Physics 183
Physics for Scientists and Engineers I
Fall, 2015
Michigan State University
Instructor Information
Prof. Reinhard Schwienhorst
Office: 3241 Biomedical and Physical Science Building
Email: schwier@pa.msu.edu
Phone: (517) 884-5566
Home page:
http://www.pa.msu.edu/profile/schwier
Prof. Gary Westfall
Office: 2020 Cyclotron Building
Email: westfall@nscl.msu.edu
Phone: (517) 908-7324
Home page:
http://www.pa.msu.edu/profile/westfall
Course Description
This calculus-based course covers classical mechanics, solids and fluid, and waves.
Prerequisites
MTH 132 or MTH 152H or LBS 118 or concurrent registration
Not open to students with credit in:
LBS 271 or PHY 181B or PHY 183 or PHY 193H or PHY 231 or PHY 231B or
PHY 231C
Class Hours
Section 1: 12:40 pm to 1:30 pm, Mo Tu We Th, BPS 1410
Section 2: 1:50 pm to 2:40 pm, Mo Tu We Th, BPS 1410
Section 3: 3:00 pm to 3:50 pm, Mo Tu We Th, BPS 1410
Office Hours
Schwienhorst:
Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 5:00, 3241 BPS
Before and after class and by appointment
Westfall:
Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 5:00, 2020 Cyclotron Building
Wednesday from 4:00 pm to 5:00, 2020 Cyclotron Building
Other times by appointment
Help Room Hours
The Help Room is located in Room 1248 BPS
The Help Room is nominally open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday
We will have TAs associated with PHY 183 in the Help Room at the following times:
Tuesday: 9:00 – 11:00
Wednesday: 1:00 – 7:00
Thursday: 1:00 – 9:00
Friday: 11:30 – 1:30, 2:00 – 7:00
Exam Information
There will be thirteen 50-min Exams and one 2-hour Final Exam.
The exams will be given in class every Monday and will cover the material presented the
previous week. One 8.5x11 inch equation sheet is allowed.
There are no makeups.
The Final Exam will take place Thursday, December 17, 8:00 – 10:00 pm.
The Final Exam will be given in the following locations:
Sections 1 and 2 (12:40 – 1:30 pm and 1:50 to 2:40 pm): BCC N130
Section 3 (3:00 – 3:50): BCC N100
The Alternate Final Exam will take place Friday, December 18, 9-11 am, in room BPS
1400.
You are responsible for bringing the following to the Exams and Final exam:
(i) A calculator. All exams will require the use of a calculator. Make sure that your
calculator’s batteries are fresh, as sharing of calculators will not be allowed. All other
electronic devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.) are not allowed.
(ii) A No. 2 pencil for filling out the scantron form. Note that we will have a few pencils
and calculators available at the Exams. We will not have any pencils or calculators at the
Final Exam.
Deadlines
Deadlines
There will be 14 homework sets. The homework sets will each cover one chapter and are
generally due on Sunday at 11:59 pm.
There will be a LearnSmart module due before each lecture. Lectures generally take
place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Grading Information
Grades are based on the following formula:
LearnSmart: 10%
Homework: 25%
13 exams: 40% (your two lowest exams will be dropped when calculating your exam
grade in the course)
Final exam: 22%
Clicker Quizzes: 3%
This course is graded on a fixed scale. There will be no curve. The guaranteed scale
below is based on the total percentage of points.
Percentage ....... Grade
p > 92% ............... 4.0
92% > p > 84% ... 3.5
84% > p > 76% ... 3.0
76% > p > 68% ... 2.5
68% > p > 60% ... 2.0
60% > p > 52% ... 1.5
52% > p > 44% ... 1.0
p < 44% ............... 0
Clicker Quizzes
Clicker quizzes will be given in class. These quizzes will count toward your grade and as
extra credit. The extra credit will be 3% added to the final course grade. No makeups are
available for the clicker quizzes. Only 70% of the clicker points are required for full extra
credit.
Textbook
The textbook for this course is the electronic edition of “University Physics with Modern
Physics” by Wolfgang Bauer and Gary D. Westfall. PHY 183 will cover Chapters 1 –
15.
The electronic edition of the textbook can be purchased through the Spartan Bookstore or
directly from McGraw-Hill for $100. The electronic edition will remain valid for 2 years.
If you would like a printed version of the textbook, you can purchase a loose-leaf binder
version in full color for $40.
The electronic edition of the textbook includes LearnSmart, the SmartBook, Connect, and
the eBook for the course. You will need to purchase the electronic edition of the
textbook to carry out the assigned LearnSmart modules and do the course homework sets
using Connect.
When purchasing the textbook, you will need the following URL link to join PHY 183:
http://connect.mheducation.com/class/westfall-schweinhorst-all-sections