Information for prospective students

Phys 12X general course website

Tentative schedule for 121B, Autumn 2012

Tentative schedule for 122B, Winter 2013

Tentative schedule for 123B, Spring 2013

Clicker registration

Tegrity

GradeBook 121B

GradeBook 122B

GradeBook 123B

Webassign

Tutorial and laboratory websites.

Errata for Six ideas that shaped Physics

This is a 5 credit course. Lectures (lecture part of the exams, quizzes, and class participation)  will count for 3 credits, thus only for 60% of the final grade. 20% of the grade will come from tutorials (class participation, homework assignments, and tutorial part of the exams). The remaining 20% of the grade will come from laboratory part of the class (laboratory assignments and laboratory part of the exams). These are three quasi-independent parts of this entire course. Here are links to both the tutorial and laboratory websites.

In the entire sequence 12x we will be using the ``Six ideas that shaped physics" by Thomas A. Moore, in six volumes, second edition, with the exception of volume E, which is 3rd edition. The order will be 121-CN,  122-ER, 123-QT and we will cover roughly one chapter in each lecture.  Students have to read the assigned material ahead of each lecture. Lectures will be largely interactive.

Homework assignments will be approximately 3-4 problems per lecture, thus about 10-12 per week.  The homework assignments will be graded only partially, mainly due to lack of TA support. The TA support will concentrate on grading quizzes and exams. The homework will be due on the first day of the class following the week it was assigned, typically on Mondays (or on Wednesdays if Monday is a holiday) . The problems suggested as homework should give you an idea about the complexity of the problems on the lecture parts of the exams. The exam problems will likely cover material discussed in several chapters. In order to see the solutions to the problems assigned you will have to download the ProbViewer. The solutions will become available usually after the quiz has been administered.

In class we will have a weekly quiz each Monday (or Wednesday if Monday is a holiday), which will address the material covered in the previous week.  In each lecture we will also have a number of clicker questions. The use of clickers is pretty straightforward, and for those who need, more detailed information can be found at the following link with likely TMI.

Exams will have three parts. The midterm exams will have  approximately 70% dedicated to the lecture part of the course, 20% to the tutorial part and 10% the laboratory parts of the course respectively. The final exams will have an approximate split of 60% + 20% + 20%.  The lecture exams questions will be hand-graded, and so will likely be some of the questions pertaining to tutorials and laboratory. However, some of the questions covering the tutorial and laboratory material will be multiple choice, and you will need to bring scantrons to record your answers.  Overall midterm exams will count on a point system devised by  us as 350 = 245+70+35 points, the final exams as 250 = 150 + 50 + 50 points. The laboratory assignments will count as 150 points, the tutorial sessions and related homework assignments as 100 points, and the lecture quizzes and class participation (clickers) as 150 points. The grand total is 1000 points.

If you cannot be in class to take a specific exam due to a university sponsored activity, please get in touch with me well in advance.

If you miss the final exam you will have the following two options: 1) fail for the entire course; 2) receive an incomplete, which will require you to take all the exams in the following quarter with the regular 121 section and the grades obtained there will be used to calculate your final grade. Similarly a failure to pass the laboratory part of the course will lead to a fail for the entire course or an incomplete.

All exams and quizzes are closed book and closed lecture notes, the use of computers, graphic calculators, iPhones or any digital device is prohibited. Handwritten (no photocopies or printouts) notes will however be allowed on exams, one page 8 1/2 x 11, both sides. Bring a scantron for multiple choice questions. Complete and correct solutions of the problems will be heavily favored in grading, and partial credit will be given reluctantly.  (You would not buy or drive a car with three wheels, or a computer with missing keys on its keyboard, so do not expect me to be treated differently. AB)

You might want once in a while to link to webassign and check some of your scores for the laboratory and tutorials.

GradeBook 121B

GradeBook 122B

GradeBook 123B

I will use Tegrity to record lectures. You will be able to review/scan both the visual and audio parts of each lecture by following the link, where you will also find a number of tutorials for students and sample recordings.