Course Information

 

DISCUSSION and PROBLEM SESSIONS:   
Will be conducted by TA.


PHONES, WATCHES, PAGERS:
I request the courtesy of turning to silent mode your phones/pagers and turning off alarms in your watches. I request that you do not engage in phone conversations during class time. During midterms/final exam all cell phones must be turned off.


EMAIL COMMUNICATION:
The University authorizes e-mail as an official means of communication with the students. Last minute news and notices will be emailed (and a copy posted on the POSTINGS page of the course's web site).


GRADING:
The grade is based on a total score calculated as the combination of 20% homework, 25% each midterm and 30% final exam OR the final exam by itself (100%), whichever is higher.. The grade distribution will follow a curve with median grade approximately a B. Usually about 25% of students get As (i.e. A+, A or A-), 35% get Bs, and 30% get Cs. The exact borders are adjusted depending on various factors and typically vary up or down by 5%. Typically it ends up that you need about 80% total score for A-, 65% for B- and 40% for C-, but it varies with the level of the exams.


HOMEWORK/TEXTBOOK:   
The course textbook is Fundamentals of Physics, Halliday & Resnick, by Jearl Walker, 9th Edition.

For this course homework will be assigned through the WileyPLUS web based homework assignment system. For purchasing access and registration, see directions under “postings/announcements.”


Homework is graded. There is a strong correlation between exam grades and doing work beyond the assigned homework. Answering the questions, doing the exercises and solving the problems at the end of each chapter of the textbook will be extremely useful for understanding the material assigned or covered in lecture. Solutions to the end of chapter problems can be found in the Student Solutions Manual.


MIDTERMS AND FINAL:   There will be two mid-term and one final exams. They will be multiple choice. Answer keys and solutions will be posted on the course web site.

  1. 1.You will receive by email a three-digit personal ID number for this course. You will need this ID number to identify your work. Memorize it or write it down and bring it to class on the exams.

  2. 2.You will have to provide your own scantron card, scantron form No. X101864-PAR-L. These are sold at the bookstore for about $0.15 each. You will need a No.2 pencil to fill in the scantron card. No scantron card or no pencil, no credit for the exam. You should write you personal ID number on the space provided. Detailed instructions will be given by the proctor at the first mid-term.

  3. 3.You must have a current, valid picture ID. On mid-terms proctors will randomly check IDs to verify the name on scantron cards. For the final exam everybody's picture ID will be collected prior to commencing the exam and returned when you hand it in.

  4. 4.You may bring a calculator (but not a laptop computer). You may bring a cheat-sheet: a letter-size page
    (8.5 in x 11 in) handwritten on one or both sides. In addition, it is recommended that you bring a couple of pieces of blank paper on which to work out the problems.

  5. 5.Recorded grades will be posted by code number on the course web site.

  6. 6.Any appeal to the grading of mid-term exams should be made in writing to the teaching assistant, within one week of the posting of the grades for that exam. You must provide a written explanation as to why you are appealing the grade (be specific).

  7. 7.Use of cell phones (or any other communication device, including wi-fi connected iPods/iPads) during exams is strictly forbidden. Cell phones must remain off during the exam.

  8. 8.Please be on time. Exams will not be handed out after any one student has completed his/her exam and left.


MID-TERM AND FINAL SCHEDULE:   
The midterms will be held in class, find the precise dates on the calendar under Syllabus. The final exam will be on

  1. •Section A00 (MWF 9 a.m.): Wednesday March 21, 8 – 11 a.m.

  2. •Section B00 (MWF 10 a.m.): Friday March 23, 8 – 11 a.m.

  3. •Section C00 (MWF 11 a.m.): Monday March 19, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Location: same as lecture unless otherwise announced in class and web site. There will be no make-up final. It will not be possible to take the final exam at any other time for any reason.


WHINING:   
The course grade is determined by the formula above. No requests for grade change on the basis that "I think I know the material better than my grade indicates" shall be accepted. However, if you are convinced your grade is incorrect you may submit a request, in writing, detailing why your grade should be adjusted. Denied requests will be penalized by 5 percentage points. Requests must be received by the course instructor no later than 24 hours after the corresponding mid-term/final grades are posted on the web.



ADDITIONAL HELP:

Night tutorials: Additional help can be obtained from Physics Department Tutorial Center: Hours of operation and how to get there.

OASIS: Oasis may conduct a workshop for PHY-2A. Check with OASIS for more information.
See http://oasis.ucsd.edu/



WHOM TO SEE:

Toni Moore, Email: tmoore AT physics DOT ucsd DOT edu, 2581 Mayer Hall Addition, Physics Dept. Student Affairs Office, if you have any trouble using StudentLink/WebReg to add/change/drop, drop from wait-lists, have any questions about adding or dropping the course or to get appropriate authorization for such actions.


Patrice Hey, the Course Coordinator, 2571 Mayer Hall Addition, Tel: 822-1468, Email: plhey AT physics DOT ucsd DOT edu for final grade recording issues and requests by students with disabilities.


The Teaching Assistant if you have questions relating to the subject matter, problem solving methods or grades received.


The Instructor if you have basic questions about the subject matter, or if you have administrative problems.



ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:   
Please read the UCSD Policy on Integrity of Scholarship, in the section on Academic Regulations of the UCSD General Catalog. The summary states "Students: Complete the course in compliance with the instructor's standards. Do not engage in any activity that involves attempting to receive a grade by means other than honest effort. Complete all academic work assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind." These rules will be rigidly enforced. For all quizzes/exams cheating includes, among others: submitting another person's work as your own for grade consideration, any alteration for reconsideration, copying from another student, and the use of any unauthorized materials during the exam.



ADD/DROP PROCEDURE:   
Use StudentLink to add/change/drop, drop from wait-lists. No add/drop cards will be signed by the instructor or TA. Beware of existing deadlines for these procedures.