NATS 1870A: UNDERSTANDING COLOUR (SU 2025)

MIDTERM EXAM: FORMAT AND EXPECTATIONS

When and Where:

•    Sunday, June 15th, 9am-12pm (‘Toronto time’) (3 hours)

•    In eClass, go to the new MIDTERM EXAM section at the top of the course home page. At the start of the exam, you will see these two items:

o ‘Midterm Exam 一 Articles and Instructions’file, revealing the 3 new articles to be used for this exam.

o ‘Midterm Exam 一 Submission of Answers’link, opening a TurnItIn assignment submission link for you to submit your typed responses file, within the exam time window listed above.

•    Make sure you have the necessary technology (computer with stable internet connection) available exactly when you need it for this exam.

•    Late penalty policy: any exams submitted after the indicated deadline will be deducted a late penalty of 1 mark  (out of 30) for every 10 minutes past the deadline, within the first hour after the deadline; no further exams will be accepted after 1 hour past the original ending time.

Exam Format and Settings:

•    This exam is based on Lessons 2-12, with all connection points and questions to be made to concepts explicitly covered in these lessons.

•    You will be presented with 3 (three) different media science news articles to read, each with a suitable word count range (around 800-1,000 words approximately), from sources like https://scitechdaily.com/ and https://phys.org/, published outside of our research project’s period.

•    For each article, you will then complete a typed response (on your own device) containing 2 connection points and 1 multiple-choice question, as follows:

o 2 (two) connection points between the article and our lesson materials (lesson slides and/or readings, over single or multiple different lessons covered this term). Each connection point should:

      Have a clear title given for the connection point, including the general scientific concept being connected between the article and the lesson (eg: Colour sensitivity ranges of human vision),   and a specific reference to the lesson materials (eg: Lesson 3 slides (#19, 21))

    Be written fully in your own words! Copying sentences, in part or in full, from the articles

themselves and/or lesson materials constitutes plagiarism, as does copying/sharing answers between classmates; this in turn may result in deductions ranging in severity. Using other aides like ChatGPT/Google Translator is prohibited, as it can lead to copied material being selected from a variety of sources, resulting in plagiarized content submitted by the student. Instead, after reading each article and identifying the scientific concepts for your connections, try putting the articles away and writing your connection points completely on your own, with proper English grammar and writing style.

    Demonstrate meaningful insight into the scientific material presented in the article and

covered in the lessons, by explaining clearly how your stated scientific concept in the connection point 一 as first explained in our lesson materials 一 is now also being investigated in the scientific  research being reported in the assigned news article. Compare-and-contrast type analysis is a good technique to use here, by first comparing the similarities in the scientific concept (between the lesson materials and news article), and then contrasting any possible differences between them as well, such as new or unexpected or contradicting results discovered in the research compared to the previous knowledge on that topic (as covered in the lessons). Make sure there is adequate discussion of both the news article and textbook readings/lessons in each connection point.

    Note: if using video documentaries (for Iessons 7 or 11 onIy) for (Iesson materiaI’for your

connection point, then you must specify the specific timing in the video itself where your concepts are explained. (For all other lessons, use only the lesson slides for references, and not the recorded lesson videos.)

    Be between 50-150 words long as a general guide. (Higher grades will be assigned for higher quality of connection points presented, and not simply for meeting the minimum word count.)

o 1 (one) multiple-choice question created based on the media article, following the same format as our  short assignments (i.e. 4 possible answer options, with correct answer identified as well) . Higher grades will be given to questions more conceptual (than just factual) in their nature.

•     Once you have completed all your responses, with 6 connection points and 3 multiple-choice questions created in total, you will then submit the Word file to the TurnItIn submission link, within the exam time period.

•     All students will be expected to maintain full academic integrity in the exam by composing their own original

responses, which will in turn be reviewed for any possible plagiarism by the TurnItIn software (for example).

Although all students will be reading and responding to the same articles, their responses to them should still nonetheless be individual and unique, just as they would be at an invigilated, paper-based exam on campus.

Each student is also expected to complete this exam individually and by themselves. The Senate Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and clarification for members of the University of the general obligation to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. Any instances of plagiarism and/or other breaches of academic honesty policy may be subject to further investigation and possible consequences as outlined in this policy.

•     Policy on Generative AI:

Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in this course. Submitting any work created through the use of generative AI tools wiII be considered a vioIation of York University’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. If you do not know whether an online resource or tool can be used in this course, please contact your instructor for guidance. For more information, please review AI Technology & Academic Integrity: Information for Students.

Example of a Connection Point:

Article: Spectacular bird’s-eye view? Hummingbirds see diverse colors humans can only imagine

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200615155114.htm

Connection Point: Colour sensitivity ranges of human vision; Lesson 3 slides (#19, 21)

Both the news article (first paragraph) and Lesson 3 slides (page 19) discuss the three types of main-colour (wavelength) cones in our eyes as the basis of typical human colour vision: red, blue, and green. In Lesson 3, slide 21, these three primary colour sensitivities are represented as the vertices of the (gamut, of aII coIour ranges possibIe for us to perceive from their combinations. The range of spectral colours 一 all in the visible section of the EM spectrum 一 that human eyes are sensitive to are labeIIed with waveIengths on the outer perimeter of the CIE (gamut,. In contrast to our eyes, hummingbirds, eyes have an extra (4th) cone sensitive to UV light, with much shorter wavelengths than our shortest-  wavelength blue on the gamut. This in turn would significantly expand the hummingbirds, (gamut of possibIe coIours, perceived compared to ours, creating a more diverse colour vision experience shared by many birds and other vertebrates.

Examples of Past Midterm-Exam Articles:

Article 1: Building a Better Bulb: New Prototype LED Lightbulb Emits Less of That Troublesome Blue Light (925 words)

https://scitechdaily.com/building-a-better-bulb-new-prototype-led-lightbulb-emits-less-of-that-troublesome-blue-light/

Article 2: Optimal Information About the Invisible: Measuring Objects That You Can’t See (904 words)

https://scitechdaily.com/optimal-information-about-the-invisible-measuring-objects-that-you-cant-see/

Article 3:“Surfing”Particles on Alfvén Waves: Physicists Solve a Mystery Surrounding Aurora Borealis (829 words)

https://scitechdaily.com/surfing-particles-on-alfven-waves-physicists-solve-a-mystery-surrounding-aurora-borealis/