Physics For Scientists and Engineers 1

PHY 2014

Section 10069

MTWF  8:00 to 8:50 am  HOH101

Text:

University Physics with Modern Physics, 12th Edition
Young & Freedman
Pearson - Addison Wesley

On-line help: Lot's of resources on line - try Googling "physics help" and "physics tutorial"

Dr. Charles Hughes
webpage: http://www.physics.uco.edu/~chughes/ 
email: chughes@uco.edu
Office: Thatcher Hall, Room 104
Office Hours: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm M-F
I sometimes have meetings that overlap into my office hours, so call if you are not on campus.

Overall course grades generally follow: A:90-100, B:80-89, C: 70-79, etc.
although final grades may be curved slightly.

Class periods are a combination of lectures and interactive problem solving.  For this reason, you will need to bring a scientific calculator to class each day.  Students in all Engineering and Physics courses will be required to use a NON-GRAPHING SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR on exams. This calculator should have trig and scientific notation functions (examples are TI-30Xa, TI-30X IIS, Casio fx-260, etc.). These can be picked up for $10-$15 at Wal-Mart, Staples, Target, etc.

Note that the use of graphing calculators is not allowed during exams. Moreover, you may not use translators, cell phones, pagers, palms, computers, or any other device that can store formulas or communicate with other electronic devices while you are taking your exam.

Please turn of cell phones, pagers and other devices before the start of each class period.

The in-class interactive problem solving will require you and the other members of the class to compute and compare answers with one another and, if a discrepency exists, to help each other find the correct solution. 

Students are expected to participate fully in classroom activities.  The instructor will respect each student’s questions and ideas, just as each student is expected to respect the questions and ideas of his or her fellow classmates. 

We may, from time to time, have in-class quizzes or worksheets.  Grades from these will be averaged into your overall homework grade.

All exams and homework should be done neatly and in pencil.

You must be enrolled in one of the accompanying laboratory sections for this course:
PHY 2014L Phy Sci & Eng I Lab
Section 10070 which meets W 12:00 pm-2:50 pm in HOH 163 (Odongo)
Section 15248 which meets W 3:00 pm-5:50 pm in HOH 163 (Odongo)
Section 11965 which meets W 7:30 pm-10:20 pm in HOH 163 (Stutzman)
Students that have not enrolled in the Lab section will be dropped from the course. If you are having difficulties enrolling in a Laboratory section, see the Engineering & Physics Department Chair immediately. Laboratories will begin the first week of class with an introductory lab. Lab manuals are available from
Textbook Brokers [123 N. University Dr -- next to Milano's Pizza, across from the Pike house]
or
Broncho Books [321 E. 2nd St --on 2nd Street just west of University Drive].
You must bring the lab manual with you to class.
Note: Lab counts 15% of the course grade. Students who miss four or more labs or who have a lab average below 60% will receive an automatic "F" for the course.

You must be enrolled in the accompanying drill section for this course:
PHY 2014D Physics for Sci & Engr I Drill
Section 12059 which meets R 8:00 am-8:50 a.m. in our classroom.
Students that have not enrolled in this Drill section will be dropped from the course. If you are having difficulties enrolling in a Drill section, see the Engineering & Physics Department Chair immediately.
Note: the drill session will usually meet on Thursdays but may swap with other class days depending on scheduling. You must attend the drill session that accompanies this class (i.e. the one that meets in our class at our time).

Drill format:

• You will be working in class and in small groups on Drill Worksheets that are handed out at the beginning of class. This does not mean that you copy someone else's work, however.  Since the place where you demonstrate how well you can set up and solve introductory physics problems is on your exams, you should work toward being able to do the problems independently.  Your study partners (and your instructor) are there to help you get through those points that you do not understand.
• Each problem should be done neatly and completely in pencil. The details of all work must be shown neatly and completely for full credit

You should expect to spend anywhere from two to three hours of work outside of class for each hour of in-class time. This outside work may involve reading the text, using help materials, and completing the problem assignments assigned each day. Homework problem assignments are where you develop the problem solving skills necessary to understand any area of physics. All assigned problems in this course must be completed and turned in on time.

Homework format:

• Homework problem assignment sheets will be handed out daily. These assignment sheets must be stapled as a cover sheet to the assignment being handed in.
• Except for those few homework assignments that provide space for you to do the problems on the homework problem sheet, all work should be done on separate paper.
• Each assigned problem should be done neatly and completely in pencil. The details of all work must be shown neatly and completely for full credit.

More about homework:

• You will always have at least two school days to complete your homework assignments. Due dates are given on the assignment. Homework is due by 5:00 pm on the day indicated on the assignment sheet, except for assignments due on exam days which are due at the beginning of class.
  
• While homework is not due until 5:00 pm, you may turn in your assignment at the start of class period. Homework not turned in during class should be turned in to my mailbox in the Engineering & Physics office (HOH221) -- go through the main door and turn left when you get to the picture of the space shuttle -- you'll see a metal box with my name on it.
  DO NOT work on assignments during classroom lectures.
• Each assigned problem will be scored with a total of 5 points.  Late homework will not be graded but may still be turned in for 1/5 credit (1 point per problem).
  
• You are strongly encouraged to work together on your homework assignments. You will find that you learn the material more quickly while developing a deeper understanding by working with two or three colleagues.  As in the Drill Session, however, this does not mean that you copy someone else's work, however.  You should again work toward being able to do the problems independently in order to properly prepare yourself to be successful on the exams.  Your study partners are, again, there to help you get through those points that you do not understand. 
• Check your answers and method of solution with as many of your classmates as you can.  If there is a discrepancy between your solution and theirs, see if you can figure out where the problem is.  If you cannot figure out who is right and who is wrong, or if you still don’t feel comfortable with your approach to the problem, see your instructor right away.
• Solving physics problems, like everything else, takes a lot of practice.  Make sure you can spend the time necessary to do well in the course. 

The best advice for students taking this (or any other) course: Keep up with the material on a day-to-day basis. If there is something that you do not understand, ask your study partners or your instructor immediately. Letting a topic slide for a few days is a prescription for failure. DON'T GET BEHIND.

I expect you to be in class each day. Excessive absences will result in your grade being lowered.   If you do happen to miss a day, and this should be an infrequent occurrence, you are responsible for getting the notes and assignments from someone else in the class.

I will replace one in-class hour exam grade with your final exam grade if your final exam score is higher than one of your in-class hour exam scores. This is primarily designed for those students that miss an exam for some reason or have an unrepresentative performance on one exam score.

The UCO student information sheet and attachment can be found at:
http://broncho2.uco.edu/academicaffairs/StudentInfoSheet.pdf
This document contains information about withdrawing from courses, too many finals on the same day, incompletes, and a lot of other information pertaining to students enrolled in any course at UCO. (PDF file - you'll need Acrobat Reader)