physics 101 syl lab uss 16

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Physics 101: Physics for Scientists and Engineers I, Spring 2016

Lecture/Lab T/R 12:45-5:20pm (Section 0574)Center for the Sciences 92033

Instructor: Adrian SoldatenkoOffice: Center for the Sciences 91069Phone: x4368Office Hours: M/W/T/R 11:00am-12:25pm and by appointmentEmail: [email protected] Class Web Site: http://moodle.piercecollege.edu Required Texts and Supplements:

Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman, University Physics, 14

th

ed. (2015), ISBN-13: 978-0321982582Lillian C. McDermott and Peter S. Schaffer, Tutorials in

Introductory Physics and Homework Package, 2nd ed., ISBN:0321823982

Physics 101 Lab Manual: David R. Sokoloff, Ronald K. Thornton,and Priscilla Laws’ RealTime Physics: Active Learning Laboratories (asmodified by Pierce College faculty)

Mastering Physics:https://www.masteringphysics.com/site/login.html

Scientific Calculator (it is your responsibility to know how to use

it properly)Course Description:

This course begins a sequence of three calculus-based physicscourses. Physics 101 considers the fundamental principles andapplications of classical mechanics, gravitation, periodic motion, andfluid mechanics at the beginning calculus level of mathematicalsophistication. The lecture and laboratory form a single integratedcourse. The laboratory includes both quantitative and qualitativeexperiments, tutorials, and conceptual activities which permit studentsto verify, illustrate, and deduce various laws of physics.

Student Learning Outcomes:Student demonstrates an understanding of the scientific methodand applies it to the description and explanation of motion andinteractions in the following ways:

1. Use algebra, calculus, and vector analysis to solve quantitativeproblems in a variety of contexts, including both everydaysituations and science/engineering applications, by applying

http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/[email protected]://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/https://www.masteringphysics.com/site/login.htmlhttps://www.masteringphysics.com/site/login.htmlhttps://www.masteringphysics.com/site/login.htmlhttp://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/[email protected]


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Newton’s laws of motion and conservation laws (energy, linearand angular momentum).

2. Reason conceptually using classical dynamics and conservationlaws to make qualitative predictions, explain real-worldphenomena, and draw and interpret graphs and diagrams.

Prerequisites:

Calculus I (Math 261) with a grade of “C” or better.

Corequisites:

Calculus II (Math 262).

Important Dates:

Class Starts: Tuesday, February 9Last Day to Add: Saturday, February 20Last Day to Drop without Incurring Fees and without a “W”:

Sunday, February 21

EXAM I: Tuesday, March 8 (Week 5)EXAM II: Tuesday, March 29 (Week 8)EXAM III: Thursday, April 28 (Week 11)Last Day to Drop with a “W”: Sunday, May 8 Cesar Chavez Day: Thursday, March 31Spring Break: April 2-8EXAM IV: Tuesday, May 17 (Week 14)Last Day of Class: Thursday, May 26FINAL: Wednesday, June 1 (12:30pm – 2:30pm)

Grading:

You can find your scores for individual assignments posted on

the Moodle site after they have been graded. There is NO EXTRACREDIT, so make sure you understand how your grade is determined!No assignment turned in after the final exam will count for credit.

Homework (10%): Homework is your opportunity to practicethe material you have learned and to ensure that you are ready for theexams. The questions will come from the textbook and involve both,work that is written and submitted in class, AND work that is doneonline and submitted through Mastering Physics. Written HW is duebefore the END of class and online HW is due 30 minutes BEFORE class; late written HW will be reduced by 20% of its maximal value for

each class day it is late, late online HW will not be accepted. Pleasewrite your name, and student ID number (SID) on the first page ofyour HW. Make sure you space out and show all your work,number each problem, box your final answer, and staple all thepages together. DO NOT COPY any classmates HW, although youshould feel free to work together and share ideas, outright copying willbe dealt with according to college policy (see below) and will not helpyou pass this class. Select problems will be graded from each


