LECTURE: 
Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50 AM, Sections 1-5
Monday & Wednesday 11:00-11:50 PM, Sections 6-9
Room 101 Lewis Hall
LABORATORY: 
Section 1: Tuesday 1:00-2:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 2: Tuesday 3:00-4:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 3: Tuesday 5:00-6:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 4: Wednesday 1:00-2:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 5: Wednesday 3:00-4:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 6: Wednesday 5:00-6:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 7: Thursday 1:00-2:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 8: Thursday 3:00-4:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
Section 9: Thursday 5:00-6:50 PM, Room 212 Lewis Hall
 
PROFESSOR:
 
Dr. Breese Quinn
Office: Room 222 Lewis Hall, 915-1398
e-mail: quinn@phy.olemiss.edu 
OFFICE HOURS:  Tuesday 10:30-11:30 AM, Wednesday 12:00-1:00 PM, or by appointment
TEXT: Conceptual Physics, 10th Edition, by Paul Hewitt
LAB MANUAL:  
Physical Science Physics 108 Spring 2008 Laboratory Manual,
University of Mississippi
COURSE WEBSITE: http://www.phy.olemiss.edu/~quinn/PHYS108/PHYS108.htm

 

 

 

GOALS:
 
The goals of this course are to 1) provide an interesting, enjoyable and accurate introduction 
to the concepts of physics and 2) hopefully instill a lasting awareness and wonder about our 
physical world.  I believe if these two goals are met, then your ability to understand and deal 
with almost everything you encounter in life will be enhanced (Skeptical?  Think about it and 
ask me!).
PHILOSOPHY:
 
Physics is the most basic science – it is the foundation of all other sciences.  Therefore, it 
should be part of the general education for both science and nonscience students.  Physics 
is essential for understanding the world around you as well as your relationship to it.  
Unfortunately, the mathematics and problem-solving skills required to “do” physics often 
deter average nonscience students from an encounter with the subject.  In this course I 
attempt to avoid this obstacle by presenting the ideas of physics conceptually with equations 
used as guides to thinking about the relationships in nature rather than as recipes for 
algebraic computations.  We won’t be trying to become proficient problem-solving physicists 
in this course; we will try to gain a perspective on nature from which we can think critically 
about the world in which we live.
CLASS POLICIES:
  • Please arrive on time for the entire lecture or else not at all.
  • Read the textbook chapter which I will cover in lecture before coming to that lecture (see the Lecture Schedule in your handout or on the website). 
  • Study Aids will be provided - suggested Exercises from the text – posted on the course website.  These are presented to give you an idea of what I stress on the Tests.  I do not collect these; however, solutions to odd-numbered exercises are available in the Practicing Physics workbook, and if you wish I shall look over your other work and discuss it with you during office hours or Review Sessions.
  • Lecture attendance is not required.  However, I do give daily quizzes in class which will count as extra credit.  Also, anything covered in lecture may appear on a test, whether or not it can be found in the text or Study Aids.
  • Students caught cheating in any way will have points deducted from their course grade.  The number of points deducted will depend on the severity of the offense.
TESTS:
 
There will be four Tests given during the semester.  Extra credit will be added to each Test 
score depending on the scores earned on the quizzes which covered the same material as 
the Test.  The Tests are multiple-choice with 33 questions.  Each Test is scored with 100 
points denoting all answers are correct.  With extra credit a maximum score of 115 is 
possible.  Please note that you must remain in class for the entire period on test days.

There will be a comprehensive Final Exam with 50 multiple-choice questions.  
Students have the option of earning extra credit on the Final Exam by completing a short 
essay.  Details on the extra credit quizzes and essay can be found on the Extra Credit 
page.

FINAL EXAM: Room 101 Lewis Hall
     Sections 1-5: Wednesday, May 7, 8:00 AM     
     Sections 6-9: Tuesday, May 6, 12:00 PM
REVIEW SESSIONS:
 
Review sessions before the Tests will be held in Lewis 101 at the following times:

     Review for Test 1: Monday, Feb 11, 7:00-9:00 PM
     Review for Test 2: Monday, Mar 3, 7:00-9:00 PM
     Review for Test 3: Thursday, Apr 3, 7:00-9:00 PM
     Review for Test 4: Monday, Apr 28, 7:00-9:00 PM
     Review for Final: Friday, May 2, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
LABORATORY:
 
Please see the Laboratory page for details, but note, lab attendance is mandatory and
THREE MISSED LABS WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC F FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE!
GRADING:
 
A(90 or above), B(80-89), C(70-79), D(60-69) and F(59 or below).  
The lowest score out of the four midterm Tests will be dropped.
The final grade will be calculated as:
 
                                              Grading for Sections 1-7,9
                                              Laboratory             30%
                                              Test 1                    15%
                                              Test 2                    15%
                                              Test 3                    15%
                                              Final Exam             25%
                                                                            100% 

Grading for the Honors Section 8 will be slightly different, including a series of short 
essays.  The breakdown is given below, with details to be discussed later

                                              Grading for Section 8
                                              Laboratory             24%
                                              Test 1                    12%
                                              Test 2                    12%
                                              Test 3                    12%
                                              Essays                   20%
                                              Final Exam             20%
                                                                            100% 
 

Good Luck & Enjoy Yourself!
 
 
 

 

 

This page was last modified on February 19, 2008