131 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on MON Aug. 25 and
concludes on MON Dec. 8.
Lecture Schedule
Homework Schedule
LECTURES are on MWF from 2:00 until 2:50 in PSF-173.
Students are responsible for any information imparted to the class
during lectures. Minimal preparation for lecture is to do the
reading assignment for that
day, which can be found on the course web site. To more fully
prepare for lecture, also take an advance look at the homework
problems which will be assigned for that lecture. A small number
of Multiple Choice questions will be asked during each lecture.
These may cover the reading assignment, or may check your
comprehension of some topic that I have just covered in lecture.
You are expected to record your response to these questions using
your CPS (Classroom Performance System) transmitter. You must
register your CPS transmitter
in order for your responses to be graded. YOU MUST USE ONLY THE
TRANSMITTER THAT YOU REGISTER AND NO OTHER. Use of another student's
transmitter is a case of academic dishonesty, just exactly like
cheating on a test. Any and all students involved in any such
incidents will automatically receive an E for the course, and may be
referred to the Dean for further sanctions.
RECITATION sections occur weekly as
scheduled, beginning at 3:05
PM MON Aug 25; the last recitation meetings are on MON Dec. 8 (the
3:05 MON recitation does not meet on this day). In addition, the
WED 11:50 recitation does not meet on WED Nov 12 (the day after
Veterans Day). This results in 14 recitation meetings for each
section. The purpose of the recitation section is to give the
student an opportunity in a small class environment to learn
essential concepts and problem-solving strategies. Each
recitation period will open with either a graded group exercise
or a short quiz.
HELP-STUDY Sessions are for the students' benefit, but
participation is optional. Beginning TUE Sep. 2, 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.
An E-MAIL account is available for every student enrolled
at ASU. Instructions for obtaining an e-mail account can be
obtained at the ASU Computer Commons. Important class
information will be disseminated regularly through e-mail.
The student will be responsible for receiving it. If you
currently have a working ASU email account, then you need
do nothing. If you have not recently used your ASU email account, then you should
double-check to make sure that your email is properly being
redirected to your favorite email address.
B. CPS (Classroom Performance System)
You will use your CPS transmitter to answer Multiple Choice
questions during the lecture period. Your answers will be
graded, and your CPS grade will count 5% of your overall class
grade. For the first week, CPS questions will be considered
practice questions, as you learn to use your CPS transmitters.
Beginning WED Sep 3, CPS questions will be graded. You are
always encouraged to discuss CPS questions with your neighbors
in lecture, but when answering, always think for yourself. A
correct answer will be counted as 1 point, an incorrect answer
will be counted as 0.7 points, and no answer will be counted as
zero points; so the penalty for an incorrect answer is very small.
There are expected to be about 50 CPS questions over the course
of the semester, so the maximum possible CPS score will be about
50 points. The final CPS grade will be determined as a percentage
out of 45 points (or ∼90% of all possible points should the
number of possible CPS points change.) Your maximum CPS grade
is 100%, i.e. more than 45 points will not be counted as extra
credit. Since only 90% of all possible CPS points are required
for a perfect CPS score, no opportunity is provided to make up
missed CPS questions. USING SOMEOME ELSE'S TRANSMITTER, OR
ALLOWING SOMEONE TO USE YOUR TRANSMITTER, WILL RESULT IN AN
AUTOMATIC FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE. It is your
responsibility to make sure that your CPS transmitter is in
working order, and that your response is recorded. See the
CPS page on our class web site
for tips.
C. Homework
A list of assigned HOMEWORK problems will be made
available on the class web site as the semester proceeds. There
will be one assignment for each lecture. Almost all homework
assignments are to be completed and turned in using Mastering
Physics; however, there will be five or ten problems during the
semester which have to be written up and handed in at recitation.
A guide to using Mastering Physics can be found on the course
web site. Due dates for Mastering Physics HW are available on
the Assignment List at the Mastering Physics web site. In
general, assignments made on MON are due by 11:59 PM the following
MON, assignments made on WED are due by 11:59 PM the following
TUE, and assignments made on FRI are due by 11:59 PM the following
THU, but the official due dates are always the ones found at
your Mastering Physics site. Assignments submitted after the
due hour has passed will receive 10% credit (credit goes from
100% to 10% gradually during the first hour after the due date).
Due dates for problems that must be written up and turned in
will be found at the HOMEWORK SCHEDULE page on the
course web site.
For working on homework, STUDY GROUPS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED.
This will be especially applicable for those HW problems
that have to be written up, but you may also want to print out
many of the Mastering Physics problems and work on them in
your study groups. However, you should realize that for most
Mastering Physics problems, the numerical values in the online
versions will be randomized, and so will be different for each
student; so in your study group, you will be finding the right
method rather than the actual answers.
A total of approximately 2030 homework points will be possible.
The final homework grade will be determined as a percentage out
of 1800 points (or ∼90% of all possible points should the
number of total HW points change.) Your maximum homework grade
is 100%, i.e. more than 1800 points will not be counted as extra
credit.
675 HOMEWORK POINTS ARE REQUIRED FOR
A PASSING GRADE IN THE COURSE.
The following policies govern written homework:
Written assignments will be accepted only at the beginning of the
recitation period on the days they are due. LATE HOMEWORK WILL NOT
BE ACCEPTED.