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assignment with scores based on correctness, organization, andapplication of the ideas taught in class. Solutions must be completeand show that there is mastery of the material, one word or singlenumber answers, even if correct, will earn scores below passing. At theend of the semester the lowest homework score will be dropped when

calculating final grades.Participation (5%): Your presence and participation in class is

vital to your success. If you know you will be missing class on anygiven date let me know in writing, WHEN AND WHY, by the last dayto add (September 11), if there is an emergency email me ASAP.After two or more days of unexcused absences, you may be

excluded from the class. However, if you stop attending class, it isyour responsibility to drop the class at the Pierce College Officeof Admissions and Records. Do not depend on me to excludeyou. Otherwise, you will probably receive a grade of F in the

course. Each day of class you will be awarded points forcontributing to discussions and /or interactive lecture demonstrations.Full credit will be awarded to all students that participate, being absentor not participating will earn you a zero for that activity. At the end ofthe semester your lowest participation score will be dropped.

Reading Quizzes (10%): Keeping up with the readings will helpyou connect with the lectures, labs, and class activities. Throughouteach chapter in the text the authors provide example exercise andmultiple choice questions for you to answer as you read. The quizzes

will primarily be based on these questions, however occasionally thequestions will be designed by me. Your answers are to be submitted

on Mastering Physics, where they will be graded primarily on effort.These quizzes will be due 30 minutes BEFORE class, late work willNOT be accepted. At the end of the semester your two lowest readingquizzes will be dropped.

Laboratory (15%): Labs give you a chance to build physicalintuition for the concepts taught in class. Each lab is broken up intofour parts: the pre-lab, the experiment, the lab report and the labhomework assignment. Pre-labs must be completed BEFORE class,late pre-lab assignments will NOT be accepted, since they areintended as a way of familiarizing you with the coming lab. The details

of each lab will vary, but typically involve a set of experiments thattest the concepts taught in class and require the students to answerquestions, and take data. Lab reports, which involve the analysis ofthe data taken, will be written up by each student during the course ofthe lab and turned in at the END of the lab period. Lab report gradeswill be given for each GROUP by evaluating a random report from asingle group member. Lab homework is due the following classmeeting and is submitted individually by each student. Late lab


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homework will be treated in the same manner as late homework.Make-up labs are NOT possible. At the end of the semester the lowestlab grade will be dropped.

In-Class Problems/Tutorials (10%): Working out problemsduring class gives the instructor the chance to observe students’

approaches to problems and provide immediate feedback. Both in-class problems and tutorials involve students working in groups,similar to lab exercises. In-class problems will generally involve morequantitative work, each students will submit a response, but only onerandom response per group will be graded, with grades determined inthe same way as written HW problems. Tutorials will have three parts,the first will be done BEFORE class and is called a pre-test, the secondpart is done in class. Both these parts will have a score determined byparticipation and effort, while the third part will be a homeworkassignment which will be turned in the following class meeting. Latetutorial homework will be treated in the same manner as latehomework. At the end of the semester the lowest score from EITHER your in-class problems or your tutorials will be dropped.

Exams (30%): There will be four exams over the course of thesemester. All exams are closed book, however you will be allowed asmall sheet of hand written notes on each exam and the use of ascientific calculator. The tests will cover ALL material covered in classand in the text up to the date of the exam. Make-up exams willgenerally NOT be possible and missing any exam, without prior

approval of the instructor, will equate to a zero. In the unusual eventof an excused test absence, the average of your other exams will be

used in its' place. The lowest exam score will be dropped whencalculating final grades. Cheating on exams is unacceptable and willbe dealt with according to college policy (see below).

Final (20%): The final covers all the material of the course andCANNOT be dropped.

Final class grades will be calculated using a straight scale: 90%-100% A, 80%-89% B, 70%-79% C, 60%-69% D, anything lower F.Complaints about grading should be brought to the instructor.Special Services:

If you feel you require accommodations for disabilities please

contact special services as early as possible,http://www.piercecollege.edu/offices/special_services/. Academic Integrity:

Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. All work presented bythe students should be in their own words. Collaborating is OK,copying is not! Students caught copying on any assignment will begiven a zero on that assignment, this also includes the student thatallowed their work to be copied. Repeated incidents will lead to

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disciplinary action by as determined by the Vice President of StudentServices. Cheating on an exam will earn a student a zero on thatexam and further disciplinary action as determined by the VicePresident of Student Services.

