PHYSICS 9B, SECTION A, FALL 2011

TuTh 10:30-11:50pm, 66 Roessler

(This info is as of October 10, 2011 and is subject to change.)
 
This document is to make the information about the course easily
available. It can save time for you and for me. Please read it
carefully and remember that it is here for your use. Please look here
first for answers to your questions about logistics, etc. I welcome
email or in person questions about physics or other things not covered
here.

This course uses the honor system. You are on your honor to follow the
Code of Academic Conduct: http://sja.ucdavis.edu/cac.html

WEBSITES
The main website for the class is at
http://www.physics.ucdavis.edu/kiskis/courses/phy9b-f11/phy9b_hp.html
There is also a SmartSite with title PHY 009B A01-A07 FQ 2011.
   It will be used for just a few specialized items like the gradebook.

PEOPLE
Instructor: Joe Kiskis, 443 Physics, jekiskis@ucdavis.edu    
             http://www.physics.ucdavis.edu/kiskis/kiskis_hp.html  
Office hour: TuTh 12:00-12:30 pm 443 Physics or whenever you find me in my office,
             or send me email to make an appointment.
Problem solving: M 5:30-6:30pm 416 Phy/Geo

Discussion section instructor: Ralph Edezhath,  email: edezhath@ms.physics.ucdavis.edu
           Office hour: 11am-noon, Wed., 168 Roessler
                               
Reader: Natalie Hall, email: nhall@ms.physics.ucdavis.edu 

PREREQUISITES: Physics 9A, Math 21C    Corequisite: Math 21D

TEXT: University Physics, Young and Freedman, volume 1 of the second edition 
of the special UCD binding that includes chapters 14-20 and 33-36. It is the 
book used in Physics 9A, spring 2011. It is based on volumes 1 and 2 of the 
12th Ed. of the standard binding of Young and Freedman. 

CLICKERS: You will need an Interwrite PRS RF clicker.

SUBJECTS: Waves, optics, thermodynamics, fluids
          Tentative coverage: Young and Freedman, Chapters 14-20, 33-36
          (but not in that order)

STRUCTURE: Reading, reading quizzes, lectures, problem sets, midterm,
final, labs, discussion sections.

EXAMS:
Midterm: There will be one midterm roughly half way through the quarter. 
          Date to be determined later.
Final: 8-10am, Tuesday, Dec. 6
NO makeup exams for the midterm or final.
See the EXAMS section below for more information.

GRADING:
         Reading Quizzes          10%
         Problem sets:            30%
         Midterm:                 30%
         Final:                   30%
         Discussion:              see below
         Lab:                     see below
For more important information on grading, read the sections below.

MORE DETAIL:

In addition to the comments below, please read the documents 
        Course goals
        Learning physics
        How to read physics
        Why Clickers
        SmartSite

PHILOSOPHY: The course is structured to encourage you to actively
engage the physics. There is ample research which demonstrates that
even in good lectures, passive listeners absorb very little. There are
also results which show that the traditional physics course format of
lecture and problem solving is not very effective in building a good
conceptual understanding of physics, even among many of the students
who are proficient at problem solving. There is a difference between
learning procedures for solving various kinds of problems and
understanding the physics so that one can analyze a new problem. I can
transmit some information, but I cannot transmit knowledge or
understanding. You must actively struggle to construct your own
understanding. I encourage you to actively engage the material in the
text. I will try to be a useful guide and help you over or around the
rough spots.

LAB AND DISCUSSION SECTION REGISTRATION: You should be registered in
a 9B discussion section and a lab. You must go to lab on the first
day. If you wish to make any changes to your lab, discussion section,
or lecture section, you must obtain a PTA from the lab instructor. I
do not have PTAs and therefore cannot give you one. If you attempt to
make any changes to your schedule without a PTA, the Registrar will
you will automatically drop you from the course.

READING AND LECTURES: For each lecture, there will be a reading
assignment which you should study BEFORE the lecture. (Check out the
document "How to read physics".)  At the beginning of class, there will
be a brief, closed book quiz on the reading. Lectures will deal with
conceptual questions and problem solving. During the lecture, I will
pose questions for you to ponder, discuss with a neighbor, and answer
with clickers. You are encouraged to participate actively with questions
and comments. I will not be lecturing directly from the text. That would
be a waste of your time and implies that you are not capable of reading
it yourselves. You should consider the text to be your first and primary
source. Class will explore and reinforce your understanding and apply it
to problems. In class, we will not discuss all the topics in the
reading, but we will strive for a good understanding of the most
important principles.

