The Class Rules

• You may collaborate with your classmates in any permutation on the homework. In fact, I encourage you to work in groups, as you will probably all learn more that way. However, you must each write up all the solutions even if they are all the same within a group. Writing them up provides learning reinforcement.

• You may not get worked out solutions from more advanced students, former students, a Tipler solution manual (if you can find it), online, or anyplace else. It obviously removes the whole point of the homework in the first place.

• You may ask more advanced students, former students, other faculty, personal friends, or your household pets for help or tutoring on particular problems, as long as no worked-out solutions to the assigned problems are present. Again, if you work in groups I encourage you to take turns teaching each other the solutions to the problems you encounter, as teaching is an excellent way to learn.

• You may use the library and all available non-human resources to help solve the homework problems. I don't even care if you find the solution somewhere and copy it verbatim provided that you understand it afterwards (which is the goal), cite your source, and provided that you do not use the solution manual for Tipler problems (which exists, floating around somewhere), see second item above. I would prefer that you do not routinely look for solutions rather than work them out yourself; save this approach for the toughest problems. Remember, you can't take these resources into an exam with you; you will need to learn to solve the problems on your own.

• Homework will be handed in on the Friday following the Wednesday recitation. It must be in the class box before 5 pm, unless you have made prior arrangements with the TAs (not me). As you will learn, possibly the hard way, recitation is NOT to be used to for doing all of your homework unless you enjoy pain and failure. The quiz following recitation will typically be drawn heavily from your homework, so students who complete and understand it in time will generally do well on the quiz and end up a full letter grade better than an equally ``smart'' student who doesn't take the time to do most of the homework before coming to recitation.

• Quizzes and Exams: All quiz and exam problems are to be worked out alone, with no aids other than an ordinary calculator or arithmetic device. Calculators may not contain any physics formulae in memory or firmware. Looking at or copying other students' work is not permitted, and (as an honor code violation) may be severely penalized. I assume that all my students are honorable persons and will play the game honestly. If you indeed do choose to major in physics, then the usual homily of ``cheating yourself'' when you cheat in class is never truer. You will have to learn all the material we cover to succeed - the only question is whether you wish to be miserable (and dishonorable) in you academic pursuit before you end up having to do the work required anyway.