For the campus policy please see the Pierce College Catalog:

http://info.piercecollege.edu/info/conduct/academicINtegrityPOlicy.pdf Class Schedule: Week 1

Tuesday, February 9Lecture 1: Intro., Units, Measures, and VectorsInteractive Lecture Demonstrations 1: VectorsReading: Ch.1 Sec. 1.1-1.7

Thursday, February 11Lecture 2: Vector MultiplicationTutorial 1: VelocityLab 0: Diagnostic TestReading: Ch.1 Sec. 1.8-1.10DUE: Reading Quiz 0, Pre-Test 1

Week 2Tuesday, February 16

Lecture 3: One-Dimensional MotionIn-Class ProblemsReading: Ch.2DUE: Reading Quiz 1 and 2, Tutorial Homework 1

Thursday, February 18

Tutorial 2: Representations of MotionLab 1: RealTime Physics 1.1 – Introduction to MotionDUE: Pre-Test 2, Pre-Lab 1, Homework 1

Week 3Tuesday, February 23

Lecture 4: Two and Three-Dimensional MotionInteractive Lecture Demonstrations 2: Projectile MotionTutorial 3: Acceleration in One-DimensionReading: Ch.3DUE: Pre-Test 3, Reading Quiz 3, Tutorial Homework 2,

Lab Homework 1Thursday, February 25Tutorial 4: Motion in Two-DimensionsLab 2: RealTime Physics 1.2 – Changing MotionDUE: Pre-Test 4, Pre-Lab 2, Homework 2,

Tutorial Homework 3Week 4

Tuesday, March 1

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Tutorial 5: Relative MotionLab 3: RealTime Physics 1.10 – Projectile MotionDUE: Pre-Test 5, Pre-Lab 3, Tutorial Homework 4,

Lab Homework 2Thursday, March 3

Lecture 5: Newton’s Laws Tutorial 6: ForcesReading: Ch.4DUE: Pre-Test 6, Reading Quiz 4, Homework 3,

Tutorial Homework 5, Lab Homework 3Week 5

Tuesday, March 8EXAM I: Ch.1-3, Lab 1-3, Tutorial 1-5Lab 4: RealTime Physics 1.3 – Force and MotionDUE: Pre-Lab 4, Tutorial Homework 6

Thursday, March 10Lecture 6: Applications of Newton’s Laws Lab 5: RealTime Physics 1.4 – Combining ForcesDUE: Pre-Test 7, Pre-Lab 5, Lab Homework 4

Week 6Tuesday, March 15

Tutorial 7: Newton’s 2nd and 3rd LawsLab 6: RealTime Physics 1.5 – Force, Mass, and

Acceleration

Reading: Ch.5DUE: Reading Quiz 5, Pre-Lab 6, Homework 4,

Lab Homework 5Thursday, March 17

Tutorial 8: TensionLab 7: RealTime Physics 1.7 – Passive ForcesDUE: Pre-Test 8, Pre-Lab 7, Lab Homework 6,


Tuesday, March 22Lecture 7: Work and Kinetic EnergyTutorial 9: Work and Changes in Kinetic Energy

Tutorial 10: Conservation of EnergyReading: Ch.6DUE: Pre-Test 9 and 10, Reading Quiz 6, Homework 5,

Tutorial Homework 8, Lab Homework 7Thursday, March 24

Lecture 8: Potential Energy and Conservation of EnergyLab 8: RealTime Physics 1.11 – Work and EnergyReading: Ch.7 Sec. 7.1-7.3


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DUE: Reading Quiz 7a, Pre-Lab 8,Tutorial Homework 9 and 10

Week 8Tuesday, March 29

EXAM II: Ch. 4-5, Lab 4-7, Tutorial 6-8Lab 9: RealTime Physics 1.12 – Conservation of EnergyDUE: Pre-Lab 9, Lab Homework 8

Thursday, March 31NO CLASS

Spring BreakTuesday, April 5

NO CLASS Thursday, April 7

NO CLASS Week 9

Tuesday, April 12Interactive Lecture Demonstrations 3: Cart on a TrackLab 10: RealTime Physics 1.8 – 1-D Collisions DUE:, Pre-Lab 10, Homework 6, Lab Homework 9

