Lube--I don't think I could eat this pie so to speak.. I wonder if these engineering chicks could have paid a little more attention to their own engineering.
as to your other advice, no, nobody really gives a ***** about my GPA. Agreed. I do question how applicable this class is to my future life..it probably doesn't matter a nickel. And yes, if I do go to grad school, they are not going to get bent out of shape over a sophomore year Thermo class...I get all that. But....
The problem is if I don't get this straightened out, or at least convince my professor/GSI that this is unfair, then I will have to take this exact same class over again. Yippee!....not. So, that's why me, usually easygoing, is pretty pissed and a bit wigged out over it.
paul-see above
nostatic--they would ask questions like that, and then you explain how those two things you listed work, citing examples from class and deriving the relevant equations to the problem. The entire test was basically fill-in from memory, as if you were teaching it back to a professor. It's really not that hard, from a material point of view; nothing was unexpected, new or something I just didn't 'get'---we've gone over all this stuff in class, in text, problem sets for HW, review sheets, you name it. The review sheet was actually very much like the test.. That's why this is so boggling. It wasn't even necessary to stop by with the GSI for an individual appt or anything.
I sent the main prof an email, asking to meet for coffee sometime before Thursday.. we'll see how it goes