UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

Physics 152

Department of Physics

Fall 2011

 

Homework Procedures

 

Collection

            Homework problems are due every Friday except for the first of week of classes when there is no homework due and the last day of classes when the final homework set is due.  See Homework Schedule for details.  Late homework will receive a grade of zero.  THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS OR DELAYS except as provided by "Slacker Coupons" (see below).  You will turn in your solutions at the beginning of the period.  If you are unable to turn in your homework in person, you must make arrangements with another person to do it for you.  Homework will always be accepted early.

 

Collation

            Your name on a piece of your work is a guarantee that it is the best you can do as a professional.  Homework problems must be turned in on standard 8.5" x 11" sheets, white or yellow paper with or without rulings with or without punched holes.  Do not use the backs of old exams, scrap computer paper, pages ripped out of old notebooks or brown paper bags.  You may write on both sides if you wish to save paper, but one-sided sheets look neater.  Use a pencil preferably to a pen because you may have to erase errors.  Problems must be clearly marked and separated from each other.  Pages must be numbered consecutively and stapled at the top left corner.  Loose sheets will not be accepted.

 

Collaboration

            Some of the assigned homework problems may take considerable time to solve.  This is par for the course.  Although it is desirable that you solve all problems by yourselves, this may not always be practical.  Collaboration with your fellow students is allowed as a means of correcting possible flaws in your thinking, as an aid to get you started and as a way of keep you going when you become stuck half way through a solution.  Limit your collaboration to general procedures about how to "set up" a problem outlining rather than exactly specifying the solution.  I will be available within office hours or by appointment to help you with homework questions.  Remember:  The final piece of work that you hand in must be your own, it must bear your personal stamp of thinking processes and you must understand completely (and be able to explain) what you have done, how you did it and why.  Egregious cases of copying from someone else constitute "Academic Dishonesty" and will be prosecuted according to University guidelines.

 

Grading

Each problem will receive a maximum of 4 points.  Some of the criteria used to award the points are listed below.

 

Points

Criteria

0

The problem is not attempted; the attempted solution or strategy is irrelevant.

1

The attempted solution or strategy is unclear or unjustified; some relevant work is shown; most parts in a multipart problem are missing.

2

The solution is carried out about half way; there are serious flaws in mathematical development or reasoning; about half the parts in a multipart problem are missing.

3

There are significant omissions and errors that prevent completion of the solution; one or more parts in a multipart problem are missing.

4

The solution is completely correct or mostly correct with perhaps one or two obviously insignificant errors, e.g. in units conversion, numerical substitution of variables, using the diameter instead of the radius, etc.

 

There are 52 homework problems for a maximum homework grade of 208 points.

 

Slacker Coupons

You will receive three and only three slacker coupons. Each coupon entitles you to turn in your homework late, but no later than 9:35 am on the Monday after it was due.  No homework will be accepted past that time, no matter how many coupons you have.  Attach slacker coupons to late homework to avoid getting a zero.    Slacker coupons may not be used for late lab reports.

 

Redeem unused slacker coupons for extra credit at the end of the semester.  To your total homework score, I will add

  • 2% of your total homework score for one unused slacker coupon
  • 5% of your total homework score for two unused slacker coupons
  • 10% of your total homework score for all three unused slacker coupons

 

It is your responsibility to keep track of your coupons.  Lost or misplaced coupons will not be replaced.  Slacker coupons are not transferable.