Office: 127 Science Center |
| Syllabus | Other Stuff |
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General Assumed Knowledge Preparation Attendance Goals Objectives Due Dates Homework Exams Grades |
Homework and Test Calendar First Day Math Practice Sample tests and quizzes at: UNC-Charlotte Univ. of Delaware |
Text: Physics (Calculus) by Hecht, 2d edition. We will start with electricity and cover through the end of the text. Major topical areas are: electricity, magnetism, optics, radioactivity, relativity, and quantum mechanics.
Useful information, such as homework assignments and test dates, will be available through my web page, so if you don't know how to use the web, now is the time to learn.
Physics is a field in which we attempt to describe, explain and predict how things happen. The goal is to be able to apply general rules to novel situations. A law in physics is a concise summary of a broad collection of observations. The primary tool in physics is mathematics, which allows us to make simple yet concise statements of physical law. Our simple mathematical statements of law become a vehicle for predicting the behavior of the physical world. It is also important to be able to use words to describe and predict the behavior of systems.
If you have a question, please ask it. If you have a comment, please make it. Even an anonymous note under my door or in my mailbox is fine. Communication is the essence of the classroom experience. I am pleased to see you any time you can find me.
I expect you to have studied the relevant material for each day. Assume that I may give you a short quiz at any time to help motivate you to be prepared for class. The best advice I can give you is come to every class, participate, take good notes, read the book, do the problems and keep up. The most common, and perhaps the deadliest habit is to postpone your assault of the material.
Attendance and participation is critical to the learning process and an integral part of this course. I may circulate an attendance sheet that you initial so I can keep track of attendance. In general, I believe that absence is its own punishment, that is, you miss things you can't possibly get by going over a classmate's notes. You are responsible for material covered that day. Contact one of your classmates for the notes. Failure to attend class on the day an assignment is assigned or due does not mean that you may turn in a late assignment without penalty. There are certain aspects of the course for which the information can be obtained only in class, thus, a student who misses class will miss material they will need on quizzes and tests. There will be no makeup quizzes. If you have a catastrophe please contact the undergraduate dean's office to get it documented. After I get notified by the Dean's Office I will judge whether you get an excused miss or a zero for the late or missed material.
You are expected to participate in class in a positive manner. This means being on time (so as not to disturb the learning of others) and making positive contributions to the learning environment. Students who disturb others will be asked to leave.
A key word in education is RESPONSIBILITY. I have responsibilities as the instructor. You have responsibilities to yourself, me, and the class. One responsibility is to be in class every day and be there on time. As a student it is your job. Another is to read the day's reading before class. Also please do not think it is my job or my responsibility to teach you. IT IS NOT. It is my job to create an environment and to create situations in which you can teach yourself. This course is organized by the above goals and objectives in order to achieve this end. The goal of education is to empower the individual student to be self-taught. I can't really do this for you, but I can help a lot.
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned day. No credit will be given for late assignments. See The Homework Page for the assignments.
Don't crowd the solutions, usually have just one or two problems per page. It should be neat. Usually this means working the problem on scratch paper first and then transcribing it. Work the problems promptly. DO NOT GET BEHIND!! If you can't get a solution ask for help. Go to a classmate, the tutoring session, or me. You may use computer help for the math and graphing on homework assignments, be sure you print out your worksheet and turn it in with your assignment. Most days I will assign a few problems to be worked. They will usually be collected and one of them will be graded. See The Homework Page for the assignments (which are subject to change).
It is assumed that a student will work more problems than the ones I assign. You should guide yourself through the material, working out more simple problems if you are having difficulty, and progressing to complex ones as you master the material. I make no claim that the assigned problems represent the full breadth and depth of the subject matter. They represent a way for me to keep an eye on your progress and to help motivate you to attack the problems on your own.
We will have four exams plus the final exam. My exams tend to have problems, graphs, sketches, and explanations. I generally avoid multiple choice or true/false questions. If you question your score on an exam you must bring it to my attention within 24 hours after the graded exams were handed out in class. See The Test Schedule for anticipated test dates, which are subject to change.
Calculators may be prohibited for use on quizzes and exams without notice.
Since I can't write exams in such a way that I know in advance precisely how difficult they are, I can't give you an advance guarantee of points resulting in a specific grade. I assign letter grades to exams when I return them to you. I encourage you to see me at any time for my assessment of your work. Below are the relative weights of the pieces of your semester grade.
| Homework and Quizzes | 10% |
| 4 Tests | 40% |
| Lab | 25% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
modified 8 Jan 03 - jlw Back to DW's Home Page