SP211: Physics I
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Course Policy Statement, Fall 2015
Dr. Seth Rittenhouse
CH291
(410) 293 - 6672 (office);
rittenho@usna.edu
course website: www.usna.edu/Users/physics/rittenhouse/SP212 Spring2016.php
Sections:
SP212/1126: MWF1 (0755 - 0845) CH018, Lab: T12 (0755 - 0945) MI001
SP212/3326: MWF3 (0955 - 1045) CH018, Lab: T34 (0955 - 1145) MI001
Text: Halliday, Resnick & Walker, Fundamentals of Physics, 10th ed., John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Course Overview: This is the second course in a two-course core sequence covering introductory,
calculus-based physics. You will learn concept and problem solving skills covering covering electricity and magnetism, circuits, light and optics..
Learning Outcomes: Being able to “do” physics is much more than finding the right equation
and plugging in the right numbers. Instead it involves a whole host of skills such as critical and
creative thinking, visualization, inductive reasoning, and being able being able to translate between
different representations of information. In this course you will develop powerful, concept-driven
methods and approaches for solving problems and for thinking about the world. The Learning
Outcomes for this course are:
• Learning Outcome 1 - Remember and recall statements of the definitions, concepts and laws
that govern classical electricity, magnetism and light..
• Learning Outcome 2 - Describe the concepts and laws that govern classical electricity, magnetism and light.
• Learning Outcome 3 - Apply the concepts and laws of classical electricity, magnetism and light
to solve both qualitative and quantitative single-step problems.
• Learning Outcome 4 - Analyze quantitative and qualitative problems involving two or more
concepts and laws of electricity, magnetism and light.
• Learning Outcome 5 - Combine concepts and laws to solve such problem.
• Learning Outcome 6 - Evaluate how well the concepts and laws of electricity, magnetism, and
light fit observations of physical phenomena.
Grading (Progress shown in parentheses)
Homework: 20%(20%) Labs: 5%(5%) Quizes: 10%(15%)
Exams: 30%(60%) Final: 30%(n/a)
Notebook: 5%(n/a)
Assessment: Your grade for the course will be evaluated using the following scale:
Grade
A
90–100%
B
80–90%
C
70–80%
D
60–70%
F
<60%
Prof. Rittenhouse reserves the right to modify this grading scale. However, modifications (if deemed
necessary) will be in the midshipman’s favor. If a midshipman gets an F on the final exams,
Prof. Rittenhouse reserves the right to give that student a grade that is lower than their 16 week
course average.
Homework: There will be a homework assignment on the material covered in each lecture from
class and will be assigned through the WileyPlus online system (which can be found at www.wileyplus.com).
Homework will be due at the end of each examination period (6 week, 12 week, and 16 week). The
chapters due for each exam will be announced in class. I strongly encourage you to start working
on the homework problems as soon as they are posted. We learn by doing, and you will be at a
severe disadvantage on tests and quizzes if you neglect this aspect of your learning experience. I
also encourage you to work with your classmates on these assignments, however in the end your
work must be your own. This means that you can discuss assignments, and even work problems
out together, but the final product must be be yours. YOU MAY NOT COPY SOLUTIONS from
your classmates or any other source. You must document your work neatly, cleanly and completely
in your course notebook to be handed in at the end of the semester (see below). Some quiz and
exam questions will be modeled on problems from the homework. Work as many problems as you
can, including some that I don’t assign.
Labs: Observation is a key part of physics, and it is important for you to see the things we talk
about in the lab. As in all sciences, physics is beholden to the natural world, and everything we
will talk about has been confirmed by careful experimentation, and the laboratory aspect of this
course reflects the importance of these ideas. The labs are designed to provide experiential learning.
You will develop an intuition for the concepts and principles that are discussed in class, and will
be introduced to the methodology of experimental physical science. In lab, you will be asked to
perform experiment(s), take data, and complete lab worksheets. Before you leave lab, I will ask to
see your lab worksheet, and I will ask you a couple of questions about what you learned in lab. I
will base your lab score on the completion of your lab worksheets.
Quizzes: There will be a short multiple choice, in-class quiz every Friday except for exam weeks.
