131 Policies
A. General
The course during this Summer Session commences on Tuesday, July 6 and
concludes on Friday, Aug 6. A schedule of lectures, examinations and
homework assignments can be found at
Homework and Lecture Schedule
Lectures occur daily from 7:30 until 9:00 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, which is distributed with this syllabus. To more fully prepare for
lecture, also take an advance look at that lecture's homework problems.
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. You must register your Turning Point transmitter in order for your
responses to be graded. A guide to Turning Point, including instructions for
registering your transmitter, can be found at the course web site.
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 receive an E for the course, and may
be referred to the Dean for further sanctions.
Recitation sections occur daily from 9:25 - 10:05 (line numbers
41141 and 41587), or 11:20 - 12:00 (line #42507). The
recitations are conducted by graduate Teaching Assistants. During the
recitations the TA's may respond to questions involving homework
problems, demonstrate problem-solving techniques, ask students to
present solutions to the class, go over test problems from
previous semesters, review lecture material, etc.
Most recitations will begin with a short QUIZ similar to one of the HW
problems which is due on that day. Quiz days are indicated with a "Q"
alongside the date on the Homework and Lecture Schedule which
accompanies this syllabus.
Recitation sections are part of the obligatory classroom period for the
course and each student must participate in order to obtain a passing grade.
HOMEWORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT ANY PLACE OR TIME OTHER THAN
THE RECITATION SECTION AND THEN ONLY FROM ITS AUTHOR. Thus, absence from
recitation section results automatically in a reduction of homework credit.
The Help-Study Hall (PSF-462) will be staffed by faculty and Teaching
Assistants from 11:00 to 3:00 PM each day except examination days.
Help-Study Sessions are for the students' benefit, and taking advantage
of these Sessions has made a significant difference in the success of
many students, but participation is completely optional. Teaching
Assistants associated with this course will inform their respective
recitation sections of the hours during which they will be present in
the Help-Study Hall, and they will not otherwise keep office hours.
When visiting the Help-Study Hall you may of course ask questions of
any member of the course staff on duty. Students who find it impossible
to attend the Help-Study sessions because of other commitments can
arrange office appointments with the instructor or TA's.
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. Use of this resource is optional to Summer Session students
in PHY-131, but highly recommended. Useful class information will be
disseminated through e-mail. If you currently have an ASU e-mail
account, then you need do nothing. If you DO NOT currently have an e-mail
account at ASU, then you should send the instructor a message at the address
gary.adams@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. Here
are the e-mail addresses for the Summer Session 131 TA's:
Lei Zhang Lei.Zhang.4@asu.edu
Qiushi Mou qmou1@asu.edu
Tracey He Miao.He.1@asu.edu
B. Turning Point
You will use your Turning Point transmitter 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, all Turning Point questions will be considered practice questions,
as you learn to use your Turning Point transmitters. Beginning FRI July 9, at
least some 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. Correct answers will receive 3 points and
incorrect answers will receive 2 points; so there is a very small
penalty for an incorrect answer. You will need a small hand calculator
to answer some quiz questions; please bring one to each
lecture. There are expected to be about 50 Turning Point questions over
the course of the session, 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 the Turning Point page on our class web site for
tips.
C. Homework
A list of assigned homework problems can be found at
Homework and Lecture Schedule. There
is one problem set for each lecture. Due to the time constraints of a
five-week session about half as much homework is assigned as during a
normal fifteen-week session; however, in general the summer assignments
consist of only the more challenging problems from each chapter. Many
problems are assigned from other textbooks; these problems are available
in the Online Problems section of the course web site. The
answers to all odd-numbered problems can be found in the back of the text;
answers to the assigned even-numbered problems (and problems from other
texts) are available on the class web site. You may wish to do some of
the simpler problems in preparation for the assigned problems; however,
you should turn in only the assigned problems.
There are 21 homework assignments at an average of seven problems each.
