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Course Policies for PHY 182 for Spring 2008
Dr. Beverley Taylor Office: 539 Mosler Phone: 785-3239 Email: taylorba@miamioh.edu
Please feel free to come and see me about problems you are having anytime I am in the office, not just during office hours. You can make an appointment or just drop by. This semester I will be in Oxford on Monday and Wednesday and on the Hamilton Campus on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. My phone number in Oxford is 529-5063. Catalog Description: Physics 181, 182 The Physical World (4, 4) A quantitative introduction to the basic physical laws of nature. (PHY 181) Classical mechanics and quantum mechanics. (PHY 182) Statistical physics, electromagnetism, and relativity. Concepts are developed through lectures, demonstrations, and computer simulations. Qualitative reasoning is emphasized and quantitative problem-solving skills are developed. Concepts from differential and integral calculus are developed and used. No previous physics course is required. Co-requisites: PHY 183, 184. Pre-requisites or co-requisites: MTH 141, MTH 151, MTH 153, or equivalent. Textbook: Physics For Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach by R. Knight. Volumes 2 and 4. Target Audience: PHY 181, 182 is designed to help students develop a quantitative understanding of the basic physical laws of nature, as a basis for further study in the sciences and engineering. This includes students majoring in the physical and biological sciences, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. Course Purpose and Objectives: The major goals of the introductory-level physics course are: (1) to provide the fundamental knowledge of physical phenomena, which forms the basis for advanced study in the sciences, and to illustrate the ways of knowing common to the sciences, (2) to develop the student's ability to analyze complex phenomena by synthesizing multiple concepts, (3) to show the student how to develop quantitative, predictive, models of real phenomena, and to examine critically the context, and validity of these models, and (4) to enhance the student's ability to understand and utilize concepts which are beyond immediate sensory perception. Course Description: We will begin our study with the field of thermodynamics and then spend most of the semester on topics in electricity and magnetism. There is equal emphasis on understanding the concepts of physics and on learning to apply your understanding to the solving of mathematical problems. Both exams and homework will be composed partially of problems and partially of questions in which you have to demonstrate your knowledge of the concepts by explaining everyday phenomena. For example, you might be asked to both explain in words how a change in one part of an electric circuit affects another part of the circuit and to calculate the change in the electric current. We want you to leave the course understanding how a small number of basic ideas can be used to explain many different phenomena. Prerequisites and Corequisites: PHY 181 and MTH 151 are prerequisites for this course. You will not be allowed to take PHY 182 without having satisfied these prerequisites. PHY 184 is a corequisite for this course. If you have not already registered for PHY 184, you should do so immediately. Relation to Miami Plan Goals:Thinking Critically: Physics has a rich tradition of fostering critical thinking. Students learn how to approach problems in a systematic way. They learn by example and by experience how to translate between a real world situation, a verbal description, a mathematical description and a graphical one - that is, between the concrete and a variety of abstract representations. Through many different learning experiences, students learn how to approach a new topic and master it. Hopefully, they learn how to learn physics. Understanding Contexts: Not only are students learning how scientists currently believe the physical world works, but they are learning why we believe this - what evidence we have to support our theories. By beginning with the earliest ideas of electric charge and magnetic rocks, then moving through our gradual understanding of electric and magnetic fields and their connections to one another, students will see how scientific knowledge progresses. Students will learn that scientific theories are always subject to modification in the light of new experimental data. Engaging with Other Learners: Research in how students learn physics has shown that the most effect learning strategies involve doing physics and discussing physics not listening to a lecture about physics. Class time will be structured to provide students with many small group activities carefully designed to help them confront their basic understandings of the concepts. One example is group solutions of problems which have been written to specifically bring out the most common misunderstandings of the topic. In addition, the students will work in small groups in the laboratory co-requisite on activities again structured to promote observation and discussion of the most important concepts to be learned. Attendance: Attendance is required. I am sure most of you will find that the only way to keep up is to attend class. Class discussions are intended to guide your studies, supplement the material in the text and provide demonstrations of various physical concepts. Hopefully, they will help you gain insights that are not possible merely from reading the text. I expect you to read the sections to be discussed before class. Do not be disturbed if you do not understand fully on this initial reading. You will be given ample opportunity to ask questions and think about the material in class. Part of most classes will be spent on group activities in which you will be engaged with other students in the class working on tasks designed to help you better understand the concepts we are studying. The participation portion of your grade will be based on attendance, whether you come to class prepared, whether you participate in class discussions, and your involvement in the group activities. If you do have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out either from me or one of your fellow students what material was covered, what announcements were made, etc. Studying: It is very important that you spend some time studying physics every day. You will need to read the material assigned for the next day and often you will have a brief written assignment which we will then discuss or extend in small group work the next day. If you come to class unprepared, it will hinder the learning of the whole class. Also, you will find that you learn much more if you work on the end of the chapter problems a little at a time instead of in a marathon session just before they are due. This is not a course in which you can be passive and expect to absorb the material. You need to be actively engaged in thinking about the concepts all the time - in class, while reading the book, while doing homework, while doing small group work, and while reviewing for exams with friends. The biggest hindrance to success in this course is procrastination. Homework: Homework includes exercises from the Student Workbook and end of the chapter (EOC) questions and problems from the textbook. Both workbook exercises and EOC problems will be assigned on the weeksheet. In general you will complete workbook exercises before we discuss the material in class and EOC problems after we discuss the material in class. EOC problems are always collected for grading, while workbook exercises are only occasionally graded. You should always bring your workbook to class as we will often do some of the exercises during class. Completing the homework will be necessary to the understanding of the material covered and to performing well on the tests. Please come and see me if you are having difficulties. I realize that you will probably work together on the problems. I have no objections to this; in fact, I encourage it. However, I do not expect to get five papers that are exactly identical to one another. Homework will be graded and returned the next class period if at all possible. Late homework will be accepted for grading only if I have not yet graded the set. Homework received after I have graded the set may receive some credit, but will not be graded. Exams: There will be four 50-minute exams, one 25-minute quiz and a comprehensive final exam. The tentative dates and material to be covered are given below. The tests will be composed of both qualitative questions and quantitative problems. Exams may be made up only if I am informed of your problem before the exam is given. Make-up exams must be taken within one week after the regular exam. Academic dishonesty will be reported immediately and will probably result in an F in the course. Occasional unannounced 10-minute quizzes may be given over the reading that was assigned for the day.
Grading:
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