for IA Nat. Sci. maths from the faculty's website. From paper 1, attempt questions 1-10, 12, 14, and 18. Do 15 and 19 instead of 18 if you are following the B-course.
- From 2014 paper 2, attempt questions 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 13, and 15. Add 20 if you are following the B-course.
- [Optional.] If you'd like to practise more Tripos questions, then attempt any questions of your choice from the 2010 papers.
- [Optional.] Anyone who would like a challenge can have a look at anything from X1-23 on this extra question sheet. Feel free to hand in anything you've done if you'd like feedback.
IB Physics A
I'll begin supervisions in IB Physics A on Tuesday 17th January**. The first supervision will be for going through the examples sheet and 2018 paper 1, which must be handed in (or sent in online) by noon on Thursday 12th January. The rest of the holiday work must be handed in on paper by noon on Wednesday 18th January**; we shan't go through it in the first supervision.
- (Due in by 12 noon on Thursday 12th January, on paper or online.) Complete the rest of the question sheet on waves and optics, questions 29-36. Download the May 2018 IB physics A papers from the Cavendish teaching website. From paper 1, attempt questions A4, D12, and D13.
- (Due in by 12 noon on Wednesday 18th January**, on paper.) From 2018 paper 2, attempt questions A1, A2, A3, B6, B7, B8, B9, and D13. [Optional.] If you'd like to practise more past paper questions (which is a very good idea), then attempt any of your choice from the 2012 past papers.
- Play with the wave interference demo on PhET if your computer allows you. (And others on the site as well if you like.) Don't hand anything in from this.
IB Physics B
I'll begin supervisions in IB Physics B on Tuesday 17th January**. The first supervision will be for going through the examples sheet and 2013 paper 1, which must be handed in (or sent in online) by noon on Thursday 12th January. The rest of the holiday work must be handed in on paper by noon on Wednesday 18th January**; we shan't go through it in the first supervision.
- (Due in by 12 noon on Thursday 12th January, on paper or online.) Complete questions 1-9 from the Dynamics question sheet. Download the June 2013 IB physics A papers from the Cavendish teaching website. From paper 1, attempt questions A2, B6, B7, B8, and B9.
- (Due in by 12 noon on Wednesday 18th January**, on paper.) From 2013 paper 2, attempt questions A1, A3, B6, and B7. [Optional.] If you'd like to practise more past paper questions (which is a very good idea), then attempt any of your choice from the 2012 papers.
- If you can, play with the charges and fields demonstration from PhET, looking that the field and equipotentials for a dipole and two different kinds of quadrapole. Investigate any other relevant relevant simulations from PhET that look interesting, including, if you have nothing better to do, applying gratuitous electric shocks to John Travoltage. Don't hand anything in from this.
** These dates were wrong in an earlier version of this page - sorry.
Work to Do: Michaelmas Term 2022
I plan to update this table on Wednesday mornings this term.
| Date of Supervision | Work for IA Nat. Sci. Maths | Work for IB Physics A | Work for IB Physics B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Course A) | (Course B) | |||
| 10th-16th October | No work set. (But look back over the maths work that you've done before arriving, and consider if there's anything that you want to ask about it.) | No supervision this week. | ||
| 17th-22nd October | All questions from sections A and B on the question sheet, except that you may omit A1 and A3 if you like. | Questions A1, A3, A4, A5, A7, A8, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B10, B11, and B13. | Questions 1-5 from oscillations, and question 1 from experimental methods. | Questions 1-6. |
| 24th-29th October | Sections C, D, and E. | C1(iv), {C3(ii) or X2}*, C4, C5(i, ii, iii), C7, C9, C10, C12, D1, D2, E2, E3, E4, F1(b, e, g, h). | Questions 6-8 (including** 7) from oscillations, and questions 2, 3, and 4a from experimental methods. | Questions 7-12. |
| 31st October - 6th November | Questions 1-13 from section F. If you are already very good with complex numbers, omit question 1 completely, and only do parts (b), (d), (f), (h) and (j) from question 2. | {F3(c,d) or X4}*, F4(c), {F5(c) or X7}, F6, F7(b,d,e,f,g,h,i,k), F8, F10, F11, F13(b), F14(e), F15(d), F17, F18(c,e), F19, G1, G3(b,e), G4, H1(e,f,h), H2(a,c,e), H3. | Questions 9-13 from oscillations, and questions 5 and 6 from experimental methods. | Questions 13-18. |
| 7th-12th November | F14-15, all of section G, and H1-7, optionally omitting H1(b,d,f,h), H2(b,d,f,h), and H5(d). | {H4 or X9}*, H5, I1, J1, K1, K2, L1, L2. | Questions 14-17 (omitting 16(b) unless you really want to do it) from oscillations, and 7-9 from experimental methods (without doing 8 very thoroughly). | Questions 19-24. |
| 14th-19th November | H8 to H15. | M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N4, O1, {P1(d,g) or X11}, P2(c,d,e), P3(b), P4. | Questions 18-21 from oscillations (where 19(b) is optional), and 10 and 11 from experimental methods. | Questions 25 to 30. |
| 21st-26th November | H16, H17, all of section I, J1, J2. | {P5(d) or X17},{P5(g) or X18}, P6(all), P7, P9, P10, P12, P15, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q6. | Questions 22-26 (omitting 24(a) and 24(d)) from oscillations, and questions 12-14 from experimental methods. | Questions 31-37. |
| 28th November - 3rd December | The rest of section J, and questions 1 and 2 from section K. | P14, Q8, Q9, {R1 or X23}, R2, R3, R4, R5, R7, R8, R9. (If you do X23, you may want to miss out the hardest bits.) | Questions 27-32 from oscillations (where 31 is optional) and 15-16 from experimental methods. | Questions 38-44. |
General notes
Where to find the questions
- Resources for IA Nat. Sci. maths are on Moodle, and resources for Physics are on TiS.
