121 Policies
A. General
The course during this Summer Session commences on Monday, June 3 and concludes on
Friday, July 5. A schedule of lectures, examinations and homework
assignments is distributed with this syllabus.
Lectures occur daily from 7:40 until 9:10 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 daily from 9:20 until 10:00. 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.
Recitation sections are part of the obligatory classroom period for the
course and each student must participate in order to obtain a passing grade.
Assignment to recitation sections will occur during the first morning's
lecture. 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 (PSH-563) will be staffed by faculty and Teaching
Assistants from 1:00 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 succes 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-121, but highly recommended. Useful class information will be
disseminated through e-mail. To add your name to the class e-mail list, 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. Here are the e-mail addresses
for the Summer Session TA's:
Akash Bhatia bhatia@groucho.la.asu.edu
George Polk polk@groucho.la.asu.edu
John Theisen theisen@groucho.la.asu.edu
B. Homework
A list of assigned homework problems is distributed with this syllabus. 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. The answers to all odd-numbered
problems can be found in the back of the text. 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 twenty 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. 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.
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.
Your recitation section TA will grade two problems 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 140 problems for the session, with 40 problems graded for ten
points and the rest graded for one point, there are a total of 500 possible homework
points for the entire session. Your final homework grade will be calculated as
a percentage of 450 points; that is, an equivalent of two drops is built in
to the system. More than 450 points will not be counted as extra credit; i.e.,
your maximum homework grade is 100 percent.
C. Examinations
The four tests will cover material as indicated in the calendar 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 4, given on Friday, July 5, serves the purpose of a final exam and is
required for a passing grade in the course. You must be present on this day.
Each test will consist of 4-5 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 this
instructor's Spring 1996 offering of PHY-121 are available at the Noble Library
Copy Center, with solutions. These old tests will be used as recitation
material by the TA's and they make good study guides. For the four summer
test dates, see the calendar schedule which accompanies this syllabus.
Examinations are governed by the following policies:
There will be no make-up tests. If you miss one of the
first three tests then that test must be your drop. You must be present
for the fourth test.
Drop policy. Some students do better on the multiple choice
parts of the tests, while others do better on the problems. As a result
we will experiment with a more flexible drop policy during this session.
The spring drop policy is that one test may be dropped. If you choose,
you may still drop any one of the first three tests; however, in order to
offer more drop options we will grade the multiple choice and problem sections
of the tests separately. A student then has then option of dropping
any two test sections, except that you cannot drop both sections of Test 4.
Here are three examples to help you understand your options:
TEST MC1 PROB1 MC2 PROB2 MC3 PROB3 MC4 PROB4 AVERAGE
possible 60 65 60 65 60 65 60 65 100%
Student A 50 48 45 52 20 45 30 55 77.6%
Student B 45 44 48 15 45 44 50 38 74.6%
Student C 40 52 40 45 10 12 45 56 72.4%
Student A had trouble with the multiple choice in Tests 3 and 4.
Dropping those two sections gives student A 295 out of 380 possible points
for a test average of 77.6%. Student B did poorly on the problems of Tests
2 and 4. With drops of those two sections,
student B has a test average of 276 out of 370 or 74.6%. On the other
hand, student C drops all of Test 3, yielding an test average of 74.1%
(278 out of 375).
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.
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.)
D. Final Grades.
The final course grades will be determined with the following weights:
Homework: 25%
Tests 75%
A minimum of 110 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.
E. Withdrawal
Withdrawal policies are established by the University (see pages 104-105
of the 1996 Summer Session Bulletin.) The deadline for unrestricted course
withdrawal is June 10. Other deadlines are also given in the Bulletin. The
important point to remember is that after June 10 (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.
Schedule
Course Updates