PHYS 2130 section 091, Spring 2008

General Information
Course title: Physics for Science and Enigneering Majors I - Honors
Course registration number: PHYS 2130
Course section number: 091
Course call number: 14478
Course credits: 5
Semester offered: Spring 2008
Class time: MTWRF 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
First class: Monday, 7th January 2008
Last class: Friday, 25th April 2008
Final Examination: From 10:15 a.m. through 12:15 p.m., Wednesday, 30th April, 2008 as per university examination schedule.
Holidays: As per university calendar, 21st January and 3rd through 7th March 2008.
Classroom: MH 2002
Class Website: http://www.physics.utoledo.edu/~khare/teaching/phys2130h-spring-2008/
Prerequisites: As per page 137 of the university course schedule: MATH 1830, MATH 1850, and MATH 1920, each with a grade C or better, admission into the engineering honors program. This is a calculus based course. Ability to use calculus is an absolute requirement in this course.
Co-requisites: As per page 182 of the course catalog: MATH 1860.
Course Text: Fundamentals of Physics, 8th Edition, David Halliday Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker, John Wiley and Sons, ISBN 978-0-470-04472-8

About Instructor
Instructor: Sanjay V. Khare
Title: Assistant Professor
Office: MH 5010
Phone: 419 530 2292
Email: khare@physics.utoledo.edu
Website: http://www.physics.utoledo.edu/~khare/
Office Hours: MW 15:00 -- 16:00 or by appointment

Syllabus
As per page 182 of the university course catalog, this is a calculus based general physics course involving, the study of mechanics of motion and energy, rotation, gravitation, harmonic motion, waves, fluids and the laws of thermodynamics. This course involves a five-hour lecture and discussion, and two hours of laboratory per week. This material is covered in chapters 1 through 20 of the text, which will form the entire course syllabus. The detailed course agenda is shown here.

Course Objectives
(i) To understand the basic laws of physics for the topics listed in the Syllabus above.
(ii) To understand the logical derivation, modification, and application of the various theorems that are derived from the fundamental laws listed in the Syllabus.
(iii) To gain expertise in the application to problems involving the laws of physics listed in (i) and the techniques of (ii).

About grading
Excused absence policy to be followed according to University guidelines.
Grading Scheme:
Laboratory: 10%
Homework: 10%
Quizzes: 10%
Class participation: 10%
First Exam: 10%
Second Exam: 10%
Third Exam: 10%
Fourth Exam: 10%
Final Exam: 20%

Important considerations on grading
(i) All assessment of student learning conducted through homeworks, quizzes, examinations, and class participation is based on conceptual understanding of the material and the ability to solve problems. There are no predetermined criteria for obtaining specific letter grades for the course.
(ii) Successful completion of the laboratory with a score of at least 18/30 is necessary for passing the course. A score less than 18/30 in the laboratory automatically qualifies the student to receive a F grade in the entire course irrespective of student performance in the theory part of the course.
(iii) If you are repeating the course within one year and have received a letter grade in the course from A through F and have earned a score of 24/30 or better then you do not have to repeat the laboratory. However, contact the department secretary Sue Hickey in the department office in room MH 2017 so that the laboratory grade is transferred to this semester. Contacting the secretary to ensure that the grade is transferred is the responsibility of the student.
(v) The last day for withdrawing from the course is the end of the 8th week of classes.
The grade of "W" is assigned for a course that the student has formally withdrawn from by the end of the 8th week.
The grade of "IW" is given by the instructor for students who have not been attending class, have done essentially no work for the class, and have not officially withdrawn from the course. This grade must be reported by the instructor by the end of the 10th week.
The grade of "IN" will be given only in truly exceptional circumstances which prevent the student from completing the course within the semester. An unexcused absence from an exam is NOT a valid reason for the Incomplete Grade.
(vi) Quizzes will be given every Monday through out the semester, unless announced on another day.
(vii) Most homework and perhaps all homework will be graded online by WileyPLUS. You must register for this facility by buying a code from the book publisher Wiley. Once you have the code register here.

Expectations from students
(i) Look at the class web-site at least once either before or after each class for the latest updates.
(ii) Submit homework online as per instructions listed in the section on homework.
(iii) Read relevant sections from the text that will be covered in the class. These will be announced in the preceding class.
(iv) If you are late to class or decide to leave early do so discretely so as not to disturb others. Seat yourself towards the back exit door if your early exit is known in advance or when you enter late.
(v) Turn off sound on watches, cell phones, pagers, laptops and all other electronic devices while in class.
(vi) In general maintain an environment conducive to learning in the classroom.
(vii) Complete all homework and examinations honestly.

Tips on how to succeed in this course
(i) Understand the derivations so that you can derive them yourself or explain them to someone else logically. Just memorising them is not of much value.
(ii) Modify the assumptions in the derivations to come up with entirely new derivations. Also, try adding more assumptions to standard derivations from the text to derive results for new special cases.
(iii) Solve lots of problems and conceptual questions from the text or other sources.
(iv) Make up your own problems which are totally new or are modifications of those you solve. Then solve these problems.
(v) Discuss course material with fellow students and/or senior students.

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