PHYS 243 Syllabus
Summer 2011
Neil Goldman
Office: ST1 301
Office Hours: TR 11:00am →11:40 am
MW 9:45am→10:15am, 1:30pm-2:15pm
Date Lecture
5/23
5/24
5/25
5/26
1-1→1-8
2-1→2-6
2-7→3-5
3-6→4-4
e-mail: ngoldman@gmu.edu
Tel: 703www.physics.gmu.edu/~ngoldman/phys243
Recitation
Ch. 1: 13, 24, 32, 46 & Math tutorial 5, 6, 7
Ch.2: 5, 10, 19, 26, 36, 59 , 74, graph
Ch. 3: 6, 8, 16
5/27 4-5→5-1
__________________________________________________________________________________
5/30 Memorial Day Holiday
5/31 5-2→5-8, 5-10, 6-1
Ch. 3: 19, 30, 67, 2 tut; Ch. 4: 13, 23, 27, 37, 1 tut
6/1
TEST 1 (Ch. 1→4)
6/2
6-3→6-7
Ch. 5: 4, 7, 14, 31, 44; Ch. 6: 4, 18, 22, 23, 31, 2 tut
6/3
6-86-10, 7-1→7-4
__________________________________________________________________________________
6/6
7-6, 7-8, 8-1→8-3
6/7
8-4→8-8, 9-1→9-2
Ch 6: 37, 48, 55, 66; Ch. 7: 3, 35, 1 tut
Ch 8: 7, 11, 19
6/8
TEST 2(Ch. 5 → 8-3)
6/9
9-39-6; 10-110-5; 10-7
Ch. 8: 24, 37, 38, 57, 62, 77
Ch. 9: 3, 14, 15, 32
6/10 10-810-12 _________________________________________________________________________________
6/13
6/14
11-1→11-9; 11-11 11-13
12-1→12-3
Ch. 10: 12,25,42,54
Ch. 11: 8, 16, 31, 42, 57, 58, 67
6/15 12-4→12-9, 13-1
6/16 13-6→ 13-10;
Ch. 12: 5, 9, 14, 24, 33, 35, 41, 49, 53
6/17 TEST 3 (Ch. 8-4 →8-8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
___________________________________________________________________________________
6/20
6/21
6/22
6/23
14-1 14-2; 14-6→14-8
15-115-5
Review and Make-up
Reading Day
6/24
Final Examination
Ch. 13: 29, 33, 34 , 44, 48, 55, 94; Ch. 14: 6, 35, 38
Ch. 15: 6, 8, 17, 21
(7:30am → 10:15 am)
Schedule: The schedule listed above is subject to change, although test dates would only be changed under
extreme circumstances. It may be necessary to change test coverage or recitation assignments and you are
responsible for being aware of any such changes. Major changes will be announced in class and posted on the
course web page
Intended Audience for This Course: This is a two-semester non-calculus based physics course intended for
majors in biology and other sciences, excluding math, physics, or engineering. Generally it is not taken by
liberal arts students to satisfy the natural science requirement. You sign up for the lab under a separate course
number (PHYS 244).
Prerequisites: A college-level math course, and a working knowledge of algebra and trigonometry. If you are
uncertain if you are properly prepared for this course, please talk to me.
Required Text: Physics – Principles With Applications (6th ed.) by Giancoli Mastering Physics Access. We
will cover chapters 115 in PHYS 243. The accompanying Study Guide is recommended but not required.
(There will be no assignments from it.). You are required to have a scientific calculator, which should be
brought to all classes, especially to exams. (Be sure you know how to use it – especially for trig functions.) You
may not use a calculator with physics formulas or wireless capabilities on tests and the final exam.
Mastering Physics You must sign up immediately on line for the course Phy243Su11 and it can also be found
by instructor MPGOLDMAN54048. There is a set do for the first recitation.
Grade Calculation: There will be three tests during the semester and a two-part final. Part II of the final is a test
on the material from parts of Chapters 10, 13, 14 and 15 not covered by the other tests. There are thus 4 tests. The
lowest of these test grades will be dropped. Part I of the final is cumulative and must be taken.
