PH 201

BASIC PHYSICS

FALL 2009

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Cecilia Vogel	WEB: helios.augustana.edu/~cv/201
E-MAIL: ceciliavogel@augustana.edu	AIM: phvogel87
OFFICE: 207 Science	PHONE: 794-3404

OFFICE HOURS:

·  WF 9-9:30, 2:30-3, Tue 10:30-11,	·  Catch me after class
·  Make an appointment.	·  Drop in or call

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

• Halliday, Resnick, and Walker, Fundamentals of Physics, 7^th edition
• WebAssign card (available in the bookstore or online)
• Scientific calculator with trig and log functions

PREREQUISITES: I will assume you have the following prior knowledge and ability. If you don’t, brush up on these things outside of class, or ask me for help. Lecture time will not be devoted to teaching them.

• Math: Algebra!, geometry, trig functions, reasoning/proofs, calculus to the extent that it has been covered in this term’s MA219 class.
• Physics: Only an intuitive feel for what happens and does not happen in the physical world, and of expected sizes of distances, times, and masses.
• Chemistry: Matter is made of atoms, molecular notation (e.g. H₂0).
• General science: Measurement, metric system, density, chapter 1.
• English: Describe or explain physics concepts in clear, concise English, as if you were explaining to a fellow student who didn’t understand.

GRADING:

· 2 midterm exams @ 15% each	30%
· Lab	20%
· Problem-based  Assignment	15%
· Homework, discussion, PAL, 5% each	15%
· Final exam	20%
Total	100%

Lowest % for each letter grade is as follows 90 A, 88 A-, 86 B+, 80 B, 77 B-, 74 C+, 69 C, 65 C-, 50 D.

GOALS AND ASSESSMENT:

GENERAL CONTENT GOALS:

· Motion	· Equilibrium	· Rotation
· Energy	· Forces	· Gravity

PROCEDURE GOALS:

Computation — practice and assessment through homework, PAL, and exam "problems."

Communication — practice and assessment through homework, PAL, and exam "questions," and discussion questions.

Problem solving — practice and assessment through homework, PAL, and exam problems different from any you've seen before.

Critical thinking — practice and assessment through in-class questions, multiple-choice problems on exams.

GETTING CREDIT FOR YOUR WORK:

1. On any paper assignments

a) Hand it in to me personally, or place it in the homework box inside room 201 Science (this room will often only be unlocked during normal business hours).  

b) Do not slide assignments under my door.

2. On exams, written PALS, and paper homework:

a) For full credit, you must show all work and justify all answers.

b) You may work together on homework and PALS (not on exams!!), but you should each write your answers your own way. Answers that are too similar will not receive full credit.

c) Partial credit will be given on most incorrect problems -- the attempt is worth something. Note: If you get a ridiculous or impossible answer (e.g. the mass of a person comes out to be 2 g) and can’t find your error, indicate at the end of the problem that this cannot be the right answer and explain why (e.g. "Even a small baby has a mass of a few kg, not a few g"). You will get more partial credit, if you recognize an obvious error.

3. On WebAssign homework

a) Log on, answer all questions correctly by the due date/time.

b) You will have 3 additional submissions before the due date/time if you don't like your initial score.

c) WebAssign does not give partial credit on numerical problems.

d) I grade essay questions on WebAssign.  You will notknow your score on essay questions until I have logged on and graded them.  Justifications is required for essay questions, unless otherwise indicated.

POLICIES:

EXAM POLICIES:

· Attendance is required on all days on which an exam is scheduled. If you have a conflict with a school-related event (e.g. intercollegiate sports, field trip), you may take the exam early. You must make arrangements with me before the scheduled exam date.

· Exams are scheduled for Friday of weeks 3 and 7, in addition to the B-period final exam period.

· Bring a calculator to all exams.  Equations must be memorized for the first exam.  Bring a 3"X5" card of equations/notes to the other twoexams.

HOMEWORK:

• Homework will be due Wed and Fri every week, with exceptions noted in announcements.
• Homework is due by 11:00 p.m. on the due date. Most homework will be handled by WebAssign, but there may also be a few paper assignments.  

DISCUSSION:

• Your discussion grade will be based on weekly discussion questions.
• Answer the discussion question(s) on WebAssign by Monday noon.  
• If you do not get full credit on the assignment, the rest of the credit can earned by one of the following:

a) Coming to Tuesday discussion class and discussing  the questions.

b) Coming to my office and discussing with me one-on-one by Friday of that week.

PAL (Physics Active Learning):

• Time will be taken during most class periods for you to be actively involved in learning the material.
• May take the form of demonstrations, applications, calculations, etc.
• If your exam grade is higher than your PAL average for that exam interval, your exam grade will replace your PAL average (not vice versa).

PROBLEM-BASED ASSIGNMENT:  

• Meet with me by the end of week 4 to discuss an appropriate problem to approach.  Meet with me week 5 or 6 to discuss  an outline of your approach to the solution. A first draft is due by Wed of week 9; the final draft is due by Wed of finals week.  Meetings and drafts are part of your assignment grade.
• The chosen problem should be discussed in prose -- like a scientific magazine or journal article -- using relevant jargon and equations from class. 
• Various aspects of the problem should be explored.  The more thorough your exploration, the better your grade.   

LATE ASSIGNMENTS: 

• If you are having trouble with WebAssign, e-mail me or call me immediately, so I can attempt to fix the problem.
• You may request an extension on WebAssign homework (not discussion questions).
• An extension will not be granted if you have viewed the answers online.
• This late homework will receive 80% credit.
• Late drafts of the problem-based assignment will receive 80% credit.
• PAL's cannot be made up for credit.  Up to 1 PAL per exam interval will be dropped.