Are you ready for SM123?

Are you ready for SM123?

This online activity should take you about two hours to complete.

Before you begin the module, we would like you to consider very carefully whether you are ready to study SM123.

Many of you will have already studied with the Open University before, on modules such as S111. To enjoy the module, there are some basic skills that you should be sure of before you study this module. But the most important thing you will need is time. SM123 will take about 10 hours of your time each week and runs from October to June. Think very carefully about how you will fit the time needed to study this module into your life.

Please take the time to work through this Are you ready for SM123? including the two quizzes on Understanding Science and Maths Skills. Please attempt all of the questions as this will help you assess whether you have the skills ready to start the module.

What you will be doing

This activity will help you find out whether you are ready to study SM123. It covers six areas.

1. The Understanding Science quiz will ask you about the science you already know.
2. The Maths Skills quiz will help you decide whether you have the maths skills needed.
3. SM123 introduces computer programming. If you wish to get started on learning this now, there are resources to help you.
4. One thing to bear in mind is this module is completely online. Do you have the study skills to do this?
5. It may also be a while since you have written anything. Do you have the necessary writing skills?
6. Do you have the time to study this module and can you manage your time well?

1  Understanding Science Quiz

If you are familiar with some of these key ideas before you start SM123 it will really help you. Try the following self-assessment questions to find out how much you already know.

Select the answer for

Question 1

here

Which of the following is the correct order for identifying magnitude, starting with the smallest and ending with the largest?

milli, micro, nano, giga, mega, kilo

giga, mega, kilo, milli, micro, nano

nano, micro, milli, kilo, mega, gigaNano means a billionth; micro a millionth; milli a thousandth; kilo one thousand; mega one million and giga one billion

nano, micro, milli, giga, mega, kilo

 

a. 

milli, micro, nano, giga, mega, kilo

b. 

giga, mega, kilo, milli, micro, nano

c. 

nano, micro, milli, kilo, mega, giga

d. 

nano, micro, milli, giga, mega, kilo

The correct answer is c.

c. 

Nano means a billionth; micro a millionth; milli a thousandth; kilo one thousand; mega one million and giga one billion

Select the answer for

Question 2

here

A shopkeeper determines the price per unit mass of their goods according to the following relationship:

In which units is the price per unit mass expressed?

£/kgThe units for the price per unit mass are obtained by dividing the units for the money (£) by the units for the mass (kg) so the units are £ per kg or £/kg.

kg/£

£

kg

 

a. 

£/kg

b. 

kg/£

c. 

£

d. 

kg

The correct answer is a.

a. 

The units for the price per unit mass are obtained by dividing the units for the money (£) by the units for the mass (kg) so the units are £ per kg or £/kg.

Question 3

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Select the answer for

Question 4

here

Right now, you are exerting a force on the surface of the Earth due to your weight. Why do you not sink into the Earth?

There is not enough space between the atoms making up the surface of the Earth.

The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is greater than the force you exert on the Earth.

The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is equal to the force you exert on the Earth.The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is equal to the force you exert on the Earth. If the Earth exerted a force greater than the one you exert on the Earth you would be pushed upwards.

 

a. 

There is not enough space between the atoms making up the surface of the Earth.

b. 

The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is greater than the force you exert on the Earth.

c. 

The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is equal to the force you exert on the Earth.

The correct answer is c.

c. 

The surface of the Earth exerts a force on you that is equal to the force you exert on the Earth. If the Earth exerted a force greater than the one you exert on the Earth you would be pushed upwards.

Select the answer for

Question 5

here

The upper spectrum in Figure 1, below, is white light split up into its component wavelengths. The lower spectrum is obtained by viewing the white light after it has passed through an atmosphere of hydrogen.

(Source: Jason Knows Science 5/7/18)

Figure 1  The spectrum of white light (top) and the same spectrum viewed after passing through an atmosphere of hydrogen (bottom) (for use with Question 13).