Tests: 3 out of 4 counted
57% (19% each)
(includes Part II of final)
Part I of final
25%
Recitation
quizzes(Lec)
16% (8% quiz+8% homework score)
2%
Since the lowest test grade will be dropped, no rescheduled tests will be allowed. It is important that you be on
time for tests since it will be difficult to give extra time if you are late.
The final letter grade will be based on a curve in which the class median will probably be approximately a C+. I will give
you guidance after each test as to likely cuts for different letter grades but such guidance should not be considered as
binding since it is impossible to predict the result of the final exam, which is a large part of the final grade.
In the event of an unforeseen school closing on a test day, the test will be given at the very next lecture
session after the university reopens. If the weather forecast indicates a strong possibility of severe
weather or whatever, I might decide to postpone the test to the next class day. The course web page will
have any announcements posted as soon as possible.
Tests and Exams: The exams in this course will be both multiple choice (about 65-70%), and free form
problems (about 30-35%). Free- form problems will be similar to recitation problems, examples worked in the
text and class. The exams will test both your understanding of concepts as well as your ability to solve
problems. Time is likely to be a factor for many students so you must budget your time carefully on tests. An
equation list will be provided for the final exam and all tests but the first one. Part II of the final exam will be
cumulative. Students are expected to bring a ParScore Test Form scantron (dark green) to each test and final.
On test days, I will lecture for about 20 minutes and then begin the test. Students who wish to skip the lecture
to study should plan to arrive promptly at 7:50am for the start of the test.
Academic Integrity: You are expected to observe the GMU Honor Code on tests and exams.
Cheating on exams will be dealt with very severely. It can even result in your dismissal
from the University. There should be no communication between students of any kind
during tests and exams. If you don’t understand a question, please ask the instructor.
The tests and exam will be proctored.
Recitation: ALL STUDENTS REGISTERED FOR THE LECTURE MUST ALSO BE REGISTERED FOR
ONE OF THE RECITATION CLASSES. RECITATION IS MANDATORY. Students must attend recitation
sections for which they are registered. Your recitation instructor will discuss the grade components (quizzes,
homework, class participation), which will make up your total recitation grade.
For Your Assistance:
Office Hours: Office hours are listed above and on the course web page. If I am not able to meet a particular
office hour I will announce it in class and on the web page. If you are not able to see me during scheduled
office hours you may make an appointment or drop by my office, although in the latter case, I may not be able
to meet with you because of other time constraints. Generally I prefer e-mail communication to phone calls.
Useful Websites: You should visit the course web site at http://physics.gmu.edu/~ngoldman
frequently for updates on recitation assignments and course notes. The publisher of your text has a useful web
site for the book. (wps.prenhall.com/esm_giancoli_physicsppa_6)
Lecture Notes: For your convenience, I will post my lecture notes on the course web site
several days before I cover the material. The notes will cover most, but not all of what I
cover in class. Although I am making this material available to you, I strongly urge you
to not to use it as an excuse to skip class. The notes are in PowerPoint and it may be
necessary to obtain free software to read them. Because the notes for Chapter 3 and
later contain some figures from the book with permission, the publisher requires that the
notes be password protected.
Courtesy: You are expected to observe commonsense rules of courtesy, including
avoiding conversation during class, coming to lecture on time, and not leaving before the
end. If I feel that a student is disturbing others, I will request that the disturbance cease.
Cell phones must be turned off, especially on test days.
University policy gives instructors the right to ban laptops from classes. I will permit the
use of laptops as long as only one student is involved, the application is physics related
and other students are not distracted. It is very obvious to when a student is surfing the
web because the students behind him or her will be distracted. You may not collaborate
on lab reports in lecture. You may not stretch electrical wires across public walkways, so
make sure the laptop battery is charged. If I find that laptops are creating a disturbance,
I will restrict or eliminate them.
Please be aware that if you are disturbing the lecture, I will ask you to stop.