Bob Morse

Aug 26, 2013

Physics-170A (Honors)--Getting Started!

1. First you should look at is the Course Syllabus which can be found at the course

syllabus log-in site. Make sure that you understand all the entries, so that you will know

the nature of material to be covered and when it is due. That way you will derive the

maximum benefit from the time and energy you are investing in this course.

2. Next, get registered in the Mastering Physics (MP) program. To do this, go to the

Mastering Physics log-in link. This program assigns all of the homework and exam-

review practice problems that will be assigned in the course. In addition this is where you

will find the homework assignments to be turned-in in class for grading by a teaching

assistant.

3. You should also familiarize yourself with what additional information is on the Phys-

170A web-site. Note that some of the information, such as tutoring schedules, will not be

updated until later when the new schedules become available, while some of the

information is historical, and will be updated later when available, such as solutions to

current exams. Finally, each lecture has a corresponding power-point lecture which can

be downloaded as a PDF file.

4. The course meets MTWF at 9:30-10:20 am. Regular lectures will be given on MWF

while on Tuesdays we will have problem solution sessions, special topics, as well as the

mid-term exams will be given on Tuesdays. Mastering Physics homework assignments

will be made on Tuesdays and will be due the following Tuesdays, one week later.

Usually, the MP homework problems will be discussed in class on the Tuesday they are

due.

Physics-170A(Honors) Fall-2013 Course Information

Phys-170A is a vector-calculus based professional-level physics course which meets four

times a week for 50 minutes and covers the topics mechanics, fluid mechanics, wave-

motion and sound, thermodynamics, and finally gravity. It will be taught at a rigorous

mathematical level, so students enrolled should be prepared to deal with the calculus of

line and surface-integrals, directional-derivatives, and gradients, and the integral

theorems of Gauss and Stokes. Vector calculus notes will be made available at the course

web-site.

The course syllabus provides a complete outline of the course, including daily-lecture

topics and weekly homework (HW) assignments. Lectures will be chalk on the board,

with occasional Power-Point backup to illustrate charts and graphs, etc., so be prepared to

take notes.

There will be 2 midterm 50-minute in-class examinations, and a 2-hour final exam. All

the exams will require you to solve problems much like the problems that have been

assigned in the HW and in the exam reviews

Grading:

Midterms (2 exams-20% each) 40%

Final Exam 30%

Problems--Mastering Physics 30%

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Total 100%

Grades (are based on curve)

A (+/-) 4.0 top 15% > 1.04 sigma

B (+/-) 3.0 next 25% > 0.26 sigma

C (+/-) 2.0 next 40% >-0.85 sigma

D (+/-) 1.0 next 15% >-1.65 sigma

F (fail) 0.0 lowest 5% <-1.65 sigma

These percentages are approximate guidelines which depend upon the class grade

distributions.

Exams

The exams will be given during the announced lecture periods are designed to be done in

50 minutes--the length of the lecture period. Exams will generally consist of 4 problems

similar to the Problems in the textbook. You may bring in an 8 ½” x 11” Crib-sheet (both

sides) with anything you want on it. For the 2nd

exam you can prepare a crib-sheet as well

as bring in Exam-1 crib-sheet, and for the final exam you can prepare the final-exam crib-

sheet as well as bring in the crib-sheets from exams 1 and 2.

Final Exam The Final will be 2 hours long and may have 6 problems on it. Four of the problems will

be on the material covered since the 2rd

midterm, and the last two problems will be from

material covered by the 1st and 2

nd midterms. The final exam problems will be similar to

the problems given in the regular midterm exams. Save your crib-sheets from the two

midterm exams, as you can bring them into the final-exam as well as any crib-sheet that

you have prepared for the final.

Mastering Physics Homework

Problems--marked as for-credit--will generally be assignment using the Mastering

Physics program. These problems general carry a value of 2 points. Problem sets are

assigned each Tuesday and are to be completed by 9:30am on the following Tuesday.

A complete schedule of 16 problem-sets can be found when you sign into Mastering

Physics.

Graded Homework

In each HW assignment certain problems will be designated as “practice” and are “to be

turned in for grading”. A problem designated as “practice” should be worked out on

paper and passed in on the due date at the beginning of the Tuesday lecture. These

problems will be graded by the Phys-272 grader. Generally two problems per assignment

will be designated “practice” problems.

Late Homework—Mastering Physics or Grader HW

Late HW is discouraged, but as an incentive to do it, it can be turned in late with reduced

credit. Remember doing HW provides the best practice, because it quickly and clearly

illustrates to you what you don’t know, but you thought you did! To get reduced MP

credit you have to clear it with me so I can enter your additional points.

Mastering Physics Exam Practice Problems

Within the Mastering Physics assignment schedule you will also find assignments

marked as Exam-Practice. The problems are chosen to provide a review for the scheduled

exam. They need not be turned in, but you should be familiar with the techniques needed

to solve them.

Study Hints

The book is a good book, so you should read it with pencil and paper in hand. Every

chapter has a general concept theme and you should try to write a paragraph succinctly

describing exactly what those concepts are. Then study in detail the worked examples

that follow, and finally try and work the problems. Then repeat the whole process until

you get really good at it.

Learning physics or learning anything complicated, like riding a bike or swimming for

that matter, is a highly non-linear and often frustrating process and is simple a matter of

practice. Remember as a kid how you were doing everything correctly and you kept

falling off the bike and then one day you didn’t fall anymore---a miracle had occurred

because you finally had gotten control over all of the things you had been practicing!

Calculus---will I need it? You bet you will need it. This is a professional level physics course in electricity and

magnetism and calculus is the lingua-franca of physics! It is expected that you are

familiar and facile with 3-dimentional vector calculus! I will always provide a rapid

review of the concepts but you had better keep your advanced calculus book close by.

Tutoring Sessions Be sure to check the Physics-170 Tutoring Services. See the Phys-170A webpage

http://www.phys.hawaii.edu/~morse/physics170A.html

Office Hours (WAT-325) To be announced, and changed as needed

Or by Appointment—call 956-7051 or e-mail morse@phys.hawaii.edu

Or “take a chance” and just Drop-In , or checkout the Tutoring Services

Browser: Your browser should be equipped with Java-Script, Adobe flash-player, and should

accept cookies and pop-up’s.

Additional Items: to be added here. You should check this location periodically.

A library of old exams with solutions can be found on the web-site.