Physics 1120 Syllabus, Spring 2012

Prof. Heather Lewandowski and Prof. Alysia Marino

Learning Goals: Phys1120 is the 2nd semester of introductory physics. We emphasize conceptual understanding and problem solving skills. We cover electricity, circuits, magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light, and optics: the foundations of our modern technological society. Our goals are for you to continue developing knowledge and intuition about how the world works, to learn to approach, solve, and understand physics problems on both qualitative and quantitative levels, to relate classroom physics to the real world you live in, and to develop a deeper appreciation of the scientific method.

Most of the material we will cover this semester involves discoveries no more than 150 years old. (Of course, even the ancients knew some things about magnetism and light). We are so comfortable with technologies like television and computers, that it is easy to forget just how recent these developments are: some of you may have relatives old enough to remember the days before radio (the first licensed broadcast station opened in 1920). We live radically more convenient and perhaps longer and more enjoyable lives due to the revolution in electric-based technology. Modern health-care, industrial, and home tools are almost entirely based upon the existence of electrical power and electronic circuitry. By the end of this course, you should have a base of knowledge that will allow you to better understand how many modern electronic instruments work.

Pre/Corequisites:
Calc II (MATH 2300/APPM 1360) must be taken at least in parallel. You should have a strong working knowledge of algebra, trig, Calc I, and Phys1110. Phys 1140 lab is highly recommended. Enthusiasm, curiosity, and an open mind will also be helpful!

The required textbooks
1) "Richard Wolfson's Essential University Physics, Volume 2 ", (Chs. 20-32) This is the second volume of the book used in Physics 1110 this past fall. We strongly recommend that you keep Volume 1 handy for this course, since the concepts from Physics 1110 still apply here. They are currently selling the second eidtion of the book. It is ok if you use the first edition.
2) "Tutorials in Introductory Physics", McDermott. This 2-volume set is required for use in our recitations. (You must bring the tutorial book every Tuesday, you'll be working out of them!)
These are the same books that were used for Physics 1110 last fall, so you likely already own them.
3) iClickers Please register your clicker at CUConnect during the first week of classes.
4)smartPhyiscs Pre-lecutres . You must purchase an access card for smartPhysics. They are available at the bookstore or you may purchase one online from the smartPhysics website. You must log in and register yourself for the course. You must enter the correct 9-digit student ID to receive credit for watching the pre-lectures. Please see this page for more info on the Pre-lectures.

READ ASSIGNED CHAPTERS BEFORE WE COVER THEM IN CLASS and go to lecture knowing what you understand and don't understand so that you can ask questions while we're still on the topic. The purpose of lecture is to clarify your understanding, to help you make sense of the material. If you don't read in advance, lectures will be much less useful to you. (Imagine going to a class on Shakespeare without doing the readings - the prof is not going to read the plays for you!) I will assume you have done the required readings in advance! We'll cover roughly one chapter/week, starting with Ch. 20.

Pre-Lectures You will have periodic interactive pre-lectures to watch. Completion (completion=100% complete) of these pre-Lectures before the deadlines will count towards your grade. You will be able to replay the pre-lectures throughout the semester, but you will only receive credit if you complete them before the deadline.

CAPA (an internet based homework system: Computer Assisted Physics Assignments ) You will receive a weekly printed personalized homework assignment. Each student's assignment is slightly different. You log onto CAPA via the web to "hand in" your answers. Work out your solutions on paper before you log on. The advantage is that you will have instant feedback on how well you are doing and will have opportunities to change wrong answers without penalty. (You will get multiple tries, generally 6, on each problem, with no points taken off for wrong answers. If you get it wrong all 6 times, that particular problem is "closed out" but you can still work on others. You can log off and come back later any time, there is no time limit or penalty except for the final deadline) New homework assignments will appear online. You need a 4 digit "pin" to sign on (different each week!), but you can have the system email this pin to you (go to the CAPA login page, there's a link there). Or, just pick up your personal hard copy in the 1120 bins in the basement. CAPA Homework will be due Monday nights at 10PM. There is an automatic extension until 8 AM on Tuesday morning, at your own risk. We are not responsible for any technical or network problems that you encounter after the Monday 10 PM deadline. Anything later than 8 AM on Tuesday will not be accepted by CAPA. There is absolutely no way that you can make up CAPA assignments after the deadline, and we cannot extend the deadlines if you are sick or out of town.

