PH204 General Physics II: Assignments and Information
Spring 2000

Lecturer: Gary P. Agin
Office: Fisher 103
Phone: 487-2907
Office Hours: By Arrangement
E-mail: gagin@mtu.edu
Textbook: Physics For Scientists and Engineers, with Modern Physics, 5 ^th Edition Plus Student Tools CD-ROM, Serway & Beichner (ISBN 0-03-0317169)
Answers to all homework problems from Physics Department secure site, ask your recitation instructor for the password
See catalog description

Course Grade

Your grade for the course will be based on your performance on the hour exams, recitation work and the final exam. The weight attributed to each segment of the course is as follows:

For each of the four segments of your grade, you will be given a numerical score from 0 to 100. For an indication of your standing relative to the class, you may use the following table:

Letter grades for the course will be based on the above scheme with the provision that the cutoffs are subject to change. All questions regarding the grading policy for the course should be addressed to the lecturer. Questions regarding the grading of specific exams and quizzes should be addressed to your recitation instructor.

Lecture and Recitation Sections

Before going to lecture, read the assigned sections. Reading and homework problem assignments are found on the assignment schedule (above). Answers to the odd-numbered problems are found in the book. Answers to all the problems are available on the web. You are expected to have worked on the assigned homework problems before attending recitation. Recitation is the place that questions can be posed to and by your instructor. It is vitally important that you attempt to understand and solve all the assignments.

Your recitation instructor will set the policy for the determination of the recitation part of your grade. This may consist of some combination of at least 5 short quizzes and collected homework. Quizzes will frequently consist of problems similar to those assigned as homework and will be graded by your recitation instructor. Variations in length, difficulty and frequency of quizzes will occur among the recitation instructors. An attempt is made to overcome these variations with the requirement that the scaled average recitation score for any one section be equal to the average of the adjusted hour exam scores for that section.

Hour Exams

The times set for the hour exams are as follows:

Since these times were published in the scheduling booklet when you enrolled in this course, it is your responsibility to appear at the scheduled times to take the exams. Any conflict should be cleared by changing the conflicting event. No late exams will be given. Your recitation instructor will inform you of the location of the exam for your section.

The door will open at 5:55 p.m. and everyone should be seated in the assigned seat and ready to begin work by 6:00 p.m. Papers will be collected one hour later. An unexcused absence from an exam will be graded zero. Questions and problems on the exams will be similar to the questions at the end of the chapter and the assigned problems from the textbook. A photocopy of your exam answer sheet is made before it is returned to you. All regrades will be done from the photocopies.

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) sells a collection of old hour exams and finals with answers about a week before the first hour exam. You may find it helpful to study from these though the style of exams and the topics covered change somewhat from term to term. Some previous exams may be available on the web (see links at the top of this page).

During a recitation class following each hour exam, you will be given an opportunity to earn "redemption points" which will be added to the score you receive on that exam. A portion of the designated recitation class will be used for you to rework a limited number of problems which you missed on the exam. A special form will be provided for this and it must be attached to your original answer sheet. Be sure to bring your exam booklet to this class. While the actual recemption work you hand in must be your own, you may discuss the problems and rework the test before coming to class

Final Exam

The final exam is scheduled during final exam week. The time and location will be published by the University. You may ask you recitation instructor about the location of the exam for your section. The exam will be a full two hours long. The structure and grading of the final will be similar to the hour exams. The essential difference is that more answers will be required. An unexcused absence from the final exam will be graded zero.

Equation Sheet

You may bring only one 8½ x 11 sheet of paper with equations and data on it (both sides) that you have prepared yourself to each hour exam and to the final exam. Do not include any solved examples on this sheet. You may also use this sheet during the redemption session.

Extra Help

If you are having difficulty and wish additional help, the Physics Learning Center is located in Fisher 019B. They have both appointment and "walk in" service. The appointment schedule fills early in the term. If you feel you need this, go to the Learning Center to sign up. The "walk in" hours are posted on the door of Fisher 019B and you can get occasional help this way. Do not expect the coaches to do your homework for you. They know which problems are on the assignment and will not work those specific problems before recitation.

Semester Transition

In order to better accommodate the change to semesters, the Physics Department has allowed some students, who would otherwise have great difficulties making the transition to semesters, to take one of the prerequisites for this course, PH181, as a corequisite rather than as a prerequisite. It should be understood by all of those students that if they drop PH181 during the quarter, that they will receive an incomplete grade (I) for this course until PH181, or its semester equivalent (PH1100), is completed. Incomplete grades auromatically become F's after one year.