Course outline:
Course objectives: This course has several rather broad goals. They include that you
Reading assignments: Reading assignments for each lecture are given on the course calendar. You are strongly urged to do the reading in advance, since the lectures will assume that you are familiar with the terms used in the text.
Lectures: During the lectures we will discuss important highlights from the reading assignments, study demonstrations which illustrate key topics, work through sample problems, and consider relevant conceptual questions, where everyone in the auditorium can respond by using the rf clicker system. This will allow us to distinguish between concepts which students are having difficulty with and require more explanation and concepts which everyone grasps where we can move more quickly. These clickers are available at the bookstore and each one has a unique identification code. Thus, your effort can be registered with your name and used to assign extra credit points at the end of the semester. If you purchase a new copy of the Young & Freedman textbook, there should be a coupon so that you can get a $20 rebate from the rf clicker company, PRS -- make sure to save the receipt from your textbook purchase.
A shell of the upcoming lecture slides will be posted on the course website the evening before. During the lecture, the instructor will write on top of these slides -- deriving expressions, clarifying key concepts, and solving sample problems. In the past, some students have benefitted from printing out these online slides beforehand, then making their own notes directly on these pages.
Attending the lectures will greatly improve your odds for success in the course. However, if you have something pressing which will prevent you from focusing on the lecture, for example, talking on a cell phone, working on homework for another class, or talking with your neighbor on a topic unrelated to the lecture, please respect your fellow students and the instructor and leave the auditorium during such activities.
Workshops: There are two one-hour workshops each week in which you will be asked to work on Tutorials and Problem Solving Activities. Attendance is required. You may miss up to two workshop sessions over the course of the semester with no grade penalty; further absences will reduce your workshop participation score.
Tutorials: Wednesday's workshop hours will usually be spent on worksheets from Tutorials in Introductory Physics. You are expected to work in groups of 3 or 4 students. You will need to bring the worksheet volume to each workshop. Completed worksheets will not be turned in, but tutorial homework problems that are closely related to each workshop will be assigned, collected and graded for credit (see Homework below). The Wednesday workshop prior to each of the three mid-semester exams will be used to work through sample problems from exams from previous semesters.
Problem Solving: Friday's workshop will usually be spent on problem-solving activities. These worksheets will be handed out in class. You are expected to work in groups of 3-4 students.
Homework: There
will be two types of homework
1. Wednesday homework
2. Friday homework
The Wednesday homework assignment will be collected at the beginning of
the Wednesday workshop on the day indicated. There will be one
Wednesday homework per week. Many of the
homeworks will be drawn from the homework volume of
Tutorials in Introductory
Physics.
The Friday homework assignment will consist of end-of-chapter problems from the textbook. A Friday homework will typically be set
once every two weeks and will be due at your following Friday workshop. All homework, both Wednesday and Friday assignments, will be checked for completeness and selected parts will be graded in detail by the TA of your section in
a conventional manner. At the end of the semester your lowest Wednesday homework score and your lowest Friday homework score will be dropped. Solutions to some homework problems will be provided at the course web site.
In all cases late homework will not be
accepted.
Exams: There will be three eighty-minute exams throughout the semester during the regularly-scheduled lecture period. Each exam will focus on material from the three or four weeks prior to the week of the exam but may include earlier material as well. Sample problems from exams from previous semesters will be posted on the course website and will be discussed in the Wednesday workshops before each exam. The lowest exam score for each student will be dropped. In addition, there will be a two-hour final. The final exam will be comprehensive.
All exams will be closed book, although you may bring one double-sided sheet (8.5" x 11") of handwritten notes (no photocopies). Each student is responsible for bringing a scientific calculator to the exams. There will be NO makeup exams. Students who do not take the final or who miss more than one of the other exams will not be given a passing grade. Seating arrangements for the exams will be posted outside of the auditorium before the exam.
Regrading requests: If you think a serious error has been made in the grading of your exam, you may request a regrade. To do so, please fill in a copy of the Regrade Request Form (available on the course web page), attach it to your exam, and resubmit at the beginning of the lecture period following the return of the exams. It is important that you do not make any changes or marks on the exam. Please note that you must have a specific complaint. Unspecified requests for additional points will not be accepted.
Course grade: The course components will contribute to your final grade as follows:
Extra credit from clicker questions:
The grades are normalized such that the average course grade is a B- or better, depending on the performance of the class as a whole.
Laboratory course: You are required to enroll in the accompanying laboratory course (Physics 221). The two courses cover the same subject matter, but you will receive a separate grade for each one.
Special accommodation: Students requiring special accommodation because of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services and make an appointment with the instructor.
Academic integrity: During the exams, it is a violation of the academic code to give or seek assistance -- the only person you may communicate with is the instructor. In the case of violations, the academic integrity policy from the Office of the Vice Chancellor & Provost will be followed.
Clinic: Physics teaching assistants will be available for consultation in the Physics Clinic, located in room 113. Clinic hours will be posted on the Physics department web page.
This page maintained by Britton Plourde, last updated 25 August, 2006