121 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 2:40 until 3:30 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 occur weekly as scheduled, 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-563) 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 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. A short formula sheet will be provided for the final examination.
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): 10%
Tests (best 4 of 5): 60%
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