MWF – 2:00 – Physics Room 1410
Labs – Thu 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM
Fri 10:00 AM
S. Das Sarma
PHYS Rm. 2208 Phone: 405.6145 |
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TA: Andrew York PHYS Rm. Phone: 405 |
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Assistant: Mattie Dowd Phone: 405.6169 PHYS Rm. 2203 |
M W F 2:00 PM
in Physics Room 1410
Text: Kirkpatrick & Francis: Physics, A World View (5th
Edition)
In order to cover the whole book during the semester, we
will do two chapters per week on the average.
Lab Manual: Lab
Manual for Physics 117
Laboratory: Room 3310 – The laboratory experiments are an
essential part of this course. You cannot pass the course unless you have
completed every experiment and submitted the lab report. Since time in the
laboratory is limited, come to the lab fully prepared. Read the lab manual and
any supplementary materials in advance. Lab reports must be submitted before
leaving the lab. Late lab reports will not be given any credit. The lab will be
run by the TA who will be in charge of the laboratory.
You need to have a lab manual for the laboratory part of this course.
Homework: Homework will be assigned every week for
practice. You do not need to submit homework solutions, but quizzes will be
based on homework problems. Therefore, you should always do the homework
problems. You will not do well in the course if you do not do the homework.
Quizzes: Brief unannounced quizzes based upon recent
materials may be given in any class (average: one quiz per week). These will be
based on homework problems.
Exam Dates:
Hour Exams: There will be two
hourly exams. The exact dates of the exams will be
announced during the class.
Final
Exam: 12/18 1:30-3:30pm [Check later
for location]
(If you must be absent from an exam for a
religious observance, you must notify Dr. Das Sarma before
Sep. 15, 2003 – the end of the schedule
adjustment period.)
Grading: Your
semester grade will be based on overall course score, computed with the
following weights:
10%
Quizzes
30% Lab Reports
30% Two Hourly Exams
30% Final Exam
AT LEAST 15% will get A’s; 30% B’s. No make-up exams will be offered. You must
take the Final Exam and do every lab to pass the course. The final grade will
be given in a normalized (“curved”) basis.
Extra Help: Professor
Das Sarma will be available after lecture, or in Physics Room 2208 during his
weekly office hours (Mon & Wed:
1pm) or at other times by appointment to answer any questions. The TA will help
with the lab, grading, and will also answer questions that you may have.
You are encouraged to ask for help whenever you
feel it may be useful, and better sooner than later. In addition, the
University’s Learning Assistance Service (LAS) offers general assistance. If
you are experiencing difficulties in keeping up with the academic demands of
this course, you might wish to contact the Learning Assistance Service, 2201
Shoemaker Bldg., 301.314.7693. Their educational counselors can help with time management,
reading, note-taking, and exam preparation skills.
Calculators: You should
bring a scientific calculator to the class, and especially to the lab and
exams.
Lab Notebook: You should
keep all of your original lab notes in a single notebook. A square ruled page
format is convenient for plotting graphs as you go. See the 117 Laboratory
Manual for further details on lab notebooks and reports.
General: Physics involves interpreting the existence
around us based on the laws of nature. Modern human civilization (both our
technology and our culture) is based a great deal on physics. Physics is not
only important, but is also very exciting. The fact that nature obeys laws that
we can figure out is what you will learn in this course. We expect to have a lot of fun in this
course.
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University of
Maryland Honor Pledge, adopted November 2001.
The University has adopted (in November 2001) a nationally recognized Honor Code, administered by the Student Honor Council. The Student Honor Council proposed and the University Senate approved an Honor Pledge. The University of Maryland Honor Pledge reads:
“I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.”
In
Physics 117, you may be asked on occasion whether you wish to append this
pledge to a work (e.g., Exam, Report, Assignment) you are submitting for course
credit. We recommend that you do so at each opportunity as a constructive
re-affirmation of your support, in principle and in practice, of academic
integrity. Whether or not you choose to do so will have no affect on any aspect
of your Physics 117 course record.