General Physics I

Class Web Site

Location and Time

Course Instructors

Note: the course instructors have offices in the High Energy Physics Laboratory and Jesse Beams Laboratory (the main Physics building). Office hours are always in the Jesse Beams Laboratory, unless otherwise stated by special appointment.

Teaching Assistant

The teaching assistant is to help you understand solving physics problems. For questions regarding Mastering Physics or Learning Catalytics please contact the grader.

Elizabeth Larson tbd Jesse Beams Laboratory Telephone: tbd E-mail: eal2ne(at)virginia.edu

Grader

Office hours and Location

Office hours are available as a resource for questions about the text, lectures, and homework exercises.

We will be holding office hours remotely using Zoom. Links are given on the respective UVACollab webpage for the section in question.

Office hour times are given below.

Zoom

Lectures and office hours will be given online using Zoom.

• Lectures:

  A good resource on how to attend class by Zoom can be found here.

  Connecting to Zoom. You need first to log onto UVACollab. There are a series of links to the left. Click on "Online Meetings". Under "Upcoming Meetings" you will find associated with each lecture date a button "Join". Click on that button and then follow the instructions.

  Note that because of our large class size, you will be muted and unable to ask questions. This is done because we typically find when using Zoom that several attendees forget to mute which leads to huge feedback audio problems. Also, features such as "raise hand" and "chat" will be disabled, again because of the large class size.

• Office Hours:

  Office hours will also be done remotely using Zoom. The office hours and Zoom link are found here.

Prerequisites

You should have completed or be taking a calculus course such as APMA 1090 or MATH 1310. The concepts from these courses will be used extensively throughout.

There is an associated laboratory workshop course, PHYS 1429, which run concurrently. The examples and applications discussed there will improve your grasp of the concepts discussed in class. PHYS 1429 is managed separately from this course, and should you have any questions regarding it you need to contact its course instructor, not the course instructors listed here. Whether the laboratory workshop course is required depends on the school and the major of the student.

Text

There are several options regarding the text, which can be a hard copy or electronic, and bundled, or not, with access to Mastering Physics (homework app) and Learning Catalytics (in-class app). So read this carefully.

We will be using Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th Ed. If you expect to only take this course, and not the second semester than you only need Vol. 1 (ISBN: 0-13-227358-6). If you will be taking the second semester as well, you may wish to purchase the combined volume (ISBN: 0-13-149508-9), if you decide you want a hard copy of the text.

Note that there is another Giancoli text with the same name, but a higher numbered edition. Do not buy that text!

You have several options, which are listed below. Note that your registration of MasteringPhysics is good for 18 months; that is, for next semester as well.

1. Inclusive Access

   This is the simplest and easiest, and most likley the least expensive option ($112.93 for e-text, Mastering Physics and Learning Catalytics). It is an electronic copy of the textbook, which includes Mastering Physics (which is what is used for homework problems) and Learning Catalytics (which is what is used for in-class problems). If you chose this options and before you log onto Mastering Physics, first go to your section's UVACollab web site to register for Inclusive Access. The link is called UVA Bookstore Access can be seen here. Students who select this option go through UVACollab to get an access code that they will use to register for Mastering Physics and Learning Catalytics. The two advantages of this option, are (1) the cost is less than a hard copy of the textbook and (2) the cost added as part of the tuition/billing. Note that if you wish a loose-leaf copy of the (full) text, after the opt-out deadline, for those who have selected this option they can buy it at the bookstore for $47.

   For more on Inclusive Access click here for a short write-up. For a video that explains how to register for Inclusive Access and to register for Mastering Physics click here for a short video.

   If you do not wish this option then you must opt out by January 29, 2020 or you will automatically be billed even if you have purchased the text and Mastering Physics elsewhere.

   If you think you may drop the class, then this is a good option.

2. New text from the Bookstore

   The UVA Bookstore has a few copies of the text, hard copy and looseleaf, that are bundled with Mastering Physics (but apparently do not include Inclusive Access). These typically sell for $220-$240.

3. Used Text

   Make sure you get Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th Ed.
   Vol.1 only ISBN: 0-13-227358-6
   Vol. 1+2 ISBN: 0-13-149508-9
   There are a lot of other similar textbooks written by Giancoli.
   Warning:

   • If you decide to rent a textbook or buy a used copy, you will also need to purchase the Modified Mastering Physics homework access card separately. The separate code is available for purchase in the UVA bookstore. However, please note that the combined cost of the rented/used book and the access code may be more expensive than buying the new book/access code package in the bookstore because of the special price negotiated with the publisher Pearson.

   • I strongly suggest that you do not purchase your access codes from any site other than the UVA store or Pearson. Many of the codes sold on Amazon Marketplace and like sites are defective or already activated and will not work. You will then need to purchase a second code, causing greater expense and a delayed start to the semester.

Exercises (Homework) Mastering Physics

Physics, like any other mental or physical endeavor, cannot be learned without practice, which is the purpose of the exercises that will be assigned weekly. MasteringPhysics is a Web-based learning and tutorial interface developed by physics teachers. It has an excellent record for improving student problem. Typically, MP exercises will be due on Monday nights at 11:59 pm. Late submissions will be accepted with an automatic score reduction of 10% per hour on that assignment. Get your work in early: a down internet connection will not be accepted as an excuse for a problem set to be forgiven.