Thursday, April 14Lecture 9: Force and Potential EnergyLecture 10: Momentum and CollisionsTutorial 11: Conservation of Momentum in One-Dimension

Reading: Ch.7 Sec. 7.4-7.5, Ch.8DUE: Pre-Test 11, Reading Quiz 7b, Reading Quiz 8,

Lab Homework 10Week 10

Tuesday, April 19Tutorial 12: Conservation of Momentum in 2DLab 11: RealTime Physics 1.9 – Momentum Conservation DUE: Pre-Test 12, Pre-Lab 9, Homework 7,

Tutorial Homework 11Thursday, April 21

Lecture 11: Rotation of Rigid BodiesTutorial 13: Changes in Energy and Momentum

Reading: Ch.9DUE: Pre-Test 13, Reading Quiz 9, Tutorial Homework 12,Lab Homework 11

Week 11Tuesday, April 26

Lecture 12: Dynamics of Rotational MotionTutorial 14: Rotational MotionReading: Ch.10


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DUE: Pre-Test 14, Reading Quiz 10, Homework 8,Tutorial Homework 13

Thursday, April 28EXAM III: Ch. 6-8, Lab 8-11, Tutorial 9-13Tutorial 15: Dynamics of Rigid Bodies

DUE: Pre-Test 15, Tutorial Homework 14Week 12

Tuesday, May 3Lecture 13: Equilibrium and ElasticityTutorial 16: Conservation of Angular MomentumReading: Ch.11DUE: Pre-Test 16, Reading Quiz 11, Homework 9,

Tutorial Homework 15Thursday, May 5

Tutorial 17: Equilibrium of a Rigid BodyLab 12: Moment of Inertia DUE: Pre-Test 17, Pre-Lab 12, Tutorial Homework 16

Week 13Tuesday, May 10

Lecture 14: FluidsInteractive Lecture Demonstrations 4: Fluid StaticsTutorial 18: Pressure in a LiquidReading: Ch.12 Sec. 12.1-12.3DUE: Pre-Test 18, Reading Quiz 12a, Homework 10,

Tutorial Homework 17, Lab Homework 12 Thursday, May 12

Lecture 15: Fluid Flow and GravitationTutorial 19: BuoyancyReading: Ch.12 Sec. 12.4-12.6DUE: Pre-Test 19, Reading Quiz 12b,


Tuesday, May 17EXAM IV: Ch. 9-11, Lab 12, Tutorial 14-17Lab 13: BuoyancyReading: Ch.13 Sec. 13.1-13.3

DUE: Pre-Lab 13, Reading Quiz 13a,Homework 11, Tutorial Homework 19Thursday, May 19

Lecture 16: Kepler’s Laws and Dark MatterLecture 17: Simple Harmonic MotionTutorial 20: Simple Harmonic Motion Reading: Ch.13 Sec. 13.4-13.8, Ch.14 Sec. 14.1-14.3


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DUE: Pre-Test 20, Lab Homework 13, Reading Quiz 14a

Week 15 Tuesday, May 24

Lab 14: The Simple Pendulum

Lecture 18: The PendulumReading: Ch.14 Sec 14.4-14.8DUE: Reading Quiz 14b, Homework 12 and 13

Thursday, May 26Lecture 19: Damped and Driven Harmonic Motion

Finals WeekThursday, June 2

FINAL EXAM 12:30pm – 2:30pmDUE: Homework 14, Tutorial Homework 20

Disclaimer: Syllabus and schedule are subject to change. Please feel free to

contact me with questions or comments.


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Accessing Moodle and Mastering Physics

Moodle Instructions for Physics 101

We will be using the online program Moodle, which Pierce Collegesupports, to organize class resources for your reference. (Moodle isfree of charge and available to all enrolled students.)

You can get to the Moodlehomepage by going tohttp://moodle.piercecollege.edu; alternatively, you can go towww.piercecollege.edu, select “Student Services” from the

menu on the left, and choose “PierceOnline(Moodle)” (under “Pierce Online Central”) from

the list on the right just below “Academic Services” . Fortechnical help with Moodle, sendemail [email protected].

Once on the site, you may log in by entering your student ID number(9-digit number beginning with 88) as your username, and your PINfrom the Student Information System as your password. (This is the

same PIN you used when registering for classes; unless you havechanged it, it should be your four-digit month and day of birth—forexample, 0301 if your birthday is March 1.)

