This course will be both concept and problem-solving oriented. Compared to your previous physics courses, you will find that concepts are stressed more. In particular, the lectures are oriented towards helping you understand why and how we do physics. Understanding the material is the best way for you to be able to solve problems. Conversely, working problems is the best way to develop an understanding of the concepts. Read each assignment before the lecture and again as soon as possible after the lecture. You will be responsible on the quizzes, tests, and exam for both the material assigned in the textbook and for any material discussed in lecture that is not in the textbook.
You must be enrolled in a problem session in addition to the lecture and, once you are enrolled in a problem session you may not switch to another. Homework problems will be collected at the beginning of each problem session. Each week in your problem session, either of the two following possibilities will occur with roughly equal probabilities:
1) one of the assigned homework problem set you have just handed in will be graded, or
2) a short, pledged quiz will be given during the problem session on a variant of one of that week's assigned problems.
You will not know in advance each week whether you will have a quiz or a homework problem graded, and you will not know which homework problem will be graded or might be modified for the quiz. In other words, you must do the homework and be ready for a quiz. Remember that 30% of your final grade will be determined from your problem session. Your two lowest weekly problem session grades will be dropped. Normalization between the various teaching assistant grades will ensure that noone will be penalized if one TA grades harder than another.
In addition, three Quizzes will be given during lectures that will count 10% of your grade. The two Midterm Tests during the semester will count 30% of your grade. The Final Exam will count 30% of your grade.
NO MAKEUP QUIZZES ARE GIVEN; WITH A VALID EXCUSE BEFORE THE QUIZ, THE REMAINING QUIZZES WILL BE AVERAGED. WITHOUT A VALID EXCUSE FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR TA, THE GRADE WILL BE ZERO.
MAKEUP TESTS WILL ONLY BE GIVEN WITH VALID EXCUSES (E.G. MEMO FROM ASSISTANT DEAN OF ENGINEERING, J.L. KELLY, NOTE FROM DOCTOR, ETC.)
Final Exams are scheduled for 2:00 PM Friday, May 1 and 9:00 AM Saturday, May 2. You may take it at either time, but only at these times.
Copies of lecture notes as well as homework, exam, quiz, and extra credit problems and solutions will be placed on reserve in the Science and Engineering Library.