121 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on THUR Aug 18 and
concludes on TUE Dec 6.
LECTURES are on TTH from 1:30 until
2:45 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. 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 Turning Point
transmitter or software. You must register your Turning Point
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 FRI Aug 26. EXCEPTION: Recitations
do not meet the MON-WED of Thanksgiving week (NOV 21-23).The last recitation
meetings will be on MON Dec 05. This results in 13 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 MON Aug 29, the Help-Study Hall (PSH-352) will
be staffed by volunteer faculty and Teaching Assistants several hours each
day between 8:35 and 5:00. 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 may be disseminated
through e-mail. The student will be responsible for receiving it. If you
currently have an ASU e-mail 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. Turning Point
You will use your Turning Point transmitter or software to answer Multiple
Choice questions during the lecture period. Your answers will be graded,
and your Turning Point grade will count 5% of your overall class grade.
For the first three lectures, Turning Point questions will be considered practice
questions, as you learn to use your Turning Point transmitters. Beginning
TUE Aug. 30, Turning Point questions will be graded. You are always
encouraged to discuss Turning Point questions with your neighbors in lecture,
but when answering, always think for yourself. A correct answer will be
counted as 3 points, an incorrect answer will be counted as 2 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 Turning Point
questions over the course of the semester, so the maximum possible Turning
Point score will be about 150 points. The final Turning Point grade will
be determined as a percentage out of 135 points (or ∼90% of all possible
points should the number of possible Turning Point points change.) Your
maximum Turning Point grade is 100%, i.e. more than 135 points will not be
counted as extra credit. Since only 90% of all possible Turning Point points
are required for a perfect Turning Point score, no opportunity is provided
to make up missed Turning Point 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 Turning Point transmitter is in working order, and that your response
is recorded. See our Turning Point information page
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 WebAssign; however, there will be four or five
problems during the semester which have to be written up and handed in at
recitation. A guide to using WebAssign
can be found on the course web site. Due dates for WebAssign HW are
available on the Assignment List at the WebAssign web site. In general,
assignments made on TUE are due by 11:59 PM the following MON and assignments
made on THUR are due by 11:59 PM the following WED, but the official due dates
are always the ones found at your WebAssign site. Assignments submitted
after the due hour has passed will receive no credit; assignments submitted
more than 48 hours before the due date will receive 10% extra credit. 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. The PHY121
WebAssign problems are designed to be done in study groups of 2-3 serious
students. For most WebAssign problems, the numerical values will be
randomized; so as a group you will be determining the right strategy rather
than the actual answers.
A total of approximately 3500 homework points will be possible. The final
homework grade will be determined as a percentage out of 3150 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 3150 points
will not be counted as extra credit.
1100 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 13 recitations over the course of the semester; there will
be approximately nine graded group exercises worth 10 points each and four
quizzes worth 25 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 121 recitation; a list of 121
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
on Blackboard a minimum of five days before the quizzes begin.
E. Examinations
The four tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by
lecture numbers. Each test will consist of 2-4 problems and 10-15
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 121 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 AVERAGE
possible 75 50 75 50 75 50 75 50 100%
Student A 50 43 45 42 20 35 60 40 74.7%
Student B 30 42 50 40 55 42 45 26 73.1%
For Student A the lowest multiple choice is the 20 in Test 3, and
the lowest problem section is the 45 in that same test. Dropping those
two sections gives student A 280 out of 375 possible points for a test
average of 74.7%. On the other hand, student B drops MC #1 and
Problems #4, yielding an test average of 73.1% (274 out of 375).
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 examination, the complaint should be PUT IN WRITING and
handed, together with the examination, 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:
Turning Point(total points out of 135): 5%
Homework (total points out of 3150): 14%
Quizzes and Group Exercises (drop 1 of each): 7%
Tests (best 3 of 4): 54%
Final Examination: 20%
A MINIMUM OF 1100 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.
F. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
ASU Calendar.)
The deadline for course
withdrawal is Nov 2.
Homework Schedule
Lecture Schedule