Students who are officially enrolled in Physics 6 will automatically beadded to the roster for the class on Moodle. If you have not yetenrolled, you will not be able to access the Moodle materials.Therefore, if you are adding the class, it is important that you turn inyour add card as soon as possible. If you are having trouble adding,please discuss your situation with me.

After you’ve enrolled, you should always see Physics 6 listed under

“my courses” whenever you log in. Clicking on the name of the classwill take you to the course page on Moodle, which will show links toclass materials, including the syllabus, handouts, and copies of theslides and Smart Board notes used in lectures.

http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://www.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/[email protected]://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/[email protected]://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/[email protected]://www.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/http://moodle.piercecollege.edu/


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Mastering Physics Instructions for Physics 101

Online problems for this class will be done on Mastering Physics, aplatform developed by the publishers of our textbook. MasteringPhysics provides you with quick, automatic feedback, occasional hints,and (after the due date) answers.

Go to www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com (there are also links to itfrom Moodle).

The first time you go to the site,click on the button labeled

“Student” below the heading “Register.” A message will

remind you that you will needeither an access code or a creditcard to purchase access, as wellas a course ID. Click “OK!

Register now” to continue. Youwill next be asked to enter thecourse ID for our class, whichis:Soldatenko95896

The next step is to set up an account. If you’ve already created aPearson account for another class (for example, if you have used

Mastering Chemistry), you may sign in with the same username andpassword. Otherwise, click “Create” to make a new account; you willbe asked to enter an email address and to choose a username andpassword for yourself. Once you have signed in to your account, youwill be prompted either to enter an access code or to purchase access.If you bought a new textbook at the Pierce bookstore, you have a freeaccess code, which should be printed on a cardboard insert inside thecover of the textbook; click “Access” to enter it. Otherwise, there aretwo options for purchase: for $113, you get Mastering Physics accessplus the electronic version of the textbook (ebook); for $69.50, youget Mastering Physics access only. (Note: the text on the screen will

refer to an edition of the text for Cal State LA - that’s the same versionwe will be using.)

Once you have enrolled in the course, you will see the course homepage when you log in; this will list the assignments that are available,and sometimes announcements from me.

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How to Succeed in a Physics Class

Set aside plenty of time for studying. The first order of businesswhen taking any class should be to make sure you will have the timeto attend each and every class meeting. Look over the class schedule

and make sure you have not scheduled anything to coincide with classtimes, if there are one or two overlaps you should immediately talk toyour instructor about them, do not wait until the last minute! If thereare more overlaps that cannot be rescheduled you should seriouslyconsider if now is the best time to take the class.

Next, you want to spend time doing some time management. There isno firm rule dictating how much time students should spend studyingfor a given class, but one common rule of thumb is that for each hourof time in lecture, students should spend two to three hours of time,depending on the course difficulty, studying (this includes time spentreading and working on homework). Physics 101 meets about 9 hoursa week and not all of that time is spent in lecture, since we also havelabs and tutorials, thus I suggest students spend roughly 15-20 hoursa week outside of class studying. It is incumbent upon you to decidehow divide this time up over the course of a week, but based onexperience with previous students, it is best to break that time up overthe entire week and avoid attempting to binge study (e.g. spend threeor more hours on any given day just on physics). Obviously study

habits vary and what works for one individual does not necessarilywork for another and part of your education will involve discovering

what works best for you.

Start your work early. Stay ahead of the lectures. Spend timedoing readings before class, as a student you should not expect tounderstand everything the first time you read it, make a list ofquestions you think of as you read. Do not fixate too long on thingsthat completely confuse you, set them aside for study after you attendlecture, but have questions ready for the coming lecture that can helpyou clear up your confusion. Some of my best students in previoussemesters have been those that are the most organized and know how

to use their time efficiently.

Attempt to do your homework as early as possible, even if it meanstrying to figure things out before they have been discussed in lecture.When you come across especially challenging questions don’t focus too

much time on them until you have had a chance to attempt the rest.An advantage to starting early is that you can see the types ofquestions that appear in the homework and compare them to those in


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class to look for similarities. Starting early also will give you a chanceto ask questions and look for help early, help might not be as easy tofind if you wait to the last minute. Another advantage to starting thehomework early is that you give yourself a chance to think about thechallenging problems over a longer time span, attempting to solve

difficult problems under tight time constraints only makes them appearmuch more challenging.