Which of the following statements is true?

hydrogen absorbs all wavelengths of white light

hydrogen does not absorb any wavelengths of the white light

hydrogen absorbs green and yellow light

hydrogen absorbs red and blue light.The black lines reveal the wavelengths that are missing when the light travels through hydrogen, so hydrogen must have absorbed them. These lines are in the red, blue and violet regions of the spectrum.

 

a. 

hydrogen absorbs all wavelengths of white light

b. 

hydrogen does not absorb any wavelengths of the white light

c. 

hydrogen absorbs green and yellow light

d. 

hydrogen absorbs red and blue light.

The correct answer is d.

d. 

The black lines reveal the wavelengths that are missing when the light travels through hydrogen, so hydrogen must have absorbed them. These lines are in the red, blue and violet regions of the spectrum.

Question 6

Using only the following information, how many electrons are there in a sodium atom?

Figure 2  Annotated representation of sodium atom from the periodic table (for use with Question 6).

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Answer

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Atoms are neutrally charged, so the number of negatively charged electrons is equal to the number of positively charged protons. Sodium has an atomic number of 11 so the number of protons and therefore electrons in a sodium atom is 11.

Select the answer for

Question 7

here

Which of the following represents a covalent molecule?

H⁺ Cl⁻

H–Cl

 

a. 

b. 

H⁺ Cl⁻

c. 

H–Cl

The correct answer is c.

2  Maths Skills

Basic mathematical skills of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication are required for this module plus the following ideas;

• Understanding scale and changing units of measurement

Units look at the scale of something. The metre (m) and the kilogram (kg) are units of measurement we use in our everyday lives. In this module, you will also come across units measuring the very small, from the size of an atom and subatomic particles, to the very large, the size of the Sun, stars and galaxies.

For very big or very small numbers it is often more appropriate to change the units of measurement, to something that is more easily understood.

Can you convert different units of measurement? For example millimetre (mm) to kilometre (km).

• Understanding percentages

A percentage is a way of saying “how many out of one hundred”, e.g.

They are also used to look at how values change, a percentage increase or decrease compared with the original value.

• Understanding areas and volumes

Are you able to calculate the areas or volumes of different shapes?

• Understanding equations

An equation is a mathematical statement where both sides must be balanced. The values either side of an equals sign must be the same.

Are you able to re-arrange equations so you can work out the unknown variable?

• Understanding very large or small numbers

It often gets confusing writing out all those zeros in big and small numbers. Do you understand the idea of the powers of 10 notation for very big or small numbers?

The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 150 000 000 km or 1.5 × 10⁸ km.

The size of a hydrogen atom is about 0.000 000 000 1 m or 1 × 10^-10 m.

A positive power of ten denotes how many times a number is multiplied by 10 while a negative power of ten denotes how many times a number is divided by 10.

• Handling data

Can you collect information (or data)? Work out what it is telling you? And show it to someone else?

2.1 Maths quiz

Question 1

The price of a cup of coffee increases from £2.00 to £2.30.

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Question 2

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Question 3

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Select the answer for

Question 4

here

To how many significant figures should your answer to the previous question be quoted? (The previous question asked you to calculate the area of a rectangle measuring 78 cm by 1.5 m.)

1 significant figure

2 significant figuresEach number is quoted to two significant figures so the answer should also be quoted to two significant figures.

3 significant figures

the number of significant figures doesnt matter.

 

a. 

1 significant figure

b. 

2 significant figures

c. 

3 significant figures

d. 

the number of significant figures doesnt matter.

The correct answer is b.

b. 

Each number is quoted to two significant figures so the answer should also be quoted to two significant figures.

Question 5

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Question 6

Re-arrange the following equation so that B is the subject. A = BC

A = BC

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Answer

The answer is

To rearrange A = BC to make B the subject, both sides of the equation are divided by C. This cancels out the C on the right hand side leaving just B and on the left hand side.

Question 7

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Question 8

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Select the answer for

Question 9

here

Power is the rate at which energy is transformed:

If energy is measured in joules, symbol J, and time in seconds, symbol s, what are the units of power?

J s

 

a. 

J s

b. 

c. 

The correct answer is b.

Question 10

Look at the following table of data and identify the dependent and independent variables.

