Physics 262 Syllabus
Spring 2003

Instructor

Dr. Markus Luty
Office: PHYS 4119
Phone: 301-405-6018
E-mail: luty@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 "PHYS262" in the subject line of your e-mail.

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Textbook

Physics for Scientists and Engineers, vol. 1 and 2 (Fifth Edition) by R. Serway and R. Beichner (Saunders College Publishing).

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TA's and Recitation

The TA's for this course are:

Chad Mitchell
Office: 4223
Phone: (301) 405-6192
E-mail: cemitch@glue.umd.edu

Yue-Kin Tsang
Office: PHYS 4223
Phone: (301) 405-6192
E-mail: yktsang@physics.umd.edu

Recitation Schedule

Section	Day	Time	Room	TA
201	Tu	8:00 AM - 8:50 AM	PHYS 1219	Chad Mitchell
203	Tu	10:00 AM - 10:50 AM	PHYS 1219	Chad Mitchell
204	W	11:00 AM - 11:50 AM	PHYS 4208	Chad Mitchell
205	W	12:00 PM - 12:50 PM	PHYS 0405	Yue-Kin Tsang

The recitation sections are provided for you to get help with concepts and problem-solving in a smaller group environment. There are no quizzes in recitation sections, and attendance is not required. However, doing well in this course is very dependent on the homework, and I strongly encourage students to attend the recitation sections.

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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 (usually Friday).
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, and your name must be on it.

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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 you will not be seeing the material for the first time. To encourage you to keep up on the reading assignments, there will be 5-minute "pop" quizzes on the reading assignment at the beginning of class. 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, but these are subject to change.
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.

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.
The final is in the regular classroom on Thursday, May 22 at 8:00 AM-10:00 AM. Check your final exam schedule now to make sure there are no conflicts (there shouldn't be). If your final exam schedule is inconvenient, your only recourse is to change your class schedule during the drop/add period.

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Lab

The lab course (262A) is taught by Prof. Jawahery (jawahery@physics.umd.edu). This course has its own web site.

The lab counts as 20% of your grade. Your lab score will be determined by Prof. Jawahery and will be incorporated into your final grade for physics 262.
If you do not pass the lab course, you automatically fail the class. These are university rules.

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Academic Dishonesty

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:	20%
Best 2 of 3 midterms	30%
Final exam + quizzes	30%
Lab	20%

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 always 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

Freely ask questions in class.
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 so that you know where you are having difficulty.
Seek help immediately on topics that give you difficulty.

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 10: Last day to add
Feb 28: Exam 1
Apr 4: Exam 2
Apr 13: Last day to drop with a "W"
May 2: Exam 3
May 22: Final exam

The following schedule is subject to change:

Week	Dates	Course Material
1	Jan 29, 31	Chapter 13
2	Feb 3, 5, 7	Chapters 13 (cont), 15
3	Feb 10, 12, 14	Chapters 16, 17
4	Feb 17, 19, 21	Chapters 17 (cont), 18
5	Feb 24, 26	Chapter 19
	Feb 28	Exam 1 (Chapters 13, 15-18)
6	Mar 3, 5, 7	Chapter 20
7	Mar 10, 12, 14	Chapter 21
8	Mar 17, 19, 21	Chapter 22
	Mar 24-28	Spring break
9	Mar 31, Apr 2	Chapter 23
	Apr 4	Exam 2 (Chapters 19-22)
10	Apr 7, 9, 11	Chapters 23 (cont), 24
11	Apr 14, 16, 18	Chapter 25
12	Apr 21, 23, 25	Chapter 26
13	Apr 28, 30	Chapter 27
	May 2	Exam 3 (Chapters 23-26)
14	May 5, 7, 9	Chapter 28
15	May 12, 14	Chapter 28 (cont)
	May 22	Final exam 8:00 AM

Revised 3/13/03

Physics 262 Syllabus Spring 2003

Recitation Schedule

Physics 262 Syllabus
Spring 2003