Physics 160 Fall 09. Course Title: General Physics I (calculus-based), section 002, Call Number 16259, Cr 03, TR 17:00-18:15 Regener 103, instructor is L. Kent Morrison, 277-0433, lkm@unm.edu , office in room 1115 of the Physics and Astronomy (P&A) Building at the northeast corner of Lomas and Yale. This course is for physics/astrophysics, engineering, or science majors.
Text and other material. Mandatory Text: University Physics by Young & Freedman, 12th ed. Various text supplements are available and may be helpful but are not required. However, purchase and use of a keypad and Mastering Physics (MP) are required. MP comes free with new texts purchased in the bookstore. But if you bought a used text or obtained your text elsewhere you will have to purchase MP (details are given below). The problem session (Physics 167 section 001) should be helpful but is not required. The laboratory (Physics 160 L) is very relevant to the course and is recommended but is not required. You will need a simple calculator with trig functions that you should bring to class regularly. You will need it for tests and for the math diagnostic test on the 2nd day of class.
Office hours and tutoring help. My office hours will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-4:00 PM in room 1115 of the Physics and Astronomy building . Every Thursday, 6:30-7:20 PM I will be teaching the problems session for this course in Regener 103 and you are welcome to drop by to ask questions. If none of these times work for you then please make an appointment. Please do not ask questions via email! All questions regarding Mastering Physics and the I-Clickers should be addressed to Cathy (see below). With a class this size I will not have time to communicate effectively via email so make an appointment if you have questions! Other resources are:
·
Supplemental Instructions sessions
(problem/review), by Nguyen Phan on Mondays 2:00 – 3:00
and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 in lobby of Regener,
and his office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 – 5:00 in lobby of Regener
· The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS, see http://www.unm.edu/~caps)
· For help in accessing Mastering Physics and for I-Clickers instruction, you may contact Cathy Webster by e-mail webster@unm.edu. Her office hours are posted at http://panda.unm.edu/Courses/StudentHelp/index.html
· Private tutors
Class rules.
Do not cheat. Any form of cheating behavior will be dealt with severely. I use the words cheating behavior because if you are looking in the direction of your neighbor's paper I can't read your mind and determine whether you are cheating. But I can tell what you are looking at. Do not wear a baseball hat or any other type hat that covers your eyes during a test. All cell phones must be turned off and placed out of sight. If I even see a cell phone during a test the owner will receive a zero. I will not tolerate this or other cheating behavior, period. And there are many other examples. Use common sense about this. Turn cell phones off and put them away.
Do not talk in class. This is the most difficult problem of a large class. Some students think nothing of disrupting other students who have paid money to learn physics. Most students can't concentrate when others are talking. Please leave the lecture hall if you must talk.
Math diagnostic test. I may give a math diagnostic test the second day of class (it will not count as part of your grade). Be sure to bring a calculator and a number 2 pencil to class on the second day of class, you will need it for the diagnostic test. Students with low scores on the math test should seriously consider dropping the course. Math is the language of physics and we will use math for problem solving.
Class bulletin board. The class bulletin board is in the basement hallway of Regener (by the labs). I will post grades and other class information there so check it often. Make sure I have the correct grades on my spreadsheet. If a grade is incorrect, see me right away. Do not wait until more than 2 weeks after the grade has been posted to see me for correction. If you don't take the lab and have no idea what I am talking about, here are directions to the basement hallway: Exit our classroom to the outside by the east door. Walk south about 25 yards. Enter the door and take the steps down to the basement hallway.
Dropping the class. If you drop the course then please let me know. Sometimes this information does not get to me and this can lead to grade difficulties at the end of the semester. If you do not drop the class and stop attended I will not know it and you will receive a WF at the end of the course! So, it is critical that you file the appropriate paperwork and let me know when you drop the course.
I-Clickers (Keypads): The I-Clickers/keypads we are using this semester can be purchased from the bookstore. You must register your keypad before class on Thursday and bring it to class every day. To register your i-clicker go to: http://www.iclicker.com/registration/ following the directions provided using your BANNER ID as your "Student ID". You can also go to http://panda.unm.edu/Courses/StudentHelp/index.html for instructions and help on registering. When you register your keypad be sure to provide your name (even though the registration Website treats your name as an optional field).
Mastering Physics (MP) is the on-line homework system. The MP assignments are listed in the Class Schedule (see link below). The assignments will be due at 5:00 pm the day after the material is covered in class, but you should begin the MP assignments before coming to class. Your new book comes with an MP package (no extra cost to you). If you have a used book you need to buy the Mastering Physics package from the bookstore or you can go on line with a credit card and buy it. To buy MP access online, go to www.masteringphysics.com then click on the title of your textbook. Then click Buy Now and follow instructions. Whether your MP package came with the text or whether you bought access from the bookstore or online, everyone must register on line and complete the first MP assignment and start becoming familiar with MP before class on Thursday.
You should also start working on the assignment due Friday evening. There will be no grade for these first 2 assignments. You can register simply by following the instructions available online at www.masteringphysics.com. Important notes for registering: The UNM Zip code is 87131. Our Course ID is MPMORRISONFALL09 (careful about the letter O versus the number 0! The first 2 are the letter, the last one is the number). Your Student ID will be your BANNER ID . Student Access Code: This is a six-"word" printed code supplied beneath the pull-tab inside your Mastering Physics Student Access Kit. It is valid for registering one student. If the tab in this kit has been pulled back, the code may no longer be valid. If you buy a secondhand textbook, any code supplied with it is probably not valid. In either case, you can purchase a Student Access Code online using a credit card or you can go to the bookstore and buy a mastering physics package. If you need help then click on the ? icon. There are more detailed Mastering Physics registration instructions at http://panda.unm.edu/Courses/StudentHelp/index.html. Listed here are links where other important aspects of the course are described. Please go to these links and read their contents.
COURSE GRADE. This link contains information about how your course grade will be assigned.
CLASS SCHEDULE, READING & HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS. This link contains a tentative schedule of material covered in the course. It also lists your reading assignments and homework assignments and the dates they are due.
HOMEWORK and I-CLICKER KEYPAD GUIDE. This link gives you a description of the types of homework that will be assigned. It also gives you a description of how your I-Clicker/Keypad will be used and graded.