January 26, 2011
MYP/Honors Physics
Myers Park High School
INTRODUCTION
Dear Parent:
Science is headlining the news almost every day. It may be the space shuttle program, or
genetics research, or the latest drug to hit the market. In order for us to stay connected with
what is happening in conversations and make informed decisions it is necessary to have a
solid background in science. Physics is one of the four core areas of science that your
student will study to help prepare them for the world.
The most successful students are those who take responsibility for their own progress. We
should try as teachers and parents to help the student grow in self motivation and in
developing good study habits such as promptly completing homework, preparing for class,
taking notes, and working with a study partner.
Physics is a course that requires students to actively take part in their learning. This means
that homework and study time are both vitally important. If you find that your student is still
struggling in the course, know that help is available. The physics department is a close
group of colleagues who will arrange whatever we can to help your student achieve his or
her best in our discipline.
In this newsletter you will find a list of policies and procedures. Please read them carefully
with your student and make sure that he or she understands all the responsibilities that
come with this course. Also note the needed materials.
I am looking forward to spending the semester exploring Physics with your student. As a
team, I believe that we can have a very successful year!
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Mr. Scott G. Shoaf
CLASS WEBSITE
Information for parents and students can be found at www.pages.cms.k12.nc.us/myersparkphysics .
The website is under construction during the 2010-2011 school year and may have some glitches.
Thank you for your patience.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Mr. Scott G. Shoaf
Email: scottyg.shoaf@cms.k12.nc.us
School Phone: 980-343-5800 ext. 584
After School Tutoring: Thursdays 2:20-3:30 in B-2 or by appointment.
Email is the most efficient way to contact me. Thank you.
HAVING TROUBLE AND NEED HELP?
1. Try reading the section in your textbook that corresponds to the material being covered in
class.
2. Go to the website www.physicsclassroom.com and do the tutorial that corresponds with the
material being covered in class.
3. Come to tutoring afterschool on Thursdays or make an appointment.
If you have tried these three things and are still having difficulty, please see me as soon as possible
to explore other alternatives.
Physics Survival Pack
Just like any project, physics requires certain tools to get the job done right. Below you will
find the required materials for the course:
1.5 Inch Three-ring Binder: A notebook will be needed to be kept specifically for Physics.
Because there are so many notes and handouts, the three-ring binder is the notebook of
choice.
Writing Utensil: As always, a pencil is best for a science course. You work will require you to
make corrections and adjustments. ALL work must therefore be submitted to me in pencil.
Colored Pencils: Will assist in understanding concepts in notes and on exercises.
Calculator: You will need a scientific calculator for the course. A graphing calculator can be
useful, but is not required.
Attendance
Because each class builds on previous knowledge, it is very important that students are in
class every day. When absences cannot be avoided, it is the student’s responsibility to get
the notes and the assignments missed. This is the expectation of the teacher and the
responsibility of the student.
Beginning Class
Students should come to class every day with their notebook, calculator, paper, writing
utensil, and all work. Students are expected to be in the door BEFORE the bell rings.
Students should take care of all bathroom business BEFORE class.
Grading Policy
Tests: 60%
Homework: 10%
Labs: 15 %
Quizzes: 15%
Grade Distribution
A: 100-93
B: 92-85
C: 84-77
D: 76-70
Important Dates
Mid-year Exams:
Bridge Testing:
Final Exams: TBA
F: <69
March 23 – 30, 2011
April 15, 2011
Unit Tests
Tests will be given at the end of every unit. If a student knows that he or she will be out of class on
the day of a test (for a field trip, band concert, etc.) the student is responsible for making an
appointment with the teacher and taking the test ahead of time. These tests will cover the same
material as the regular test, but will not necessarily be the same test or format. Students have five
class days to make up the test, after that time the tests are considered to be zeros in the grade
book. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule their tests within that time frame, not the
teacher’s.
Quizzes
Quizzes will be announced and unannounced. Your two lowest quiz grade will be omitted at the end
of each nine weeks, provided all quizzes were taken in class on regular days. If a quiz is missed for
any reason, it will count as your omitted quiz. If more than two quizzes are missed, those must be
made up afterschool.
Homework
Students are assigned homework most nights. Some assignments will be online, and students will
need internet access to obtain the work and turn in their answers. They DO NOT, however, need to
be on a computer to work on the assignment, nor do they need to answer the questions in order or
all at once.
Homework is an extension of the class lesson and is vital to successfully mastering Physics. They
need to work on problem sets every evening, not just the day before it is due. The due date for
homework is given in the syllabus, and will be due at 10 pm on that date. After the due date has
passed, students will be able to access the correct answers and solutions by picking up the solutions
on the UTexas site.
UT Homework Information
Getting Started
a) Log on to the following address
http://quest.cns.utexas.edu/student/
b) Get your UTEID by following the instructions at the given link. Then log back in to the system.
c) When you view "My Courses", if you don't see any courses listed, click "Enroll in new course".
Obtain the unique number for your class from your instructor and enter this when prompted. Your instructor
will be notified that you want to register, and you will see a status message indicating that your enrollment is
pending.
Your number is ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
d) Viewing and submitting your assignment
Choose My Courses to view your course listings, and then choose a course to see the assignments associated
with that course. Click on an individual assignment to see problems and a form to submit your answers.
Problems have many different variations, so your assignment will be different from another student in your
class. All assignments have due dates and your instructor has the option of displaying a solution after the due
date has passed.
