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Physics, by Walker The Way Things Work, by Macaulay (there are two versions: one has "New" in the title and one doesn't) |
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The pace of the class will be brisk, partly because I will
assume that you already know a good deal of physics (because you have
done the assigned daily readings and have studied the worked examples
suggested).
We will solve problems from Walker virtually every class
day. As a favor to you, we will provide a textbook at each table
so that you don't have to bring your text to class each day.
These "room copies" must not leave the room and must be cared for as if
your own. If they start to disappear from the classroom, we will
remove all of the room copies. In that event, you will have to
bring your text to class each day. Of course, I expect you to be on time for class. "Late" means being seated after I start class (which I intend to start exactly on time -- real time, & in physics we have radio-controlled clocks) at 8 a.m. or immediately after lunch; for other classes I will be more tolerant unless you are consistently late. Consequences of being late are posted in the 352/354 classroom and on a handout that each of you will receive. |
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The course syllabus is a rough guide to the order of the
topics that we will study this trimester. Refer to it often; you are allowed to read ahead! It is your responsibility to make sure that you know what is expected of you for the next class in the way of textbook reading, homework, and labwork. All assignments will be available on the web. Please get into the habit of checking the web site daily (but not printing it, please!); I will try to have relevant messages and assignments posted by 6 pm. The web site address is www.phy.duke.edu/~kolena/physics04.html I cannot emphasize enough how important reading the relevant text sections and studying the worked examples in advance of my talking about them are to your success in this class. Reading a physics book and studying worked examples is quite unlike reading a novel or a social studies text. More about this sometime in class. |
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Assigned homework problems (usually two or three) will be
due every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by 5 pm in the black box on the
table outside my office (Bryan 443) door. Since every class does
not meet every M, W, and F, remembering to turn in the homework
may be taxing. Persevere, since
LATE HOMEWORK WILL GENERALLY NOT BE GRADED BUT, if you should forget to turn it in on time, you do need to turn it in asap, since you will receive some partial credit even for turning in an assignment late, as long as this happens no more than 2 times per trimester. You should be solving at least as many problems on your own as I assign. After completing the assigned reading each night, you should attempt a few conceptual questions or non-asterisked problems from the back of the chapter in Walker. If you cannot solve them pretty immediately, it means that you need to re-read the appropriate sections and re-study the worked examples more carefully. As we dig deeper into a subject, you should also be working extra problems of the * or ** type from Walker. Keep all these extra worked problems organized in your notebook; they may be traded in for extra class commitment credit if a test performance is below expectations. Homework MUST be stapled if more than one page. There is a stapler mounted on the 4th floor Bryan wall across from room 441. Labs will be available a day or more before we actually do them. Lab expectations are available in the Physics 352/354 Lab Guide handout. Tests will happen 2 or 3 times each trimester & usually on lab day. Since tests will cover 2 or 3 chapters of material, cramming for them the night or weekend before will be of minimal value. If you’ve kept up with the reading and succeeded in conquering the homework by yourself every day, tests will seem easy. |
| CLASS COMMITMENT | Since tests in this class will occur less frequently than
in many of your other classes, they will count proportionally less
toward your total grade than in many other classes. What this really
means, of course, is that you will be tested every day in class in a
variety of ways; examples of such are in the following (non-exhaustive)
list:
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Pre-final-exam Trimester grades will be based on
20% for Class Commitment For the final trimester grade, you will choose what % (15 -
25) you
want your final (trimester) exam to count. The following grading scale applies to all work in this class A: 83 -- 100 |
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Tutorial times have yet to be decided. However,
physics teachers
and senior tutors will be available most every M - Th for at least an
hour. Check the posted tutorial schedule on the physics hallway. |
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My (first) trimester blocks are ABD. You are always welcome to visit me in my office, to talk about physics or anything else. I will particularly try to be available after class and each afternoon of the week. |
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You will receive a copy of the Physics Department Honesty Policy; it is also posted in the classroom |