111 Policies
A. General
The course during this Semester commences on Tues., Jan. 21 and concludes on
Tues., May 6. A schedule of lectures, examinations and homework
assignments is distributed with this syllabus.
LECTURES are on TTh from 1:40 until 2:55 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 Thurs., Jan. 23. 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, beginning the second week of recitation,
will open with a short quiz. Once during the semester each student will be
required to explain a
DEMONSTRATION PROBLEM to his/her recitation section.
You will be asked to sign up for your demonstration problem during the first
recitation meeting. Your performance on the demonstration problem will be
evaluated by your recitation instructor and will count 5% of your final grade.
HELP-STUDY Sessions are for the students' benefit, but participation is
optional.The Help-Study Hall (PSH-352) will be staffed by volunteer faculty
and Teaching Assistants several hours each day. Recitation Instructors for
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 by e-mail or web page as soon as they are available. Each
student should send the instructor a message at the address
adams@groucho.la.asu.edu. The subject of the message should be "PHY 111" and
the body of the message shouldinclude your name and your recitation section
and time. 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. 7
B. Homework
A list of assigned homework problems is distributed with this syllabus. There
is one assignment for each lecture. Two to three assignments are grouped
together by a common due date as a single "homework set". Each homework set
will be handed in at the beginning of the lecture period on the date due.
LATE HOMEWORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. [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
homework set for 10 points. This problem 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. There are
242 assigned problems in 24 assignments grouped into 10 homework sets. A total
of 332 homework points are possible. The final homework grade will be
determined as a percentage out of 250 points, i.e. there are essentially two
drops built into the homework system. A minimum of 25% of all possible
homework points is required for a passing grade in the course.
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, as in study groups, is strongly encouraged, 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 10-15 minutes of each recitation
beginning the second week, i.e. Thurs. Jan. 30, and ending the
second-to-last week, i.e. Tues. Apr. 29. This results in 12 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
simpler 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 12): 20%
Demonstration Problem: 5%
Tests (best 4 of 5): 50%
Final Examination: 15%
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. 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 page 16 of the
Spring 1997 Semester Bulletin.) The deadline for unrestricted course
withdrawal is Feb. 14. Other deadlines are also given in the Bulletin. The
important point to remember is that after Feb. 14 (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