Cañada College

Building 17, Room 103 
8:10-10:00 am MWF

Prerequisites

Physics 210 with a grade of C or better.

Materials

• College Physics Volume II (8th Edition) by Young & Geller (0-8053-7823-5)
• Mastering Physics Student Access Kit (0-8053-7826-X)

Grading

Your grade will be based on:

• Homework and Exercises (30%)
• Labs (10%)
• Exams and Quizzes (50%)
• Final Project (10%)

Course Description

Physics is basically the study of how the physical universe "works," what the physical rules are that everything obeys. Specifically, this semester we study electricity and magnetism, light and optical instruments, Relativity, and atomic and nuclear physics.

Homework

Reading the textbook and doing the assigned exercises are the most important work students can do between classes to insure understanding of concepts and to develop skill in applying problem solving techniques. Consequently, exercises and labs are collected and contribute 30% to the final grade. All homework will be done on the Web through the Mastering Physics (http://session.masteringphysics.com/myct?productID=yg8) adaptive-learning online tutorial system. This will be explained in class.

Three midterm exams and a final project assignment will be given during the semester. Each midterm exam will cover three or four chapters. You may have one sheet of notes for each chapter covered. See the tentative schedule below for the dates of the exams.

Make-Up Exams

A make-up exam will be offered to any student who scores less than his or her homework average on a particular exam. Before taking a make-up exam, a student must meet with me to review his or her original exam. A make-up exam score will be limited to a student's current homework average. A make-up exam score will replace an original exam score only if the make-up exam score is higher.

Expectations

I can help you succeed in this class, but I can't succeed for you. In this class you're expected to take responsibility for your own academic success.

• That means you are expected to attend class and to arrive on time (2 lates equals 1 absence, 7 absences leads to a drop).
• If you're going to miss class, you should notify me ahead of time, either by phone or email.
• You are expected to contribute to class discussions and to ask questions when something is not clear.
• You are expected to do your homework assignments before the class when they are due and to seek help from me or your classmates or a tutor if you are having difficulty completing them.
• You should check WebAccess (http://smccd.mrooms.net/) for assignments if you miss class.
• You are expected to see me during office hours for additional help or to take make-up exams.

All class assignments, exam solutions and special notes will be posted on the web after class (with links on WebAccess). You are invited to share questions, answers, ideas, opinions, and suggestions by posting them on WebAccess.

Instructor's Spring 2008 Class Schedule

My class schedule, below, shows when and where I'm on campus. The best way to contact me if I'm not on campus is via email. I check my email several times a day. I have my email automatically sorted by the first 4 characters in the subject field. For this class, the subject line of the email should begin with P220.