Etiquette: Please turn off all cell phones, laptops, pagers, etc. when entering any classroom. It is perfectly OK to interrupt the lecture by yelling "Question!!". Questions in lecture are always good! We encourage collaborative teamwork on homework and tutorials, an essential skill in science and engineering (and highly valued by employers!) Scientists and engineers work in groups as well as alone. Social interactions are critical to scientists' success - most good ideas grow out of discussions with colleagues. As you study together, try to help your partners get over confusions, ask each other questions, critique hw and tutorial write-ups. Teach each other. You will learn a lot!
Note: While collaboration is the rule in technical work, evaluations of individuals also play an important role. Exams will be done without help from others. For all assignments, the work you turn in must in the end be your own: in your own words, reflecting your own understanding.

Recitations/tutorials: This is a chance to work in a smaller setting with fellow students and trained teaching/learning assistants. Tutorials are designed to enhance your understanding of key principles dealt with in the class. You will hand in "tutorial homeworks", and work through worksheets in small groups at your own pace. It's more important for you to understand the material than to "cover" all the questions. You must take responsibility for your own learning! If you find yourself ahead of your partners, try to explain some physics to them. Explainers learn even more than listeners. Attendance and active participation at tutorials is mandatory. Remember to bring your workbook to tutorial every week! For full credit you must turn in your tutorial HW at the start of the tutorial on Tuesday. Tutorial HW will not be accepted at all after 5 PM on Tuesday.

Tutorial Pretests: There will be no tutorial pre-tests this semester.

The help room: You can meet TA staff in Duane G2B90. Look for times when an 1120 help room assistant is available. This is also a great place to meet with other 1120 students to work together on homework and studying, and get some personalized assistance.

Grading and exams: Your course grade is determined by a combination of your performance on exams, CAPA and tutorial homework, in-class and online participation.
Exam 1: 7:30-9:00 PM, Thur. Feb 16th , 15%
Exam 2: 7:30-9:00 PM, Thur. March 15 , 15%
Exam 3: 7:30-9:00 PM, Thur. April 19 15%
Final Exam: 7:30-10:00 AM, Wed. May 9, 20% (There are no exceptions or alternate exam times! Plan your travel accordingly.)
CAPA Homework:15%
Tutorial Homework: 15%

Tutorials: Attendance AND Active Particpation are required 3%

Online Pre-Lectures: You must complete these before the deadline to receive credit. 2%
Clickers: In-class participation Bonus points = 5%* Clicker score * (100%-Exam average)
You will only receive credit for clicker responses in the lecture section that you are registered in.

Excused Assignments: Because we realize that students may get sick during the semester or have an urgent need that will cause them to miss a class or an assignment, we will automatically excuse one missed CAPA assignment, two pre-lecture assignments, three days of clicker responses, one tutorial participation grade, and one tutorial HW. In the case of no missed assignments we will, however, excuse the lowest scores from these assignments. Because of this policy and because of the large number of students enrolled in this class, individual excuse requests will only be considered for extreme circumstances.

Exams: There are no makeups. You may not miss any exam except for reasons beyond your control, approved by Prof. Lewandowski or Marino, which usually means a confirmed and documented medical problem. (Not knowing which room your exam is in is not beyond your control) In the (unusual) case of an (at most, single) excused absence, your other exams will be used to compute an exam average. To pass 1120, you must take (or be excused from) all exams and the final.