STUDY GROUPS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. For most people, talking
about physics is an essential part of understanding physics and
developing an accurate and useful physical intuition. However,
written homework solutions should be one's own. Homework that
has obviously been copied will not receive credit and the
students involved will be subject to charges of academic
dishonesty.
D. Quizzes and Graded Group Exercises
Every recitation will begin either with a graded group exercise
or a quiz. There will be 14 recitations over the course of
the semester; there will be approximately nine graded group
exercises worth 10 points each and five quizzes worth 20 points
each. Your lowest graded group exercise score will be dropped,
and your lowest quiz score will be dropped. Since one of each
score will be dropped THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES OR GROUP
EXERCISES FOR ANY REASON. Exception: once (AND ONLY ONCE)
during the semester, you may arrange with your TA to attend
an alternate 131 recitation; a list of 131 recitations for our
class can be found here.
Group exercises will be distributed at the beginning of
recitation. Your TA will assign groups of three or four
students, and groups will be rearranged once or twice as the
semester proceeds. Exercises will be the same for all groups
in a given recitation. Exercises will be solved as a group,
but each student will write up his or her own solution;
solutions will be graded individually. Quizzes will be similar
to simpler problems, and will be on material already covered in
the lectures and/or homework assignments. Quizzes will be
announced by email on the FRI before a MON, TUE, and WED quiz.
E. Examinations
The five tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by
lecture numbers. Each test will consist of 2-3 problems and 10-12
multiple choice (MC) questions. The problems may be similar to
homework, but they may also represent applications of principles in
entirely different circumstances. The multiple choice questions
may cover conceptual questions as well as "quicky" problems. The
final examination will consist of 40 multiple choice questions.
The final will be comprehensive. For the test dates, see the
lecture schedule which accompanies
this syllabus. This instructor's tests from a previous semester,
with solutions, will be available at a location to be announced
on our 131 update page.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS for any reason. If you miss
one of the five tests FOR ANY REASON, that test automatically becomes
your dropped test.
Drop policy: in order to offer more drop options we will grade the
multiple choice and problem sections of the tests separately. A student
then has then option of dropping any one MC and any one problem section.
Here are two examples to help you understand your options:
TEST MC1 PROB1 MC2 PROB2 MC3 PROB3 MC4 PROB4 MC5 PROB5 AVERAGE
possible 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 100%
Student A 40 38 35 42 20 35 30 45 35 38 75.8%
Student B 20 42 40 35 40 34 35 32 35 36 74.3%
For Student A the lowest multiple choice is the 20 in Test 3, and
the lowest problem section is the 35 in that same test. Dropping those
two sections gives student A 303 out of 400 possible points for a test
average of 75.8%. On the other hand, student B drops MC #1 and
Problems #4, yielding an test average of 74.3% (297 out of 400).
Academic dishonesty on an examination will result
automatically in a failing grade for the course and referral to
the Dean for further sanctions. Cheating in any form will not be
tolerated!
A full set of test rules is
available at the course web site.
The use of hand calculators is permitted. However, YOUR
CALCULATOR MAY NOT CONTAIN STORED PHYSICS EQUATIONS.
Test paper (including scratch paper) will be provided. Bring
only your pencils and calculators.
Formula sheets will not be used in tests. Understanding a
concept of physics is tantamount to knowing its mathematical
expression and how to apply it to a given physical situation.
Non-trivial derivatives and integrals, numerical values of
physical constants, and some case-specific formulas will
be provided when their use is required.
Partial credit is given. Arithmetical errors will be treated
charitably, but for answers that do not make physical sense
(wrong dimensions, deviation by several orders of magnitude, etc.)
no credit will be awarded. In general, you must get the PHYSICS
right to receive any partial credit. Wrong physics = no credit.
In the event of a fire alarm occuring during an examination,
students will be asked to close their examination booklets, gather
their belongings and leave the room as expeditiously as possible,
leaving their examination booklets on the tables where they were
working. The booklets will be gathered and graded as they are.
Unless the alarm proves to represent a bona fide emergency, there
will be no make-up examination.
If a student believes there to have been an error in grading
his or her test, the complaint should be PUT IN WRITING, stapled to
the relevant page of the test, and handed to the course instructor.
The problem will be regraded by the individual who graded it
originally. If the student is not satisfied with the grader's
response to the complaint, he or she may appeal to the course
instructor. In this event, the instructor reserves the prerogative
to regrade the entire examination. Simple errors, such as point
addition, can be corrected by contacting the student's recitation
section instructor.
F. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
CPS(total points out of 45): 5%
Homework (total points out of 1800): 8%
Quizzes and Group Exercises (drop 1 of each): 7%
Tests (best 4 of 5): 60%
Final Examination: 20%
A MINIMUM OF 675 HOMEWORK POINTS IS REQUIRED FOR A PASSING
GRADE IN THE COURSE.
The scale for final letter grades will ultimately be determined
by the overall class performance. However, any student who earns
90% of all possible points can expect to receive an A. Don't
depend on your instructors to figure your grade correctly. For a
more detailed explanation see
HOW TO FIGURE YOUR FINAL GRADE.
G. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
ASU Calendar and the ASU General Catalog).
The deadline for course withdrawal is Nov. 2.
Other deadlines are also given in the Calendar or the Catalog.
Homework Schedule
Lecture Schedule