Fall 2009

Painter 2.48

http://chaos.utexas.edu/people/faculty/harry-l-swinney/phy301-home

Unique number 58785, MWF 10-11

Unique number 58790, MWF 11-12

Painter 2.48

RECITATION SESSIONS and OFFICE HOURS:

SUNDAYS:
7-9pm: Stewart Boyd, Jester A203A

MONDAYS:
4-5pm Harry Swinney, RLM 14.224
5-7pm Recitation, BUR 216

TUESDAYS:
10-11a.m.: John Widloski, RLM 14.312
11:00 a.m.: Taylor Ratliff, RLM 7.306
2:30-3:30 Stephanie Brown, BUR 128
5-7pm Recitation, BUR 216

WEDNESDAYS:
12-2pm Dongsu Du, RLM 2.218
4-5pm Stephanie Brown, BUR 128
5-7pm Recitation, BUR 216
7-9pm Society for Physics Students led study session, RLM 7.114

THURSDAYS:
10-11am John Widloski, RLM 14.312
11:00 a.m.: Taylor Ratliff, RLM 7.306
4-5pm Harry Swinney, RLM 14.224
5-7pm Recitation, BUR 216

FRIDAYS:
12-2pm Kelvin Lo, CPE 2.216

Participation in the Recitation sessions twice each week is strongly recommended. Also, students are highly recommended to take advantage of the help that is available at the many different office hours.

INSTRUCTOR: Professor Harry L. Swinney, email: swinney@physics.utexas.edu

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS (TA):
John Widloski, email: widloski@physics.utexas.edu,

Dongsu Du, dudongsu@mail.utexas.edu,

Mr. Widloski and Mr. Du will (1) lead the recitation/tutorial sessions, (2) guide the undergraduate Learning Assistants, and (3) will handle (during their office hours) questions about grading.

LEARNING ASSISTANTS (LA): The job of these four undergraduate students is to help you in this course: in the classroom, in the recitation sessions, and in group study sessions that you may choose to organize (a good idea!). Each of these undergraduates took a calculus-based introductory physics course
and did exceptionally well in the course. They applied for and were awarded appointments as Learning Assistants assigned to this course. An LA or TA will not give you the answer to a problem, but rather will help you walk through the thought processes involved in solving a problem. NOTE: LAs do NOT participate in grading and in policy decisions.
The LAs appointed by The University to this PHY301 course are:

Taylor Ratliff, taylor.ratliff@gmail.com
Stephanie Ann Brown, stepanieannbrown@mail.utexas.edu
Stewart Boyd, stewartboyd1988@aol.com
Kelvin Lo, kelvinlo3@mail.utexas.edu
10 a.m. class: John Widloski, Stewart Boyd, and Taylor Ratliff will assist.
11 a.m. class: Dongsu Du, Stephanie Ann Brown, and Kelvin Lo will assist.
Recitation sessions, 5-7pm Mon.-Thurs, BUR 216: One TA and three LAs will be present to lead each session.

GROUP STUDY SESSIONS: You are encouraged to organize a group study session and to ask a Learning Assistant to lead it. You can reserve a Group Study Room in PCL library by going to the Library web site www.lib.utexas.edu.  Under the column “for students” click on “Reserve a Group Study Room”.  The study rooms accommodate 6 or 12 people.

QUEST homework and classwork iClicker system: http://quest.cns.utexas.edu/student/

QUEST student instructions:     http://cns.utexas.edu/quest/support/student/

NOTE: Class clicker quizzes (which count 10% of the semester grade) begin on Wednesday, Sept 2 (called clicker quiz q0902). The first homework (hw0901) is due on Sept. 1.

IMPORTANT : to be on the class roll for this course, you must log into Quest, go to My Profile, and enter your iClicker ID, and click on Update profile. When you register on Quest’s My Profile, Quest will respond by giving you a number that will be your box number in the Quest Clicker grid on the screen in the classroom. If you try using your iClicker without registering its serial number on the Quest site, then the serial number will appear at the bottom of the grid on Clicker screen in class. Note: you need not register on the iClicker web site since we use the Quest software rather than the iClicker software in this course.

TEXT: Physics for Engineers and Scientists, Third edition, by H.C. Ohanian and J.T. Markert,
W.W. Norton & Company.
TEXTBOOK web site:
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail-students.aspx?ID=4591

CO-REQUISITE: Registration (or prior credit) for Physics 101L Laboratory. PHY 101L begins meeting the week of August 31, 2009.  The 101L laboratory course is separate from PHY 301 and the grading is done independently.

PRE-REQUISITES: High school physics, PHY 306, or consent of the undergraduate advisor; Mathematics 408C, or 408K and concurrent enrollment in 408L.

NOTE: if you do not meet the prerequisites/co-requisites, you will be receiving an email on the first class day and on the 5th class day informing you that you must see Pat Morgan in RLM 5.216 to resolve the problem.  Students who have not corrected a pre-requisite/co-requisite problem will be dropped from the course by Friday, Sept. 11.

