UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT	Physics 051 Fall 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 1:30-3:00 p.m., Thurs. 1:00 -2:00 or by appointment.

Materials:

• Textbook: "Physics" by Resnick, Halliday and Krane, volume 1, Fifth Edition, ISBN 978-0-471-32057-9.
• Pocket calculator with trigonometric functions, scientific notation and exponential functions.

Course format:

Three lectures per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting at 8:00 am, B112 Angell. New topics will be presented at this time.  Laboratory exercises will be conducted on some Fridays and Mondays. See Course Outline and Laboratory Procedures for details. Students who do not meet for a lab will be expected to meet for a help session.

Homework:

Homework problems serve as illustrations of the lecture material and are essential towards consolidation of the students' grasp of physical principles.  The Homework Schedule shows the homework assignments for each chapter. Check Homework Procedures for additional information on homework procedures, policies, grading and slacker coupons.

Homework is due every Wednesday.

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 to be distributed as follows:

• Hourly exams: 3 ×16 = 48 points.
• Homework: 16 points
• Laboratory Work: 20 points
• Final examination: 16 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 Blackboard 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.

Reasons for Absence:

Often, circumstances beyond a student's control warrant an absence.  Valid reasons for such absences must supported by written documantation 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 is not a valid reason for absence, neither is a sibling's out-of- town wedding, a planned family vacation, a rock concert in Albany or a family pet's funeral in Toronto.

Missing Hourly Exams:

Missing an hourly exam will result in a score of zero unless the student has a valid reason as defined above.  A student with a valid reason 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."

Academic Dishonesty Disclosure:

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Perceived failures to abide by the standards of academic integrity will be prosecuted as set forth in the Academic Integrity Code.