Physics 1930 Assignments
Dr. R Finkel, Room B40 St. Albert Hall Ext 6167
Office Hours M 11:00-12:00, TR 9:30-10:30
Fall 2007
Your Physics 1930 grade is calculated as follows:
10% recitation
20% laboratory
70% lecture.
The lecture grade is determined by a class exam (midterm), about 6 Web-based take-home exams, and a final exam. The lecture grade is determined as follows:
Exams / Percent5 or 6 / Take-Home / 35
One / Midterm / 30
One / Final / 35
Required Books and Calculator
The textbook is Halliday & Resnick’s Fundamentals of Physics 8th Ed. by J. Walker (Wiley, 2008) and the notes followed in class are Concise Notes for Physics, 4th edition by R. Finkel. Both are required. If you do not yet have a scientific calculator, we recommend the simplest and least expensive. Trig functions and exponential notation are the only requirements.
A laboratory manual is also required. You can buy the hardcopy in the bookstore, or download it part-by-part from the Internet. Whatever you decide, you must bring in the instructions for the appropriate lab experiment. Online copies are available at:
http://facpub.stjohns.edu/%7Ecomunalj/Physics%20I/Labs/Physics%20I%20Lab%20Manual.doc.
Class Tests and Take-Home Tests
Tests in Physics 1930 are primarily problem-solving. Class tests will be based on the material in the notes, the Web exam problems, and the assigned recitation problems. The “take-home” exams are distributed and graded on the Web. Each student is given different data and will have unique correct answers. More specific information about the Web exams will be given at the start of class. Web exam results are usually quite high whereas the class exam grades are usually much lower.
Perhaps the best advice we can give regarding the course is to stay current. It is not enough to understand and memorize the material—very little memorization is needed. Problem solving is a skill and requires much practice.
Getting Started with Web Exams
Get started with the Web exams by first getting an identification number from the University of Texas at:
https://hw.utexas.edu/bur/studentGuestEID.html
During the sign-up process you will need to know our UNIQUE COURSE NUMBER, 19311.
Do not forget your given identification number (EID) or your created password. (Otherwise, Game Over!!!).
Recitation
Recitation contributes 10% of the total grade. One half of the recitation grade will come from relatively simple online assignments that you will access from the internet. These assignments are based on textbook problems. Your textbook will include a password to get on the WileyPLUS system. Your instructor will announce the assignments and due dates in recitation class. The second half of the recitation grade will be established by in-class quizzes.
To give an idea of the form of the online assignments, the first two are listed here;
Book Chapter / Notes Chapter / Problems (from Halliday)2 / 1 / 1, 8, 28, 15
3 / 2 / 1, 4, 17, 50
Laboratory
The laboratory contributes 20% to the total grade. Your lab reports will likely be graded on the basis of 20 points. Your laboratory instructor will describe the procedures in his or her lab.