Problema Solution
• You and three of your friends decide to take the same chemistry class together at the local university along with 21 other students. On the first day of class, the professor indicates that this class is graded on a bell-shaped curve.
o Explain in your own words what grading on a bell-shape curve means in this college chemistry class (make sure to read the textbook before you respond!).
o Determine if it is possible for you and your friends to all earn an A in this course if the instructor “grades on a curve”. Explain your answer.
o Discuss whether you think this method of grading is fair.
Answer provided by our tutors
Grading on a bell shaped curve means the instructor will set the breakpoints for letter grades such that the distribution of letter grades follows (at least approximately) a normal or Gaussian distribution.Typically this is arranged so that the average score is a C.The breakpoints should produce more Cs than any other grade, with Bs and Ds next most frequent.As an Fs should be the most rare.
The decision of which group to be in depends on the nature of the grading.If there is a component of my grade that is a group-based project, then of course I want to be a member of the best group.If I feel my high school classmates are smarter (more likely to produce an excellent project) than the rest of the students, then I would want to be in their group.Getting the highest group score would help my overall grade in the class.Even if all groups did very well, being graded on a curve means that the lowest score will be curved down, while the highest will be an A.