- If there are more questions on the examples sheet than I set, then you are welcome to do the extra ones; I'm happy to mark them.
- For maths B supervisions, in some cases I've given a choice of questions in {curly braces}. This means you've got a choice of either a regular question or an X question. The X questions are to be found on this extra question sheet. They are only there in case you are really keen for an extra challenge: if not, stick to the choices from the lecturer's question sheet. (You can also try some of the X questions that aren't in the table if you want...)
Computational questions in Physics A
These questions are just as important as the algebraic ones. You need to be able to set up computational models. Furthermore, these questions illustrate important physics. If you don't like the programming language they suggest, use a different one. Many of the questions can even be done with just a spreadsheet given a bit of determination.
I only need to see the output graphs and your comments. If possible, submit this all on paper with the rest of your work. If your college's printing facilities aren't working, you can e-mail the graphs to me instead, naming the files with a name that includes your crsid.
I don't need to see your code if it works. If you can't get it to do anything at all, and it's in Python, you can send it to me by e-mail, along with any error messages you're getting, and I'll try to work out what's wrong with it. I'm not debugging languages other than Python; if you use them, you'll have to fix the problems yourself.
What I will mark
- I will only mark work from the course question sheets, attempts at questions from the extension sheet, and work set in the tables above. The work set will include some questions from past tripos papers over the holidays.
- I will not mark other past papers, or anything else. However, if you want to check your method for specific past-paper questions, or talk about how to approach questions from anywhere else, then bring them along with you to a supervision, and if we have time we can go through them.
Re-arranging supervisions
I'm happy to re-arrange supervisions for almost any reason, providing that I have a week's notice. This means that you need to talk to me about it in the previous supervision (i.e. the supervision before the one that you want to rearrange), when all of the affected people are in the same place.
There's no need to read the rest of this section unless you are looking to re-arrange a supervision with less than a week's notice.
Sometimes students ask me to re-arrange their supervisions by e-mail, giving me less than a week's notice. The trouble with this is that it requires a number of e-mails to establish a possible alternative time that all three or four people affected can make, and for me to book a room. This series of e-mails usually takes a few days, by which point some possible rearranged times have already been and gone, and during which I have to allow not only for my regular timetable and the time of the rearranged supervision, but also for a number of hypothetical timetables based on rearrangements that might never happen. This is inconvenient, and if several students are asking for such rearrangements at once, can become impossible. And I don't think it fair to provide a flexibility to some students that I can't give to everyone. Furthermore, I consider that providing a reasonable amount of notice for rearranging supervisions is a basic level of professionalism with regard to their academic commitments that can reasonably be expected of students. Therefore I shall not re-arrange any supervision with less than a week's notice except for academic or health reasons.
- In particular, I will not rearrange supervisions with less than a week's notice if the reason is...
- rowing, even the "bumps". (If you're going to take part in a race whose exact time isn't set until shortly beforehand, then find out before the previous week's supervision all of the times that it could be. I can then try to find a time that doesn't clash with any of them.)
- any other sport.
- music, drama, or social events.
- routine family visits.
- a reason that you choose not to specify, even if you hint darkly at forces beyond your control.
- another supervisor wanting to teach you in what is usually my slot, unless someone can explain to me why their time is so very much more valuable than mine.
- an academic commitment that you have known about for long enough to give me a week's notice, but had forgotten about. (If you think that this is likely to be a problem, then e-mail me at least nine days before the supervision you want to rearrange, and I'll take on the responsibility of remembering to rearrange it at the proper time.)
- anything else not listed below.
- I may make re-arrangements at short notice if...
- you are ill, or need to attend a medical appointment. Let me know as soon as possible.
- your department requires you to do something at short notice as part of your course, or you need to attend a catch-up practical session because you have been ill. (This should happen very rarely, because normally you will have advance notice from the department.) I may want to check with the department. (It will be faster if you get them to e-mail me directly.)
- your Director of Studies wants you to do something at short notice. In this case I'd expect them to confirm by e-mailing me directly.
- you have an interview for a summer job or internship or similar which is arranged at short notice, with no alternative interview time, such that you will lose the post if you don't attend. Although I'm unconvinced that an organization that does this is going to be good to work for, I appreciate that you may be in something of a buyers' market, so I'll consider each case on its merits.
- there is a reason why a re-arrangement ought to be made on compassionate grounds, e.g. because you are visiting a relative who is taken ill, or helping a friend who is in serious trouble. In this case you need either to tell me exactly what the problem is, or (if it's something that you don't feel comfortable telling me about) tell your Tutor or Director of Studies, who can confirm to me that there is a good reason.