Course outline:
Course objectives: This course has several rather broad goals. They include that you
Reading assignments: Reading assignments for each lecture are given on the course calendar. You are strongly urged to do the reading in advance, since the lectures will assume that you are familiar with the terms used in the text.
Lectures: During the lectures we will discuss important highlights from the reading assignments, study demonstrations that illustrate key topics, work through sample problems, and consider relevant conceptual questions.
A slide summary of the upcoming lecture topics will be posted on the course website the evening before. This is intended to help you prepare for the lectures. Some students may want to print these online slides beforehand and make their own notes directly on these pages -- this is fine, although certainly not required. Often, due to differences in the timing of demonstrations or questions, there may be a few slides at the end of the set posted on the website that are not covered during a lecture. These slides, or at least the concepts on them, will be discussed in the subsequent lecture.
Attending the lectures will greatly improve your odds for success in the course.
Workshops: There are two one-hour workshops each week in which you will be asked to work on a variety of tutorials and problem solving activities. Attendance is required. You may miss up to two workshop sessions over the course of the semester with no grade penalty; further absences will reduce your workshop participation score. The workshops are organized so that you can gain the maximum benefit from completing the worksheet activities in collaboration with the peers in your group as well as with assistance from the teaching assistant. The activities that you complete in the workshop will not be turned in and they will not be graded. Solutions for these worksheets will not be posted on the website.
Tutorials: Wednesday's workshop hours will usually be spent primarily on worksheets from the Student Workbook that accompanies the course textbook . You are expected to work in groups. You will need to bring the Workbook volume to each workshop. Completed worksheets will not be turned in, but homework problems that are related to each workshop will be assigned, collected and graded for credit (see Homework below). The Wednesday workshop prior to each of the three mid-semester exams will be used to work through sample exam-style problems.
Problem Solving: Friday's workshop will usually be spent on various problem-solving activities. Worksheets will be handed out in class, although you may want to bring your own extra paper. Again, you are expected to work in groups.
Homework: There
will be weekly homework assignments consisting of various end-of-chapter problems from the textbook, conceptual problems, and exam-style problems. The assignments will be posted each week on the course website and will be announced in the lectures. The homework will be due in the workshop as indicated on the course schedule and will be checked for completeness and selected parts will be graded in detail by the TA in
a conventional manner. At the end of the semester your lowest two homework scores will be dropped. Solutions to some homework problems will be provided at the course web site.
In all cases late homework will not be
accepted.
Exams: There will be three eighty-minute exams throughout the semester during the regularly-scheduled lecture period. Each exam will focus on material from the three or four weeks prior to the week of the exam but may include earlier material as well. Sample problems from exams from previous semesters will be posted on the course website and will be discussed in the Wednesday workshops before each exam. The lowest exam score for each student will be dropped. In addition, there will be a two-hour final. The final exam will be comprehensive.
All exams will be closed book, although you may bring one double-sided sheet (8.5" x 11") of handwritten notes (no photocopies). Each student is responsible for bringing a scientific calculator to the exams. There will be NO makeup exams. Students who do not take the final or who miss more than one of the other exams will not be given a passing grade.
Regrading requests: If you think a serious error has been made in the grading of your exam, you may request a regrade. Write a note describing your concerns, attach it to your exam, and resubmit at the beginning of the lecture period following the return of the exams. It is important that you do not make any changes or marks on the exam. Please note that you must have a specific complaint. Unspecified requests for additional points will not be accepted.
Course grade: The various course components will contribute to your final grade as follows:
The grades are normalized such that the average course grade is a B- or better, depending on the performance of the class as a whole.
Laboratory course: You are required to enroll in the accompanying laboratory course (Physics 221). The two courses cover the same subject matter, but you will receive a separate grade for each one. Section M011 has been designated for students in PHY215, so please register for this section.
Special accommodation: Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational opportunities for all students. Syracuse University and the instructor of this course are committed to your success and to supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). This means that in general no individual who is otherwise qualified shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity, solely by reason of having a disability.
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), located at 804 University Avenue, room 309, or call (315) 443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities "Accommodation Authorization Letters" as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
You are also welcome to contact the instructor privately to discuss your academic needs, although the instructor cannot arrange for disability-related accommodations.
Academic integrity: During the exams, it is a violation of the academic code to give or seek assistance -- the only person you may communicate with is the instructor. In the case of violations, the academic integrity policy from the Office of the Vice Chancellor & Provost will be followed.
Clinic: Physics teaching assistants will be available for consultation in the Physics Clinic, located in room 113. Clinic hours will be posted on the Physics Department web page.
This page maintained by Britton Plourde, last updated 29 August, 2010