Phys 410 Syllabus, Fall 2011

Class meetings: TuTh 9:00-10:50am, in Physics 1402

Professor: Ted Jacobson, jacobson_at_umd.edu, Room 4115 (Physics Bldg.), 301-405-6020
Office hours: After class, by appointment, or drop by.

TA: Yuchen Peng, ycpeng1_at_umd.edu, Room Phys 0220, 301-655-8729
Office hours: Monday, 4-5:30pm

Textbook: Classical Mechanics, John R. Taylor, Unviersity Science Books

Course web site: http://www.physics.umd.edu/grt/taj/410a / . Course plan, homework, notes, supplements, solutions and grades will all be posted.

E-mail: I will use e-mail to communicate with the class. Students should use e-mail for quick correspondence with me regarding
lecture material, homework problems, etc. I can often be reached at night or on weekends by email. Students are responsible for
making sure I have their correct email address and checking their email daily. Important messages will sometimes be sent
to the class by email. You may email me with questions about the homework and I will usually answer very quickly, often even
at surprising times.

+ Please make sure you include your name and the homework and course numbers, and staple the pages together.
Late homework accepted only under dire circumstances: if you know it will be impossible to turn in an assignment
on time, you must discuss this with me in advance of the due date. Medical reasons accepted only with a doctor's note.

+ Homework must be turned in to Dr. Jacobson (not to the TA).

+ The book by Taylor is widely used, and solutions to many of the problems can surely be found around the department and online.
    It would be detrimental to your learning process and unfair to your classmates if you make use of any such solutions.
    It is therefore strictly forbidden to make use of such.

+ You are allowed and encouraged to ask Prof. Jacobson for guidance, and to discuss homework with others, including at the Piazza
    web site (see above), but the work you turn in should be your own formulation, and should reflect your own understanding, and
    you should be prepared to explain and defend it on your own. See Academic Honesty section below for consequences of violation.
    Each student must turn in Homework 0 with a signature, showing that homework policies have been read and understood.

Exams: Three exams, the third given at the time of the final exam (Friday, Dec. 16, 8-10am). If you know ahead of time that you
will miss an exam, you must notify me before the exam. For emergencies, I will accomodate those with valid, doumented excuses and who
have given me timely notification.

Grading: The lowest two homework scores will be dropped. The exam grades will be uniformly "shifted upwards" if I deem necessary (see below).
The homework and exams are each worth 25 +/- 10%, with the weights adjusted at the end of the semester to maximize the total for each student.
In practice this means your two best grade components are worth 35% each and your two worst are worth 15% each. The letter grades
corresponding to numerical scores will be determined after reviewing the class performance as a whole, consistent with the grade definitions
indicating mastery of the material: A: excellent, B: good, C: adequate, D: marginal. The exams are "curved" so that the letters generally fall
close to the standard ranges: A: 100-90%, B: 89-80%, C: 79-70%, D: 69-60%, but sometimes the ranges are stretched a little on the lower end.

Academic honesty: The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the
Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student
you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating,
fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please
visit http://www.shc.umd.edu.

The University has adopted an Honor Pledge, which is a statement undergraduate and graduate students are asked to write by hand and sign on
examinations, papers, or other academic assignments not specifically exempted by the instructor. The Pledge reads: "I pledge on my honor that
I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination." In this course it is assumed that all students have
entered the University agreeing to the honor principle which would apply in general to all campus activities, so usually no specific statement
is required.