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Redlands PHYS 231 - Syllabus

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Policies and ExpectationsPhysics 231General Physics 1Spring 2007http://bulldog2.redlands.edu/fac/tyler_nordgren/phys231/index.htmlLecture: MWF, 11 – 12:20, Appleton 101 Instructor: Tyler NordgrenLab: Th 1- 3:50 p.m. Appleton 101 E-mail:[email protected] Hours: TBA Office: Appleton 126Text: Matter & Interactions V. 1.3/5, Chabay & Sherwood. Phone: ext. 8660Physics 231 is the first course in a three-semester, calculus-based, introductory-physics sequence.This sequence explores the nature of matter and its interactions: Phys. 231 focuses on mechanicsand thermodynamics; 232 and 233 focus on Electricity & Magnetism and Wave Phenomena,respectively. Throughout this sequence, you will engage in the physics program – applying ahand-full of fundamental principles to model the behavior of diverse systems. In Phys. 231, theyrange from planets to sound waves to atomic nuclei. Unlike lower-level physics introductions,Phys. 231 takes an explicitly modern perspective from the start. Policies and ExpectationsReading: Unlike other science classes you may have, this class assumes you have done the reading before the class lecture covering the material. The philosophy is that by reading and attempting problems before class, you will attend lecture with some knowledge of the material being covered, and class time can be effectively employed clarifying difficult concepts and assuring your mastery of the material. In this way class is a time to be engaged in completing your understanding and not simply passively taking dictation on material you hope to understand later. Read the text carefully. Lectures will not cover all of the assigned material. Note that at the end of each chapter, just after the summary page, one or more large problems are worked out in detail. Assignments: 30% of your grade. There are three types of assignment: Classwork, Reading Worksheets, and Homework. Classwork: (5%) You learn best by doing, so periodically during lecture I’ll ask you to try your hand at doing bite-sized bits of the day’s material. Answers should be boxed. Bonus: I sometimes make mistakes in lecture; the first person to catch a mistake on a derivation or example gets bonus class-work points.Reading Worksheets: (13%) These accompany each day’s reading to help you absorb the material. You’ll get the most out of the reading (and the worksheets will be the easiest to complete) if you look over a worksheet immediately prior to doing the reading and work them either during or immediately after reading. The worksheets are posted on the course website. They are due by 9:30am the morning of each lecture. You may email them to me, or drop them in the box outside my office door. Late assignments will not be accepted. I only grade the answer so put it in a box. Grading is done on a check, check-plus, check-minus, and zero scale. Check-plus indicates a perfectworksheet. Check indicates one or two incorrect answers but you appear to understand the material. Check-minus indicates multiple incorrect answers and little evidence that you understand the material. A zero is only for worksheets that are incomplete (you must answer ALL questions), late, ormissing. Feel free to consult with each other or with me, but be sure that you understand your solutions. Homework: (12%) Weekly homework assignments consist of more involved problems than are found in the Reading Worksheets. Unlike the Reading Worksheets, Weekly Homeworks will earn a number grade. Your goal is to convince me you understand the material, therefore your work must belegible and easy to follow. Feel free to consult with each other or with me, but the work turned in must be your own. Homework Regrades: When graded weekly homework assignments are returned to you, you will also be given the answer key. For those problems where you made a mistake and lost points, you have until the next lecture class to find your mistake, identify your mistake, and correct the subsequent work. If you do this successfully, you will earn back half the points you missed on the original homework. All regrades must be accompanied by the original homework attached by a paperclip.Thursday March 29th at 4:00pm there will be the annual Senior Symposium and Dinner. All physics majors are required to attend and you will earn credit for an extra homework assignment for doing so.Laboratory Experiences: 20% of your grade. Non-exam weeks, there will be laboratory experiences. These are of two types: experiments and simulations. In the experiments you observe and analyze the behavior of physical systems; in the computer simulations you employ the theory to model physical systems. Most of the modeling will be done in VPython, which is available at http://vpython.org. No previous programming experience is necessary; you will learn what you need along the way.Quizzes:10% of your grade. There will be a short quiz over each chapter’s reading and lecture material.Exams: 40% of your grade. There will be three in class exams and a comprehensive final. All exams will be closed book, closed notes. Some equations will be provided; the most fundamental principles must be committed to memory. Reschedules: Tragedies sometimes happen and you may not be able to take an exam. Your lowest exam grade (not including the final) is dropped. For this reason, if you must miss an exam, that will be the exam grade that is dropped. There are no make-up exams, so be sure to plan ahead and not miss more than one (or any if you are worried about your performance on the other three). Each exam is worth 10% of your grade. The comprehensive final is worth 20%. Cheating: Dishonesty seriously undermines academic pursuit; therefore, it is my philosophy that the punishment for cheating should not simply erase its 'beneficial' effects, but be enough of a deterrent that the 'benefit' of cheating not be worth the risk. For example, if I identify cheating on an exam, the offender is more likely to be failed from the course than invited to take a make-up test.Grade: If at anytime you are interested in reviewing your standing in the course feel free to give me a call, send me an e-mail, or drop by my office.Classwork 5%Homework 13%Reading Worksheets 12%Laboratory Experiences 20%Quizzes 10%Exams 40% (20% for the highest two exams, 20% for


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