Course Info -- Phys 311
- Homework:
- You will only be able to learn the material if you
carefully work through a variety of exercises. For this reason the
homework is an important component of the course. There will be approximately
one graded problem set per week; the problems will vary in difficulty from
simple drills to complicated (and sometimes baffling!) challenge problems.
Graded problem sets will be returned with solutions. Two homework sets will
be pledged, the others unpledged.
- Unpledged homework:
I encourage you to discuss the unpledged homework with other students,
or with me. However, you must hand in your own solutions; if you
received significant help on any problem, you should credit the persons
who helped you. Such an acknowledgment will not detract from your grade.
- Pledged homework:
The usual honor pledge rules apply in this case. You can ask me
questions for clarification of a problem or of relevant class material;
do not confer with anyone else about pledged problems.
You can consult books and articles, but you must cite any sources
that are of significant help to you. As long as proper credit is given,
even copying down a solution from a book will not detract from your
grade.
- Term paper/project:
- You will write a term paper on some topic of
current interest which is relevant to the course material. You will
do this in small groups, with a final presentation. A first draft of the
paper is due well in advance of the final presentation, according
to a schedule that is posted on the Web.
- Class attendance:
- Much of this material is not in the textbooks,
and I will also be doing some demonstrations, so you need to attend
the lectures and problem sessions to get the most out of the course.
Come prepared with questions!
- Grading:
- The grading will be as follows:
- Homework -- 50% (pledged -- 20%, unpledged -- 30%)
- Term paper/project -- 40%
- Class attendance and participation -- 10%
- Reserve books:
- A large number of books have been placed on
reserve in the Physics Library. I suggest that you spend some time
browsing through this collection at the beginning of the semester.
You may consult any reference in working the problems, but make sure to
cite any reference which you use extensively. Please respect
your fellow students and do not remove the books from the
library, except for the purpose of photocopying them. Lecture
notes and problem solutions will also be placed on reserve.
- Contacting me:
- If you have a question or problem, contact me at my office during
normal working hours, send me e-mail at vc@virginia.edu,
leave a message on my answering machine at 924-6573 or with
the receptionist at 924-3781, or leave a note on my office door.
- Computers:
- You should have an account on
the Physics Department computers (there are PC's and Macs in Room
315, Physics Building, that are especially set up for using the central
Physics server).
I will use e-mail to answer questions, send out reminders, and so on.
The course homepage on the World Wide Web will contain course information and
lecture notes.
I will use the PC's in Room 22, Physics Building, for some of the problem
sessions.
Programs that package numerics, graphics, and algebra include
Maple, Mathematica, MathCad, and Matlab.
I encourage you to use any of these programs, or even just a spreadsheet,
in working the problem sets (unless stated otherwise). If you have your
own computer, the University has a site license for Maple, which can
be obtained at a reduced cost from the UVa Bookstore.