Syllabus

Personnel

Course Coordinator:

Carl R Schmidt, Felicia V Berryman, Michael G Moore

Instructor Information

Section 1:

Prof. Carl Schmidt
Office: 3211 BPS
Phone: (517) 355-9200, ext. 2128
Email: schmidt@pa.msu.edu
Home Page: http://www.pa.msu.edu/~schmidt

Section 2:

Prof. Michael Moore
Office: 4230 BPS
Phone: (517) 355-9200, ext. 2206
Email: mmoore@pa.msu.edu
Home Page: http://www.pa.msu.edu/~mmoore

Teaching Assistants:

Hamood Arham: arhamham@msu.edu

Jenny Holzbauer: kurtzwei@msu.edu

Kaijie Xu: xukaijie@msu.edu

Course Description

Introductory calculus-based physics course in mechanics for scientists and engineers.

Prerequisites

MTH 132 or MTH 152H or LBS 118
Not open to students with credit in:
LBS 271 or PHY 181B or PHY 183 or PHY 193H or PHY 231 or PHY 231B or PHY 231C

Class Hours

Section 1: 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm, Mo Tu We Th, BPS 1410
Section 2: 5:10 pm to 6:00 pm, Mo Tu We Th, BPS 1410

Office Hours

Prof. Carl Schmidt : 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm Wednesday
Prof. Michael Moore : 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm Tuesday

Helproom Hours

Students can get assistance and individual attention in the Strosacker Learning Center (1248 BPS).

The hours during which members of the PHY 183 teaching team will be in the Learning Center will be set during the first week of class.

Exam Information

There will be two 50-min midterm exams and one 2-hour final exam. The midterm and final exams will be based on the material covered in lectures, the textbook and homework.

Midterm 1: Thursday, February 8, during class time, BPS 1410
Midterm 2: Thursday, March 22, during class time, BPS 1410
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 1, 8-10 pm (in the evening!)

You are responsible for bringing the following to the midterm and final exams:

(i) A calculator. All exams will require the use of a calculator. Make sure that your calculator's
batteries are fresh, as sharing of calculators will not be allowed. All other electronic devices (PDA,
phone, mp3-player, etc) are not allowed.

(ii) Two "Number 2" pencils to be used for filling out the computer scoring sheet.

(iii) You may bring one 8.5"x11" study sheet which may contain formulas, notes, etc. on both sides.

All exams are closed book.

Deadlines

Homework assignments are due each Wednesday evening, one minute before midnight.

Questions about solving homework problems can be discussed using the "feedback" feature of LON-CAPA. See the feedback (FDBK) button. Postings are visible to everyone in the course and other students in the course can respond to questions. Posts can be made anonymously but the instructors, however, can see the names. The URL for LON-CAPA is: http://msu.loncapa.org

The preferred method of email communication with instructors is through LON-CAPA. Use the "COM" button on the LON-CAPA Remote Control.

Excuse policy:

In order for a missed test to be excused, you must present to the instructor within one week a written excuse, dated and signed by you, stating the circumstances that caused you to miss the exam. This excuse should be accompanied by supporting material, for example a written document from a doctor, dean, etc.

For homework only an extended absence or illness will be considered a valid excuse. In case of a significant network outage, we will extend the deadline.

The Michigan State University Code of Teaching Responsibilities states that any student missing the Final Exam may not be allowed to pass the course. Please familiarize yourself with University policies concerning academic integrity http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/rule32.htm as they will be applied.

Grading Information

Grades are based on the following formula:

Homework: 30%
Two midterm exams: 17.5% each
In-class Quizzes/Participation: 5%
Final exam: 30%

This course in not "graded on a curve". The guaranteed scale below is based on the total percentage of points.

Note that the Quiz/Participation contribution will be obtained by using "clickers" during the classsroom lecture. Quiz/Participation points will be awarded based on 1/2 of the possible total points. This means that full credit will be awarded if 1/2 or more of the total quiz points are obtained.

Percentage ....... Grade
p > 92% ............... 4.0
92% > p > 84% ... 3.5
84% > p > 76% ... 3.0
76% > p > 68% ... 2.5
68% > p > 60% ... 2.0
60% > p > 52% ... 1.5
52% > p > 44% ... 1.0
p < 44% ............... 0

Honors option:

Students interested in participating in the 'Honors' option should contact the instructor at the end of
the first class.

Web Links

The homepage of the Physics&Astronomy Department is: http://www.pa.msu.edu
The URL of PHY183 course is: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/phy183
The URL for LON-CAPA is: http://msu.loncapa.org

Textbook

Bauer, Westfall, "Physics for Scientists and Engineers 1", 2nd edition (2005, McGraw-Hill)

H-ITT clickers will also be needed for the in-class quizzes.