TEXT
Physics, 3
edition, by Wolfson and
Pasachoff, Addison-Wesley Publishers. We will cover chapters 23-37 of
this text, at a pace of roughly one chapter per week.
LECTURER
Richard Price
Office: 215 South Physics
Office hours: (Initially and tentatively) MWF 11:00am -11:45am, or by appointment
Office Phone: 581-8691
email: rprice@physics.utah.edu
Secretary: Rebecca Tribe (585-5969)
Course web page: http://www.physics.utah.edu/~rprice/2220.html
TEXT
Physics, 3 edition, by Wolfson and
Pasachoff, Addison-Wesley Publishers. We will cover chapters 23-37 of
this text, at a pace of roughly one chapter per week.
LECTURE SCHEDULE
2220-001 12:55-1:45pm Room 103 JFB
2220-010 2:00-2:50pm Room 103 JFB
READING
You are expected to do the assigned reading
before lectures; the discussions and presentations are based on the
assumption that you have done the reading. If you have questions on
the reading you may write them up and leave them at the front of the
room before class starts.
To help motivate you to keep up with the reading, there will be reading quizzes, in the lectures, about once a week. These will be very short quizzes, with no problem solving, designed only to test whether you have read the material.
COURSE WEB PAGE
Course materials, announcements, etc. will be available at the
course web page:
http://www.physics.utah.edu/~rprice/2220.html
Hard copies of all materials will be handed out in class, so you do not
need to use the web. The single exception to this involves the option of
using the University of Texas Homework Service (see below).
MIDTERM EXAMS
For students in 2220-001 (the 12:55pm lecture)
midterm exams will be in room HEB 2004. (Be sure you can find that room
for the first exam!). Midterm exams will be 1.5 hours long, so the
midterm exam for 2220-001 students will end at 2:25pm. For
students in 2220-010 (the 2:00pm lecture) midterm exams will be in
103 JFB, the regular lecture room. The exam will start at 2:00pm
and end at 3:30pm. If you have any scheduling problems in taking a
1.5 hour exam, please see me at least a week before the exam.
At the exam you must know the number of your
discussion section. You will need to bring a student picture ID to
all exams.
Midterm exams will be on the following days:
| First Midterm | Monday, | September 11 |
| Second Midterm | Monday, | September 25 |
| Third Midterm | Monday, | October 16 |
| Fourth Midterm | Monday, | November 6 |
| Fifth Midterm | Monday, | November 27 |
There will be no regrading of any exam done in
pencil. If you want the grading of any problem on your exam to be
reconsidered (and the problem has been done in pen) write a short
explanation of your case, attach it to the exam, make sure that your
discussion section number, and the time of your collab meeting, are on
your paper, and hand it in at the end of lecture. This must be done
within one week of an exam. No regrading of an exam paper will
start more than one week after the exam.
On the exams you should use words as well as symbols. Explain
what you are doing. If you have no explanation, and write down the
wrong answer (which happens surprisingly often) there is no way that
we can give you credit for the problem; if you explain what you are
doing, you may get full or nearly full credit for the problem, even
with the wrong final answer.
FINAL EXAM
The final exam will be in HEB 2008 on Tuesday,
December 12, from 4pm to 6:30pm. The guidelines for the midterm
apply to the final exam. For example, there can be no regrading of
exams done in pencil, you should give explanations as well as symbols
and numbers.
HOMEWORK
There will be homework due at the
begining of every lecture, and is to be turned in outside the lecture
hall. It is to be placed in the bin with your collab section number on it.
(Again, it is important that you know your collab section number.)
Your graded homework paper will be returned outside the lecture hall
at the next lecture. If you do not pick up your homework at that time
it will be available at collab sessions. No late homework will be graded.
In addition to homework ``problems'' (i.e., calculations) you will be assigned ``questions'' requiring verbal answers. These must be answered in complete coherent sentences.
HOLIDAYS
There will be no classes on Monday, September 4 (Labor day);
on Thursday/Friday October 4-5 (Fall break); on Wednesday - Friday November
22-24 (Thanksgiving break).
THE ``COLLABS''
In place of traditional (and inappropriately named) ``discussion'' or
(more inappropriately named) ``recitation'' sections, once a week there
will be a two-class-period collaborative learning session. You will
work in a group with two or three other students, but you will have to
produce an individual ``collab report'' on the problem. This must be
turned in at the begining of lecture on the day following the collab
session. Please list the other members of your group at the begining
of your report. You must attend the collab session to get credit for
it. We will drop your lowest collab grade in figuring your final
grade.
