Physics 200: Classical Physics I

Gustavus Adolphus College
Fall 2002

Professor: Dr. Thomas Huber
e-mail: huber@gac.edu
Office: Olin 209, 933-7036

Required Textbook:
Physics For Scientists and Engineers (5th Edition), by Serway and Beichner.

Recommended References:
Quick Calculus, by Kleppner and Ramsey (Wiley 1985). Recommended for students who have not previously completed a College-level course sequence in differential and integral calculus with a grade of B- or better.

Student Solutions Manual and Study Guide to Accompany Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Volume 1), by Gordon, McGrew, and Serway. (This contains solutions to some of the problems in the text and additional examples and problems)

Course Policies and Evaluation

  1. Objectives: As the first class in the sequence for science and engineering students at Gustavus, this course shares several objectives with the rest of the physics program. It is hoped that when students have completed Classical Physics I they will have learned some basic problem solving skills, some computer and calculation skills, some quantitative and empirical reasoning skills, and, of course, some physics.

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  2. Expectations: Students in Classical Physics I are expected to have a solid background in trigonometry (or pre-calculus) and algebra. Students should be enrolled in Calculus I if they have not successfully completed a college level course in it. The instructor will discuss the calculus involved in this course as necessary, but it is important that students also see it in another course setting.

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  3. Learning Styles: Recognizing that students learn science in a variety of ways, the instructor will take advantage of many different techniques, including collaborative learning, to maximize the overall effectiveness of this course. Although collaborative efforts will be encouraged for solving in-class problems, assigned homework, and labs, they are not allowed for quizzes and exams

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  4. Class Meetings: The class will meet five days per week (M-F) at 12:30-1:20 PM for lecture, discussion, homework review, demonstrations, quizzes and exams. Students are expected to have read assigned materials before coming to class.

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  5. Lecture Philosophy: Lecture time in this course will generally not be used to repeat material covered in the textbook (such as derivations or examples). Students will be responsible for reading and understanding the textbooks for the course (please feel free to ask questions during lectures if you are unclear about any topic). The majority of lecture time in this course will be spent exploring in greater depths the concepts introduced in the textbook using demonstrations, discussions and additional worked examples.

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  6. Laboratory: Students must be concurrently registered in PHY201, Classical Physics I Laboratory (see the separate syllabus). The laboratory meets once each week for two hours in Olin 214.

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  7. Written Homework: Written problems sets will be assigned approximately every week. Problems should be neat, organized and use derivations in symbolic from (as discussed in class). Each student will submit their own assignment, but you are encouraged to discuss the problems with each other.

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  8. Late Homework: Late homework will be accepted at the discretion of the instructor with some loss of points.

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  9. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all lectures and labs during the scheduled hours. Students are responsible for informing themselves of material and assignments covered during absences. Students must advise the instructor in writing during the first week of class, or as soon as events are scheduled, of any athletic, music, or other college activities that will require their absence during the semester. Such written notice does not imply a waiver of course requirements or an agreement to reschedule quizzes/exams.

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  10. Exams: There will be four one-hour exams, and a two-hour written final exam.

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  11. Quizzes: There will be a short quiz roughly every week where there is not an hour exam. Some of these may be unannounced prior to class.

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  12. Missed Exams and Quizzes: Students are expected to arrange in writing with the instructor well in advance to take an exam at other than the announced time. Requests to reschedule exams for non-emergency personal reasons will generally be declined. Permission to make up a missed exam after the fact will be at the discretion of the instructor and should not be assumed.

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  13. Academic Honesty: In all academic exercises, examinations, papers, and reports, students shall submit their own work. Footnotes, or some other acceptable form of citation must accompany any use of another's words or ideas. (The full text of the Gustavus Academic Honesty Policy may be found in the Gustavus Adolphus College Academic Catalog or the Gustavus Guide).

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  14. Incompletes: A grade of incomplete will only be given for work not completed due to circumstances beyond the control of the student. (This is the college policy).

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  15. Physics Tutors: Tutoring for this class, by upper-division physics students, will be available at times announced in the departmental tutoring schedule and in class.

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  16. Office Hours: My schedule is posted outside of my office. I will make every effort to be available during scheduled office hours for individual assistance and advising. I will also be available at other times by appointment. In general, if I am in my office, please feel free to stop in (if I can't help you at that time, I may need to suggest a later time). I am here to help you - please feel free to ask for help!

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  17. E-mail: You may contact me via e-mail, huber@gac.edu. I will respond as soon as possible to any questions that you may have. In particular, this is an excellent way to get in touch with me on evenings/weekends.

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  18. Evaluation:
    19.      40%  Hour Exams
     20%  Final Exam
     15%  Quizzes
     20%  Homework and Reading Quizzes
      5%  Group Problems and Participation

Final course grades will be assigned using the following scale as a guide:
                 94-100    A         74-78   C+
                 90-94     A-        70-74   C
                 86-90     B+        66-70   C-
                 82-86     B         62-66   D+
                 78-82     B-        58-62   D
                                      0-58   F
Assignment of the final letter grades will also take into account other factors including the instructor's subjective evaluation of the student's attendance, participation, initiative, evidence of improvement, and the quality of independent work.


Exam Dates (See the Course Schedule for more details)