Physics 221: Elements of Physics I

Fall 2008

Professor  Spanier



Instructor: Prof. Stefan M. Spanier
Office:        226A Ayres
Hours:       Tuesday, Thursday, 2pm - 3:30pm

Lecture Hours/Place:   Tuesday, Thursday, 11:10 - 12:25 AM 
                                        PHY 415 (Nielsen Physics Building) 

Textbook: Serway/Vuille/Faughn, College Physics, 8th edition

Phone:974-0597
E-Mail: spanier@utk.edu
Web Site: http://hep.phys.utk.edu/~spanier/PH221


 
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General Course Description:
This course is intended to provide a foundation on kinematics, mechanics, and wave motion.
 
Text and Clicker:
The textbook is College Physics by Serway & Faughn (8th Edition). They are available in the University Center Bookstore. In addition the bookstore should have the Higher Ed RF response pads which are
required for your participation in class activities.

Class Participation:
It is expected that you read the relevant material before class. You should know the basic concepts and definitions, in order to maximize the benefit of the lecture. Questions will be given sporadically during lectures to encourage advance reading and attendance. Students need to bring their clickers  (personal response units) to each class. A record will be kept of your answers and will be used in determination of part of your homework grade.

Grading policy:
The semester grade will be a weighted average of hour tests grades, final exam grade, laboratory scores and homework scores as discussed below. 

  • Homework will determine 30% of the final semester grade. Homework sets will be assigned On-Line using the WebAssign system (http://webassign.net ). The problem sets will generally be available on-line for one week. Due dates for problem sets are firm. To allow unforeseen hardships, the lowest score on homework sets will be dropped when calculating the average. 
  • Laboratory scores will determine 20% of the final semester grade. While laboratory work will be graded by each Lab Instructor independently, an effort will be made to insure a uniform grading policy between different laboratory sections. Laboratory makeups are entirely at the lab instructor s discretion and arrangements for such must be made with the lab instructor. 
  • Hour Tests will determine 30% of the final semester grade. There will be three one-hour tests, and an average grade will be computed from the student's two best hour-exam scores, i.e. a student's lowest hour exam score will be dropped. If one Hour Test is missed, it will be considered to be the low score and will be dropped in the averaging. Because one test may be missed without direct penalty, make-up hour tests will not be given. Hour tests will be closed book, but a list of useful equations may be provided. If, for any reason, there is a concern about a grade given on an exam or exam question, an appeal can be made for one week after the graded exams are returned to the class. Grade appeals must be written and returned to the professor.
  • The Final Examination will determine 15% of the final semester grade. The final exam will be comprehensive.
  • In-class participation (e.g. clicker answering) is credited with 5%.
Academic Honesty:
All work submitted by a student is expected to represent their own work. Students are expected to enter their own homework into the WebAssign system without assistance from others. Students are expected to perform all work in conformance with the University policies regarding Academic Honesty.

 
     

Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office of Disability Services at 865-974-6087 in Hoskins Library to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.