BASIS FOR GRADES
Your grade will be determined according to one
of two methods of weighting the elements of the course:
THE EXAMS
The midterm exams will consist of four questions, each worth 25% of
the exam grade. Some of the questions may be divided into parts, with
an indication of the credit for each part. Approximately 50% of the
exam will be based directly on work that is done in the
collabs or the homework.
One of the four questions will be a question in which you must give verbal explanations, not calculations. This ``essay'' question will consist of several parts and will typically not have a quantitative or symbolic answer. You may be asked if something is true or false; you may be asked if some quantity increases or decreases in some process. In each case, simply giving the correct choice (``false,'' ``increases''...) is worth little or no credit. You must explain your reasoning, and it must be clearly written in complete coherent sentences. It will be graded by a TA who will be in a foul mood from having already looked at 100 exam papers. These TAs will not give you the benefit of the doubt if you are unclear. Do yourself a favor. Be clear.
HELP LAB
There are several forms of help available. The schedule and location of
the TA Help Lab will be announced.
EXTRA PROBLEMS (TEXAS HOMEWORK SERVICE)
The best way for most students to study is by doing extra problems.
To help with this, on an experimental basis, I will be
making available homework problems on the web from a bank of problems provided
by the University of Texas.
This is just as new to me as it is to you.
The facility will keep track of a grade
for you. (I couldn't turn off this feature.) I will not look at
those grades, but you can use a phony name in setting up your account
to protect your privacy.
The idea of this service is that I create a problem set from a bank of problems they have, and you download it as a PDF or Postscript file. You then supply answers to the problems directly in the web page. You will get immediate feedback as to whether you are right or wrong. After the ``due date'' (which is irrelevant to us) you can view worked out solutions. I intend to set the due dates early enough so that you can look at the solutions immediately.
To get started, log into their server. Using a web browser, go to URL> http://hw10.ph.utexas.edu/studentInstructions.html and read the instructions. They will tell you to start by adding yourself to the class roster. To do this, you do not need an access password, but you will need the ``unique number'' of the course. It is 22212. (See login information.) Follow the instructions for filling out the registration page, then you can log in any time you want at http://hw.ph.utexas.edu and you can pick up the ``homework'' assignment, submit answers, pick up solutions, etc. etc. The web pages for the Texas Homework Service are also linked to the 2220 course homepage.
So far I have created only a single homework assignment: homework02. (Ignore homework01.)
If there is no class interest in this resource, I will discontinue it. I would like to know your reaction to this service, as would the people at the University of Texas.
COURTESY
During class there will be exercises during which you are encouraged
to discuss problems with the students around you. You are also encouraged to ask
questions during lecture. Aside from these times, it is traditional
courtesy, once the class has started, to maintain silence. Talking to
your neighbor may be very annoying to another neighbor.
If you know that you will be leaving the lecture before the end, please sit at the back of the lecture hall.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ: Is this going to be on the exam?
A: Yes.
FAQ: Will computers be used in the course?
A: There will be no use of spreadsheet calculations in the course.
You may of course find computers useful for some computations
and calculations, but it will not be assumed that you have such
tools at your disposal. It will be assumed that you have access to
a scientific calculator, and you will be allowed to use a calculator
on the exams.
FAQ:
Will I be allowed to use a ``cheat sheet'' on the exams?
A: You may take into the midterms a 3''
5'' card carrying any
information
you want. For the final exam you may take two such cards.
FAQ:
Is the course graded on a ``curve''?
A: A single grade index is made up for you based on the weightings
described above. All students in the course are rank ordered on the
basis of this grade index, and grades are given approximately based on
the traditional distribution of A,A-,B,... in PHYCS 2220. In this
sense, yes, the course is approximately graded on a curve.
FAQ:
Am I allowed to work with other students on the homework?
A: Yes, in fact you are encouraged to
do this. The work you hand in as your own, however, must be your own,
not copied from another student.
FAQ: What's the best way to study for this course.
A: Do extra homework problems. Do homework problems that challenge
you. Don't give up or seek help immediately; seek help (TAs, other
students) if you're stuck. Struggle a bit. (Lots of learning goes on
in this struggle.) But don't struggle forever. When the struggle is no
longer leading to learning, seek help.
FAQ: Do I choose my partners for the collabs?
A: No. We will assign the collab groups.
FAQ: On the collabs, my grade will
be influenced by the work of other students. Is this fair?
A: Yes.