|
|
Phys-265 is a 4-credit lecture course that is the second in a year-long series of calculus-based physics. Students must be registered both in the lecture section and in the laboratory section and these must be taken together or dropped together.
e-Text:
Matter and Interactions, 4th Ed. by Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood (via Blackboard link to Perusall - Do not purchase the textbook through any other source, or you will not receive credit for your reading assignments.)
Registration for ExpertTA online assignemnt management platform. The lowest price is available when registering directly with ExpertTA. Students who have paid for three semesters of access to ExpertTA will not be charged for additional semesters. Every student can take advantage of ExpertTA's 14-day trial period to immediately begin working on scheduled assignments.
Portable newtwork capable electronic device (laptop, tablet, or smartphone) capable of using a browser to connect to the internet, is required and must be adequately charged for each class meeting. Promptly contact your instructor if you do not have access to such a device and arrangments will be made for you to borrow during class time one of the laptops the department has for this purpose.
On-Line Homework: all students are required to register with Expert TA. The access code for our course is 1D21C3-2AV, and the url for registration in our ExpertTA course is http://goeta.link/USH19KY-1D21C3-2AV.
Learning Catalytics: During each lecture meeting, questions will be posed that earn credit toward your course grade when responses are entered using Learning Catalytics. For fall 2021, Learning Catalytics is linked via our PHYS 265 Blackboard coures site and The WKU Store's FirstDayAccess program. Partial credit will be given for participation and full credit for correct answers.
I consider myself to be open and accessible to my students. You are always welcome to drop by my office to seek advice, discuss your progress, or ask questions. If my door is open and I am around, then I will do my best to make time to sit down with you. Anyone who finds that my availability does not live up to my desires can catch me during my scheduled office hours or make an appointment at our mutual convenience.
University Physics is an introduction to classical physics for students in the physical sciences (including chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, physics, and engineering related degree programs. The emphasis will be on developing problem solving skills and understanding the basic concepts and definitions used in the study and application of physics. A calculus course equivalent to MATH 137 is a prerequisite. Calculus will be an integral part of the course work.
The primary objectives of the course are to:
|
|
The goal of early physics classes is to introduce the fundamental laws and to develop good problem solving skills. At this introductory level, the material will be a cartoon of the real world, often simplified to an unrealistic and unsatisfying level. Successful students will learn to see behind the elementary problems introduced in this class and apply the overall concepts to the complex world.
Each student will be evaluated on the ability to communicate her/his progress to the instructor. Thus, the process of solving a problem is more important than the final answer. Working to solve sample problems, both those assigned for homework and as many additional exercises as possible, is the single most important key to success in this course. However, it is not possible to learn this material just by doing problems. Successful students will also understand how the main concepts and laws came about. Memorization will not be a large component of the course. On the other hand, each student will be expected to know enough about the definitions, concepts and techniques to be able to expand their knowledge and apply it to new situations.
It is important that students take responsibility for their education. Ask questions, both inside and outside the classroom. Discuss the material with friends and classmates how this course relates to the real world. Manage your time and do not cram for exams. The student and professor make a team, you both want to learn the material and earn a good grade. During the first week of the semester, you should read these brief essays: how to achieve academic success and taking good notes. You might also check out the links on this webpage for other study skills information.
I expect prompt and regular attendance. Material presented in lecture takes precedence over the text. Lectures will largely follow the order of the book, though lecture content may differ somewhat from the text. Students are advised to keep their notes up to date and to read the text as an accompaniment to their notes. Missed classes should be covered by obtaining notes from other students.
You must attend all tests and the final exam at the scheduled times. If you are unable to take an exam with the rest of the class you must notify the instructor before the regularly scheduled exam time. The only makeup exams allowed after the class takes the test will be for students with a verified excuse of illness or extraordinary crisis. A missed exam will otherwise be scored as a zero.
Students with disabilities who require accomodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Service, 445 Potter Hall, (270) 745-5004 V/TDD. Please do not request accomodations directly from the professor without a letter from the office of Student Disability Services.
The final grade will be determined from the following formula:
|
100 pts (Final Exam) 60 pts (Test1) 60 pts (Test2) 60 pts (Test3) 60 pts (Test4) 60 pts (Learning Catalytics activities) 50 pts (Homework Avg) 50 pts (vPython Programs) 20 pts (Perusall online discussions) 500 Points toward course grade, with any additional points as extra credit |
Your grade will be based on your percentage average score for the course: (total points / 500) * 100.
