Introductory Physics (PHYS:1611) Spring 2019

Instructor: Ken Gayley, Associate Professor

Office: 707 VAN

(319) 335-3282

Office hours: 1-2 pm, every day

Department: Department of Physics and Astronomy

Department Office is in 203 Van Allen

Department Executive Officer is Professor Fred Skiff, available for appointment via Heather Mineart, 203 Van Allen, 335-1688

Course URL: http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~kgg/teaching/physics81

Course location & times: 67 Van Allen MTWRF 11:00-11:50 am

Course description: This course introduces engineering students to the skills of solving physics problems, and to the remarkable principles that make our world more understandable. Topics include elementary mechanics, oscillations, sound and wave propagation, and thermodynamics and heat transfer. All necessary mathematical tools relevant to the material are developed as needed. Grades are determined by several in-class exams, a final exam, homework, and performance in lab sessions. The class lecture is conducted by the professor. The lab sections are directed by a TA.

Corequisites: MATH:1550 or MATH:1580

Required Texts : Fundamentals of Physics (including WileyPLUS), ISBN: 9781118731420 Author: Halliday

Unfortunately this book is quite expensive, what is crucial is the Wiley Plus for homeworks. If you pay for access to the Wiley Plus homeworks, you can use a used texbook or borrow one.

Course Format: Each week will include 3 lectures by me, and a lab and a discussion section run by a TA, although there are no labs the first two weeks. For lectures, I encourage you to read materials in the book before I talk about them in class. Questions are encouraged during class. Homework will be assigned about every two weeks. Three midterm exams will be given, taking only the two highest scores, and a comprehensive final. Students are expected to spend 2 hours preparing outside of class for each hour of class credit per week.

Homework: You will be assigned online homeworks from WileyPlus, with due dates given in ICON. There will not be homework assigned the first week.
Keeping up with basic problem-solving skills are important for understanding physics, you will not succeed just by listening and reading. Expect to have difficulties, they can be turned into learning opportunities if you address them by talking to your classmates or visting office hours. I'm happy to help.
I encourage you to work with your classmates on problems, but make sure that everything you submit is your own work. Submitting someone else's answers is a serious violation of college ethical standards. One place you can meet to work on problem sets is the departmental lounge in Van Allen 316.

Tutorial help: TA's are generally available to answer questions and discuss problems in room 54 VAN during the hours posted on the door. Also, speak to me about other tutorial options.

Exams: Three evening midterms will be given in MacBride auditorium, plus the final exam. Exam dates: I: Feb 13; II: Mar 13; III: Apr 10 ; Final: TBD; all in LR1.

Make-up exams: A make-up exam may be allowed in exceptional circumstances such as serious illness and family emergencies. Documentation of the reasons for missing the exam must be presented. Explanatory Statement of Absence from Class forms can be obtained at the Registration Center, 30 Calvin Hall.

Laboratory: Labs will provide hands on experience with concepts covered in class. The labs will be held under the supervision of teaching assistants, who will also grade the laboratory reports. Discuss the grading of your labs with your TA. Note: there are no labs the first two weeks

Grading: The best two of the three in-class exams each count 20% Homework is 15% Lab: 20%. Final exam is 20%. Participation in the discussion sections is 5%. Grading will generally follow College of Liberal Arts grading guidelines, meaning that it is curved to protect you if the test is difficult and the exam scores fall below a traditional distribution. You will be judged on merit not by comparison to your peers.

Class attendance: Class attendance is expected but not formally graded. In general, your grade will be higher if you attend all classes. See me for work you may have missed if you miss class for a valid reason. Although there will be notes on the website to remind you of the key topics, they are arranged weekly and are not in enough detail to replace your own notes taken during class, where you will record your key insights or unanswered questions that occur for you during class.

Administrative Home
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Electronic Communication
University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences. (Operations Manual, III.15.2 . Scroll down to k.11.)

Accommodations for Disabilities
A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. See www.uiowa.edu/~sds/ for more information.

Academic Fraud
Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is a serious matter and is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. Instructors and DEOs decide on appropriate consequences at the departmental level while the Associate Dean enforces additional consequences at the collegiate level. See the CLAS Academic Fraud section of the Student Academic Handbook.

CLAS Final Examination Policies
Final exams may be offered only during finals week. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. Students should not ask their instructor to reschedule a final exam since the College does not permit rescheduling of a final exam once the semester has begun. Questions should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum.

Making a Suggestion or a Complaint
Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor, and then the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

Understanding Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather
In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety web site.

*These CLAS policy and procedural statements have been summarized from the web pages of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and The University of Iowa Operations Manual.

Tentative class schedule:

June 18-21 Chapt. 2 Basic Kinematics and Dynamics

Special relativity

Tentative Lab schedule: