Your grade will be determined by a combination of graded homework, labs, participation, projects, and examinations. The grade scale will be an absolute one; if you demonstrate a solid understanding of the material, you will get an A.

Valid excuses that allow for late completion of written work, labs, or an exam include documented medical emergencies. If you will miss class because of a religious holiday, I need to be informed a week ahead of time so that we can schedule for (usually early) completion of work.

• "Labs" consist of in-class computer exercises. Labs are usually due at the end of the lab period (sometimes by the next class meeting).
• Graded homework will consist of reading review questions, programming exercises, and some applications of mathematics to the programming and scientific questions. Homework is due at the start of class and will not be accepted late (without a valid excuse.) We will discuss homework solutions in class.
• A participation grade will be folded in to your homework and lab grades, reflecting your activity in discussion for those two aspects of the course (about 1/4 of each grade component.)
• There will be a mid-term and final exam, each of equal weight. The exams will be a mix of setting up problems for computation and some coverage of the science in itself. Sample questions will be handed out the week before each exam.
• In your project, you will use the computer to study some scientific question. You will write up your methods and analysis. Projects will be graded on their correctness, completeness, and organization. The more "supporting material", e.g., plots, pseudocode, code, or analysis, the better. I will soon hand out project suggestions. It will be most helpful to you if you make progress on the project throughout the semester.

Note that PHY607 students, besides having extra homework, higher standards for grading, and a different exam, are expected to complete a much more complex term project, developed in consultation with the instructor.

Late homework will not be accepted. Late projects will have their grade lowered by one grade level when turned in past the beginning of class on their due date (e.g., A- to B+) and an additional grade level for each further two days late.

Undergraduate grade weighting

The components used to compute the grades will be homework (20%), labs (35%), project (25%), exams (20%).

Graduate grade weighting

The components used to compute the grades will be homework (15%), labs (30%), project (40%), exams (15%).