EACH ASSIGNMENT IS DUE ON THE SCHOOL DAY AFTER IT IS ASSIGNED. The
following policies govern homework:
ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY DURING THE RECITATION SECTION ON THE DAYS
THEY ARE DUE. To repeat, the due date is the school day after the assignment
is made. Late homework will be graded but not credited.
HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY
FROM ITS OWN AUTHOR. Don't attempt to have it delivered by a friend or
relative.
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. This INCLUDES homework copied from any available
solutions manuals.
Your recitation section TA, or a grader, will grade one problem from each
assignment for 10 points each. 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 for each complete (although not
necessarily correct) solution. Since there are a total of 147 problems
for the session, with 21 problems graded for ten points and the rest graded
for one point, there are a total of 336 possible homework points for the
entire session. Your final homework grade will be calculated as a
percentage of 300 points; that is, an equivalent of two drops
is built in to the system. More than 300 points will not be counted as
extra credit; i.e., your maximum homework grade is 100 percent.
LESS THAN 112 HOMEWORK POINTS IS AN AUTOMATIC E.
D. Quizzes
There will be 18 quizzes. Each quiz will be given at the beginning
of a recitation period; the quiz days are indicated by a "Q" alongside
the date on the Homework and Lecture Schedule distributed with
this syllabus. Quizzes will be similar to one of the HW problems due on that
day. Quizzes will be the same for all recitation sections. There are five
drops; i.e. the final quiz average will include your 13 best quizzes. THERE
WILL BE NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES.
E. Examinations
The three tests will cover material as indicated in the calendar
Homework and Lecture Schedule
which accompanies this syllabus. There is no comprehensive final
examination; however, physics is a cumulative subject and material which
is offered late in the session usually requires mastery of earlier
material. As a result, TEST 3, GIVEN ON FRIDAY, AUG 6, SERVES THE
PURPOSE OF A FINAL EXAM; YOU MUST BE PRESENT ON THIS DAY. Each test
will consist of 3-4 problems and 12-13 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 tests for a previous Summer 131 offering
by this instructor, with solutions, will be available at the Canon
PrintU in the basement of the MU. These old tests may be used as
recitation material by the TA's and they make good study guides. For
the three summer test dates, see the Homework and Lecture Schedule.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
If you miss any one of the first two tests, then you must take a
make-up test from 1:00-2:50 PM on FRI Aug 6; the make-up test will be
Multiple Choice only and will be cumulative, covering all 131 topics.
Your score on the make-up test will replace your score on the missed
test; you may not drop any part of the make-up test. You must be
present for the third test.
Drop policy. The two halves of the three tests (one half multiple
choice and one half free-response problems) will each be equally
weighted, and will be graded separately; if you do not miss any of the
tests, then your lowest score on any test half will automatically
be dropped at the end of the session. If you miss any one of the first
two tests, then your lowest half score on the two tests that you did
take will automatically be dropped; you cannot drop any part of your
score on the make-up test.
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.
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: 5%
Homework: 8%
Quizzes: 7%
Tests: 80%
A MINIMUM OF 112 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. Grade scales used during previous
summers can be found at the websites below:
Summer 2009 grade scale
Summer 2008 grade scale
Summer 2007 grade scale
Summer 2006 grade scale
Summer 2005 grade scale
Summer 2004 grade scale
Summer 2003 grade scale
Summer 2002 grade scale
G. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see the
2010 Summer Session Bulletin
and the 2010 ASU Calendar.)
The deadline for course withdrawal is July 23. Other deadlines are also
given in the Calendar.
Incompletes are an alternative offered by the University for students who
are succeeding in a course, but who, because of unavoidable circumstances,
are unable to complete the coursework in the allotted time. Students who
are granted an incomplete must, in general, repeat the course from the
beginning and complete all work within one calendar year. You MUST have
a passing grade at the time that you request an incomplete, otherwise your
request cannot be considered.
Homework and Lecture Schedule
Course Updates