Prepare for laboratory work in advance as well. Pre-lab assignmentsare there to help you think about what you will be doing in lab.Students who spend time on the pre-lab assignment well in advance oflab will generally find the lab easier to comprehend and will get muchmore out of the experience.

Ask questions and seek out help. Staying on top of your workgives you the added advantage of looking for help. Your first stopshould always be your textbook and lecture notes, but if these fail tohelp you need to be aware that there are other places to turn. Talk toyour fellow students, build a group of friends from the class that youfeel comfortable talking to, a good first step will be making friendswith your lab partners or other students you talk to regularly in class.While you shouldn’t ask them for their answers (copying will earn youand the person you copied from a zero in addition to possiblyappearing on your college records) you should feel free to discuss

problems with your peers, this is an important skill to have beyondyour physics class. A good first step is to be open about the difficulties

you are having with respect to a given problem, let them know whatyou have attempted and see what advice they give you. You shouldalso feel comfortable going to your instructor for help, I want you tolearn! Go to office hours, email me questions, and ask me questionsduring class (this applies to any class you take at Pierce and beyond,talk to your professors). Outside of the sources immediately availableto you with the class, you should be aware that the college hastutoring services available through the tutoring center,http://www.piercecollege.edu/departments/academic_success/tutoring.asp. Make an appointment and seek the help you need. Keep in

mind that everybody has a different way of presenting information andeverybody has a different way of absorbing information, learning whotalk to talk to and how to ask for help is another skill you will learn inthe course of your college education.

Work through all of your assignments. You cannot expect tosucceed in any class if you do not do the work. Turning in incompleteassignments, or simply avoiding doing your work is the easiest way to

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Answers that are just numbers without units will be the most commonway to fail to earn full credit. Other examples of incomplete solutionsare: strings of calculations without explanations or clear organization,messy work that is unreadable, answers without appropriate drawings,figures, or plots, undefined constants/unknowns, solutions without

proper significant figures, and skipping steps.

Be patient. Keep in mind that you are a student and you are in theclass to learn something new. You must be willing to accept thatsomethings will take time to learn and involve a certain amount ofeffort on your part to master. Taking the time to reason things outwithout jumping to conclusions is essential to being a good scientist.Avoid getting frustrated by setting aside the time you need to study,get ahead with your work, seek out help when you are lost, and makesure you have made a convincing argument when answeringquestions.


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Grading Rubrics

Homework, Exam, and In-Class Problems. Each written problemor question is graded on a scale of 0-5. This is a rough set ofguidelines as to what each score means:

5: All parts of the question have been answered; the answers arecorrect, including significant figures; the method used makes senseand is clearly explained; work is shown for any calculations; diagramsare drawn if needed; units are included where appropriate. (Note: halfa point may be deducted for very minor errors or omissions. Scoreswill be rounded to the nearest integer after totaling all questions.)

4: All parts of the question have been answered; the write-up shows acorrect grasp of the basic ideas of the problem, but somemathematical or conceptual errors have been made; OR the answersare correct, but the write-up is unclear, missing some explanations,

calculations, diagrams, or units, or has incorrect sig figs.

3: All parts of the question have been answered, and properly writtenup, but the method or reasoning used is incorrect; OR the answers arecorrect, but there are substantial problems with the write-up; OR theproblem is incomplete, but more than half of it has been donecorrectly. For conceptual questions, a score of 3 will be given if theanswer is wrong, but the question has been thoughtfully answeredwith complete sentences.

2: An answer is given, but the method or reasoning used is incorrect,

and the write-up is also lacking in explanations, units, etc.; OR theproblem is incomplete, with less than half of it done correctly.

1: There is some attempt to start the problem, with some relevantideas or equations written down or diagrams drawn, but no answer ispresented; OR there is only a number or a one-word answer, which iscorrect, but with no explanation offered or work shown.

0: Nothing relevant has been written; OR an incorrect number or one-word answer is given, with no explanation; OR the answer appears tohave been copied from another student, a solution manual, etc.

