Physics 108 - Syllabus - Spring 2016

Instructor: David S. Armstrong
   Office: Small 343E
   Phone: 221-3489 (W & M); 269-6087 (Jefferson Lab)
   Email: armd@physics.wm.edu
   Office Hours: Tuesdays 9:00am - noon; Wednesdays 3:00pm - 4:00pm, or by appointment.
Email: Free free to communicate with me by email: armd@physics.wm.edu. I can't guarantee that I will read emails sent in the evening until the next day.
Prerequisite: Physics 107 is the prerequisite (we will build on much of what was covered in Physics 107); students who have taken Physics 101 may also take Physics 108 with instructor's permission. Students with AP or other physics credits, who haven't taken Physics 107 here at W&M should also see me.
Text: The textbook, "College Physics", is published by OpenStax College, and is available for free online at openstaxcollege.org/textbooks/college-physics. At that site, you can download a free pdf or e-reader copy, read the book for free in your web browser, or order a printed copy if you wish (printed copies are also available, new and used, from Amazon.com). Note: It is strongly recommended that you read the relevant sections of the text before lecture.
Syllabus: A schedule of what sections of the text will be covered, when the tests are, and when the homework is due is attached.
Homework: A set of problems is due at midnight on Thursday each week. The homework answers will be entered via the WWW using WebAssign (www.webassign.net). This software will enable provide instant feedback on which problems were answered correctly (and which were not). You will be allowed multiple attempts to upload answers (up to a maximum of 3 attempts per problem), and your grade will be based on the last submission. Solutions will be available on Blackboard the morning after the due date; this is the only use we will make of Blackboard in this course.
To access WebAssign for the first time, you will need to pay an access fee, which you can do via a credit card on the WebAssign site. The fee is $32.95 for this term, or $50.90 for multiterm. If you signed up in Physics 107 with the multiterm option, there will be no fee this term. You will be able to access WebAssign for free until Wed Feb. 3rd. When you first go to WebAssign you will need to enter a "class key"; our class key is "wm 8414 2779". It would be convenient if you select your W&M username as your WebAssign username (eg. mine is dsarms); if you have already selected a different username, that's OK.
Quizzes: We will use the TopHat interactive response system in class (the same system used in Physics 107 last semester). This will allow you to use your cell phone, laptop, or other web-enabled device to answer questions in class. We will use this in two ways: 1) informal questions (not graded, just to give me feedback on your understanding of the material) and 2) formal quizzes. The quizzes will be short, multiple-choice style questions, mainly of a conceptual nature. You will be able to discuss with your neighbors. A correct answer will be worth 2 points, an incorrect one 1 point, and 0 points for people not in attendance. Three unexcused absences from the in-class quizzes will be allowed (i.e. won't count in your quiz grade). Details on registering for TopHat will be provided in class.
Lab: The laboratory (PHYS 108L) is a separate one-credit course, run by Prof. A.D. Hancock. It is possible to take PHYS 108 without taking PHYS 108L, although it is highly recommended to take both. The lab cannot be taken without either being enrolled in PHYS 108, or having previously passed PHYS 108. More information on the Lab, including the detailed schedule, is available at physics.wm.edu/~labs/
Help and Tutoring: See physics.wm.edu/~armd/HelpandTutoring
Other Texts: See physics.wm.edu/~armd/P108_other_texts.html.
Tests: There will be three 50-minute, closed-book tests during the semester. Calculators are permitted (but not PDAs, cell phones or messaging devices).
Exam: The final exam will be Tuesday May 3, 2:00 - 5:00 PM.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
```
               A  93-100%    A-  90-93
   B+  87-90   B  83-87      B-  80-83
   C+  77-80   C  73-77      C-  70-73
   D+  67-70   D  63-67      D-  60-63
   F  < 60
```
The grades will be calculated based on either
```
   Homework   - 20%                  Homework     - 20%
   Quizzes    - 10%         or       Quizzes      - 10%
   Tests      - 40%                  Final Exam   - 70%
   Final Exam - 30% 
```
For each student, the grade will be calculated using both equations, and the result with the larger numerical grade will be the one used to determine the letter grade. This procedure means that students who may have had difficulty with one or more of the in-class tests have the chance to make up for it with a good performance on the final exam; after all - what is relevant is how much physics you have learned at the end of the course!
General Education Requirement: The combination of Physics 107 and Physics 108, taken with the laboratories Physics 107L and 108L, together satisfy GER 2A (physical sciences) as well as the laboratory requirement for GER 2. This General Education Requirement is intended to introduce the student to the nature of scientific inquiry, including how scientific theories are developed and tested, the nature of empirical knowledge (as well as the limits of science), and the historical, cultural and intellectual context of science. Physics 108 will explore many of the underlying fundamental laws governing all of the natural world, primarily those of heat and thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, acoustics, as well as some aspects of quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, and radioactivity. In particular, the role of mathematics in describing the physical universe will be a central underlying theme of the course. The presentation will follow a logical (rather than historical) ordering, however, the historical development of major physical ideas will be mentioned as appropriate.

last updated: Dec 23 2015

Physics 108: Physics for the Life Sciences
Physics Department
College of William and Mary

http://physics.wm.edu/~armd/P108_info.html