Physics 171 Syllabus

Spring 2005

Instructor and TA

Instructor: Markus Luty
Office: PHYS 4119
Phone: (301) 405-6018
E-mail: luty(at)umd.edu
Office hours: After class in my office, or by appointment. I read e-mail frequently (even on weekends), and strongly encourage students to contact me in this way. Please include "171" in the subject line of your e-mail.

TA: Yi Cai
Office: PHYS 3109
Phone: (301) 405-6190
E-mail: caiyi(at)mailfw0.umd.edu
Office hours: MW 2–3 PM

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Textbook

Understanding Physics, Part 1 by Karen Cummings, Priscilla Laws, Edward Redish, and Patrick Cooney (Wiley).

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Homework

Homework problems will be assigned approximately once per week.

Homework is to be handed in at the beginning of class on the day it is due.
Your homework must show the reasoning leading to the final answer in a clear and readable fashion to obtain full credit.
Do problems with symbols first (introduce them if you have to). Only put in numbers at the end.
Check answers for dimensional correctness whenever possible.
You are encouraged to discuss the homework with others, but what you hand in must be your own work.
Late homework is accepted only in exceptional circumstances. If it is not possible for a student to hand in the homework on time, the student must contact me before the due date. Medical reasons are accepted only with a doctor's signed note.
Homework must be legible, all sheets must be stapled together.

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Reading Assignments and Quizzes

To help us cover the large amount of material in this course, there will be a daily reading assignment. It is important to do the reading assignment every day. This will help you to understand the lecture, since it will cover material that you have already read about. To encourage you to keep up on the reading assignments, there will be surprise 5-minute quizzes on the reading assignment at the beginning of class, approximately once per week. These will consist of one or two short answer questions that are designed to check whether you have done the reading, rather than testing detailed understanding of the material.

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Exams

On each midterm or final exam, you are required to write by hand and sign the University Honor Pledge: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination."

Midterm Exams:

There will be 3 midterm exams. Dates are listed in the course calendar below.
The midterm exam with the lowest score will be dropped when computing your final grade.
There are absolutely no makeup exams.
If class is canceled due to snow or other other unforseen condition, the exam will automatically be moved to the next class day. If there is a fire alarm, bomb threat, or other emergency during the exam, the exam will be immediately moved to another room to be announced at that time.
Students are responsible for showing up on time with a working scientific calculator. No notes or books are allowed. The instructor has the right to clear the memory of your calculator at the start of the exam. You will be given a sheet of formulas and numerical constants to use during the exam.

Final Exam:

The final is comprehensive, meaning that it covers a mix of all the material covered in the class.
All students must take the final exam to pass the course.
Because this class meets at a non-standard time, the time for the final exam will not be determined until mid-semester. I apologize for the inconvenience, and I will do what I can to get the information as soon as possible.

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Academic Integrity

Any form of cheating or academic dishonesty is taken extremely seriously. Offences committed in this class will be prosecuted to the full extent determined by university policy.

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Grading

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Homework:	30%
Best 2 of 3 midterms	35%
Final exam + quizzes	35%

The quizzes are worth up to 20 percentage points that go toward your final exam score. For example, if a student gets 50% on the quizzes, she gets 0.5 x 20 = 10 percentage points toward her final exam. Her final exam is then worth 100 - 10 = 90 points. If she gets 80% on the final exam, her final exam + quiz core is 10 + (80% of 90) = 84. It takes some getting used to, but this way the quizzes can only increase your final exam score. (Note that if you get 0 on the quizes, you can still get 100 percentage points on the final exam.)

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Tips for Doing Well

Ask questions and participate in class discussion.
Do the reading assignment every day.
Use the homework as a learning tool. Before you discuss the homework with anyone, make a serious attempt to solve the problems by yourself.
Start work on the homework early.
Seek help immediately on topics that give you difficulty. Don't wait until the day before the exam or homework is due!

Exam study tips can be found in the Exams page.

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Getting Help

There are several sources of help with class material:

See me. You can contact me during office hours, set up an appointment, or e-mail a short question.
Contact the TA.
The provides free tutoring for physics 262 students.
Don't forget your fellow students! Studying in groups and working together on homework is encouraged. Just make sure your fellow students are not doing the work for you, or you will be sorry at exam time.

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Course Calendar

Important dates to note:

Feb 9: Last day to add/drop
Mar 8: Exam 1
Apr 12: Exam 2
Apr 13: Last day to drop with a "W"
May 12: Exam 3

The following schedule is subject to change:

Dates	Course Material
Jan 27, 28	Chapter 1
Jan 31, Feb 1, 3	Chapter 2
Feb 4, 7, 9, 10	Chapter 3
Feb 14, 15, 17, 18	Chapter 4
Feb 21, 22, 24, 25	Chapter 5
Feb 28, Mar 1, 3	Chapter 6
Mar 7	Chapter 7
Mar 8	Exam 1 (chapters 1-6)
Mar 10, 11	Chapter 7
Mar 14, 15, 17	Chapter 8
Mar 18, 28, 29, 30, 31	Chapter 9
Apr 4, 5, 7	Chapter 10
Apr 8, 11	Chapter 11
Apr 12	Exam 2 (chapters 7-10)
Apr 14, 15, 18	Chapter 11
Apr 19, 21, 22, 25	Chapter 12
Apr 26. 28, 29, May 2	Fluids
May 3, 5, 6, 9. 10	Special Relativity
May 12	Exam 3 (chapters 11, 12, fluids, special relativity)

Revised 1/31/2005