Physics 171 / 171H Introductory Physics: Mechanics and Relativity Fall 2007 — Professor Shawhan ** Updated November 5 ** Course topics: Kinematics, Newton's laws, energy and work, special relativity, rotational kinematics, angular momentum, gravity, fluids, and gases. This course is designed for physics majors and those desiring a rigorous preparation in the physical sciences. Knowledge of basic calculus will be assumed. Prerequisites: Math 140 (Calculus I) and a high school physics class, or permission of the department. Lectures: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9:00–9:50 in room 1201 of the Physics Building. See the Course Schedule for the planned topic(s) for each lecture. The schedule may shift around by a day or so if some topics take more or less time than expected. Note that Physics 171 and Physics 171H (the honors section) share the lectures. Students in 171H will also have a weekly discussion session at a different time. Required textbook: “Physics for Scientists and Engineers” by Tipler and Mosca, sixth edition, volume 1, published by W. H. Freeman and Company. The ISBN number is 1-4292-0132-0. You do not need to bring the book to class. Most lectures are associated with 1–3 sections from the book as indicated on the Course Schedule, and you should read those. You can either read those sections before the lecture or after the lecture, but try not to fall behind by more than a day or two. Optional web application: You may also wish to get the “PhysicsPortal” web product, which includes an electronic version of the book plus interactive exercises and other extra content. The cost of the textbook bundled with one semester (actually six months) of access to the PhysicsPortal, if you are able to get it, is only about $5 more than the cost of the book alone. The ISBN number for this bundle is 1-4292-0605-5. If purchased separately, the one-semester PhysicsPortal access costs about $35–40. If you would like to learn more about the portal, visit http://portals.bfwpub.com/pse6e.php . Homework will be assigned about once per week and must be turned in at the beginning of class on the specified date (or earlier). Don’t wait until the last day to get started! Please do all of the homework and turn it in on time, unless you have a valid excuse (i.e. illness, a religious observance, or some other compelling reason). If you do not have a valid excuse, you can still turn in the homework up to 24 hours late for half credit; after that, no credit will be given. As an exception to the 24-hour cutoff, if the homework was due on a Friday, then it will be accepted in class on the following Monday for half credit. (Homework due on Tuesday will be accepted late only up to Wednesday morning, not Thursday.) If you are unable to finish the complete homework assignment on time, then you may turn in a partial set of answers on time for full credit, and then turn in the remaining answers late for half credit. However, this practice is discouraged since it complicates the grading and bookkeeping.If people take advantage of this too often, I may change the policy to disallow it. If you must turn in additional answers late, please write “Additional answers – turned in late” at the top of your page to help us keep things straight. There will be three exams during the semester plus a final exam. The exams will be given in class, on paper, and will be closed-book. Any needed physical constants or data will be provided. You will need a calculator with standard trigonometry functions, etc. Exams must be taken on the scheduled days unless you have a valid excuse. If you know in advance that you will have to miss an exam, please inform me as soon as possible. Up-to-date course information and your scores on assignments will be available on the ELMS (Blackboard) system. If you go to http://elms.umd.edu and log in with your username (which is your campus “Directory ID”) and password, you should see the course listed in the “My Courses” panel. Course grade: 40% Homework 12% Each exam during the semester 24% Final exam How to do well in this course: Come to the lectures. Keep up with the reading. Do all the homework. Ask for help (your teacher, TA, or a classmate) whenever there is something you don’t understand. Also ask about anything you are curious about. Review your notes and past homework assignments before each exam. Contact Information: Prof. Peter S. Shawhan, 4205B Physics Building, 301-405-1580, [email protected] Usual office hours: Tuesdays 1:00–2:00 and Wednesdays 3:00–4:00 in room 4205B TA: Rashmish Mishra, 4223 Physics Building, 301-405-6192, [email protected] Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00–3:00 in room 4223 *** NOTE: Office hours are subject to change – watch for announcements If you are unable to come during regular office hours, please contact us by email or phone to ask a question and/or arrange a time to meet. Honor Code: The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html .Students with disabilities: Accommodations will be provided to enable students with disabilities to participate fully in the course. Please discuss any needs with your instructor at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Weather and emergency closures: If the University is closed due to weather or some emergency situation on a day when homework is due, then that homework must be turned in at the beginning of the next class when the University is open. If the University is closed on the scheduled date of an exam, then the exam will be given during the next class period when the University is open. If the University is closed on any non-exam day, including a review session (the class immediately before an exam), then the exam will still be given according to the original schedule. In these or other