Letter grades will be assigned on a 90, 80, 70, 60 breakpoint, with class-wide upward adjustment possible according to the instructor's judgement. Appeals of test and homework grades will be considered up to a week after return of work. Later changes in grades are entirely at the instructor's discretion.
All work turned in for a grade must be your own. Collaboration is allowed only up to the point at which you determine the approach to solving a problem. When it comes time to actually solve a given problem and record the answer for grading, each student must work independently. No credit will be given for work that is not demonstrably your own. When solutions which are too similar are submitted for grading, all parties involved will receive a grade of zero and be reported to the WKU Office of Student Conduct. With the above restrictions in mind, studying and working in groups is strongly encouraged.
Your electronoic device should only be used for specific classroom activies that require them, such as assignments or taking notes. If your usage distracts other students you may be asked to leave that class meeting.
The textbook will be accessed through Blackboard using a tool called Perusall, which combines an electronic textbook with a social media environment where you can participate in online discussions with other students on questions and issues that arise while reading the textbook.
You are responsible for reading the textbook before the material is introduced in lecture. Only by staying ahead of deadlines with thorough reading of the assigned sections in the textbook and diligent practice with example problems will you be able to start your homework early and master the material. I suggest that you initially preview the readings by slowly flipping through the assigned sections and paying attention to the headings, pictures/figures and their captions, and the boxed or emphasized text. When you sit down to thoroughly read the sections, make sure you give the task your full concentration. Don't let your mind wander, read only as fast as you can thoroughly understand the material, and reread the sections until everything is completely clear to you.
You will access these assignments by clicking the Perusall link within Blackboard. Within Blackboard, you will find a link to the Perusall assignments, requiring you to annotate the readings from the Matter & Interactions e-text. Points are earned when you write comments for your group to view, raise questions, and respond to questions left by others in your group. The Perusall software system automatically assigns a grade based on the quality and quantity of your annotations. Online annotations are due before the start of each class meeting, and the default requirement is to make at least four annotations per reading assignment.
Do not purchase the textbook from any other source as you will not be able to receive credit for your
reading except from within Perusall. You will need to purchase textbook access by the second week.
There will be two options for access:
1. Perpetual Access - This is what WKU Physics and Astronomy faculty recommend for all students,
but certainly anyone who will need to take both semesters of University Physics should purchase this option.
2. 150 Day Access - Only purchase this option if you are absolutely certain that you will not need the textbook after this semester.
You are responsible for reading the textbook before the material is introduced in lecture. Only by staying ahead of deadlines with thorough reading of the assigned chapters in the textbook and diligent practice with example problems will you be able to start your homework early and master the material.
In general, a homework assignment will be due just before the start of every lecture of the semester. All homework will be assigned and submitted via the Expert TA system. Register for ExpertTA using the link http://goeta.link/USH19KY-1D21C3-2AV and enter your @topper.wku.edu email address.
The calendar and schedule of assignments is only available via ExpertTA. Homework problems may be assigned on material which has not been covered in lecture. Each assignment will be viewable at least one week before the due date, to allow you to work ahead. No homework will be accepted after the due date, unless an exception has been requested before the due date. Appeals of homework grades will be considered up to one week after the scores are returned. Later changes in grades are entirely at the instructor's discretion.
Glowscript is a free-to-use vPython program compilation and execution environment, http://www.glowscript.org/. We will be using this program through the semester for computational projects assigned as both in-class and out-of-class exercises.
To register for Learning Catalytics:
1. Go to www.learningcatalytics.com and click the Register link near the top right.
2. Answer NO to "Are you using Learning Catalytics with a MyLab or Mastering product?"
The questions will be primarily quantitative problems. A diligent effort to solve assigned homework and additional problems is the best strategy for a passing grade. However, be aware that the problems on the exams will be variations of the homework; a firm grasp of the big picture is needed to score high on exams.
You are required to bring pencils and a calculator to each exam. In addition, you may also bring a single 8.5x11 sheet with formulae and constants. No other outside material, notes, texts, etc., will be allowed.
Individual exam grades will not be curved. Appeals of exam grades will be considered up to one week after tests are first returned to the class. Later changes in grades are entirely at the instructor's discretion.
Return to the top of the page.
