Instead of writing an individual term paper, you may work together with 1 or 2 other people (for a total of 2 or 3 people) on a group term paper. This group term paper will meet the same requirement as the individual term paper. The paper will receive one grade and all of the members of the group will receive that same grade.
The expectations for a group term paper are exactly the same as for an individual term paper except that the length should be 1800 to 2200 words (approximately 6 double-spaced, typewritten pages). You should use this increased length to make a more thorough examination of the physical concepts involved in your chosen object.
This should be a paper with very little "filler." Read the individual term paper instructions for more details. The bonus for a photograph is the same, except that all group members must be in the photograph, as well as your object of interest.
My reason for offering this group term paper option is to encourage the members of a group to talk about physical concepts, using the language of physics, and thus help one another develop their understandings of both physics and the object at hand.
There are two additional requirements that you must follow if you choose to work on a group term paper. First, once you have formed a group and have begun to prepare material on a particular object, you may not break up and write individual term papers on that same object. If your group does break up, you must each begin again on new and different objects.
Second, each member of the group must also attach a sealed envelope containing a completed copy of the form below. This form is necessary to ensure that each member of the group contributes fairly to the paper. In a case where the forms indicate that the work was very unevenly split between the members of a group, I reserve the right to assign the grades unevenly. You are on your honor to make a fair assessment of who contributed what to the paper. Your group term paper will not be considered complete without these forms attached to it.
Term Paper Effort Report
(Each author must complete a report and submit it in a sealed envelope, stapled to the term paper)
Term Paper Title: _______________________________________________________
Authors: 1. ______________________, 2. ______________________, 3. ______________________,
For each of the questions below, divide 100% of the work among the 2 or 3 authors listed above.
How much did each author contribute to the research? 1. ______%, 2. ______%, 3. ______%
How much did each author contribute to the discussions? 1. ______%, 2. ______%, 3. ______%
How much did each author contribute to the writing? 1. ______%, 2. ______%, 3. ______%
How much did each author contribute to the figures? 1. ______%, 2. ______%, 3. ______%