FREE COACHING: The Physics Department provides graduate student coaches to assist students in PHY 301 and other introductory courses. This coaching is available on a one-on-one basis. The coaching tables are in the area by the elevators on the 5th floor of RLM. The physics coaches will be available starting Monday September 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. most days (hours will be posted next to the tables). Note: The elevator does not stop on the 5th floor of RLM. Instead, take the stairs or escalator one flight up from the ground floor (4th floor) to the coaching area on the 5th floor of RLM.

CLASS
(1) Please sit in groups of three or more so that you may work together; your group can be different for each class.
(2) Please leaverows 3, 6, and 9 vacant so that the instructors can move down these rows during the class.
(3) Class attendence is strongly recommended but not required.

TARDINESS: Tardy arrivals are distracting and disruptive to the class. Please be seated before the bell rings and remain for the 50 minute long class.

iCLICKERS:
The iClickers needed for class are available new from the Co-op for about $30. If you buy a new one from the Co-op you can return it for a partial refund. Used i-clickers are available from various places such as Craig’s list (austin.craigslist.org). The iClickers are being used in increasing numbers of UT courses.

HOMEWORK: Homework will be due every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m. (see Syllabus for exceptions). The first assignment will be due on Tuesday, September 1. The homework will be administered through the University of Texas Quest system. See https://quest.cns.utexas.edu/student/help/view
Note that if you make random guesses, your grade will on average be zero. For this to be true, there have to be negative grades–see the description of grading in the Quest site. On the
iClicker class quizzes, the tests, and the final exam, there will be no opportunity for repeated tries at answering a question; hence there will be no negative points.

TESTS: There will be three tests, each given at 7-9pm:

(1) Tuesday, September 29, 10 a.m. class (Unique 58785) in JGB 2.324 and 11 a.m. class (Unique 58790) in FAC 21.
(2) Monday, October 26, both classes in BUR 106.
(3) Monday, November 23, both classes in WEL 2.224.
The tests will be in the multiple choice format and answers will be given on Scantron sheets. The test will include concept questions like those given in class using the iClickers, as well as problems like those discussed in the tutorial sessions, in class, in the text, and on the homeworks. Bring to the tests only your UT ID and pencils. No calculators, cell phones, PDAs, iPODs, notes, etc. are allowed. You will be given scratch paper and a list of equations photocopied from Appendix 10 (”Formula Sheet”) on page A33 of the textbook.

FINAL EXAM: The final exam will cover chapters 1-18 and the material covered in class. The 10a.m. class (Unique #58785) will have its final exam on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 9am-12noon. The 11a.m. class (Unique #58790)will have its final exam on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7-10pm.

GRADING: The lowest of the three test grades will be dropped. The two highest test grades will count a total of 42% (21% each); class participation using iClickers 10%; homework 10%;  final exam 38%. The five lowest homework grades will be dropped. The five lowest Classwork iClicker grades will also be dropped. There will be NO make up tests; if you miss a test and have a valid excuse (e.g., a signed note from a doctor), your grade on the final exam will be substituted for the test that was missed.

GRADING QUESTIONS: Students in the 10 a.m. class should address grading questions (clicker, homework, tests) to John Widloski during his office hours or by email. Students in the 11 a.m. class should address grading questions (clicker, homework, tests) to Dongsu Du during his office hours or by email.

STUDY SUGGESTIONS: Read the material to be covered in class before coming to class, and a second time afterward. Start working on your homework as soon as possible and as soon as you have obtained an answer to a problem, submit it — don’t wait until you have solved other problems. Note that you are allowed multiple tries for missed questions; less credit is possible after each wrong answer.

Please don’t delay in getting help if you have trouble understanding the material. Here are some sources of help:
(1) The Learning Assistants: Taylor Ratliff, Stephanie Ann Brown, Stewart Boyd, and Kelvin Lo.
(2) The Teaching Assistants, John Widloski and Dongsu Du.
(3) Your instructor, Professor Swinney.
(4) Coaching tables on the 5th floor of RLM (see above).
(5) The UT Learning Center in Jester A332 has a variety of individual and group tutoring services. The Learning Center also offers sessions on how to study physics.
(6) Group study sessions: organize your own or ask one of the Learning Assistants to help you organize a session.
(7) Private tutors: the Physics Undergraduate Secretary Pat Morgan in RLM 5.116 has a list. Group tutoring sessions and private tutors can also be arranged through the Jester Learning Center.

The importance of keeping up in this course must be emphasized. Very few students pass who fall behind are able to catch up. Test your understanding by answering the QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION and working PROBLEMS and the REVIEW PROBLEMS at the end of each chapter of the textbook.

WHY STUDY PHYSICS? : Physics encompasses the study of the universe from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies. Physics is the basis of other sciences such as chemistry, oceanography, and astronomy, but the importance of physics isn’t limited to the physical sciences. Physics is becoming increasingly important in molecular biology and biochemistry. Physics challenges our imagination with concepts like black holes and string theory, and it leads to technological developments such as computers, the internet, cell phones, MRI, and lasers, which change our lives.  An education in physics prepares one to solve diverse problems.  Many eminent engineers (both industrial and academic), biological scientists, health care professionals, business leaders, financial analysts (Wall Street), and public policy wonks were trained in physics at the bachelors and/or PhD level.

Fall 2009: PHYSICS 301 Schedule