Saucon Valley High School
COURSE TITLE: AP Physics C Part 1 Mechanics
Course meeting days and times: Monday – Friday: 10:48 to 12:14
Room number: E213
Current semester: Fall 2012
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructor’s name: Mr. Robert Svitilla
Office hour: Monday 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Office location: E213
E-mail address: robert.svitilla@svpanthers.org
Telephone number (emergencies only): 484-554-5570
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Required texts: Physics For Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach 2nd ed.
Knight, Randall D.
Student Solutions Manual for Physics for Scientists and Engineers 2nd ed. Knight,
Nutter, and Smith
Other supplies: Scientific or Graphing Calculator, graph paper, and a notebook
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
AP Physics C: Mechanics provides instruction in each of the following six content areas:
kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion; work, energy and power; systems of particles and
linear momentum; circular motion and rotation; and oscillations and gravitation . It is a
college level Calculus based Physics 1 course.
EXPECTATIONS:
Academic Honesty Policy
I considers honesty to be essential to the learning experience. Academic honesty is
one of the values that I expect members of my classes will apply in their work at school
and take into their lives beyond high school. Violations of academic honesty harm the
learning experience and violate the expectations and values that I hope my students
embrace. I expect all members of my courses to conduct themselves and their work
ethically and honestly.
Student Responsibilities
 Students are solely responsible for their work and for making sure that their
work represents their own honest efforts to meet the goals of the course.
 They are responsible for learning and following the policies and expectations
of the high school and for understanding the consequences of actions that
violate the policy on academic honesty.
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
They are responsible for showing that the work they present is theirs in
whatever ways are deemed appropriate by the faculty for the course.
Consequences of Plagiarism: Violations of the academic honesty policy include
any actions that attempt to gain academic credit for work that does not represent the
student’s own efforts and knowledge. They include, but are not limited to the
following situations and examples:

Cheating on examinations and quizzes
o Using notes, materials, and/or mechanical, electronic, or technological
devices not authorized by the instructror during examinations and
quizzes.
o Providing or receiving help on an examination or test in a manner not
authorized by the instructor.
o Buying, selling, improperly obtaining, or using any tests or
examinations
o Posing as another student or allowing another student to pose as you
when taking an exam or quiz
o Altering or adding answers on exercises, exams, or quizzes after the
work has been graded

Plagiarizing
o Using the ideas or words of others without appropriate quotation and
documentation that acknowledges the source or sources—in other
words, presenting someone else’s work as one’s own
o Copying exact words, phrases, or sentences without quoting and
giving credit to the source
o Using a paraphrased version of the opinions, work, or ideas of others
without giving credit
o The wrongful appropriation of all or part of someone else’s literary,
artistic, musical, mechanical, or computer-based work

Copying all or part of an assignment (research paper, lab report, or workbook)
from another person or resource and presenting it as your own work

Purchasing an assignment and submitting it as your own work

Falsifying or inventing information, data, or research material

Altering or forging records or submitting false records as part of course work
or making false statements, excuses, or claims to gain academic credit or
influence grading

Listing sources that you never consulted
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
Gaining unauthorized access to another person’s or the College’s computer
system or tampering with or copying programs, files, data, or access codes
associated with coursework

Tempering with or damaging the work of others or preventing others from
completing their own assignments
Failure to meet academic honesty requirements will result in a zero for the
assignment or examination.
Consequences of Late Work, Missed Exams, Make-Up Work: Late work will not be
accepted without an extension which has been arranged before the due date.
Missed Lecture, Labs, Exams
The student is responsible for all missed assignments, information, and examinations.
Consequences of Lateness to Class: Lateness is rude to both the instructor and your
fellow students. Please apologize if you enter late.
Schedule of Examinations:
The dates and the material covered for examinations will be announced at least one
week prior to the exam. Because of the nature of the course, all tests may be
comprehensive.
Reading Assignments
Other than for the first class session, reading assignments should be completed before
each class session that covers the subject matter. Reading the material beforehand will
enhance your comprehension during lecture and enable you to take high quality notes.
Rereading, using critical reading skills, after the information has been presented in
lecture can greatly improve concept comprehension and problem solving ability.
Practice Exercises
The majority of work the student will attempt while completing this course will be
comprised of practice exercises. The course does not include any presentations,
research papers, or formal laboratory reports. Not to worry, you are not getting ripped
off. The time commitment needed to practice, problem solving, is intensive. Practice
exercises need to be attempted regularly. Waiting, till a week before the test to start
practice exercises for the unit, most often will result in failure to achieve mastery of the
course objectives.
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN:
Quarter grade will be determined by:
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Unit Tests 70%
Lab Grade 20%
Weekly Grade (Homework, classwork, participation)10%
Semester grade will be determined by:
1st Quarter Grade 40%
2nd Quarter Grade 40%
Final Exam 20%
FINAL GRADES: Grading scale may be lowered, but not raised.
A 94 -100
B+ 87 – 89
C+ 77 – 79
D 60 - 69
A- 90 – 93
B 83 – 86
C 73 – 76
F < 60
B- 80 – 82
C- 70 – 72
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