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General information for

Physics 251, Fall 2007 Evening Section

Class schedule:
 

Website:
This web site is an important method for communication among faculty and students in 251. The URL for the home page is http://webphysics.iupui.edu/251/251f07pm/phys251home.html. In addition to basic information, the web site includes access to all assignments and schedules, the course objectives page, a course bulletin board, and instructor contact information.

Instructor:  

Don Zimmerman 

Phone:       274-6900 (Physics Dept. Office) 

Email:       drzimmer@iupui.edu

Text:
UNIVERSITY PHYSICS, 11th edition: Young and Freedman, Addison-Wesley (2004).

Prerequisites:
PHYS 152, MATH 164. Co-registration in Math 261 is encouraged. The ability to use algebra, trigonometry and calculus is essential.

Organization:
There are three lectures, two recitations, and one laboratory per week. Most of the submissions for this course are done electronically. The URL for the home page is http://webphysics.iupui.edu/251/251f07pm/phys251home.html. The Course Information link takes you to this page. Check out all the buttons to see what they do.

Writing:
You will have to do a moderate amount of writing in this course. You will write one full lab report and write text responses to questions in lab each week. The WarmUp Exercises require written answers, and extra credit assignments (Puzzles and "What is Physics Good For?") require written answers as well. In all written assignments, you should write as if you were writing a technical memo in a business situation. Please see the writing page for more information

Tests:
All 251 tests will be closed book. No notes or materials of any kind will be permitted. However a formula sheet will be provided for use on the test. This formula sheet will be available approximately one week before the test. Scientific and graphing calculators may be used, however PDAs and small computers are prohibited.

No makeup tests will be given. If you must miss a test, please contact the instructor or the Physics Department Office (274-6900) before the test, or as soon after as is possible. You will receive credit for that test equal to your average score on the other two tests. If you miss a second test, you will be given no credit unless you provide a legitimate documented excuse.

Assignments:
Homework assignments are due by 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.  Homework is handled by a server at the University of Texas. First, you must create an electronic ID. Go to https://hw.utexas.edu/bur/studentGuestEID.html and follow the step-by-step directions. Once you have successfully created your UT EID, then go to the Homework Service URL https://hw.utexas.edu/  -- Please note the 's' on https and the trailing '/'. After the UT EID login, you should be directed to your personalized 'chooseClass' page. Use the 'Register as a student' link to register in Physics 251.  Our course UT EID is 85708. Then, for each homework assignment, go to https://hw.utexas.edu/, login, and do the current assignment. 

Every assignment is graded on a 0 to 50 point basis by the UT server. This is scaled from 0.0 to 5.0 points for your 251 homework grade. From the Assignments page you can access a homework set with numerical solutions. These sets are there for you to check your procedure.  Also you must read the instructions which contains important information about how the UT server grades your submittals.  

Attendance to the recitation and working on the whiteboard problems gives you an additional 0.5 points for a total of 5.5 points per recitation.

There is a link to the UT server in the navigation bar on all of the 251 pages.

Warm-Up Exercises are due before class by 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through this web site. They are worth 4 points each; partial credit is given. The Warm-Up Exercises have the following objectives:

• They introduce you to the new material, and get you started thinking about important topics
• They help you get motivated to stay caught up in the reading
• Your answers give me a sense of what topics require the most stress during class
• They give us a few common "talking points" to refer to in class
• They encourage you to put your ideas about the material into words, a process that often helps you clarify your thoughts
• They give you a little practice with your writing skills

Grading:
There are a few basic policies for this courses. Check with the instructor if any of these policies are unclear.

• A total of at least 300 points on the three hour tests and the final exam is required in order to pass the course. Other credit cannot be used to supplement the test scores (except as described below).
• Attendance in the lab is mandatory. An unexcused absence results in an F for the course. Contact your instructor if you must miss a lab.
• Extra credit points are added to your total score!  To help you get started: Extra credit points earned before the first test will be added to the first test score.
• There is a single grade for the course determined by test scores and performance in laboratory and recitation.
• A total of 1000 points are available (not counting extra credit):

• Approximately 100 points of extra credit will be available, primarily from Puzzles (due Fridays, through this website) and "What is Physics Good For?" (due Tuesdays, also through this site).

Cutoffs:
At the end of the semester, the following grade cutoffs are guaranteed. These cutoffs may be lowered at the discretion of the faculty, but we promise that they will not be raised.

Withdrawal:
Withdrawal policy is the same as for most other IUPUI courses. Students may withdraw from the course up to the halfway point in the semester with just their advisor's signature. For the third quarter of the semester, the signatures of he advisor and the instructor are required. During this third quarter, students wishing to withdraw from 251 will be given a W (rather than an F) regardless of their performance to that point. Students should check with the Registrar or the School of Science to determine the exact dates affecting withdrawal.

This site is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation (DUE-9981111).