Syllabus: Physics 203

Introduction to Physics

Fall, 2003, Call Number 05142

Instructor      Dr. Richard D. Piccard
Office          Computer Services Center 106A
Office Phone    593-1017
E-mail          piccard@ohio.edu
Office Hours    By Appointment (M-F, 8-5).  Walk-in assistance may
                be available; call ahead, if you can.
Class Hours     Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 1:10 - 2:00 PM
Class Location  Morton 127

Course Description   Texts   Prerequisites

Attendance   Disability Policy   Performance Evaluation

Academic Integrity   Tentative Schedule   Physics 203 Home Page


Course Description

This course is the third in the three-course sequence of introductory physics taught with the presumption that the student has had high school level algebra and trigonometry, but without the presumption that the student knows calculus. The topics include:

The course does not presume that you have already encountered these concepts.


Texts

There is one required text:

In addition to this required text, there are a number of other resources that you will use during the course:


Prerequisites

Prior credit for one of PHYS 202, or PHYS 252, or PHYS 262 is required; you may not take this course if you already have credit for PHYS 253. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please make sure of your status as quickly as possible, while you can still add an alternate course.


Disability Policy

Every reasonable attempt will be made to remove any physical barrier that might hamper the ability of an individual to learn in this course. If you have a physical or learning limitation that would impact your attendance, preparation, participation, or timely completion of assignments, please discuss this limitation with the instructor promptly. The University and its faculty are committed to helping meet your individual needs and to supporting your efforts for a quality education. In particular, the office of Institutional Equity provides Disability Services to students. Reasonable accommodations are made proactively, not retroactively.


Attendance

All students are encouraged to attend the class sessions, and are responsible for announcements made and material covered in class; however, no direct record of attendance will be kept. Performance on the weekly quizzes, and participation in the PRS questions in class, are part of the calculation of your course grade.

You are expected to exhibit responsible behavior, informing the instructor in advance if you will miss a class (you or a friend must call or see the instructor, or send an E-mail to the instructor, as soon as possible). Depending on the circumstances, such notice sent after the time of the class or exam may well be rejected.

What you get out of this course depends on what you put into it. Experience has demonstrated that an irresponsible approach is a sure path to a miserable outcome.


Performance Evaluation

There will be two exams: a midterm and a final exam. In addition to the exams, students will also be graded on the laboratory, on weekly quizzes, on CAPA performance, and on class participation. If you fail the laboratory, then you fail the course, regardless of your performance on the other components. If you pass the laboratory, then the course grade will be calculated as follows: 

Components            Weight

Laboratory            10 %
CAPA                  20 %
Class Participation   10 %
In-Class Quizzes      10 %
Midterm  Exam         20 %
Final Exam            30 %

Each of these grading components is discussed in more detail below. Your grade for each component will be expressed on a GPA-type scale (4=A, 3=B, 2=C, etc.) and the weights indicated above applied to calculate the course mark.


Laboratory

If you get less than 70% of the available points in the laboratory, then you will fail the entire course. There are five laboratory sections, call numbers 05143 - 05147, which meet at various times on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is your responsibility to sign up for one, to attend the lab, and to do the work expected.

The labs start during the week of September 15, and conclude during the week of November 3. For more details, see the Preliminary Laboratory Schedule. It is your responsibility to check with your laboratory instructor or in Clippinger 046 to determine whether there have been any changes from the preliminary schedule.


CAPA

You will have individualized questions in the LON-CAPA system, with due dates as posted on-line. The tentative due dates are included in the schedule, below. The CAPA problems are required. You should be familiar with the CAPA system if you were enrolled recently in Physics 202. If you are not, start by reading the separate LON-CAPA Guide that is available on-line. If you have any problems using CAPA, be sure that you let the instructor know about it right away.

You access the LON-CAPA system through the Web, starting at http://loncapa.phy.ohiou.edu/.


Class Participation

Unusually constructive or destructive class participation will impact your course mark. The evaluation of class participation is necessarily subjective. The evaluation will reflect whether your behavior constituted an effective use of class time for your own learning and for your classmates' learning. For example, asking relevant questions about things you don't already know, and correctly answering other people's questions are both appropriate; monopolizing class time is not.

During most class sessions, there will be questions on the current topics that you will be able to respond to electronically using the personal response system (PRS). Some of these questions will be quite similar to questions on the study guide that is in progress at that time. The points will be recorded as 2 for a wrong answer and 3 for a correct answer. The PRS point total will be a major consideration in evaluating the class participation component of your course mark.

Study guides will be provided for you to work as homework, but they will not be collected, nor will they be graded. They will be helpful in preparing for quizzes and exams, especially if you complete them according to the schedule indicated on the syllabus. If you have questions related to the study guide material, ask the CAPA/help instructors or feel free to bring them up in class. You should consider the study guide questions in advance and come to class prepared to respond to them.


