111 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on Wed., Jan. 17 and concludes on
Wed., May 1. A schedule of lectures, examinations and homework
assignments is distributed with this syllabus.
Lectures are on MWF from 11:40 until 12:30 in PSF-173. Role is not
taken, but attendance is strongly advised. Students are responsible for any
information imparted to the class during lectures.
Recitation sections meet weekly in PSH-WING, beginning Jan. 22. 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 short quiz.
Help-Study Sessions are for the students' benefit, but participation is optional. The
Help-Study Hall (PSH-352) will be staffed by faculty and Teaching Assistants
several hours each day. Teaching Assistants associated with this course 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. Exam and term grades will be published over e-mail as soon
as they are available. Each student should send the
instructor a message at the address adams@groucho.la.asu.edu.
Please sign your name to the message. Your e-mail address will be copied from your
message and added to the class list. The deadline for submitting your e-mail address
is Friday, Feb. 2.
B. Homework
A list of assigned homework problems is distributed with this syllabus. There is
one problem set for each lecture. Two to four such problem sets are grouped together
by a common due date as a single "assignment". Each assignment will be handed in
at the beginning of the lecture period on the date due. [Please do not fold your homework. It
should be contained in a report cover or stapled together. Please
use only one side of the paper.] Your recitation section TA will grade one
problem from each assignment for 10 points. The problems to be graded will
be selected at random but will be the same for all recitation sections. The remaining
problems will be counted for 1 point each if there has been a good faith attempt to
solve them.
The following policies govern homework:
Assignments will be accepted only at the beginning of the lecture hour on the days
they are due. Late homework will not be accepted.
Working with others is encouraged as a means of improving one's
understanding through questioning and explaining, but 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.
C. Quizzes
Quizzes will be given during the first 10-20 minutes of each recitation
beginning the second week, and not including the final week, of the
semester. This results in 14 quizzes for each recitation section. The highest 10 quiz scores
will be counted.
Quizzes will be similar to simpler problems, and will be on material already
covered in the lectures and homework assignments.
D. 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 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 entirely of multiple choice questions. In
addition to being comprehensive, the final will also cover the lectures at the end of
the Semester not covered by the fifth test.
For the test dates, see the lecture schedule which accompanies this syllabus.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
There will be no make-up tests. The lowest
score of all five tests will be deleted in the final course grade
calculation.
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.
Test paper (including scratch paper) will be provided. Bring only
your pencils and calculators.
Formula sheets will not be used in tests. Understanding a basic physics
concept is tantamount to knowing its mathematical expression and how to apply
it to a given physical situation. Numerical values of physical constants and
some case-specific formulas will be provided when their use is required.
For the final examination, a formula sheet will be provided.
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.)
E. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
Homework: 10%
Quizzes (best 10 of 14 or 15): 20%
Tests (best 4 of 5): 50%
Final Examination: 20%
A minimum of 25% of all possible 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.
F. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see page 16 of the Spring 1996
Semester Bulletin.) The deadline for unrestricted course withdrawal is Feb. 11.
Other deadlines are also given in the Bulletin. The important point to remember is
that after Feb. 11 (and before any other withdrawal deadline) one will receive
either a W or an E depending respectively upon whether or not one is "passing" the
course at that time as certified by the instructor. In particular, a cumulative
homework score of less than 20% at the time of withdrawal will be interpreted as
failing. Performance on examinations will also be taken into consideration.
Homework Schedule
Lecture Schedule
Course Updates