Mastering Physics Homework. The program will automaticallygrade your work — except for essay questions, which I will look at andgrade after the due date. Online problems will have varying pointvalues (usually from 1-5 points per problem), depending on theirlength and difficulty. A correct answer for a problem, or problem part,gets you full credit; an incorrect answer gets you no credit. When yousubmit an answer, Mastering Physics will tell you whether it is correct;if not, you may try again. You have 6 chances to submit an answer to


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a given problem. However, for each wrong answer you submit, therewill be a deduction in your score. For most types of problems, thededuction is 3% per wrong answer; for multiple-choice questions, thededuction is (100%)/(# of choices-1). (For example, if there are fiveanswer choices, you’ll receive a 25% deduction for each wrong

submission. If there are only two answer choices (for example,true/false), you must get the answer right the first time in order toreceive any credit.) Therefore, it is to your advantage to thinkcarefully about each problem and try to figure out what you did wrong,rather than simply guessing. You may decide to “give up” and requestthe correct answer, but in this case you will receive no credit for theproblem or problem part; don’t do this unless you absolutely have to!

If a problem provides hints, there will be a small (2%) bonus forsolving the problem without opening the hints. If you feel that yourscore has been reduced unfairly (for example, if you had the rightanswer but made a typo or used the wrong notation), contact me, andI’ll adjust your score if I agree. Mastering Physics does not awardpartial credit for incomplete problems. To receive any credit for aproblem from the computer program, you must either get the correctanswer or click “request answer” for all parts. In addition, you may

turn in your written work on online problems for increased partialcredit. In order to receive any credit from me, your work must beneat and well-organized, with calculations shown and reasoningexplained.

Note: many students find Mastering Physics frustrating at first,

because of the immediate feedback for wrong answers. I definitelyempathize... but this type of frustration can actually be productive, ifyou don’t immediately give up. If you’re stuck on a problem, it canhelp just to stop and come back to it later; sometimes you will have aninsight while you’re relaxed and thinking of something else. Leaveyourself plenty of time for the online homework, and again, don’thesitate to ask for help!

Labs. Throughout each lab, you will be asked to make predictions andanswer questions; these will be highlighted in bold so you can find

them easily as you page through the lab manual. You should makethe predictions as you go along, before each experiment. (Making anincorrect prediction will not hurt your grade. Making an obviously fake “post-diction” will hurt your grade.)

Many lab questions will ask you to compare two measured quantities.Be quantitative and precise; always give the percent difference


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between the two and discuss what it means. See the separatehandout on lab write-ups for more information.

The tutorials and tutorial homework will also occasionally ask forpredictions, and will always, always require you to explain yourreasoning. As with the homework, write in full sentences, and makesure your answers are clear and detailed. Your grade will dependmuch more on the quality of your explanations than on the correctnessof individual answers. Answers should be based on 1) the laws ofphysics; 2) information given in the problem, and 3) logical deduction.Go step by step: often, earlier questions on a tutorial can be used tohelp answer later ones. Avoid doing algebra in tutorials, unless you arespecifically asked to use it.

In some cases, your group may run out of time and not get through allthe activities. If you think you won’t have time to finish, don’t panic;stay focused and do as much as you can. Do NOT call me oversimply to ask “What if we don’t finish?” This just wastes time anddistracts you from the material you’re trying to learn. If the entireclass is unable to finish in the time available, I will not penalize anyonefor this in grading. However, a group may lose points if it finishedsignificantly less than other groups without a good reason. In anycase, you will still be expected to finish all of the lab/tutorialhomework, even if it refers to parts of the lab/tutorial you didn’t

complete.

Not infrequently, students’ experiments in lab seem to give different

results than those predicted by the theory they learned in lecture. If

this happens to you, do not fudge your answers to the questions; don’tclaim you got the “right” results when you clearly didn’t. Instead, firstspend some time trying to figure out what went wrong; ask theinstructor or lab tech for help if necessary. Did you misinterpret thetheory? Is there something wrong with your equipment or setup? Ifyou can’t find the problem, answer the questions honestly. Explainhow your result was different from what was expected, and speculateon possible sources of error.

physics 101 syl lab uss 16

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