School of Physics:: Academics :: Classes :: Spring 2006 Courses ::2802 Special Topics

Physics 2802 Special Topics

Instructor: Ken Barker
EMail: knbark [at] aol.com
Office: W107
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1-3 PM
Phone: 770-271-1807 (Home) / 404-894-5214 (Office)
Time &Place: M,W 1305-1455 CoC 16

Note:

1. Schedule Change. Whenever a Physics 2211 Test is scheduled on Monday, Physics 2802 will meet on the preceding Friday afternoon. These class sessions will be from 1:05 PM to 2:55 PM in Room N208 (Physics Building). Physics 2802 will not meet on Monday afternoons of scheduled test days. Specifically Class WILL meet on Friday Jan. 27, Friday Feb. 10, Friday March 3, Friday March 31 and Friday April 14. Class WILL NOT meet on Monday Jan. 30, Monday Feb. 13, Monday March 6, Monday April 3 and Monday April 17. During these Friday class meetings homework for the week will be collected and a practice quiz will be administered.

2. The due date for Homework #6 has been changed from Monday, Feb. 27 to Wednesday, March 1. Homework #7 will not be assigned until after Quiz #3.

Homework Assignments:

Homework #1
Due Monday, Jan 23.
Chap. 2, Problems 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17.

Homework #2
Chap. 2, Problems 21, 23, 25, 39, 67.
Chap. 3, Problems 9, 19, 25.

This homework is due on the Friday before Quiz #1 in 2211. The reason is to enable you to have my solution in hand to assist you in studying for the quiz over the weekend.

Homework #3
Due Monday, Feb. 6.
Chap. 4, Problems 5, 9, 25, 27, 29, 31, 35.

Homework #4
Due Friday, Feb 10.
Chap. 5, Problems 11, 21, 29, 31, 35(a&b), 39, 47, 49, 53.

This homework is due on the Friday before Quiz #2 in 2211. The reason is to enable you to have my solution in hand to assist you in studying for the quiz over the weekend.

Several of these problems require coefficients of static and/or kinetic friction. These may be found in Table 5.1 on page 133 of your text.

Homework #5
Due Monday, Feb 20.
Chap. 6, Problems 5, 11, 13, 17, 25, 33, 35, 41, 53, 61.

Homework #6
Due Monday, Feb 27.
Chap. 7, Problems 3, 7, 11, 19, 23, 29, 35, 39, 47, 61.

The due date for Homework #6 has been changed from Monday, Feb. 27 to Wednesday, March 1. Homework #7 will not be assigned until after Quiz #3.

Homework #7
Due Wednesday, March 15.
Chap. 14, Problems 9, 11, 15.
Chap. 8, Problems 17, 23, 25, 27, 49.
Chap. 9, Problems 11,17.

"The due date for Homework #7 has been extended until Friday, March 17. We will not have class that day so your paper must be turned into Joanna's mailbox prior to 3:00 PM. I will answer questions on Homework #7 during class on
Wednesday."

Homework #8
Due Wednesday, March 29.
Chap. 9, Problems 19, 22, 43, 55, 67.
Chap. 11, Problems 3, 5, 9,15

Homework #9
Due Wednesday, April 12.
Chap. 10, Problems 41, 49, 53 and 57.
Chap. 11, Problems 39, 41, 48 and 73.
Chap. 14, Problems 43 and 47.

This is the only homework assignment you will have between Quizzes 4 and 5.

Homework #10
Due Wednesday, April 26.

Chap. 13, Problems 14, 15, 23, 29, 33, 49, 65, 67, 71 and 79
This is the final homework assignment for Physics 2802.

Text:

NONE

Grading Policy:

Satisfactory completion of Physics 2802 will result in a grade that is independent of your performance in Physics 2211. This grade will be based on in-class participation and written solutions to assigned homework. There will be no examinations or quizzes in this course.

