Instructor:

Prof. Seamus Lagan, SC 105C, X4458

Office Hours:

TBA

Class Hours:

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Mon, Wed, Fri SC 110

Required Text

"Physics for Scientists and Engineers" by D.C. Giancoli

Hour Tests (2)

40% (20% each)

Final

25%

Quizzes

15%

Homework

10%

Activity Notebooks and reports

10%

Attendance

Because of the workshop nature of this course it is important that you perform all of the activities. For this reason attendance will be taken each day and every 3 unexcused absences will drop your grade one level (e.g. from B+ to B). A valid excuse must be documented (a note from your doctor, the health center, the counseling center or student services). If you have a job then conflict with work hours is not a valid excuse. Your course work comes first!

Quizzes.

 There will be a quiz at the start of class on Mondays indicated on the schedule. The quiz will test your knowledge of the material from the previous week, i.e. reading assignments, activities, problems etc. Typically the quiz will last about fifteen minutes. These quizzes are worth 15% of your grade.

YOU MAY MAKE YOURSELF A CRIB SHEET (8.5 X 11, ONE SIDE) FOR EACH QUIZ.

Homework.

Homework will be assigned in class. Partially completed problems will receive partial credit so show all your work (but it should be neat!)

Activity notebook.

There is no separate lab with this course. Instead we will be carrying out activities in class which illustrate and help you understand the concepts. These activities will include qualitative and quantitative experiments using real equipment and also simulated experiments on the computers. Analysis of data from the experiments will often involve the use of spreadsheets and graphing software on the computers. Your activity notebook is where you keep an account of the activities carried out in class.

A good activity notebook will contain the completed hand-outs and all data and analysis for each activity. Sometimes I have you perform activities for which there is no handout. In such a case you need to write a description of the steps involved in the activity and a clear discussion of the data and analysis.

The tests and quizzes may contain questions about the activities so it is to your advantage to summarize the activities in your notebook. A good summary will briefly describe the topic of the activity, what you did, what data you took (if any) and what you learned or concluded (i.e. what was the point of the activity). While these summaries are not mandatory, you are encouraged to write them to help you review the material.

Grading of notebooks

The activity notebook will be handed in at some time during the semester for evaluation. The notebooks will be graded for completeness and comprehensibility. Each activity should be completed with data tables and graphs attached. Don't make me have to flip around looking for the material. It should be in the correct order and well organized.

Lab Reports

Twice during the semester you will be asked to write a separate report (in addition to the entry in your activity notebook) describing an activity done in class. This report will be more formal than your activity notebook entries and will require more time and effort on your part. I will give you more details of the content and format of these reports later.