Physics 121 Syllabus

Fall 2009

Course Information

Course Outcomes

Physics 121 is the first quarter of a three quarter long course in classical physics. The first quarter deals with motion. This includes kinematics, the description of motion, and dynamics, the study of the causes of motion. The course will cover linear and rotational motion, Newton’s laws, energy and momentum. The course has a laboratory component where we will learn proper laboratory technique as well as build our intuition and conceptual understanding of physics. (Prerequisite: Math 124, 1^st quarter calculus or equivalent, no exceptions)

This class has the following General Education ratings

Quantitative and Logical – 3
Science and the Natural World – 3

For a more detailed description of the course outcomes see:
http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/bscott/P121out.html

How Outcomes will be met

Homework:

In general homework will be given frequently, usually about one assignment per week.. Homework will be checked and a grade will be given based on whether you have made a serious attempt to answer the problems. Solutions to the problem sets will be posted online after the assignment has been turned in. Homework is your chance to practice solving physics problems. You are encouraged to do homework in groups and learn as much as you can from each other. Doing the homework is essential for mastering the concepts of physics and the skills needed to solve physics problems. Homework counts for 15% of the total grade.

Special Problems:

Special problems are homework problems that will be closely graded. There will be about 4-8 per quarter. The special problems are designed to illustrate the key concepts of the material covered in class, and may ask you to go beyond what is discussed in class. Partial credit will be given, so give full derivations and diagrams when appropriate. As with the homework, you are encouraged to work together to get an understanding of the problem, but write up your work separately. (See group work below) Special problems count for 10% of the total grade.

Labs:

Physics is more than just an academic subject; it is a study of how things work in the real world. The labs give us an opportunity to see real live physics in action. There will be two types of labs in this class, formal and informal labs. All together, labs constitute 20% of the total grade.

Formal labs are a detailed quantitative look at physical phenomenon. The lab will involve setting up the experiment, taking data, analyzing the data and presenting the results. Formal labs will be graded on a 10 point scale. The lab will be graded on whether proper technique was followed, and how the data is analyzed and presented, not on whether the data matches the expected results of the experiment.

Informal labs are to demonstrate concepts and build intuition. These labs will be graded on a 4 point scale, and will not be graded as closely as a formal lab. Again, the grade will be based on how well you follow the technique of the lab and present the results, not on whether your predictions turned out to be correct. During these labs, please feel free to explore the concepts and make predictions without worrying about being “right”.

Group Work:

Your fellow students are some of your best resources. You are encouraged to work together on homework, special problems and labs. However, the work you hand in must be in your own words. The best way to do this is to work together when discussing the problems and figuring out the math, but write up answers separately. If you have some question about whether you are doing original work or plagiarizing, come see me before you hand the work in. If I get two papers that are too close to being the same, I will return them both without grades. I will not be drawn into deciding original ownership.

Tests and Exams:

There will be three mid-term exams and a final exam. The final exam will be comprehensive but focus mainly on more recently covered material. The mid-term exams will be worth 100 points each, and the final will be worth 150 points. All together the midterm exams and finals count for 45% of the total grade.

You must show your work on exam questions to get credit. Just a number without calculations and a sketch will receive no credit! We will talk during class about what constitutes showing your work. All tests and exams will be closed book. A formula sheet will be provided at the time of the exam.

Part of our obligation as a college is to maintain our reputation, and with it, the high quality of your degree. One component of this obligation is the Science division policy on cheating (see below). You should also realize that your classmates are just as concerned about this as we are. It is a courtesy therefore for you to make a visible demonstration that cheating during exams is not occurring. Several steps you can take include not sitting near your friends, leaving a desk between you and the students on either side, and not borrowing pencils, erasers, calculators etc. from your neighbors during the exam. There should be no conversation, even of an innocent nature with anyone but the instructor during the exams.

Grading

The final grade is determined as follows:

Exams 45% - final 100pts + 3 mid-terms 100pts each
Laboratories 20% - 4 formal labs + informal labs
Special Problems 10%
Homework 15%
In class problems 10% - Lecture demonstrations, group problems, etc

The letter grade for the class is determined from the final percentage grade

Books and Materials Required

Text: Physics, Halliday, Resnick, Krane 5^th edition
Lab Manual “Laboratories For Mechanics” and the “Lab Supplements” addendum

Classroom Learning Atmosphere

Instructor’s Expectation

Many students find physics to be a demanding class. Most students find that they need 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour spent in class. We have a lot of material to cover this quarter. To make efficient use of time in the classroom I will focus on demonstrations and applications of physics. I will not cover all of the material in the book in class, but I will expect that you have read it outside of class.

Attendance is very important as well. The demonstrations and labs are difficult to set up. We will only do them once. There will be no makeup labs. Since I understand that some absences are unavoidable, I will drop one lab grade. If you do have to miss a class it is your responsibility to find out what happened in class and learn as much as you can about the material you missed.

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Division Statements

Bellevue Community College Science Division Policy on Cheating*: You, the student, are expected to conduct yourself with integrity. When you cheat*, or aid someone else in cheating, you violate a trust. If you cheat*, the following actions will be taken:

1. You will receive a grade of O on the exam, lab, quiz, etc., where cheating occurs. This grade cannot be dropped.

2. A report of the incident will be sent to the Dean of Students. He/She may file this report in your permanent record or take further action such as suspension or expulsion from the college.

If you feel you have been unfairly accused of cheating, you may appeal. For a description of due process procedures see WAC 132H-120, copies of which are available in the Student Body Government office.
*Cheating includes but is not limited to, copying answers on tests or homework, glimpsing at nearby test papers, sharing laboratory reports, swapping papers, stealing, plagiarizing, illicitly giving or receiving help on exams or assignments.

Plagiarizing is a gray area in this course. If you are in doubt ask before you hand in your work.

Student Code

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

Important Links

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

Please note that the electronic materials for this course is NOT on MyBC and is instead on the science division server at:

http://scidiv.bellevuecollege.edu/bscott/

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Public Safety

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day,7 days per week.  Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

Final Exam Schedule

The final exam is on Wednesday December 9 11:30a – 1:20p. It has the same format as the mid-term exams and will mostly cover material presented after the third mid-term.

Academic Calendar

The Bellevue College Academic Calendar is separated into two calendars. They provide information about holidays, closures and important enrollment dates such as the finals schedule.

• Enrollment Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/deadlines/. On this calendar you will find admissions and registration dates and important dates for withdrawing and receiving tuition refunds.

• College Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/holidays/0910.asp. This calendar gives you the year at a glance and includes college holidays, scheduled closures, quarter end and start dates, and final exam dates.