Homepage: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/
Unique Numbers: 58545, 58550, 58555, 58560 MWF 11-12, Pai 2.48
1. Instructor: H.L. Berk, Office: RLM 11.326, tel.. 471-1364
* Office hrs: T-Th 1:30-2:30.
* You may contact the instructor through email: hberk@mail.utexas.edu
* Instructor's comments (will appear on: emergency bulletin (1.3) in the "discuss" session of the homework service; typically modifications in the homework will be announced. Please check this section periodically)
TA (teaching assistant): Hrishikesh Kelkar, office RLM 9.222 (tel. 471 0883)
Email: hrishi@physics.utexas.edu , office hours: by appointment
2. Course materials:
* Textbook: Serway and Jewett, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 6th ed.
* Reference: 303K-IQ-library:
(webpage link: http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~itiq/iq/303K/iqK.html)
3. Homework/Tests/Final: ( See also the syllabus page in your handout)
* Homework: The homework service handles distribution and collection of the homework on the Web (more information below in "first class reminders" section). No late homework will be accepted.
* Tests and Final exam: There will be 4 evening tests (also referred to as quizzes) and the final exam. See the syllabus page for time and location of each test.
* During each test, a fresh course summary sheet will be given to you. No crib-note cards will be allowed.
* Programmable calculators may be used for numerical calculations only. No display of any formula on the screen is allowed
* Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
4. Grading policy:
* TA session (snap-quiz): 7% , * Tests (drop 1) 45%
* Homework (drop 2) 18% , * Final 30%
Exam grades are are a scaled score based on a standard distribution:
* grade conversion for a scaled-score:
400, 450, 525, and 600 for D, C, B and A respectively.
5.
Tests: Student is required to take all four tests.
No make up test will be given. At the end of the semester, the
test with lowest score will be dropped. If a student misses a test, the missing
test will be the one which will be dropped. If missing a test is due to a
legitimate reason approved by the instructor, the student may choose a drop
option, where the student's final exam score appropriately scaled may
replace the score of the missing test. After a missing test, the student needs
to immediately communicate with the instructor through email. The student
must save the email record and claim the drop option at the end of the
semester. For the drop option to be applicable, the student must take the
other three tests.
Scoring on Tests: All tests are multiple choice questions. Full credit
for credit correct and a deduction for incorrect answer. The deduction is
based on a neutral bias towards guessing, which means if you purely guess,
on average you will obtain the same grade as if you did not answer.
6. Course summary: The course summary sheet attached gives the basic formulae or the basic principles which you will be learning in this course. We encourage you to use it as your study companion. It is meant to help you to organize the course materials, to do homework and to review for exams. Queries on the summary are welcome at anytime, except during an exam (further comments below in "first day reminders" section). See below for instructions in how to download course summary.
7. TA session: TA session is a part of this course. It is a supplement to the lecture. It is meant to provide students with an additional contact hour per week in an informal setting. TA session grades will be determined by performance on short 5-10 minute unannounced snap-quizzes. During the term three or four of these snap-quizzes will be given to each session on random days and will test concepts that appeared in previous homework. Students are encouraged to study homework solutions to help them for the snap-quizzes and of course for the scheduled quizzes and final (because of the way the grading system works, your record for the snap quizzes will not be accurate until the term is completed. You will be formally graded, 0, for snap-quizzes that you are not supposed to take, but at the end of the term these inappropriate grades will be discounted). The TA session will cover additional problems and concepts not discussed in class, and student questions during this session are strongly encouraged. Always have a calculator and ID card with you.
Some of the classrooms for the TA session have been changed. Below is the current classroom assignment for the various TA sessions:
Unique Number 58545, Monday 2 –3pm RLM 6.118
58550 Monday 3-4pm RLM 6.120 (tentative)
58555 Tuesday 5-6pm RLM 6.122
58560 Tuesday 7-8 pm RLM 5.126
8. Good participation status: The following scheme is to encourage you to work hard and to work persistently throughout the semester. A student earns a "good participation" status, if his/her homework score is greater than 70%, and he/she attended over 80% of TA sessions during a semester, as well as attended over 80% of classes, during a semester. A more than 20% absence from the class for any reason (including out of town trips and illness etc) will automatically disqualify a student from achieving such a status. The following special consideration will be applied to any student who has earned a “good participation status”: 8 extra scaled points will be assigned to a qualifying borderline student to determine if the student can obtain the higher course grade.
9. Default final grade: If on the final exam a student achieves greater than 90% an A grade for the course is earned irrespective of the student's class performance. Similarly B grade and C grades are given if the student achieves greater than 80% or 70% respectively on the final. However, very few students are able to relax during the class course and suddenly do so well on the final to significantly improve their grade via this default final grade process. Keeping up with concepts and homework is the key to obtaining a good grade in this physics course.
* Homework Service Registration: To register in the homework service first go to the web at the address: https://hw.utexas.edu/roster.html There instructions are given for how to register into the course. The course unique number for registration in line # 5 is:
58545 (regardless of the unique number you have been assigned, which can differ from 58545). Read students' instructions to get yourself started. You may get help from Physics Microcomputer Lab, RLM7.306. \
* For hw-service registration, there is no access code for this course. Please leave it blank!
Note Password you will create is case sensitive (advice use only all lower case or all upper case letters in your password)
* After registering for the homework service you can then log-in to the homework service (student log-in page) at the web address: https://hw.utexas.edu/ Remember to record you login name and password, which you will continually use to obtain your homework, to enter your solutions, to access your record for the course and to receive messages from the instructor and other students (you can receive and send messages to class members on the chat board).
* ID Number: Use the ID number that is on your University Identification Card. When you go into the homework service it is important to check that your ID number was properly inputted (your ID can be found under bullet 5.3 "Change Info" and if there is an error it can be changed. As the computer service only recognizes your ID number, make this change before any grades have been recorded or grades can be lost ). As you will need to record this ID number when you take a snap quiz, always have your ID card with you.
* Course Summary Sheets On the student log-in page you can obtain the course summary (formula sheets) that are used for the course during exams (these sheets will be handed out during exams and the first day of class, but you should get acquainted with them at other times, particularly when doing homework). To obtain them click onto the link: Auxiliary Information and go to:
Basic physical concepts "formulae" -- Mechanics (PDF-p1) (PDF-p2) (PostScript-p1) (PostScript-p2), and you can then download the pdf or postscript files. The formulae are on two sheets, p1 and p2.
* Homework:
* Notice the due time of homework 1 is at 4am on Th (9/4) ( think of it as Wednesday evening) from homework 2 on it will be due at 4am on Tuesday (think of it as Monday evening).
* Announcements related to homework, will be given in your homework service under item 1.3 "emergency bulletin". The instructor may send additional messages related to class via this link. It is advisable to periodically check this link.
* If when submitting your homework on the web, you first miss a question (I believe that they will all be muliple choice questions), you can resubmit an answer. You will not receive full credit for your second try and even less credit for subsequent tries. Credit is based on neutral bias towards guessing. That is if you just randomly guess an answer you will on average get as many points as if you left the answer blank.
* TA sessions will begin next week.
* Coaching
There is a physics coaching area on the fifth floor of RLM, (close to the elevators in the hallway). Coaching on physics questions will be available much of the day during weekdays.
* Laboratory: To take this course, you must enroll in 103M lab. No lab this week. Check with the lab supply room RLM8.316 (471-5352) for the lab schedule. Also check the pre/co-requisites audit-list which will be posted outside of the lecture hall one week after class-begins. If your name is on this list you will have to see Pat Morgan in RLM 5.216.