Class Participation -----------300 points
Homework --------------------200 points
Total ---------------------------500 points

Target Grade Distribution:

A – 90% 450 – 500 points
B – 80% 400 – 449 points
C – 70% 350 – 399 points
D – 60% 300 – 349 points
F 0 – 299 points

PERMIT and LAB EXEMPTION:

You have been granted permits to register for PHYS 2802 (Special Problems - Problem Solving, CRN 23963) and PHYS 2211 X0 (Lab Exemption, CRN 22424) Please read the following instructions carefully--failure to do so may lead to a registration error, which could cause you to fail 2211 this spring:

1. The standard policy in the School of Physics is to restrict lab exemptions to students who have earned D's or better. We allow students who failed 2211 to be lab exempt only as a courtesy to those who are taking 2802 concurrently with re-taking 2211. If you failed 2211 previously, and you do not register for 2802 (or if you withdraw from 2802 later in the term), the lab exemption privilege will be nullified, you will receive a zero in lab, and you will consequently fail the course as a whole.

2. If you choose to be lab exempt, you must register for the special lab section, 2211 X0, instead of a regular lab. By doing so, you are officially obtaining lab exempt status, and won't ever have to show up for lab. Your prior lab score will automatically be carried forward and applied to your grade for the upcoming term. If you failed lab, or received a reduced score because of poor lab attendance, you should not register for lab exemption. When registering for section 2211 X0, DO NOT register for a regular lab section. (If you have already done so, please REMOVE the regular lab).

3. If you do not register for 2211 X0, we will presume that you've elected to waive your exemption, and consequently you must register for and attend lab as usual--failure to do so will mean a zero in lab, and failure of the course.

CLASS PARTICIPATION:

The most important component of this course is participation of the student in a small classroom environment. Physics problem solving techniques will be learned by actually solving problems while working with your peers and being supervised by your instructor. Problem sets will be assigned during each class period. If these problem sets are completed during the class period they will be graded on the basis of a maximum score of 10 points. These problem sets can be turned in for credit the next day during office hours but the maximum score would be reduced to 8 points.

Homework:

Homework for this course will consist of written out solutions for selected problems taken from your Physics 2211 text. These problems will be selected to represent the Mastering Physics homework assigned by your Physics 2211 Instructor. This requirement should minimize additional workload over the assignments required for Physics 2211.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Attendance in this course is mandatory. Failure to attend any class session will result in a class participation grade of 0 for that day. For each two unexcused absences the maximum achievable letter grade for this course will be reduced by one letter.

COURSE DROP DATE:

The last day to withdraw from this course without penalty is Friday, March 3, 2006. Note, withdrawal from this course may also require withdrawal from Physics 2211 if your lab exemption is nullified.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

The policy on academic honesty as stated in the GIT Honor Code will be fully enforced during this course.

GRADING GUIDELINES:

First and foremost, while writing out your problem set solutions and homework for this class, keep in mind that the purpose is to make sure you understand how and why the solutions work. We are looking for you to fully demonstrate your understanding. To get full credit you must use an appropriate format to show how you obtained your answers. If you are assigned a multiple choice or fill in the blank type of problem, simply write a succinct sentence explaining your reasoning to get full credit. For an answer to be judged correct it must have the correct units.

Below is a rubric explaining very general criteria for how your work will be graded:

POINT VALUE	COMPLETENESS?	CORRECTNESS?
10	ALL done ALL work shown	All correct
9	10% work not shown, but all work shown on rest	~ 80% correct
8	20% work not shown, but all work shown on rest	~ 70% correct
7	30% work not shown, but all work shown on rest	~ 60% correct
6	50% work not shown, but all work shown on rest	~ 50% correct
5	less than 50% work shown	less than 50% correct

Clearly this is not an exact science, but hopefully you can get an idea of how your grade will be determined. The general idea is that by the time you turn in your written problem sets or homework for this class, you will know all of the correct answers. Therefore the emphasis in grading is on your method and not just on your result.

MY OBJECTIVE FOR THIS COURSE:

My objective for this course is that you achieve the best understanding possible of elementary physics problem solution concepts. Successfully meeting this objective should enable you to use these techniques to excel in Physics 2211. In class your questions and discussion are essential to this learning process. As your instructor I am available to you for any assistance required for this course and also for Physics 2211. Please feel free to contact me during office hours or by home phone or email at any other time you have questions.

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Physics 2802 Special Topics