122 Policies
A. General
The course during this Fall Semester begins on Mon., Aug. 22 and
concludes on Fri., Dec. 2. There are no Wednesday classes. A schedule
of experiments and meeting dates is distributed with this Syllabus.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NO FOOD OR DRINK IS ALLOWED IN THE PHYSICS LAB ROOMS.
Each experiment period will begin by collection and discussion of the
PRE-LAB QUIZ for that experiment. The Pre-Lab Quiz for each experiment
is available online as a part of each lab description. You may get
help with the Pre-Lab Quiz at your instructor's office hours, at your
TA's office hours, or in Help-Study.
Help-Study sessions are for the students' benefit in gaining assistance
with the conceptual and procedural basis of an experiment. Beginning
Mon., Aug. 29, the Help-Study Hall (PSH-352) will be staffed by volunteer
faculty and Teaching Assistants several hours each day between 8:40 and
3:30. Teaching Assistants associated with this course, and your instructor,
will keep some of their office hours in the Help-Study Hall.
B. Laboratory and Grading Policy
There are twelve experiments scheduled for the term. Your best ten labs
will count towards your final grade, i.e. two labs will be dropped.
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP LABS for any reason; if you miss a lab FOR ANY REASON,
then that lab must be one of your two drops.
REPORT DUE DATE: Reports are due no later than 1:00 PM one week following
your experiment. ZERO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR LATE REPORTS. Your Lab TA
will give you the number of a drop box for your lab reports. The drop boxes
are located on the third floor of PSH-wing, in the hallway adjacent to room
352. ZERO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR LAB REPORTS THAT ARE MISTAKENLY
PLACED IN THE WRONG DROP BOX. It is the student's responsibility to be
careful when dropping a report in the designated box.
Students will work together in teams of three. To receive credit for an
experiment, you must (a) perform the experiment with your teammates, AND
(b) submit a lab report on the experiment. Data, and any analysis
done during the lab period using the Graphical Analysis computer
program should be essentially identical for the three students in a team.
All handwritten data must be taken IN INK, with no erasures or "white-outs"
(errors are to be lined out) on 8 1/2 X 11 quadrille sheets (5 X 5 - AKA
engineering paper). You must record your own copy of any data taken by hand.
If the original data are on computer, you must print a hardcopy in class for
yourself. ALL DATA SHEETS AND NECESSARY COMPUTER PRINTOUTS MUST BE INITIALED
AND DATED BY YOUR TA BEFORE YOUR LEAVE THE LAB. The SIGNED sheets must be
stapled to your report. Otherwise, you will receive zero credit for that
report.
Your grade for each lab will consist of two parts:
(1) your Pre-Lab Quiz, which can only be turned in at the beginning
of your lab period, 20 points, and (2) your lab report, 80 points.
You may word process your report, or you may write it by hand. If
you choose to write by hand, your report must be neat and legible.
Your TA will deduct points for a messy or illegible report; however,
the TA will mark only the formal report, not your original data and
notes. Do not hesitate to record any and all useful information
on your data sheets during the experiment.
Even though your data and computer analysis should be identical to
that of your two teammates, the rest of your lab report must be your
own original work. It is encouraged that you discuss the experiment
and analysis with your lab partners, and you must document this
collaboration on the title page of your report; however, you may
not copy the work of someone else with or without their approval.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN ANY FORM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Any and all students involved in academic dishonesty will be subject
to one of the following three actions: (1) the student will be given
a zero on a portion of the course; (2) the student will be expelled
from the course with a failing grade; or (3) the student will be
expelled from the course with a failing grade and the case will be
referred to the Dean for further action or penalties. The instructor
will decide which action is to be taken based on the circumstances
of the case, and will notify the student of the action taken.
Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:
copying someone else's Pre-Lab Quiz, fabricating a data sheet, altering
your data sheet after the experiment has been completed, altering your
graded lab report and requesting a reconsideration of your lab grade,
using a false name and/or ID, copying someone else's lab report, allowing
someone else to copy your lab report or Pre-Lab Quiz, hiring someone to
write a lab report for you, or having another person attend a lab session
for you.
Graded reports will be returned one week after they have been
submitted. If you believe an error has been made in grading your lab
report, you must submit a regrade request IN WRITING to your TA within
two school days of receiving your grade; explain carefully IN WRITING
why you deserve more points, staple this sheet to your graded lab, and
return it to your TA. Your lab report will not be regraded after
the deadline. If you are unable to see your TA in person, go to the
physics department office (PS F470) and ask the receptionist to
time-stamp your report and place it in your TA's mailbox.
Your final lab grade will be the average of your ten best lab grades.
The approximate grade scale will be
A >= 90
B 80-89.9
C 70-79.9
D 60-69.9
E < 60
The plus-minus grade scale will be used. Adjustments will be
made for different grading practices by different TA's, and the actual
final grade scale will depend on the final distribution of grades.
You will be able to follow the section and class averages throughout
the semester on the class website. Completion of less than seven labs
is an automatic E.
C. Relation to Lecture
It is impossible to coordinate exactly the laboratory work
with material covered in the PHY-121 lecture. Some students
may encounter a physical principle in the lab before learning
about it in lecture; while other students may wait a week or
more after learning the relevant theory before doing the
associated experiment. In either case, it is expected that
material encountered in each course will eventually be
reinforced by material from the other course in such a way as
to enhance understanding.
D. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
ASU Calendar.) The deadline for course withdrawal is Oct. 30.
Incompletes are an alternative offered by the University for students who
are succeeding in a course, but who, because of unavoidable circumstances,
are unable to complete the coursework in the allotted time. Students who
are granted an incomplete must, in general, repeat the course from the
beginning and complete all work within one calendar year. You MUST have
a passing grade at the time that you request an incomplete, otherwise your
request cannot be considered.
122 schedule
Course Updates