Dynamic Planet B/C

[bp31000]

There was a question on an invitational test about residence time that I'm confused about. On the answer key, they subtracted the output of the element from the input in order to get "net input", then divided the total amount of the element by the net input to get residence time. I thought net input was supposed to be zero, since a nonzero net input implies a change in total amount, and that residence time is just total amount/total input. Am I missing something here, or did they just screw up?

this is from a textbook,
"residence time, the average length of time an atom of an element spends in the ocean.
Residence time for a particular element may be calculated by this equation:
Residence Time = Amount of element in the ocean/Rate at which the element is added
to (or removed from) the ocean.
Additions of salts from the mantle or from the weathering of rock are balanced by subtractions of minerals being bound into sediments. Dissolved salts precipitate out of the water, and the
hard parts of living organisms containing silicon and calcium carbonate drift slowly down to the seabed. Some of these sediments are removed from the ocean and drawn into the mantle at subduction zones by the cycling of crustal plates. Input (from runoff and outgassing) equals outfall (binding into sediments) for each dissolved component."

[dynamicplanetman]

So.... anyone want to talk about the fact we get a binder this year?

Sure, the oceanography topic is vast and very complicated. If we had 5 info sheets, we would die.

[BennyTheJett]

So.... anyone want to talk about the fact we get a binder this year?

Sure, the oceanography topic is vast and very complicated. If we had 5 info sheets, we would die.

I completely and 100 percent disagree. Having a binder awards people who are better at taking notes, rather than actually knowing and understanding the topic. People wouldn't die with 5 info sheets. I think people that work hard at the topics would actually do quite well with 0 info sheets. I don't personally believe in being note heavy as searching for the answers to low point problems. I personally don't really use my binder at all, as I have a lot of oceanography knowledge from DP committed to memory. My binder consists of 2 textbook glossaries for random vocabulary and my DP notes from old topics. It really isn't any more difficult than any of the other DP topics. I have taken multiple DP tests without any notes at all (Notably UMich) and have done pretty ok on them, proving that you don't have to have a big binder of notes to do well on this DP topic.

EDIT: I apologize for the rant, I just am extremely displeased that scioly is trending towards more binder events.

[llxlexillx]

Having the binder seemed like more of a hassle because the questions on the test did not really go to any of the notes given.

[Umaroth]

Having the binder seemed like more of a hassle because the questions on the test did not really go to any of the notes given.

That's a sign of a good test (unless it's because of obscure trivia). A good test would require minimal binder use because it r lies on important concepts that you should understand, not memorize.

[SilverBreeze]

Having the binder seemed like more of a hassle because the questions on the test did not really go to any of the notes given.

That's a sign of a good test (unless it's because of obscure trivia). A good test would require minimal binder use because it r lies on important concepts that you should understand, not memorize.

Agreed. DP is one of the events that are meant to be application-heavy, although my personal view is all study events should incline toward application where feasible. Applying what you know shows that you took the time to familiarize yourself with the concepts, rather than learning to regurgitate definitions and flip through a collection of printouts quickly. That's not to say that creating a binder does not take skill or time, but I feel they are not compatible with the nature of this particular event.

Having fewer resources puts everyone in the same boat. Understanding a concept does not take as much note/binder space as collecting definitions/trivia, so notesheets would reward understanding more than a binder would.

My guess is that part of the sentiment behind "we need a binder" is driven by the fact that tests are adapting to be heavier on trivia with the change in rules, but I can't say because I did not do this event in the past.

[BennyTheJett]

I can vouch for everything SilverBreeze said.

[UTF-8 U+6211 U+662F]

So.... anyone want to talk about the fact we get a binder this year?

Sure, the oceanography topic is vast and very complicated. If we had 5 info sheets, we would die.

Strange, we didn't have a binder the last time oceanography came around, and it was fine! Haha

[BennyTheJett]

Were any of you guys extensively tested on ocean scientists?

[jimmy-bond]

Were any of you guys extensively tested on ocean scientists?

I haven't seen anything too bad. Vine, Matthews, Darwin, Wegener, Hess, and Coriolis have been on tests I've taken, but none of the questions went past "What did they do?" and all of those scientists aren't out of the ordinary.