Fall 2010
Important! You must be registered for four separate sections: LEC, QZ, REC and LAB. If you are missing any of these sections, get on a wait list immediately!
Lecturer: Glenn Horton-Smith; Office: CW 32B; Email: gahs@ksu.edu.
Lab instructor: David van Domelen; Office: CW 402; Email: dvandom@phys.ksu.edu.
“Physics”(6th Edition) by Douglas C. Giancoli, available as separate vols. 1 and 2 in paperback, or in combined vols. 1, 2 in hardcover. We will cover the material in vol. 1 in PHYS113, and the material in vol. 2 in PHYS114. If you plan to take both courses, the hardcover version is the better deal.
Important course resources such as exam and homework grades, announcements, practice exams, lecture notes and numerical answers and solutions to homework problems will be posted on the course web site, accessed through K-State Online.
Any student wanting individual help is urged to see one of the instructors during office hours, or at other times by appointment. The Department of Physics also maintains a free tutor room; the schedule will be posted on the course web site about a week after courses begin. In addition, some Physics graduate students work as paid tutors. A list of contacts will be posted when available.
Grades are determined on a 1000 point scale. Only 57.5% of your grade is based on exams and quizzes.
Home/recitation
work: 200 points;
Best 4 of 5 quizzes: 400 points;
iclicker
participation: 25 points;
Final exam: 175
points;
Laboratory: 200 points;
Total: 1000 points.
900
points
or above:
A
800
-
899
points: B
700
-
799
points:
C
600
-
699
points:
D
Under
600 points:
F
Solving problems systematically on a regular basis is an important part of success in physics. (See the attached page “How to Do Homework Problems”.) Qualitative understanding of concepts is also important and useful.
This work counts as 20% of your final grade. Assigned homework should be worked out before the Wednesday recitation class each week. Recitation class will be used for discussing concepts and solutions of problems. During the recitation period, the instructor will select one of the assigned problems to be fully worked out in class. Final homework answers must be submitted on-line by 10 PM Wednesday.
Homework answers will be submitted using the Mastering Physics™ web-based instruction system. One interesting feature of this system is that it gives you immediate feedback regarding your answers. Registration instructions for Mastering Physics™ will be posted in K-State Online and given in the first day of class.
There are five one-hour exams during the semester. Only the best four of your five scores will count. Makeup exams will be given only in special circumstances. Exams are given at 5:30 pm on the Thursdays shown in the schedule, in CW101, CW102, and CW103. Assignment of exam rooms will be announced in lecture and posted on the course web site. The final exam is comprehensive, and has almost the same weight as two one-hour exams.
Exams contain problems that are similar (but not identical) to homework problems, and also conceptual questions in multiple-choice format. You will record exam responses on Scantron cards for automatic grading. Your exam grade will usually be available in the Gradebook on the course web site the day after each exam.
No notes or equation sheets may be brought to exams, but a sheet of useful equations will be provided with your exam. But please note that past student experience has shown that having equations available does not guarantee success -- understanding the physics is the key.
A file of last year's exams (without solutions) will be available on the course web site. They are a useful study resource. Each practice exam also includes the equation sheet so you can see what equations will be provided.
The laboratory is a required and integrated part of the course, and counts 20% of your final grade. A passing grade in laboratory is required to pass the course. See the lab manual for rules and grading procedures. You must have a lab manual at the first lab. They are available at the Arts and Sciences copy center in the basement of Eisenhower Hall.
Students retaking the course who have successfully completed the lab must contact Dave van Domelen in CW402 (532-1605) prior to the first week of lab in order to get credit for previous lab work.
If you have any condition such as a physical or learning disability which will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as outlined here, or which will require academic accommodations, please notify the instructor and contact the Disability Student Services office (Holton 202) during the first two weeks of the course.
Undergraduate and graduate students, when they register, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the K-State Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, as well as on-line. The Honor Statement applies to all assignments, examinations, and other course work undertaken by students. ("On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work.")
In this course, you are permitted to work with (but not to copy directly from!) other students on homework problems. If you have any questions about what constitutes authorized and unauthorized aid, contact the instructor immediately.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on the exam, paper or project; failure in the course; and/or expulsion from the university. For more information refer to the “Academic Dishonesty”policy in the K-State Undergraduate Catalog and the Undergraduate Honor System Policy on the Provost's web page at http://www.ksu.edu/honor/.
This syllabus, lectures, and other course materials copyright 2010 by Glenn Horton-Smith. Students are prohibited from selling or being paid for taking notes during this course by any person or commercial firm without express written permission from the lecturer.