Panopto will be used to record
lectures (both audio and slides), which can be reached
also through Canvas.
On Canvas, following the link Files you will also
find pdf copies of the lectures slides, which I
will try to post before lectures. You will be able
to review/scan using
desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone both the visual
and the audio parts, following
the link above to panopto.
You have signed up for a course with inclusive access
to your digital course materials.
This program offers you digital course materials for PHYS
114, 115, and 116 at a reduced cost and they are included
with the $45 course fee. They can be accessed through
Canvas.
Your course materials will include access to the e-book,
on-line homework, and Learning Catalytics (a classroom
response system).
There is the option for you to purchase an additional print
version of the textbook at the University of Washington
Bookstore for $30.
In order to access the course materials for the courses of
PHYS 114, 115, and 116, please follow the directions below:
1. Go to Canvas and click on MyLab
and Mastering (on left navigation bar) and click on
Mastering Physics.
2. Read and accept the “End-User
License Agreement.”
3. If you already have a Pearson
account, enter your username and password.
4. If you do not have a Pearson
account, select “Create” and follow the prompts to create a
new account. (Please use your school e-mail address
when creating an account.)
5. Select “Access Code” and enter
your access code, and select “Finish.”
6. The access code is: DSCGVI-WHIRR-CONCH-ORGAN-CHOIR-PIPES
7. When the registration is
complete, the “You’re Done” page appears and you receive a
confirmation e-mail.
8. Close out of the page and go to
Canvas to access the course materials
General Information
A number of details still to be
determined during the first week of class!
Two problems are
endemic to physics intended for biology majors. The first is
the method of learning. The biology majors are comfortable
with memorizing and reproducing. They have not been trained
to solve problems. They have a fantastic memory power, and
there is no way to make use of it in a physics course. The
second problem is an aggressive and obsessive quest for an
A. I think the pathological anxiety about grades stands in
the way of learning a difficult subject like physics.
(This is an observation of an instructor at a different
institution, with whom I completely agree.)
Prerequisites: PHYS 114, PHYS 115 and working
knowledge of high school algebra and basic trigonometry.
Textbook: James Walker, Physics, which is available as etext.
PHYS 114, 115 and 116 all lecture sections are funded by a
Course Fee paid directly to the UW at time of registration.
This course fee provides each student with an electronic
copy of the textbook (newest edition of Walker, a revised
edition of the text we have used for a few years). Thus the
bookstore is not involved in access to a textbook for these
courses. This course fee also includes student access to an
online HW system (Mastering Physics) AND access to an online
polling system (part of Learning Catalytics) such that
students can use cell phones or tablet computers to answer
"clicker" questions in class. A hard copy of the textbook
can be obtained at an additional cost.
Lectures: students will be responsible for all
material covered in lectures. Please ask questions in class
(highly encouraged), or drop by for office hours, or email
your question (that might be more difficult to use, so use
that as last resort in special circumstances).
Slides shown in lectures will be posted for your
reference.
Concurrent enrollment in lab course, PHYS 119, is not
mandatory, but recommended. Please note PHYS 119 is a separate
course; if you have questions, you must contact
the instructor.
Quizzes: 2/3 of the maximum number of points will
count as a full credit, so you can miss several quizzes
without loss - therefore, no makeup quizzes! The quiz
questions will be very easy if you have been paying
attention in class. You will be able to answer the quizzes
using phones, smartphones, iPads, tablets, computers.
Homework: Lecture homework will be assigned each
week. Each student will have the same assignment to
complete online, but the numerical values supplied to each
student will differ. Completing 90% of the maximum number of
points of the homework will count as full credit. You are very strongly advised to work out at least 10
additional problems in each chapter. The homework
assignments are very minimal, and experience shows that
students who spend time on homework problems get better
scores on exams. Also, some exam questions may be very
similar to end-of-chapter problems.
Midterm Exams: there will be 3 midterm exams.
Please see the course calendar for dates and material
covered. Your lowest midterm score will be dropped, so you
can miss one midterm without loss. Therefore, you need
not (and should not) notify me in any way if you have to
miss one midterm. However, please do not ask for
permission to miss more than one! Closed-book, but you
will be allowed a handwritten formula page with the
exam, 8 1/2 x 11 inches, both sides. Each midterm will
emphasize recent material, but may include questions dealing
with topics from earlier in the course. The exams will
include only multiple choice questiond.
Calculators are permitted. Cell phones, laptop computers,
iPad computers are not permitted, and the use of the
text-storage capability now available on many calculators is
also not permitted. The Physics Department reserves the
right to ask for valid identification from any student
during examinations. Bring a scantron for all exams.
Final exam Plan your departure after this required
exam. If you miss the final exam you will get an I
(Incomplete) grade for the class, and will have to make it
up by taking the final exam of following term's 116 class.
The final exam will be comprehensive, covering material from
the entire course. It will be entirely multiple choice in
format. The same rules apply as for Midterm exams. Of course
you may not communicate with anyone in or out of the room
during an exam, or use any electronic device for
communication.
Please recognize that any variety of cheating is a serious
academic offense, with penalties up to and including
expulsion from UW.
Bring a scantron!
Grading Policy: The final course grade will
include:
midterm exam score (best 2 of 3)
40% of the course grade,
the final exam score 30%,
Homework scores 15%,
Quiz scores 15%.
Your lowest midterm exam score will be dropped and your best
two midterms are your "midterm exam score".
For each of the components we obtain a "Z-score", defined as
Z=(your score - class average)/(class standard deviation).
This preserves your rank in class for each item, while
giving all items a common average.
Study center: please make use of the Physics Study
Center, located in room AM008, on the mezzanine level of the
A wing of the Physics Astronomy building. The room is open
at all times the building is open, 8am to 7pm weekdays. TAs
and faculty will be on hand to answer your questions most of
the time betwen 9:30 am and 4:30 pm weekdays. You are
encouraged to study with fellow students to learn more! (Of
course, homework submissions must be your own work.)
Common courtesy: Civil behavior is required in
class. The basic rule is, do not get in the way of other
students who want to pay attention. Cell phones must be
turned off while in class. If you want to chat with another
student, or play games or watch videos on a laptop, please
leave the room.
Exam accommodations for
students through Disability Resources
If you have met with
the Disability Resources for Students office (DRS) and
have special accommodations for exams (such as extra
time), you will need to submit a testing contract through
your online account with DRS. You can find information
about their new online program on their website: http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/.
If you have questions about the new procedures, please
contact the DRS office at 206-543-8924 or
uwdrs@uw.edu. For students taking
Physics 114, 115, or 116, you will need
to check your course syllabus to see what is allowed for
exams (some professors allow notes, some do not, etc). If
you are unsure about what materials are allowed for your
course, please contact your professor to discuss your
accommodations. You will need to submit your testing
contract at least FIVE days before your
exam in order to take the exam at the DRS testing center.
DRS
Testing Contract Questions for 12X courses only.pdf Please mark “TA will deliver exam/TA will pick up exam”
on the form. Students must submit their testing
contracts (not just the initial email from DRS) at least FIVE
days before the exam date, or else they will not be given
accommodations to take the exam at the DRS testing center.
The new system is a little confusing, so if you have any
questions, please contact Susan H. Miller, see https://sharepoint.washington.edu/phys/ugrad/1xx