Syllabus PHY 231 – FALL 2009   (Click here for a pdf version)

Course website
http://courses.nscl.msu.edu/phy231fs09/

Instructors
William Hartmann   (MWF 8:00-8:50 am – section 001)
Office: 171 Giltner Hall
Phone: (517) 355-5202
email: hartmann@pa.msu.edu
Office hours: Wednesday 9:30am-10:30am

Marc Doleans (MWF 9:10-10:00 am–section 002)
Office: 1122 Cyclotron Building
Phone: 517-908-7181
email: doleans@nscl.msu.edu
Office hours: Friday 10:15am-11:15am (Helproom - BPS 1248)

C.-P. Yuan (MWF 10:20-11:10am–section 003)
Office: 3213 Biomedical Physical Science Bldg. (BPS bldg.)
Phone: (517) 884-5559
email: yuan@pa.msu.edu
Office hours: Monday 11:30am-12:30pm

Each of the instructors will have an office hour. If you can’t make it to the office hours and need to contact the instructor, send an email and, if necessary, make an appointment. When sending an email, make sure to use your msu email, since email sent from yahoo/gmail etc can get blocked by SPAM filters. Contact by phone only in case of an emergency.

Teaching Assistants

• Jenni Portman, graduate student (portman1@msu.edu)
• Michael Kilgroe, graduate student (kilgroem@msu.edu)
• Sean Wagner, senior undergraduate student (wagner93@msu.edu)

Course Description
Non-calculus-based general physics, recommended for a variety of majors, such as those pursuing a pre-med education. Topics include: Newtonian equations of motion, momentum and energy conservation, rotational motion, gravity, thermodynamics and wave motion.

Prerequisites

• MTH 103 or MTH 116 or LBS 117 or MTH 124 or MTH 132
• Not open to students with credits in:
• LBS 164 or PHY 181B or PHY 183 or PHY 183B or PHY 193H or PHY 231B or PHY 231C

Textbook

• Students taking only PHY231-FS09 should buy College Physics: A Strategic Approach by R. D. Knight, B. Jones and S. Field, Vol. 1
• ISBN 0805316957
• Students taking PHY231-FS09 and PHY232-SS10 should buy College Physics: A Strategic Approach by R. D. Knight, B. Jones and S. Field
• ISBN 080530634X

Class Hours

• Room 1410 BPS, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
• PHY231 - section 001: 8:00-8:50 am
• PHY231 - section 002: 9:10-10:00 am
• PHY231 - section 003: 10:20-11:10 am

Helproom Hours

• BPS 1248, Strosacker Learning Center
• The exact hours will be announced in the first week of class. The helproom will open starting in the second week of class (week of September 7th)

Exam Information

• Midterm exam #1: Wednesday September 30th
• Section 001: 8:00-8:50 am BPS 1410
• Section 002: 9:10-10:00 am BPS 1410
• Section 003: 10:20-11:10 am BPS 1410
• Midterm exam #2: Wednesday November 04th
• Section 001: 8:00-8:50 am BPS 1410
• Section 002: 9:10-10:00 am BPS 1410
• Section 003: 10:20-11:10 am BPS 1410
• Midterm exam#3: Wednesday December 02nd
• Section 001: 8:00-8:50 am BPS 1410
• Section 002: 9:10-10:00 am BPS 1410
• Section 003: 10:20-11:10 am BPS 1410
• Final exam: TBD

You will need a student ID, a #2 pencil and a calculator when taking an exam.
For the midterm exams a double-sided help sheet is allowed. For the final exam three double-sided sheets are allowed. All sheets must be of 8.5x11” size paper or smaller and can be handwritten or typed. The content on the sheets is completely free (text, equations, figures etc…).
In case of a serious conflict (e.g. Doctor, Dean, Coach etc), “before exams” can be arranged. These exams will be scheduled before the regular exam dates. It is the responsibility of the students to contact their instructor well in advance and provide the required evidence of conflicts so that a “before exam” can be scheduled.
Any student needing special accommodations during the exams must contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (http://rcpd.msu.edu), obtain a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) letter and give it to the instructor of the section he/she is enrolled in.

Grading Information

• Scoring weights for PHY231-FS09
  • Three midterm exams: 3 x 17 = 51 points
  • One final exam:                         32 points
  • Homework:                              17 points
  • Iclicker:                                      5 points
  • Total:                                     105 points
• Grading scale for PHY231-FS09
• 4.0  if  score >= 92 points
• 3.5  if  score >= 84 points
• 3.0  if  score >= 76 points
• 2.5  if  score >= 68 points
• 2.0  if  score >= 60 points
• 1.5  if  score >= 52 points
• 1.0  if  score >= 44 points
• 0.0  if  score <   44 points

Course Schedule and Readings

• Monday 9/2: Class starts
• Monday 9/7: Holiday - No classes
• Monday 9/28: End of tuition refund
• Friday 11/27: Holiday - No classes

• it is highly encouraged to read the relevant chapters before coming to class. Note that not everything covered in the textbook can be covered in class, but could appear as homework, quizzes or part of the exams. In LON-CAPA, you will also find a ‘Virtual Textbook’, which covers the basics of the material.

Homework

• There will be 11 graded homework assignments (sets 1-11).
• Homework sets are due on Fridays at 6pm.
• Homework set 0 is a practice set and is not graded.
• The homework sets are distributed through the LON-CAPA online system (http://loncapa.msu.edu/)
• Enable ‘Cookies’ and ‘Java-script’ in your browser.
• To log in use your MSU pilot username and password.
• After logging in, navigate to the PHY231 class and locate the folder ‘Homework sets’.
• The deadline for submitting your homework is very strict, do not wait until the last moment to complete a homework set.
• Communicating inside & outside LON-CAPA:
• Constructive work in groups is encouraged, in the helproom and/or using the communication tool available in LON-CAPA (use the ‘post discussion’ link under each problem).
• In LON-CAPA, you can post questions and respond to others’ questions. You can also post comments anonymously if you wish. Course instructors will however always be able to see your name.
• Remember that simply copying the work from others won’t help you to prepare properly for the exams.

In-class quizzes

• Multiple-choice quizzes for extra-credit (see grading section for details) will be given randomly in class during the semester.
• You will need an “I-clicker” remote to participate in these quizzes (see picture below).
• To be awarded the quizzes points, you must attend the section you are enrolled in.
• The first four sessions (i.e. until 09/11/2009) will be used as practice sessions and won't be graded.
• Students will be awarded one point for every question answered with their registered I-clicker and an additional point for every question answered correctly.
• Only 75% of the maximum I-clicker score is needed to get the full 5 points extra-credit.
• It is forbidden to bring clickers of fellow students who are not present during the lecture.
• Registration of your iclicker ID number must be done in LON-CAPA
  • log in LON-CAPA
  • click on "Navigate contents"
  • click on "Clicker Registration"
  • enter your clicker ID number in the response field
  • click the "Submit Answer" button
  • disregard the "Incorrect" answer message
    
•