Physics 5A : General Physics : Fall 1997 : Tu/Th 9:00 - 11:50
Instructor : Dr. Jack Osborne
916-752-5786
jho@ucdnpg.ucdavis.edu
PEREQUISUTE: Mathematics 20 or high school trigonometry.
REQUIRED TEXT: The text for the course is Contemporary College Physics (2nd Edition) by Jones & Childers. This text and the lecture notes are the primary sources for the course. You are responsible for all assigned sections of the text in addition to lecture material that may not be covered in the text. There are also a Student Study Guide and Solution Manual as optional materials available.
COURSE OBJECTIVE: The student will apply the principles of physics to describe, explain, and predict the behavior of objects and devices. The student will also develop problem solving skills.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: During class the course material will be presented by lectures using the white board, demonstrations, laboratory experiments, andgroup problem solving sessions. Students will also be assigned reading and problems as homework assignments.
ATTENDENCE: I have no set attendence policy. But, missed experiments, exams, assignments, etc., are very detrimental to the overall grade in the course. Please come to class on time. Late entries into the classroom are quite disruptive.
GRADES: The course will be graded on a curve. The course grade will be based on the students performance throughout the semester. In particular exams (3 midterms and a final) will account for 50% of a students grade, homework assignments and quizzes will account for 30%, and laboratory work will account for 20%. To achieve a good grade a student must perform well in all three areas.
EXAMS: (Tentative dates are given in the Schedule.) There will be three midterm exams plus a final exam. The final exam will have twice the value of a midterm exam. A student's poorest exam performance (relative to the class mean and standard deviation for that exam) will be disregarded. If the poorest performance occurs on the final exam, then that students final exam will have the same value as a midterm exam (instead of twice the value). The exams will mainly involve solving problems. There may be a short section of multiple choice questions designed to test conceptual understanding. The exams are closed book with no notes or formula pages allowed. Most useful equations and constants will be provided. Calculators are allowed, but NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR ANSWERS WITHOUT WORK SHOWN. Make up exams, except in dire emergencies, must be arranged BEFORE the date of the exam and may be oral examinations.
REGRADES: Graded examinations most likely will be returned at the next class meeting. If you have a grievance on the grading of an exam problem, you can submit the problem for regrading by attaching a short note to the exam. DO NOT WRITE ON THE EXAM! Regrade requests should be given to me either before or after class or place in my office mailbox. Regrades will be accepted for ONE WEEK only after the exam is returned.
LABORATORY WORK: During the semester, the class will perform several physics experiments. The class will be split into small groups to perform these experiments and each group will turn in a report detailing what the students achieved/accomplished with the experiment by the end of that days class. Details on what should be included in lab reports will be given before the first experiment. A students participation and attitude also subjectively affect that student's lab grade.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: About 15 problems along with a reading asignment will be assigned as homework each week. These problems are due at the start of class on Thursday (9:00 A.M.) the week after they are assigned. Late homework will be accepted, but given a substantial score reduction. These homework problems are a very important part of the course and those assigned are considered the BARE MINIMUM necessary to understand the course material. A students should expect to work many more problems on their own. Because I am more interested on how you obtained a particular answer rather than what the answer is, NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR ANSWERS WITHOUT WORK SHOWN. I reserve the right to give unannounced pop quizzes. I will only do this if overall class performance on assignments is unsatisfactory. Any quizzes will be very similar to assigned problems and the quiz grade will count as part a student's homework grade.
EXTRA CREDIT: It may be possible to gain extra credit. I could give an extra set of homework problems or have the student do an extra experiment. If interested, students should discuss it with me beforehand.
ASSISTANCE: Since I live in Davis, I will be at EDC only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will hold periodic (at least once every two weeks) group problem-solving sessions during class meetings. I should be available from 12 to 1 after class for help/questions. Also, if a student needs extra individual help, an afternoon session can be arranged by appointment. If you are having difficulties, I heartily encourage you to come see me for help.
SCHEDULE: (tentative)