The quizzes will be on the material from class from that week, and will be loosely based on any
in-class worksheets, the WileyPlus homework problems, the “Checkpoints” in the textbook, and
the “Sample Problems” in the textbook.
Exams: There will be 5, 50 minute mid-term exams, collectively worth 30% of your grade. Your lowest
exam grade will be dropped and your exam grade will be evenly distributed between the remaining 4. The
exams will be multiple choice and no partial credit will be given. However, you may receive up to 1/3
credit for exam corrections which will be due on a day announced in class when the exam is returned. Your
corrections must be neat, detailed, and complete with all your work shown to be awarded these points.
Missed exams due to illness or a pre-approved absence will be handled on a case by case basis.
Notebook: Throughout the course of the semester you will collect all in class worksheets and compile
all of your homework solutions neatly and completely with all relevant work shown into a notebook. This
notebook will serve as your most useful study aid and will serve as the starting point for all discussions
involving homework and worksheets during E.I. Your notebook will be collected at the end of the semester
and is worth 5% of your total grade.
Final Exam: The final exam is worth 30% of your grade. It will be a multiple choice exam taken by all
sections of SP212.
Extra Instruction: Please contact me either before or after class or by email and we will find a time
that works for both of us. I am here to help you, and I enjoy talking about physics with students so please
feel free to contact me about EI. Also if you see me in the hall, or stop by my office, I will try to make the
time to chat (though I cannot guarantee anything outside of pre-scheduled EI times).
Classroom behavior: I expect you to act in a mature and respectful manner in the classroom. Laptops
are allowed during class time if you are using it for activities related to the course such as looking up
worksheet solutions or working on Wiley Plus. Cell phones, however are not allowed. There is no food
allowed in the room, however you may have a reasonable, covered beverage.
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: Unless told otherwise, all exams and quizzes will be closed
book and collaboration is not allowed. I strongly encourage you to study and work on homework together
in groups (your classmates are some of your best learning resources!). However, anything you turn in for
credit like homework, quizzes or exams, must in the end be YOUR OWN WORK. Representing someone
else’s work or answers (from any source) as your own constitutes plagiarism, is a violation of the honor
code, and will not be tolerated.
Schedule: Below is a tentative schedule listing the book sections that I plan on covering each day as well
as lab and exam days. I will try to stick to this schedule to the best of my ability. Inevitably, you or I will
decide that we need more (or less) time covering a particular topic. This schedule is therefore meant only
as a rough guide to what we will be covering on a particular day.
Monday
12Jan – 15Jan
18Jan– 22Jan
25Jan – 29Jan
01Feb – 05Feb
08Feb – 12Feb
15Feb – 19Feb
22Feb – 26Feb
29Feb – 04Mar
07Mar – 11Mar
14Mar – 18Mar
21Mar – 25Mar
28Mar – 01Apr
04Apr – 08Apr
11Apr – 15Apr
18Apr – 22Apr
25Apr – 29Apr
02May – 03May
MLK
23.(1–2)
24.(1–3)
25.(1–3)
Pres.
Exam 1
28.1
38.(7,8)
Break
29.3
30.2
Exam 4
33.(1–3)
34.(1,2)
35.(4,5)
Exam 5
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
21.(1–3)
22.(1–3)
Lab 1
22.(4,5)
22(6,7)
Lab 2
23.(3–6)
23.(3–6)
Exam 1
24.(4,5)
24(6–8)
Lab 3
25.(4,5)
26.(1–3)
26(4,5)
27.1
Demo Day
Lab 4
27.(2,3)
27.4
Lab 5
28.(2,3)
28.(4,6)
Lab 6
Exam 3
29.(1,2)
Break
Break
Break
Lab 7
29.(4,5)
30.1
30.(4,5)
30.6
Demo Day
30.(7,8)
31.1
32.(1–3)
Lab 8
33.(4,5)
33.(6,7)
Lab 9
34.(3,4)
35.(1,2)
Lab 10
36.(1,3)
36.5
Demo Day End of Classes
Course Policy Changes: This Course Policy Statement is subject to change. Changes, if any, will be
announced in class. Students will be held responsible for all changes.