Lecture Instructor:
Prof. John G. Cramer
Email: jcramer@uw.edu
Web Site:
http://faculty.washington.edu/jcramer
Office: PAB B451, Phone: 543-9194
Office Hours in
the Study Center:
Tuesday 12:30-1:20 PM, Thursday 2:30-3:20 PM
Also available by appointment in my office (request by e-mail)
Course Coordinator:
Susan Miller
Email: susanh82@phys.washington.edu
Office: PAB C136, Phone: 543-4982
Physics 117 Lab
Instructor: Prof. Henry Lubatti,
for LAB
ONLY
Email: lubatti@uw.edu
Office: PAB B301, Phone: 206-543-8964
NOTE: Concurrent enrollment in the Physics 117 Laboratory is not mandatory, but it is recommended.
Course WWW: http://courses.washington.edu/p114aw13/syllabus.htm
Lecture Hall: A102 in the Auditorium wing of the Physics and Astronomy Building
Lecture Schedule: MTThF 1:30-2:20 PM, See http://courses.washington.edu/p114aw13/schedule.htm
Holidays: Monday, January 21 (ML King Day); Monday, February 18 (Presidents Day).
Course Text:
Walker, Physics, Volume 1, 4th edition, Prentice Hall, 2010,
Custom UW Edition, ISBN: 0-558-38504-4
Note: the Complete 4th Edition of Walker may also be used, if desired.
Special Requirements: Clicker: H-iTT RF transmitter for use in class each day, available from the University Bookstore. After purchase, register your clicker using the "Clicker" link above.
Homework: WebAssign Homework (on the web) will normally be due on Thursdays at 11:59 PM
Lectures: Lectures will be given using PowerPoint, and are available as links from the Lecture Schedule (see above).
Examination Solutions: Examination solutions worked using Mathematica will be available as links from the Exam line of the Course Schedule following each exam.
Welcome to Physics 114A, the first of a three-quarter sequence of introductory physics courses for students who are NOT physics or engineering majors. You should find this course challenging and stimulating, though perhaps it will not fit your preconceptions of what a University Physics course should be. I hope that you also find it to be interesting and enjoyable. Have a great quarter!
You are encouraged to take advantage of my regular office hours on Tuesdays before class and Thursdays after class or make an appointment.
Memorization of material is not particularly helpful in this physics class, particularly because you are allowed to bring notes to the exams (see below). Your goal in this class should be to understand how each new topic is related to all of the previous material, and how the concepts, rules and formulae fit together and can be applied to solve real-world problems. Never allow anything to go by that you have not understood. Generally, ask questions immediately in or after class. If it is inconvenient to interrupt the lecture, make a quick note to yourself and inquire later.
Midterm exams: We will have three closed-book midterm exams. Each midterm will emphasize recent material, but may include a few questions dealing with topics from far earlier in the course. The exams will include both multiple choice and long-answer questions. Calculators are permitted. Cell phones, radios, etc. are not permitted. Laptop computers are not permitted, and the use of the text-storage capability now available on many calculators is not permitted. The Physics Department reserves the right to ask for valid identification from any student during examinations. To minimize the need for memorization, you may bring to each exam one 8½x11" sheet of notes written on both sides.
Final Exam: A closed-book comprehensive final exam will take place on Monday, March 18, 2:30 to 4:20 PM. This examination will cover material from the entire course and will be primarily or entirely multiple choice in format. Calculators are permitted. Cell phones, wireless connections, etc. are not permitted. Laptop computers are not permitted, and the use of the text-storage capability available on many calculators is not permitted. The Physics Department reserves the right to ask for valid identification from any student during examinations. If you have taken the three Midterms, the Final is optional. See "Determining grades" below. To minimize the need for memorization, you may bring to the Final Exam three 8½x11" sheets of notes written on both sides.
Note that there will be NO make-up exams in Physics 114. Students with outside professional, service, or career commitments (i.e. military service, ROTC, professional conference presentation, NCAA sports, etc.) conflicting exactly with the exam dates must contact the instructor early in the quarter to establish alternate examination procedures. Students who miss an exam without making prior arrangements with the lecture instructor will drop that exam score. Taking the Final can compensate for a missed midterm exam. Except for extreme circumstances, a final grade of 0.0 may be assigned to any student who misses two midterm exams or one midterm and the final exam.
Determining grades: We will drop your lowest midterm exam score and use your best two midterms as your "midterm exam score", and also to offer you the opportunity to skip the final exam and substitute your three-midterm average score as your "final exam score". To facilitate your choice, a predicted final grade will be assigned to all students after the third midterm grades are completed. This predicted grade will use the three-midterm average and partial homework to predict your course grade. Course grades will be determined using the highest three exam scores, including the final
Exam Re-grades: If you believe that the points on the examination were incorrectly totaled or if there is a gross error in the grading, you may return an exam for regrading. To do so, you must resubmit the examination no later than at the beginning of the lecture following the one in which the exams are returned. You must attach a brief note to the relevant exam page explaining the possible error in the grading. Do not make *any* changes or marks on the pages of the examination. Portions of each examination are scanned or photocopied. You should be aware that any request for a regrade may result in a regrading of the entire exam. Therefore your total score may increase or decrease.
Homework: Lecture homework will be assigned and collected weekly on Thursdays through the WebAssign system. Each student will have the same assignment to complete online, but the numerical values supplied to each student may vary. WebAssign allows unlimited trials with no penalty, provides various types of help at no penalty, but does cut off credit according to a time schedule. Computers are available in the Physics Study Center from 8:30 AM-5:20 PM on weekdays and at various other locations around campus.
Your responsibility: Check your grades on the WebAssign system every week and report any problems to both the lecture instructor and the relevant TAs (and/or lab faculty) immediately. Lab (if you are enrolled in Physics 117) and exam grades should be recorded for your review within one week from the date that papers are submitted for grading. WebAssign homework grades should be recorded within 24 hours of submission. Supplemental assignments, such as lecture response scores, should be recorded every three weeks or so. Grading problems that are reported in a timely fashion will be investigated and, if action is warranted, corrected. I may choose to ignore grading complaints that are not reported in a timely fashion.