Independent Library

Expert TA Problems are good problems to have.

You know it, and we know it. Students don’t learn physics by only listening to instructors describe the material.  To close the loop and master the concepts presented in class, they need to practice by solving problems and applying the principles and methods taught in class.

Every aspect of Expert TA’s online homework and tutorial system supports the goal of helping students master physics by solving problems themselves.

Because problem solving is so crucial, Expert TA has created an Independent Library of problems unlike any other in the industry.

In·de·pend·ent (in’di-pen’dənt). adj.  1. Free from the influence or control of others. a) free from the rule of another; b) free from persuasion or bias; self-determined; self-reliant, etc.

The “Story” Behind the Library

The story of Expert TA’s Independent Library is the story of unintended consequences.

When we started out, we assumed that we would team up with publishers to build a problem library. Then, as we worked with authors and leading physics educators to develop some problems to test the advanced algorithms that are the backbone of Expert TA, we came to understand the ever-growing need for textbook independent solutions.

We share instructors’ and students’ concerns about the seemingly endless increase in costs of the “bundles” from publishers. We see the impact of the lack of fresh new problems as well as the unproductive consequences of the availability of problem solutions on the internet.

So we listened.  We’ve made excellent educational tools affordable. We hired amazing contributors to help build our problem library. Our authors have outstanding credentials and real experience. This cadre of experts helps us add fresh, new problem content, expanding our Library regularly. We have a process to keep the solutions to our problems off the internet.

And, our detailed analytics point us to areas that need additional problems or more feedback modules so we can constantly improve our content to meet instructors’ and students’ needs.

Key Benefits of our Library

• Multi-step problems authored and individually vetted by physics experts
• Each problem independently peer-reviewed
• Largest collection of symbolic problems available on the market
• Five levels of difficulty to match your course
• Algebra-based, calculus-based, and conceptual-based problems
• Varied complexity, including  quick, one-to-two part questions, multi-step questions, and more involved problems that capture more of the students’ work
• Randomized numbers and phrases for the majority of our problems
• Our ever-expanding library includes problem sets from OpenStax College’s free online College Physics text.
• Collect analytics to add problems and feedback to address common incorrect answers

Providing well-written and expertly vetted physics problems is the core of what we do at Expert TA.

Each of our deeply experienced team of more than 30 problem authors brings a unique perspective.

Our problems are written for today’s students by PhDs who understand first-hand how the right touch of hints and feedback at just the right time can help develop students’ problem solving skills.

If you are an educator who cares about student learning and are interested in contributing to our problem library as a problem author, reviewer, or in any other way, we want to hear from you. Please check our Careers page to review current openings for contributors. Or, send us an email with your resume so we can get to know each other better.

Viewing our Library

Our Library is easy to use and navigate. Problems are displayed similarly to the way they appear at the end of the chapter of a book. It’s easy to preview problems and to select the perfect ones for your assignment. There’s no digging through multiple screens. Everything you need is front and center.

In addition to making problems easy to view, we also allow you to filter problems by difficulty level and type to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Problem Difficulty

Our expert team of authors ranks problems from 1 to 5 in terms of difficulty within their category. Category is defined by the problem type (conceptual, algebra or calculus) and the Expert TA section. The ranking is a rough estimate based on how much skill and how much time it will take a student to complete a problem.

Here are the general definitions of difficulty levels in Expert TA.

1. Level 1 problems are based on the most simple thing that can be reasonably asked. Usually no algebraic manipulations or unit conversions are required.
   Level 1 Problem Example
2. Level 2 problems are still easy, but slightly more difficult than Level 1. There may be some manipulations or unit conversions with one or two easier parts involved.
   Level 2 Problem Example
3. Level 3 problems require basic problem solving and mathematical skill. They test a common physical concept. Typically there are two to four easier parts involved.
   Level 3 Problem Example
4. Level 4 problems are harder. They typically require skills that students may not have or involve a more difficult physical concept. These range from three to six parts.
   Level 4 Problem Example
5. Level 5 problems are the most difficult problems in the system. They will typically be testing a difficult physical concept, require problem solving skills which many students may not have, or be quite long with more than five parts.
   Level 5 Problem Example

Problem Type

The problem type filter can be used to choose problems based the type of calculations, if any, required. There are three possible types:

1. Conceptual (CP): These problems typically do not involve any calculations, except those which are extremely trivial. An example might be “if the distance doubles, what happens to the force?”
   Conceptual Problem Example
2. Algebra (Alg): These are problems appropriate for algebra-based classes. No calculus ability is required.
   Algebra Problem Example
3. Calculus (Calc): These problems are appropriate for calculus-based classes. This does not mean that the problem will always involve calculus, but it may include parts that are not appropriate for an algebra-based class.
   Calculus Problem Example

Table of Contents

Here is the Table of Contents for our Independent Library, including chapter and section names. To preview problems more in depth, contact us to set up a demonstration and trial access.