UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT	Physics 31 Spring 2008 General Information
Department of Physics

Instructor: K. Spartalian, A511 Cook.

Phone: 656-0047 (office), 656-2644 (department).

email: Kevork.Spartalian@uvm.edu

Office Hours: Mon & Wed 2:30-3:30 p.m., Thurs. 3:30 -4:00 or by appointment.

Materials:

· Textbook: "Physics for Engineers and Scientists" by Ohanian and Markert, volume 1, Third Edition, ISBN 0-393-97422-7

· Pocket calculator with trigonometric functions, scientific notation and exponential functions.

Course format:

· Three 50-minute lectures per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 12:10 P.M., B106 Angell. New topics will be presented at this time.  See Course Outline for details.

· One 75 minute recitation session per week on Tuesday. No new topics will be covered at this time.  The recitation instructor will answer questions on past material and assigned homework problems.

Homework:

Homework problems serve as illustrations of the lecture material and are essential towards consolidation of the students' grasp of physical principles.  The Course Outline shows the homework assignments for each chapter.  Students are expected to have completed all the pertinent homework problems from the textbook before coming to the recitation session.   WebCT homework will be assigned weekly for extra credit.

Examinations:

There will be three hourly exams based on lecture, homework and textbook material.  The final examination will be cumulative.

Course Grades:

§ For each student, a score will be computed based on 100 points with 5 points extra credit to be distributed as follows:

§ Hourly exams: 3 ×17 = 51 points.

§ Recitation quizzes: 15 points.

§ WebCT homework: 5 points (extra credit).

§ Final examination: 34 points.

Numerical to Letter Grade Conversion:

Final grades will be calculated and rounded up to the nearest one-tenth of a point.  Letter grades will be assigned as follows:

A range = 100.0 - 90.0

B range = 89.9 - 80.0

C range = 79.9 - 70.0

D range = 69.9 - 60.0

F = below 60.

Grade Posting:

All grades will be posted on WebCT to ensure privacy.  It is each student's responsibility to verify the accuracy of the postings regularly.  Report any discrepancies promptly.

Attendance:

Attendance at lectures will be taken frequently.  A student's attendance record provides additional information for assessing a student's overall attitude in the course.  It will be used for advising, for documentation in a letter of reference, etc.  Regular attendance is not in itself adequate justification for awarding college credit.  It is the student's responsibility to keep up with missed material, announcements, etc.  Attendance at recitation is mandatory.

Excuses:

Often, circumstances beyond a student's control warrant an absence.  Valid excuses for such absences are notes from the academic dean, the attending physician, the team coach, the officiating clergyman, the presiding judge, the arresting officer, the FEMA official etc.  Merely being seen by a physician does not constitute a valid excuse neither does a sibling's out-of- town wedding or a rock concert in Albany.

Missing Hourly Exams:

Missing an hourly exam will result in a score of zero unless the student has a valid excuse as defined above.  A student with a valid excuse may be given a make-up exam at a time that is mutually convenient for the student and the instructor.

Missing the Final:

Missing the final examination will result in a final course grade of F unless the student has arranged with the instructor through the appropriate academic dean for an "Incomplete."