Please read this entire syllabus carefully, and refer to it often. If you have any questions about the structure or administration of the course, you are likely to find the answer here.
Physics is not a spectator sport! You will make best use of the lectures if you attempt to become actively engaged. Ask questions about what you have read. Making predictions about the outcomes of real or imagined experiments, and answering questions raised in class, first individually, then in informal groups formed in class, then as a whole class, will be the best (and perhaps only) way to succeed in this course.
Lecture time will also be devoted to teaching problem solving skills needed to do the assigned homework. After each lecture class, and before the next, solve the problems (P) assigned on that day. During each Monday class your work of the previous week will be collected. Your solutions will be graded and returned to you at the class meeting of the following Monday. After the Monday lecture, solutions for the assigned work will be posted on the PHY 361 bulletin board. A copy will also be available in the CP library. Make sure that you take advantage of the opportunity to ask for help during office hours as well as in lecture, and be prepared to communicate your points of confusion to the lecture instructor.
Our emphasis will be on an understanding of the underlying physics concepts as well as on problem-solving skills. The more that is understood, the less there is to memorize. This means that in addition to being able to solve all of the assigned problems and questions, you will also be expected to be able to apply the concepts involved in these problems to somewhat different situations. To do this successfully, the student is encouraged to focus on gaining an understanding of the physical concepts involved rather than merely learning to memorize formulas and plug in numbers. This may involve qualitative and sometimes creative answers to questions or problems. It will thus be good practice for the exams if you attempt to do additional problems from the text that have not been assigned as homework.
DO NOT fall behind in the course. We will cover quickly a large amount of cumulative material. Should you fall behind for unavoidable reasons, skip to the current material, stay current again, and try to repair the earlier deficiencies as time permits. The worst case scenario would be to attempt to run a week or so behind schedule. That would invite disaster.
Your course letter grade will be determined on an absolute scale based on years of experience of your instructors. After each test, an indication of your current letter grade will be given. It is not possible to be very precise before the course, but as a rough preliminary estimation, an approximate breakdown is as follows: A: 15%; B: 25%; C: 40%; D/E/W: 20%.
TESTS: There will be two one-hour tests and a two-hour final exam, half of which is devoted to the material that was not tested, the other half cumulative. All test dates are indicated on the attached schedule.
If you miss a test without a valid excuse, you will receive a zero for the test. If you have a valid excuse (e.g. signed note from a physician or a university official), present it to your the lecturer who may request further documentation. An excused absence always requires a written request. It must be provided to the lecturer at least one week in advance except for unexpected emergencies in the immediate family or for the student.
If you miss a single test with an excused absence, you may opt for either a make-up test (which will not be less-demanding than the test missed), or (as many students prefer) a calculated replacement grade to restore the points lost on the missed exam. Your grade for the missing test will be calculated from your ranking on the other hourly test. If you miss the final examination or one hour-test, you may, upon request, get an I-grade only if you have a valid excuse and the average of your test scores indicates a possibility of passing the course. You will have to complete the course at another time.
If you wish to submit a test for regrading, first make sure that you understand how to do the problem correctly (see the posted solutions, for example.) Then, within a few days of receiving your test back, provide an explanation of your request on a separate signed sheet of paper, and hand it to your lecturer. Make no marks on the solution that you submit for regrading, so that it can be compared with the photocopy on file (tests will be photocopied before they are returned). Any student who cheats on an exam will receive a grade of E for the course, and may be subject to further disciplinary action by the university.
HOMEWORK GRADE: You are obliged to turn in your homework in the first 10 minutes of the Monday class. It will be reviewed for completeness and 0--10 points will be awarded. About half of the problems in each homework set will be reviewed in detail and an additional 0--15 points will be awarded, for a total out of 25. Your homework will be returned to you at the next Monday class. On the basis of your homework, you will be awarded a maximum of 100 points for your homework grade.
Late homework will not be accepted without a valid excuse which must be provided to the lecturer at least one week in advance except for unexpected emergencies in the immediate family or for the student. ``Falling behind'' and ``sleeping in'' are not valid excuses, but two of your lowest homework scores will be dropped when your total homework grade is tallied.
LECTURE GRADE: In several lectures on a random basis, you will be given a short quiz, typically a multiple choice question on current material. On a separate unfolded, full-sized sheet of paper, write your name, your social security number, and the date, and your (provisional) answer to the problem. Then discuss the problem with your neighbors and write down your revised answer. (If it changes, don't erase your first guess -- you won't be graded on that, but it provides me with an indication of how you are learning.) You will be given 2 points for submitting an answer, and an additional 3 points if your (revised) answer is correct. After you hand in your paper, we will discuss the solution as a class. I will not return your paper (to save valuable lecture time) so keep a record of your answer and the correct answer. You may accumulate a maximum of 50 points over the semester. Your cumulative lecture grade will be posted with each test score.
BONUS POINTS:
To further encourage increased communication between students and instructor,
up to 30 points extra credit will be awarded. (This is truly extra
credit, since it will be added after the cuts for the final course grade have
been determined.) To earn extra credit on any given day in class, ask one or
more questions, or respond to a question asked of you by the instructor. (Raise
you hand, and wait until I call on you before answering.) Then write your
name, your social security number,
the date, and the question(s) and answer(s) on a separate unfolded,
full-sized sheet of paper, and hand it directly to me at the end of
that lecture. (You may only hand in a sheet with the answers to
your questions, not somebody else's.) I won't return it to you but
will award you up to 3 points (and 
if I believe that your question
was not asked in earnest). You may ask as many questions as you wish, but you
may earn a maximum of 3 points per lecture and 30 points during the
semester, including a maximum of 10 points during the last month. I won't
tell you your cumulative score because I don't want you to keep quiet as soon
as you earn your 30 points.
to 
, James William Rohlf
Think analytically, and retain, organize and employ facts purposefully, critically and effectively. Strive to harness this way of thinking to help you understand, assess, appreciate and criticize modern science and technology.