PHYSICS 220 - FALL 2015
Lecturers:
Prof. Daniel Elliott
Office: MSEE Room 258
Phone: 49-43442
E-mail: elliottd@purdue.edu
Office hours: Mon. & Wed. 9:30-10:30, 1:30-2:30, or by appointment.
Prof. T. J. Moffett
Office: Room 244 Physics Building
Phone: 49-45508
E-mail: tmoffett@purdue.edu
Office hours: Monday & Wednesday 11:30 - Noon, or by appointment.
Class:
Room 114 Physics
Monday and Wednesday 10:30 (Moffett) or 11:30, 12:30 (Elliott)
Textbook:
College Physics, By: Etkina, Gentile, Van Heuvelen (Pearson Custom
Publishing) plus Physics 220 Laboratory Manual (2014/2015).
Website:
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/phys220/
http://mycourses.purdue.edu/ – Blackboard
Recitation
Instructor:
Michael Meier, Room 381 Physics Building
E-mail: mdmeier@purdue.edu
Lab Coordinator: Dr. A. Lewicki
Office: Room 142, Physics Building
E-mail: lewicki@purdue.edu
COURSE STRUCTURE:
The course has three different components: Lecture, Recitation and Laboratory. The
lectures will concentrate on developing an understanding of fundamental concepts. The
recitations will be devoted to developing problem-solving skills. The laboratory will give
you a chance to test the laws of physics presented in the lecture. Note that different
people are in charge of the three components.
PREREQUISITES:
College algebra and trigonometry
LECTURES:
The lecture will be used to introduce new material. Demonstrations will take place during
lectures to illustrate the physics concepts.
If you are not prepared for even one lecture, you will quickly fall behind. We are
confident that regular attendance at lectures will be rewarded by better exam and
homework grades. A tentative reading and homework assignment schedule is at the end
of this syllabus. You should read the assigned sections before coming to each lecture.
This is not an easy course! A large amount of material will be covered so it is very
important that you do not fall behind. Our advice to be successful in this is:
1) Attend class
2) Takes notes during lecture and as you read the text. The very act of writing something
down will aid in your ability to remember the material.
3) Read and keep up to date with the text.
4) Work as many problems as you can - i.e. work more than just the assigned homework
problems. After you work a problem, look and think about the answer you just
determined. Does it make sense! Always write down units and carry the units through
all of the calculations.
5) As you study, stop and ask yourself if you understand what you just read. If you don't,
go back over the material until you understand it.
RECITATIONS:
While the emphasis in this course will be on concepts, it is important to be able to apply
the concepts to actual problems. The recitation will be where you can get feedback and
advice on how to solve such problems.
HOMEWORK:
There will be 14 homework assignments. All homework is done using Mastering Physics
on your computer. Each homework problem has randomly generated input values so each
student will have a unique answer. Make sure that you use your own input values when
solving each problem. To receive credit your answer must be within ± 1% of the correct
answer, so you are advised to CARRY AT LEAST 4 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN
YOUR CALCULATIONS. You should enter 4 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES EVEN IF
MASTERING PHYSICS ASKS FOR LESS. The HW grading policy is as follows:
A – Multiple-choice problems have only one attempt for full credit.
B – Numerical problems have a maximum of 5 attempts before the deadline to obtain
100% credit. Except for the first homework, the deadline will be Monday night at 11:59
PM. After the deadline, 10% will be deducted for each day late. Details on the grading
policy can be found on Mastering Physics. There are extra credit homework problem that
you can work to gain additional homework points.
EXAMS:
There will be two 1.5-hour exams during the semester and a 2-hour final exam. The
chapters covered on each exam and the room assignments for each evening exam will be
announced about a week before the exam date. We will not respond to E-mails asking
what will be on the exam or where you need to take the exam. The exams are multiplechoice. All exams are closed book and you must remember to bring your ID to the exams.
We will provide a formula sheet for each exam (you can only bring #2 pencils and a
calculator). Cheaters will be given an F in the course and will be reported to the Dean of
Students. Those with adaptive learner status should email or speak with your lecturer
BEFORE the first exam. The two exams will take place on:
Exam #1: Oct 08, 2015, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
Exam #2: Nov 16, 2015, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
Both Exams will be in EE 129 and WTHR 200 (Your particular room will be given later)
Information regarding the final exam will be announced later.
GRADING:
Your final grade will be based on a possible 900 points derived as follows:
2 Exams (each 150 points)
Final Exam
Laboratory
Homework
Total
300 points
300 points
150 points
150 points
900 points
Final grades will include the +/- modifiers. The exact cut offs for various letter grades
will not be determined until the end of the semester. If you make 90% or better, you will
probably get an A, 80% a B, 70% C, etc. The exact conversions from points to letter
grade will not be known until after the semester.
Note also that you must pass (50% or better) the lab in order to pass the course. The
requirements for passing the lab are given in the separate page on lab policies and work.
During the semester, you should regularly check that your exam, lab and homework,
grades have been correctly entered into your Gradebook. It is your responsibility to
bring any problems with your assigned grades to the attention of your instructor
immediately.
ABSENCES AND EXCUSED GRADES:
There is no way to make up missed midterm exams. Unexcused absences from any
midterm exam will be assigned a zero grade; Excused grades will be given only in one of
the following circumstances: (1) illness; (2) personal crisis (e.g., automobile accidents,
required court appearance, death of a close relative, weather conditions that make it
impossible to get to the university); and (3) required attendance at an official Purdue
activity (e.g., athletics). You must contact your lecturer as soon as possible but before
the exam and discuss your problem. Appropriate documents (e.g., a written note from a
doctor, with his/her name and phone number included) may be needed to judge the merit
of the excuse. More than one exam will likely not be excused; Missing the final exam
cannot be excused
GETTING HELP:
Recitation sessions are very important. They allow you to ask questions about homework
or course material. Your recitation instructor will also give you suggestions on how to
successfully attack physics problems.
HELP CENTER:
The Physics Help Center located in Physics Room 11A has people who can help you with
any physics problems. Hours when the help room is staffed will be posted on the door
soon after the semester starts and on the following website:
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/academicprograms/docs/help_centers/HC218220.pdf
PHYSICS LIBRARY:
The Physics Library is located in room PHYS 290.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Cheating comes in many forms from cribbing some key concepts as an aid to getting
someone else to sit in and take the exam for you (a ringer). Unfortunately, justice is blind
and any incidence of academic dishonesty will be dealt with quickly and severely. Don’t
let the anonymity of a large class lull you into a false confidence that cheating will be
easy. It won’t be and the teaching assistants and lecturers will be ever vigilant. Cheating
compromises yourself, your classmates, and the University. If you are aware of someone
who is cheating and getting away with don’t hesitate to let me know. Be discrete but be
confident that it is the right thing to do.