Table 1   A sample table of data (for use with Question 10).

Month	Sales (1000s)	Advertising Pounds (1000s)
January	100	5.5
February	110	5.8
March	112	6
April	115	5.9
May	117	6.2
June	116	6.3
July	118	6.5
August	120	6.6
September	121	6.4
October	120	6.5
November	117	6.7
December	123	6.8

(Table adapted from Columbia University)

Sales

Dependent variable

Advertising Pounds

Independent variable

Using the following two lists, match each numbered item with the correct letter.

1. Sales

2. Advertising Pounds

• a.Independent variable

• b.Dependent variable

The correct answers are:

• 1 = b
• 2 = a

Answer

‘Sales’ is the dependent variable as it is being used to measure the effect of the independent variable, the advertising spend.

‘Advertising Pounds’ is the independent variable as it is the variable that is being investigated.

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Select the answer for

Question 11

here

The figure shows UK energy use by type of source. When did gas first become the most important source of energy use?

(Source: CarbonBrief 5/7/18)

Figure 3   Graph of global energy use by type of source (for use with Question 11).

between 1975-1980

between 1985-1990

between 1995-2000

between 2005-2010

 

a. 

between 1975-1980

b. 

between 1985-1990

c. 

between 1995-2000

d. 

between 2005-2010

The correct answer is c.

3 Computer programming

SM123 will introduce you to computer programming using the Python programming language. You are not expected to have any previous knowledge of computer programming in order to begin studying SM123. However, if you wish to get a head start on this aspect of the module, you should take a look at the free Open Learn course “Simple Coding” which is available here: https://www.open.edu/ openlearn/ digital-computing/ simple-coding/ content-section-0?active-tab=description-tab This course is designed to take 2 hours of study and mirrors much of what you will encounter during your first week of Python study in SM123.

4  Online Study

One thing to bear in mind is this module is completely online. For some of you this maybe a completely new way of studying. Do you have the study skills to do this?

Effective reading and note-making

As all the study material is online, you might have to think about developing new study skills for an online module and also think about when you need to be online to complete activities or questions within the topic. If you have already studied an online module with the Open University before (such as S111) or a module with some online materials (such as MST124), SM123 will further develop your online study skills.

Effective reading and note-making is a key skill you need. Reading and making notes should be an active and creative process. Your goal is to have a useful and memorable set of notes that that is easy to refer to and improves your learning.

5  Writing skills

It may also be a while since you have written anything. Do you have the necessary writing skills?

6  Time management

How many hours a week do you work? Or do you have caring responsibilities? Everyone is different.

Plan out an average week as a simple table with days along the top and hourly timeslots along the side. You can do this on paper, using word processing software or a spreadsheet. (There is a useful time management spreadsheet as part of the Are you ready for S111? which you may download from http://www.open.edu/ openlearncreate/ mod/ resource/ view.php?id=79339 and use. Existing OU students can use the online time planner, too.https://help.open.ac.uk/ plan-your-time Think carefully about the time you have available for study. Be realistic and allow time for any commitments such as work, family or caring responsibilities, plus downtime for yourself (don’t forget that you need to eat and sleep!).

7  What to do next?

Having now completed this Are You Ready for SM123? resource, you should now be in a position to judge how prepared you feel to start SM123.

Begin by reflecting on your answers to the Understanding Science and Maths Skills quizzes. Feedback was given as you went along. (You can go back and re-attempt these questions at any time.) There are no formal marks or a score system, however if you answered most of these questions correctly on the first go then you should be well prepared academically to start on SM123. The module will help you build on these skills as you progress towards science studies at higher levels.

Don’t forget to consider the important advice on online study (Section 3), writing skills (Section 4) and time management (Section 5) when assessing your preparedness.

In deciding what to do next, you may find it helpful to reflect on the following question and the advice that follows.

Acknowledgements

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources:

Figure 1: From Jason Knows Science. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 3.0/.

Figure 3: https://www.carbonbrief.org. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence Creative Commons — Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International — CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Table 1: Adapted from Columbia University.