Physics 213H – Syllabus

Fall 2009

General

Information

Professor: Dr. Josh Gladden

email: jgladden@olemiss.edu; Phone: 915-7428

Office: NCPA 1062 & Observatory 1

Office Hours: T Th (12:30 – 2:00) & Fri. (9:00 – 10:00)

in the Observatory, or by appointment at NCPA

Website: www.phy.olemiss.edu/~jgladden/phys213/ (check regularly!)

Lecture: MWF 8:00 – 8:50 in Lewis 109

Required Text: Giancoli, Physics, 6th Edition (electronic version is OK)

Web Based HW (required): Mastering Physics (see instructions)

Course

Description

This is the first course of a two-course sequence on general physics, mainly for pre-med majors in the Honors College. (The companion course is PHYS 214.) Students who enroll must also take, or have previously passed, the PHYS 223 lab course.

We cover roughly the first half of the textbook. The main themes are: Motion, forces and energy for objects in one and two dimensions; analogous topics for larger objects that can rotate; material properties of solids and fluids; oscillatory motion; and heat.

Significant goals of this course are for students to improve their analytical reasoning and problem solving skills. Part of this consists of “applying equations” and “getting the right result”, but students will be evaluated on a broader set of skills, including the way they analyze a problem and place it in context, as well as the way they write about it. Because this is an honors course, students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of physical concepts through clear and logical writing.

Evaluation


Weights

Homework ... 10%

Test 1 ............ 20%

Test 2 ............20%

Test 3 ........... 20%

Extra Credit.... 5%

Final Exam .. 25%








Letter Grades

Typical letter grade break points are as follows:

A: 85% - 100%

B: 75% - 84%

C: 65% - 74%

D: 55% - 64%

F: < 55%

(subject to change)

Homework: Homework will be assigned for each chapter we cover; announcements will be made in class and posted on the course website. Most homework will be done through the on-line companion to the course known as “Mastering Physics” offered through the publisher (www.masteringphysics.com). Details on how to access the system will be posted on my website by the end of the first week. The lowest homework grade will be dropped.
(See note under Group Work below.)

Tests: There will be three midterm tests and a final exam, consisting of essay style questions, problems to be worked out, and multiple choice questions. Students will be allowed to use a calculator, but no books or notes during the tests.



Extra Credit (PhET): Students who complete a session with the on-line physics computer tutoring system, as explained in the class announcements page later in the semester, will get full credit (100%) for 5% of the total grade of the course.

Final Exam: A cumulative final exam will be given on Monday Dec. 7 from 8 – 11 AM. Details on the topics stressed and exam policies will be given later in the semester.

Course

Policies

Absences
Students are expected to attend each lecture unless you have justification. If you must miss a lecture, make contact with me as soon as possible. Absences from tests count as zeros, unless they are justified. If you must be absent during a test for a University sponsored event, you MUST discuss this me before the test date. In the case of an unexpected emergency, you must make contact with me as soon as possible and have documentation.

Academic Integrity (Cheating)
Academic integrity is essential to all the values upon which the University is founded. Students must therefore embody academic honesty in all aspects of their work. A student with a documented case of plagiarism or academic cheating in this course will receive the grade of F for the course and may face disciplinary action by the University, including expulsion. You should know that I take this SERIOUSLY.

Group Work
Physics is very rarely done alone. I encourage you to form study groups in preparation for homework assignments and tests. HOWEVER, the homework assignments should be the work of the individual student. If you can not do the homework, you will not do well on the tests!

Clickers
You are NOT required to have a clicker for this course. However, if you already have a clicker for another course, please let me know. If enough people have them, I will use them. The clickers should be the University standard clicker (PRS-RF), available in the bookstore.

Changes
Any changes will be brought to your attention and posted on the web site.