Numbers
a) Significant digits and precision The computer carries out all calculations to at least six significant digits. Do
not use "significant figures" algorithms to round off your answer. Do not round off 'intermediate' calculations.
Six digits are shown in solutions. To be scored as correct, an answer must be within 1% of the computer's
answer (except for an answer of zero, which must be exact). You will be informed of any exceptions to this
tolerance.
b) Scientific/Engineering notation ("times 10 to the power") Very large or very small numbers may be input
with "scientific notation," e.g., +3.56e-10, which is 3.56 times ten to the negative tenth power. However, 468
(or 468.0) is just as good as +4.68e+02 or +4.68E+02.
Constants and Conversion Factors
Be aware that using conversion factors and/or constants not identical with those used by the algorithm in the
computer may cause discrepancies (e.g., using pi = 3.14 instead of pi = 3.14159265358979324). In general,
don’t use constants other than those given in the links in the help section online.
Number of Tries Allowed for
Web submission
You will be told immediately whether your answer is correct or not. If your answer is incorrect, you are provided
additional opportunities (multiple tries) to get the correct answer, as follows:
a) Multiple-choice questions: You are allowed n - 1 tries, where n = "number of choices."
b) Numeric questions: On "numeric" questions (you input the number itself), you are allowed seven tries.
Randomization
All students have the same generic question; however, each student has different parameters and hence
different answers. The order of the choices is scrambled from version to version.
Online Homework Scoring
a) Multiple-choice questions
A randomly guessing student should, on average, receive the same score as a student who does not answer.
Our multiple-choice scoring scheme corrects for random guessing by giving negative scores for incorrect
answers. (The SAT does this also.) This scheme makes haphazard guessing a waste of time, which will not
improve (or help) your score over the long run.
If you are not sure of the correct answer, but you can eliminate one or more of the choices as wrong, you
increase your chances of selecting the correct answer. Statistically, it is to your advantage to answer such a
question.
The table above illustrates how the neutral scoring scheme works for a +10.00 point question. The table is
subdivided into three blocks, which represent the number of choices for a particular multiple choice question:
Block 1 (10 choices); Block 2 (6); and Block 3 (3 choices). Each block includes three columns: Try represents
the number of times a question is attempted; Correct represents the question score if answered correctly on
this particular attempt; and Incorrect represents the question score if answered incorrectly on this and all
previous attempts. For example, when you select the correct choice on the first try, you receive full credit; a
score of +10.00. If your answer is incorrect (on a 10 option question), however, you are penalized and you
receive a negative score of -1.11 (at least until you try again).
b) Numeric questions using web submission
For more than one try, the full credit score is multiplied by 0.93^(t - 1), where “t” is the number of tries you use,
and “^” means “raised to the power of”.
Question with 10 tries
Question with 6 tries
Question with 3 tries
Try
Correct
Incorrect
Try
Correct
Incorrect
Try
Correct
Incorrect
1
+10
-1.11
1
+10
-2
1
+10
-5
2
+7.78
-2.22
2
+6
-4
2
0
-10
3
+5.56
-3.33
3
+2
-6
4
+3.33
-4.44
4
-2
-8
5
+1.11
-5.56
5
-6
-10
6
-1.11
-6.67
7
-3.33
-7.78
8
-5.56
-8.89
9
-7.78
-10
Class Rules
The following are four simple rules that will be followed in addition to the school rules/policies and lab
procedures.
Be Courteous—respect the other students around you as well as the teacher, and behave in a manner that
exhibits this respect
Be Prepared—come to class on time with all materials, ready to work and learn for a full ninety minutes
Be Responsible—for your materials, your deadlines, your behavior, and the lab equipment when it is in use.
Be Safe—due to the nature of many of our physics labs it is EXTREMELY important that you respect the rules
of the lab to protect yourself and those around you.
Consequences
Should any of the rules of the class or school be broken the following consequence plan will be put into action
as appropriate.
1. Warning verbal or non-verbal cue
2. Private discussion with Mr. Shoaf after class
3. 15 minute lunch detention
4. 30 minute lunch detention student will write a letter home to parent to be used at next consequence
describing behavior and consequences
5. The letter written will be sent home to parent with addendum from current behavior issue. In addition Mr.
Shoaf will call home to discuss the issue and an after school detention will be issued
6. The issue will be referred to the office
Mr. Shoaf’s Wish List
Colored Copy Paper
Copy Paper
“D Size” Batteries
Tissue/Kleenex
Paper Towels
Dry Erase Markers
By signing and returning this form you are agreeing you have read and understand
everything in this five page handout. In particular the following items:
1. A calculator must be brought to class every day.
2. Students will need access to a computer with Internet access throughout the
course of this class.
3. Homework is due and receives a grade on the date listed in the syllabus and on
UTexas website. If this date needs to be changed it will be announced in class
and listed as an emergency message upon logging in to the UTexas website.
Please print the information below, detach, and return it to me by Monday, January 31, 2011.
 Please cut along dotted line
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------
Student Name: __________________________________________________
Guidance Counselor: ______________________________________________
Parent / Guardian Name: ___________________________________________
Home phone: ______________________________
Daytime phone: ____________________________
Best time to contact: ________________________
E-mail : ____________________________________
Any other important information: ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I have read this letter and understand what is expected of my child. I will do my best to help my child
fulfill his or her responsibilities and keep up with his or her progress. If I have any questions or
concerns or if I am unaware of my child’s progress, I will contact you through e-mail.
Print Student Name: _______________________________________________
Student Signature: ________________________________________________
Print Parent Name: ________________________________________________
Parent Signature: _________________________________________________