University of Vermont Department of Physics PHYSICS 11 - Elementary Physics Fall 2004 - Syllabus

Course Description:

Survey of principles of classical and modern physics without calculus, appropriate for students concentrating in life or health sciences. Prerequisites: secondary school algebra and trigonometry. Associated Lab: Physics 21 may be taken concurrently (recommended.)

Class Format:

Lecture:

The 50 minute MWF Lectures, will be a counterpoint to your reading assignments. These periods will be used to help strengthen your conceptual understanding of the material, through the use of conventional lecture format as well as interactive lecture demonstrations and other conceptual exercises; The lectures are not a substitute for your textbook reading assignments. The purpose of the lecture is to identify the key points and to help clarify some of the more difficult aspects of the reading assignment. The lecture is not the place to encounter the material for the first time.

Lecture/WebCT Quizzes: To emphasize the importance of reading the assigned sections of the textbook before the lecture, there will be multiple choice or short answer format WebCT quizzes assigned that will test your reading knowledge of the material before it is introduced in lecture. Your performance on these quizzes can help you boost your grade as explained in the "Evaluation" section of this syllabus. There will also be other in class lecture exericises that will be handed in for grades.

Did I remember to mention: The lectures are not a substitute for your textbook reading assignments?

Recitation:

The 75 minute recitation section on Thursday will be devoted to discussion of the assigned homework problem sets. You should have at least attempted to solve, each of the assigned homework problems before the recitation section meets.

Recitation/WebCT Quizzes: On most weeks, there will be a WebCT quiz based on the homework assignment. This quiz will typically be available starting Thursday afternoon after recitation is over and the completed problems will be due Monday night at midnight. There will also be a number of unannounced in-class recitation quizzes, which will involve solving a problem similar to the homework problems. There will be no make up recitation quizzes. The lowest score will be dropped from the record.

Homework Sets:

Learning and mastering physics is not really as much about memorization of new terms and concepts, as it is about understanding what these terms and concepts mean and how to fit all these new ideas together when you try to solve problems. Often, this learning process demands that you abandon prior misconceptions that you may have about the physical world. In order to succeed in this course, you will need to learn how to solve physics problems, and demonstrate the conceptual understanding that underlies their solution. The best way to learn how to do this is to practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the better you will understand the material, and the better you will do on quizzes and exams. Try to attempt to solve all of the week's homework problems before the week's recitation (or at the very least, look at them)

You are responsible to know how to solve each of the assigned problems in each of the homework sets by the scheduled due date. These homework sets include conceptual questions as well as even and odd numbered problems from the text. Questions on exams and on WebCT and in-class recitation quizzes will be very similar to the assigned homework problems.

 

Evaluation and Grades:

Your grade in the course will be based in part on exercises done in lecture (and in some degree to your attendance in lecture), in part on your performance on the WebCT exercises, in part on your performance on recitation quizzes and in part on three in-class hour exams and a final exam.

The final grade will be computed from your grades on the examinations, the recitation quizzes, the lecture quizzes and WebCT assignments as follows: The letter grade is based on a point total of 100 of which 20 points will be from your work in the WebCT/recitation quizzes. The three midterm examinations count for 15 points each, and the lecture quiz average will account for 10 points. The final exam will be worth 25 points.Typically 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D and grades below 60 are considered as failing. You will have access to your performance in all these areas by logging into your WebCT account and accessing your grades.

PHYSICS 11 GRADING SCHEME
WebCT/Lecture	10%
WebCT/Recitation	20%
Exam 1 (9/24)	15%
Exam 2 (10/22)	15%
Exam 3 (11/19)	15%
Final Exam (12/17)	25%

 

Students will be expected to take quizzes and examinations at the scheduled times. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes; a grade of zero will be recorded for a missed quiz. A grade of zero will also be recorded for a missed hour examination or final examination unless circumstances beyond the student's control prevent participation at the scheduled time. Also, late WebCT will not be accepted. If you anticipate a problem, talk to your instructor as far in advance as possible. Documented evidence of such circumstances will be required in order to schedule a makeup for an hour examination or for the final examination. Students who are concerned about their performance in the course are encouraged to discuss the matter with their instructor. Please note that Friday, October 31, is the last day to withdraw from courses. Students who withdraw from Physics 11 must also withdraw from the associated lab, Physics 21. Students will be expected to comply with the University's Academic Honesty policy. Please consult The Cat's Tale for details. Physics 11 in-class quizzes and examinations will be "closed-book." No books or notes are to be brought into the examination; a student should bring only pen or pencil and, unless instructed otherwise, a pocket calculator. Exception: A formula sheet will be provided for each of the hour exams and the final exam. No talking or other communication is permitted during quizzes or examinations, unless the instructor explicitly says otherwise.

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