241 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on MON Jan 7 and
concludes on MON Apr 29.
LECTURES are on MWF from 1:30 until
2:20 in PSF-101. 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 at 12:00 PM WED Jan 9; the last
recitation meetings are on FRI Apr 26. This results in 15 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 a graded group exercise.
HELP-STUDY Sessions are for the students' benefit, but participation
is optional. Beginning TUE Jan 22, the Physics Learning Center (PSF-186) will
be staffed by volunteer faculty and Teaching Assistants several hours each
day between 9:00 and 4:50. Teaching Assistants associated with this course,
and your instructor, will keep some of their office hours in the Learning
Center.
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
MON Jan 14, 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 100 Turning Point
questions over the course of the semester, so the maximum possible Turning
Point score will be about 300 points. The final Turning Point grade will
be determined as a percentage out of 270 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 270 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 your
Mastering Physics (MP) homepage as the semester proceeds. There will be one
assignment for each lecture. A guide to using Mastering Physics
can be found on the course web site. Due dates for MP homeworks are
available on the Assignment List at the MP 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 THUR are due by 11:59 PM the following WED, but the official due dates
are always the ones found at your MP site. Assignments submitted
after the due hour has passed will receive 20% credit (credit goes from
100% to 20% gradually during the first hour after the due date).
For working on our MP homework, you are encouraged to work on your
own as much as possible. You are of course allowed to work in study
groups and to get help from myself, your TA, tutoring centers,
etc.; but, if you get too much help on an assignment,
then you can expect to have difficulties with the tests
and quizzes. As much as possible, try to do the
assignments on your own, using the provided hints and
feedback.
A total of approximately 1900 homework points will be possible. The final
homework grade will be determined as a percentage out of 1710 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 1710 points
will not be counted as extra credit.
760 HOMEWORK POINTS ARE REQUIRED FOR
A PASSING GRADE IN THE COURSE.
D. Graded Group Exercises
Almost every recitation (including the first) will begin with a graded
group exercise. There will be 15 recitations over the course of the
semester; there will be approximately 15 graded group exercises worth
10~points each. Your three lowest graded group exercise score will be
dropped. Since 20% of the scores will be dropped THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP
GROUP EXERCISES FOR ANY REASON. Exception: once (AND ONLY ONCE) during
the semester, you may arrange with your TA to attend an alternate 241
recitation; a list of 241 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.
E. Quizzes
There will be three quizzes; for the quiz dates see the lecture schedule
which accompanies this syllabus. Quizzes will be given in the final
15-20 minutes of the lecture period on the scheduled dates. Quizzes
will consist of 2-3 problems similar to problems already covered in
the MP homework. Your two best quiz scores will count as 15% of your
overall grade. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES for any reason. If
you miss one of the three quizzes FOR ANY REASON, that quiz automatically
becomes your dropped quiz; if you take all three quizzes, then your lowest
quiz score will automatically be dropped.
F. Examinations
The three tests will cover material indicated in the schedule by
lecture numbers. Each test will consist of 4-6 problems and 6-8
multiple choice (MC) questions. The MC questions are either
conceptual or require a briefer calculation than in the problems.
The problems may be similar to homework, but they may also represent
applications of principles in entirely different circumstances. Your
two best test scores will count as 40% of your overall grade. The
final exam will consist of 30-40 MC questions; it will be comprehensive,
and it will count as 20% of your overall grade for the class.
For the test dates, see the lecture schedule. All three tests, as
well as the final exam, will be given in PSF-101, with assigned
seating.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS for any reason. If you miss
one of the three tests FOR ANY REASON, that test automatically becomes
your dropped test.
In figuring your test average, the lowest of the three test scores
will automatically be dropped.
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!
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.
An equation sheet will be provided
with your tests and your quizzes.
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 gather their belongings and leave the
testing room as expeditiously as possible. Those students whose
testing was interrupted by the alarm will then be given the
appropriate amount of extra time to finish their tests, or else
given an entirely new test, once the exam is able to resume.
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.
G. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
Turning Point(total points out of 270): 5%
Homework (total points out of 1720): 14%
Group Exercises (drop 3): 6%
Quizzes (drop 1): 15%
Tests (best 2 of 3): 40%
Final Examination: 20%
A MINIMUM OF 760 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. The plus-minus
grading system will be used. For a more
detailed explanation please see
HOW TO FIGURE YOUR FINAL GRADE (usually posted later in the
semester).
F. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
ASU Calendar and the ASU Student Information site).
The deadline for course withdrawal is Mar 31. Other deadlines
are also given in the Calendar or the Undergraduate Catalog.
Homework Schedule
Lecture Schedule