Phys 116, Winter 2014

Instructor:   Aurel Bulgac
E-mail:                 bulgac@uw.edu
Class:             MTuThF 12:30-1:20 pm in PAA A118

Office:                  PAB B-478
Office Hours:      ThF, 3:00-4:00 pm, PAB, B-478

TA:                       Bosong Sun
Office Hours:        Tu 2:00-3:30 pm, W 3:30-4:30 pm, Physics Study Center, room AM008

                                 In this study room most of the time there are instructors and TA's present

   Instructor being evaluated: Aurel Bulgac
  Evaluation form type: B - Large Lecture
  Evaluation URL: https://uw.iasystem.org/survey/139316
  The evaluation opens Mar  2, 2015 and closes on Mar 20, 2015.

Phys 11X general course website

Phys 116 Calendar, Winter 2015

GoPost This is a discussion board for students only and it will not be monitored or moderated.

Clicker registration (will be closed on Jan 23, at 11:45 pm) clicker programing, and more clicker programing, and types of clickers. You can use the clicker even if it is not registered yet.

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.

GradeBook 116

Webassign (HW1 is up, and each week one more HW will be added.)

General Information

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 on this issue.)

Prerequisites: PHYS 114, PHYS 115 and working knowledge of high school algebra and basic trigonometry.
Textbook: James Walker, Physics, 4th Ed., Prentice Hall; paperback volume 3 (custom edition for UW), or the entire hardback text, available at U. Bookstore.
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.
Webassign access is required for homework and grade communication.
Clickers required for pop quizzes: H-ITT RF (not infrared!) transmitter, available at U. Bookstore. They will be used during each class. Bring your clicker every day! YOU are responsible for knowing how to use your clicker - we will have a practice quiz in class. If you have trouble operating your clicker, please ask students sitting nearby for help. Please don't ask me to hand-enter your answer if you are unable to enter your response electronically.
Quizzes: 2/3 of the maximum number of points will count as a full credit for clickers, 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.
Homework: Lecture homework on WebAssign will be assigned each week. Please check the WebAssign for due dates. Each student will have the same assignment to complete online, but the numerical values supplied to each student will differ. WebAssign cuts off according to the due date schedule; WebAssign will relentlessly refuse to accept your entries after the specified closing time! Computers are available for your use in the Physics Study Center, from 8:30am-5:20pm on weekdays and at various other locations around campus. 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. 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, and since we have seen them all before, you are unlikely to succeed. 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%,
WebAssign homework scores 15%,
Clicker 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