Physics 161 Spring 2010 General Physics Mechanics and Particle Dynamics SYLLABUS as of 01 18 2010 Instructor Dr Brad Conrad Office 3107 Physics Building Office 301 975 2834 Cell 301 351 1567 E mail bconrad umd edu Office Hours I ll usually be available the hour before and after class If these times do not work for you other times can be arranged Official Course Description Grade Method REG P F AUD CORE Physical Science PS Course Pre or corequisite MATH141 Credit will not be granted for PHYS171 and PHYS161 or PHYS141 or former PHYS191 First semester of a three semester calculus based general physics course Laws of motion force and energy principles of mechanics collisions linear momentum rotation and gravitation Physics Clinic PHY 1214 MTWHF 11 1 2 If purchasing used books additional software WILL BE required Lecture Date Time M 1900 2050 W 1900 1950 Room 1410 Physics Building Discussion Section 0401 0402 0403 Date Time W 2000 2050 W 1800 1650 M 1800 1650 Room 1219 1219 1219 TA TBA TBA TBA Pre Co Requisites Math141 Calculus 2 You will need to be comfortable with calculus before taking this class Calculus will be used extensively Textbook The required textbook is Physics for Scientists and Engineers A Strategic Approach with Mastering Physics Volume 1 Second Edition by Randall D Knight Addison Wesley When you buy your textbook you should get a copy that is packaged with an access number for Mastering Physics The access number is needed to get on line access to Mastering Physics which is the web based homework collection system If you buy a used copy you will need to also purchase an access number which you can get on line at www masteringphysics com or at the bookstore Course ID BRCONRAD2010 Clickers Do not get one Recommended Texts Knight s book is a good physics text but there are many other books that you may find helpful No two people learn the same way and you might prefer the arguments made in other books Feynman s Lectures on Physics Volume 1 by Feynman and Leighton and Physics for Engineers and Scientists Volume 1 by Ohanian and Markert are suggested Grading As a rule I try to make grading as transparent and straightforward as possible The total grade in the class is calculated according to the following Homework Dis Lect Midterms Final Drop one First exam Second and Third 25 15 9 13 x2 25 A histogram of total scores for the entire class will be plotted Assuming that the distribution is reasonably bell shaped letter grades will be assigned so that students with scores in the top 20 will receive an A the next lower 40 will receive a B the next lower 25 will receive a C and the remaining 15 will be a D or F I reserve the right to change this policy as the class progresses Homework will have two weighted components Mastering Physics is an electronic problem set website and will be due Fridays at 1800 EST This will be worth 70 of the homework grade An additional 1 2 problems will be assigned on elms and due at the beginning of class on Mondays Graded in detail turned in homework will be 30 of your homework grade No late work will be accepted I will drop the lowest weekly homework score one and only one for each student Homework guidelines 1 Use 8 5x11 inch paper No spiral ring paper will be accepted Pencil or black blue ink 2 Name and page number on EACH page 3 Write on only ONE side of the paper 4 Clearly label your problem s 5 Final answers must be boxed 6 All pages MUST be stapled before you walk in the classroom I will not have a stapler 7 The answer is not the final number equation statement graph It is ALL the work and logic leading up to it I will be grading the whole process Feel free to use sentences 8 If I cannot read it it is wrong Therefore please write it neatly 9 Not doing the above will result in loss of points Discussion Lecture Discussion sections are required for this course They will be a mix of individual and group based work sheets quizzes and question answer sessions The TA is there to help and clarify not do your work for you Quizzes will be graded This work cannot be turned in late or made up at a later time In addition individual or small group quizzes will be given from time to time in class These quizzes cannot be made up at a later time Your Lecture Discussion grade will be based on both sets of quizzes and group activities Exams There are three midterm exams and one final exam All exams are closed book I do not allow crib sheets electronic or paper Calculators are allowed during exams but you are not allowed to use any device with phone photo web messaging or text display capabilities during an exam Graphing calculators are ok but I reserve the right to search them if I believe they are being used in an improper way No computers You must take all the exams and no exam score will be dropped If you cannot attend an exam at the scheduled time speak with Dr Conrad at least one week before the exam If you miss an exam with a valid excuse a makeup exam will be given and it is your responsibility to arrange this in a timely fashion with Dr Conrad If you miss an exam without a valid excuse your exam grade will be penalized 25 Students are responsible for all material including the assigned reading lectures discussions and homework Material from any part of the course can appear on a test quiz or homework whether or not it was covered in the lectures It is VERY important to master all assigned material Your grade will depend upon the completeness of your solution not simply determining the right number SHOW YOUR WORK THE FINAL EXAM is on TUESDAY May 14 from 6 30pm 8 30pm the University still needs to figure out where the exam will be given You can check the schedule at http www testudo umd edu soc exam201001 html It is a common exam meaning that all students currently taking phys161 will have the same exam Excuses If you have a valid excuse for missing an exam quiz or homework see me to arrange what to do about it beforehand if at all possible Ex post facto after the fact excuses will require validation and may not be acceptable You must speak to me Your TA does not have the authority to excuse you from any requirement Turning in late homework or missing an exam is not allowed without a valid documented excuse as defined by the University medical problem religious holiday or serious family crisis In all cases a makeup assignment or makeup exam must be completed in a reasonable amount of time or you will receive a score of zero for the assignment or exam