In-Class Quizzes

There will be quizzes in classes most weeks, usually on Fridays, covering the material learned earlier that week. No make-up quizzes will be given. The final quiz grade will be determined after dropping the lowest score. No books, notes, or neighbors may be consulted during a quiz.


Exams

Both of the exams are cumulative, but the Final Exam will emphasize the material covered since the Midterm Exam. Details will be announced prior to the exams. There will be matching, multiple-choice, and free-response questions. The questions will often be variations on questions from the class discussions and study guides. The increased weighting of the Final Exam reflects the greater portion of the course that is subject to examination, and also provides an opportunity for the students and instructor to become calibrated to each other.

You may bring and use during the exams one 4" x 6" index card with formulas on one or both sides. Please be alert to the dates the exams are scheduled. No make-up exams will be given. Special situations will be individually discussed.

  • The Midterm Exam will cover the material through Chapter 25.

  • The Final Exam covers the whole course, with a somewhat greater emphasis on the later material.



Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is extremely important. Please consult the most recent editions of the "Student Handbook" and of the "Community Expectations" booklet, both published by Student Affairs, for further information on the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Policies.

Remember that academic misconduct, whether cheating on examinations, submitting the work of others as if it were your own, or plagiarism in any form, is a Code A violation of the Ohio Code of Student Conduct, and as such will result in penalties ranging from an "F" on the assignment to expulsion from the University, depending on the severity of the offense.

If your behavior during an examination presents the appearance of cheating, you will be warned, and may be asked to change seats at that time. This is not a presumption of your guilt, but rather a preventive measure to ensure the integrity of the examination process.


Tentative Schedule

DATE          TEXT SECTIONS                   PROBLEMS

Sep.  8  - Chapter 21 (21.8 - 21.12) Review of electromagnetic waves
Sep.  9  - Chapter 22 (22.1 - 22.9)
Sep. 10  - Chapter 22 - SG 21 due
Sep. 12  - Chapter 22                   CAPA 1 (21,22) due 11PM

Sep. 15  - Chapter 22
Sep. 16  - Chapter 23 (23.1 - 23.7)
Sep. 17  - Chapter 23 - SG 22 due
Sep. 19  - Chapter 23                   CAPA 2 (22,23) due 11PM

Sep. 22  - Chapter 23
Sep. 23  - Chapter 24 (24.1 - 24.7)
Sep. 24  - Chapter 24 - SG 23 due
Sep. 26  - Chapter 24                   CAPA 3 (23,24) due 11PM

Sep. 29  - Chapter 24
Sep. 30  - Chapter 25 (25.1 - 25.8)
Oct.  1  - Chapter 25 - SG 24 due
Oct.  3  - Chapter 25

Oct.  6  - Chapter 25
Oct.  7  - Review     - SG 25 due       CAPA 4(24,25) due 11PM
Oct.  8  - Midterm Exam Part 1
Oct. 10  - Midterm Exam Part 2

Oct. 13  - Chapter 26 (26.1 - 26.10)
Oct. 14  - Chapter 26
Oct. 15  - Chapter 26
Oct. 17  - Chapter 26

Oct. 20  - Chapter 27 (27.1 - 27.11) - SG 26 due
Oct. 21  - Chapter 27                  CAPA 5 (26,27) due 11PM
Oct. 22  - Chapter 27
Oct. 24  - Chapter 27

Oct. 27  - Chapter 28 (28.1 - 28.13) - SG 27 due
Oct. 28  - Chapter 28                  CAPA 6 (27,28) due 11PM
Oct. 29  - Chapter 28
Oct. 31  - Chapter 29 (29.1 - 29.6)

Nov.  3  - Chapter 29 - SG 28 due
Nov.  4  - Chapter 29                  CAPA 7 (28,29) due 11PM
Nov.  5  - Chapter 29
Nov.  7  - Chapter 30 (30.1 - 30.15) - SG 29 due

Nov. 10  - Chapter 30
Nov. 11  - Veteran's Day -- No Class   No labs this whole week so no makeups

Nov. 12  - Chapter 30                  CAPA 8 (29,30) due 11 PM
Nov. 14  - Chapter 30 - SG 30 due

Nov. 17  - Review                      CAPA 9 (30) due 11PM

Nov. 21  - Friday 12:20  p.m. - Comprehensive Final Exam in Morton 127.


Return to Physics 203 Course page:

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~piccard/phys203/

Dick Piccard revised this on-line version of the syllabus (http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~piccard/phys203/syllabus.html) on September 5, 2003.

Comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome by E-mail to "piccard@ohio.edu"