Physics 201Fall 2010: Syllabus

Stanley Micklavzina
Willamette 142/109
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00 - 11:50 and Thursday 2:00 - 2:50 or by appointment
Phone: x6-4801, x6-4757
email: stanm@uoregon.edu

Teaching Assistant: Herbert Grotewohl
Office Phone: 346-4770
Office: Room 216 Willamete Hall
email: hgrotewo@uoregon.edu
Office Hours: Tues 12:00-1:50, Thurs 5:30 - 6:30 Wednesday 4:00-5:00 (ROOM 147), Monday 12:00-1:00
The specific goals of this class are to:

  • To learn the basic laws of physics and mathematics relating to forces and motion.
  • To use the conceptual understanding, the basic laws and algebraic mathematics to solve problems.

Textbook:

  • "Physics, Custom Edition Douglas Giancoli (Prentice Hall, 2004) Edite by Richard Taylor and Stanley Micklavzina for The University of Oregon. In a collaboration with Prentice Hall, a reduced-cost customized version of this book that includes a Mastering Physics homework system access code is available at the Duckstore at a cost of $132.00. The Customized Edition versions of the book have identical content to a standard Giancoli 6th Edition, but the order and organization of the material is different, so it is highly suggested you purchase the customized textbook. We will be using Mastering Physics in all sections of PHYS 201. If you are sharing a book, or choose to use a book at the library, a seperate Mastering Physics code will cost $50.00 and can be purchsed online or at the information kiosk on the second floor of the Duckstore if you are unable to or strongly purchase materials online. .

Other Helpful Books:

  • Most any other basic physics text

Course Organization

  • The lectures for this course will follow normal physics standards - lectures given via demos, overheads, and the blackboard. Announcements, assignments, exam results will be posted at the website which is accesible through Blackboard.

Office Hours:

  • Make use of office hours! Both mine and the Teaching Assistant. Also Drop-in Help Sessions are also available. Pick up a schedule in the Physics Office. Note, our T.A. is available 5 hours each week and I am available two hours a week and by appointment! Utilize the help!

Homework:

We will be using an Web Based Homework system call Mastering Physics.. You will submit most of your homework answsers via computer. This is to give quick feedback to homework questions. You will will be allowed a stated number of attempts to submit a correct assingment. (Homework can be saved. This would not count as a submission) THE DUE DATES ARE SET AND NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE GRADED. Note: the values for the problems in the web question will be different for each student. If you figure out how to solve the problem as a group, you will still have to calculate your values for your own answer. The WEB based homework frees up Teaching Assistant time for teaching you in office hours rather than grading. UTILIZE OFFICE HOURS FOR HELP IN THE COURSE AND HOMEWORK!

Campus Computing Lab Hours and Info is here if you do not have easy access to the computer network.

The homework will help you keep pace with the course and the feedback will let you know how well you are doing.

The COURSE ID in Mastering Physics is: PHYS201UOREGONF2010

The link that talks more about homework and shows the problems assigned from the book here.

Tutorials:
In additional to your three lectures, you are required to attend the tutorial session each week. Tutorials begin on Friday October 1. The tutorial sessions are held in Room 101 LLCS at 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. You must attend the tutorial session that you are registered in Clickers are required for the Tutorial Session. If you do not yet own a clicker, you can opurchase an iClicker at the Bookstore..

Objectives: Tutorials give you the opportunity to discuss the physics you have experienced in lectures with your classmates, myself and the teaching assistants. With our support, you will also work collaboratively with your classmates to solve a set of tutorial problems. Given out at the beginning of each tutorial, these problems are designed to help you with your homework by developing and practicing your problem solving skills. You will be given a solution set to the tutorial problems at the end of each tutorial. The tutorial problems are not marked but attendance will be taken at each tutorial (see Grading Section ).

Further help: in addition to your tutorial session and your teaching assistant’s weekly office hours, you can also use the “drop in” help-center: located at Willamette Room 147. Schedules are listed at the room and are also available in the Physics office..

The homework and exam dates are posted. Homeworks are due by the posted time. The exams are cumulative, because the material is all realted. However, each exam will cover the application of what was learned between exams. The exam questions will test your knowledge of the material AND your ability to communicate clearly. The final exam is a cummulative exam.

Grading:

Grading Method
Mastering Physics: 25%
Hand-In HW Problems: 5%
Tutorials: 10%
Term Exams 35%
Final Exam 25%


A few more notes, and some advice:

  • Best use of the text and lectures can be made by reading the chapter assignments before lectures
  • University courses, in general, require at least 2-3 hours/week of work outside the course for each hour spent in class.
  • This means you should devote AT LEAST 8 hours/week working outside class to do well in this course!
  • There is a laboratory course, PHYS 204, which accompanies this course. The requirement of this lab depends on your major
  • By devoting adequate time, managing your time effectively, and practicing good study/problem solving skills you should succeed in this course.

Successful Problem solving: Here’s a few guidelines on solving problems:

  1. Draw a clear diagram(s) indicating the situation
  2. Think about the principles involved. Write them down!
  3. Write down the quantities that are known and the quantities you want to know
  4. State any appropriate equations
  5. Write down numbered steps indicating the logical progression of your reasoning
  6. Clearly mark your answer (underlined or in a box)
  7. Don’t forget units! Check your significant figures.
  8. Check your answer to see if it is reasonable. eg perform an “orders of magnitude” estimate

Academic Honesty:

Every effort will be made in this class to deter dishonesty through classroom procedures. You are all welcome to work in groups on Homework assignments, but each person must submit their own assignment on-line. Additionally, exams must be based on individual work only (i.e. don't look at someone else's exam). It is degrading to impose draconian security measures to enforce honesty. Instead, we will use the honor system in this course and allow each of you to uphold your personal standards of conduct. For those of you who have failed to develop your own ethics, the University has designed the Student Conduct Program. Suspected academic dishonesty will be reported.

Accommodations:

If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please see me as soon as possible. Please request that the Counselor for Students with Disabilities send a letter verifying your disability.