Exams will be closed book. You should bring a calculator and a number 2 pencil to every exam. There will be no sharing of calculators during exams. You are allowed to bring a single handwritten 8.5" x 11" formula sheet to each exam. You can write anything you want on your formula sheet (both sides!) but you must write it by hand - no photocopying and no typing allowed. Calculators with scientific notation are allowed and sometimes needed.

Disability
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Center for Community N200, and http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see guidelines at http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices/go.cgi?select=temporary.html.
Religious Observances
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, please send an e-mail to Prof. Marino in the first week of classes if you anticipate a conflict. See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html
Classroom Behaviour
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, color, culture, religion, creed, politics, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, disability, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code
Discrimination and Harassment
The University of Colorado at Boulder Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures, the University of Colorado Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedures, and the University of Colorado Conflict of Interest in Cases of Amorous Relationships policy apply to all students, staff, and faculty. Any student, staff, or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of sexual harassment or discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Student Conduct (OSC) at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies, and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at http://www.colorado.edu/odh.
Honor Code
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/

Important CU deadlines: Check here for the official CU Add/Drop dates. At this time, Wed. Jan. 25 is add date without requiring signatures. Jan. 28 is when we'd like to hear from you if you need any exam accomodations. Wed, Feb 29, is drop date without the Dean's signature. Additional late drop dates may apply depending upon your college rules. Engineers and Arts and Sciences majors may differ.

How to succeed in this course:

The course topics that we will cover in Physics 1120 are among the greatest intellectual achievements of humans. Don't be surprised if you have to think hard and work hard to master the material. You can perform very well in this class if you follow this time-tested system:

Read the chapter material before lecture and recitation. If you read it first, it'll sink in faster during lecture. We won't repeat what's in the book - especially definitions. Lecture is for making sense of what's in the text!
Take notes on your reading and try to write down questions you may have. If you ask those questions in class, we'll will try to answer them.
Come to class. Stay involved in class and tutorials. Participate, engage! Come to office hours at the Physics Help Room.
Start the homeworks early. Give yourself the time to work and understand. Remember that it's possible to have a perfect homework score by putting in the time and effort.
But first: Do the reading. Don't try the homework until you finish the reading.
Write out your solutions to CAPA problems and save them. This will help you remember your thought process when you study for exams.
Work together. Physicists often work in groups. You need to do your own thinking, but talking to others is a great way to sort out your thoughts.
Don't get behind. It's very hard to catch up.
Don't skip anything. Every stone rests on another, and the whole building will collapse if any are missing.
Please, get help early if you feel you are struggling with any aspect of the course (from your TA/LA/Prof. or /help room/study group/tutor...) We're here to help!
Don't give up! You can make total sense of all this stuff - it just may take some effort.

Being "good" at physics problem solving comes from practice. CAPA problems usually involve two steps: a decision about which principles and concepts of physics apply, and then a determination of the answer (which usually involves a calculation.) Tutorial homework concentrate even more on the principles and concepts, and your ability to explain what you are doing. We encourage you to talk about physics with your friends. The thing to talk about is not which number to put where (the calculation is the easy part), but the reasoning that helps you decide what to do with the numbers.

Disclaimer

Any information in this syllabus is as accurate as is possible at the time of writing. Future announcements about changes of any kind will be made in class, and (usually) posted on the web, and will take precedence over the original syllabus. You are responsible for what is said in class, whether or not you are in attendance.

Prof. Lewandowski's office:	X-435 (new X-Wing, fourth floor)
Office hrs:	Monday 3:30-5:00 PM in JILA A600, or by app't at other times
e-mail:	Heather.Lewandowski at Colorado.edu

Prof. Marino's office:	Duane F-419(in the Duane physics tower, fourth floor)
Office hrs:	Available Wednesdays from 2:00-3:30 PM or by app't at other times
e-mail	Alysia.Marino at Colorado.edu

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How to succeed in this course:

Disclaimer