How to Register

You will need to register:

• Course IDs:
  1. Section 1: dukes92615
  2. Section 2: dukes93647
  3. Section 3: neu13345
• Access code: This you get with Inclusive Access; otherwise you need to buy at the bookstore along with one of the other textbook options, or directly from Mastering Physics when you first register.
• An email account: You should use your UVa email account if at all possible, although this is not manditory.
• UVa computing ID. You will be asked for this. Make sure you use your UVa computing id, e.g., eve8z, not a Gmail account, not the back end @virginia.edu.

Note that the Modified Mastering Physics we are using allows students to create an account for two weeks until you are prompted to enter your access code. To do so please register into the program and on the screen, where you enter the access code, look down towards the bottom of your screen and you will see an option for choosing "temporary" (2 week) access.

If you need a refund, click here.

For non-multiple choice problems you will get 6 attempts and are deducted 3%/attempt. For multiple choice problems you are deducted 1/5 of the maximum score per attempt. HW done after the Monday midnight deadline have their scores reduced by 10% for each hour late. All HW problems have a maximum score of 10 points.

Exercises (In-Class) Learning Catalytics

Problems will be given during class, where your response will be recorded using Learning Catalytics. In order to do so you will need to bring to each class either a laptop, tablet, or smart phone in which to record your responses.

You will need an account with Learning Catalytics. Instructions on how to get an account and how to start a session are found here. Note:

• Do not go to the Learning Catalytics website and create a separate Learning Catalytics account.
• Join Learning Catalytics sessions from your Mastering Physics home page.

If you need help with Learning Catalytics contact support here.

For each problem you will receive 70% for any answer, and another 30% for getting it right. In order to account for illness, forgotten or malfunctioning laptops, tablets, or smart phones, and other unavoidable absences, you are allowed 5 pre-excused absences in which a zero for your in-class scores are forgiven.

Learning Catalytics in-class scores are available on Mastering Physics. It is your responsibility to make sure that yours are being recorded properly. Should you have any problems with your Learning Catalytics, please contact the grader: do not contact either of the course instructors.

Midterm Exams

The midterm exams will be given in the evening in order that students have plenty of time to answer all of the questions. We do not want any student to feel pressured for time! Midterms 2 and 3 will be given remotely at 8:00 pm for all students.

Exams are multiple-choice, closed-book and problem-oriented.

If you miss an exam without a valid excuse, you will receive a score of zero. Valid excuses include university-sponsored travel, serious illness, personal crises, and other emergencies. Except in the case of emergencies, you must contact your instructor prior to the exam to approve your absence. Supporting documentation from your doctor or dean may be required. If approved, you will be exempted from the exam, with the other exams scores reweighted accordingly.

Formulas and constants will be provided for the midterm and final exams. You may not bring your own.

Final Exam

Assessment

Midterm 1 and 3 scores were curved up to have a mean of 85/100. The homework (MasteringPhysics) nor in-class problems (Learning Catalytics) were not curved. The final exam scores were curved up, depending on the section means. Note that each section has a different final exam. A final numerical score is then determined on a 100 point scale which is (almost always): A > 90; B > 80; C > 70 and D > 60. The number of "+" and "-" grades for each letter grade were assigned according to the schema given in Collab.

Attendance

Incompletes are not given for the course; if for whatever reason you cannot keep up with the course requirements, then you are expected to withdraw from the course.

Web Browser Issues

1. Blank pages upon sign-on. This has been caused in the past by ad-blockers. Disable your ad-blocker and try again.

2. With some browsers, some of the data entry boxes in the MP assignments reset themselves to the top of the browser page. If this happens to you, it will be obvious, if it doesn't happen to you, you have nothing to worry about. We have observed this problem in Firefox and older versions of Internet Explorer. Switching to a free browser such as Google Chrome or Apple Safari (which also has a Windows version) or updating to IE 11.x seems to eliminate the problem.

3. Your browser may present a security warning when accessing the MP pages. The software it is running could apparently be used in a malicious way, but I trust that Pearson Publishing is not trying to hack us. We think it is therefore safe to allow the software to run.

   If you encounter any other web browser problems, please let us know and we will do our best to resolve them. As usual, the more information you can provide about the problem in different browsers and different operating systems, the better.

Academic Integrity

You are encouraged to work with your classmates on the online homework assignments. Peer-to-peer teaching can be one of the most effective forms of instruction. However, submission of solutions by groups or direct copying of solutions from the internet or another student is not acceptable (and a poor strategy). Talk to your friends about how to do a problem, but make sure you actually do it yourself!

Be aware that MasteringPhysics has online tools to detect cheating. If evidence suggests an assignment was copied, it will be assigned a score of zero. Repeated offenses may be reported to the Honor Committee.

For midterm and final exams, you must work by yourself. Collusion with other students or use of non-allowed resources is a clear violation of the honor code. If you cheat, you will be assigned a score of zero on the exam and reported to the Honor Committee.

Course Rules