You are strongly DISCOURAGED from taking extensive notes in class. If
you attempt to record what happens in class without understanding it
in real time, it is unlikely that your notes will be useful to you
later. If you are thinking and participating in class, you probably
will not be able write very much. I think that it is much more
important to think and participate and ask questions. If there is
anything in class that is not in the reading and that you will need on
an exam, I will tell you. Class is an opportunity to build your
understanding by engaging the subject with me and your classmates.

To encourage and facilitate your active participation, we will use
"clickers." You can purchase the Interwrite PRS RF clickers in the
bookstore. The Why Clickers document explains the reasons for using them
and how they improve learning. Using a clicker with another student's ID
to answer questions for them is a violation of the Code of Academic
Conduct by both students.

PROBLEM SETS: There will be five to ten problem sets. Some of the
problems will be from the book. Those problems you will do to develop
your understanding and skill. They are not to be turned in. Each time
there will also be one to three (usually two) problems that are not from
the book and that you will hand in for grading. There is great value in
working independently to solve problems, but if you get stuck and are
not making progress, you are encouraged to discuss the problems with me,
your TA, or your classmates. However, the solutions that you hand in
must be written by you alone and independently and must be *your own
understanding* of the problem in your own words. You may achieve that
understanding on your own or in discussions with others, but what goes
on the paper you turn in must include only your own presentation of the
understanding that you have reached and not what someone else has told
you is correct. Collaboration beyond that just described or including on
your paper information that you got from other sources but do not
understand yourself or that is not your independent presentation is a
violation of the Code of Academic Conduct. Thus students who turn in
papers that are too much like each other or too much like other sources
will be referred to Student Judicial Affairs.

DISCUSSION SECTIONS: Problem solving skills will be emphasized in the
discussion sections. The discussion sections will be graded pass/fail.
Most students will pass, and their course grades will not be affected.
Students who fail the discussion will have their course grade reduced
by one full grade, e.g. from B+ to C+. Grading will be based on
participation. For each discussion section meeting, two problems will
be selected, and you will be notified of them in advance. One will be
designated basic and one advanced. You should prepare for section
meeting by solving the basic problem. Before the section meeting, you
should also study the advanced problem and think about how to solve
it. At the beginning of the meeting, the solution to the basic problem
will be discussed. Then you will work in groups to solve the advanced
problem. Toward the end of the meeting, a group will be called upon to
present its solution to the rest of the class, and all groups will
participate in a discussion of the physics principles involved and the
solution. A couple of times during the quarter, the section meeting
will be devoted to written presentation. Each group will be asked to
write up a careful solution following the format described below. This
should be similar in its completeness and level of explanation to the
Examples in the text. You will earn credit by active participation in
these processes.

EXAMS: The examinations will include both problem solving and
conceptual questions. Students are sometimes surprised that the
problems on physics exams are not just like ones that they have
already been assigned. This is deliberate! The ability to solve a
problem that you have already done tests your memory. The ability to
do a problem that you have not already done tests your understanding
of physical principles. To a physicist, physics is not a large
collection of facts and formulas. It is a small number of general
principles and laws that can be applied in many different situations.
There will be one midterm. The exact date will be given later, but it
will probably be around the middle of the quarter. Closed book. One
3"x5" note card. There will be a final: 8-10am, Tuesday, Dec. 6 in 66
Roessler. Closed book. Two 3"x5" note cards.  Do not make travel plans
that conflict with the final. This is the only time that the final
will be given. No make-up exams for the midterm or final.

LAB GRADING: The possible grades for the lab are High Pass, Pass, Low
Pass, and Fail. Most students will receive a Pass. For outstanding
work, the grade will be High Pass, and for low quality but passing
work, the grade will be Low Pass. A Fail is most likely to result from
poor lab attendance. A Pass will have no effect on your grade for the
course. A High Pass will raise your grade in the course by one step
from what it otherwise would have been, e.g. B+ --> A-. (The exception
is that an A does not become an A+.) A Low Pass will move your course
grade down by one step (but not D- to F). Failing the lab results in
failing the course.

MORE ON GRADING: To get credit for your answers, you must show your
work, and it is to your advantage to make it neat, clear, and
organized. Please keep in mind that you are writing your solutions for
someone else to read---someone who is not a mind reader and who has
limited time to try to figure out your solution. If we cannot figure
out what you have done, we cannot give you any credit. Whenever
possible, draw a picture and label it with the relevant physical
variables. List the quantities that you are given with their values
and the unknown quantities that you are trying to find. Then state the
most important physical laws or principles that you are going to use
to solve the problem. If you turn in solutions on the exams that are
difficult to read and that do not follow this structure, you will lose
points even it your answer is correct!

One week after graded papers are returned the grade becomes final. You
should have any errors corrected during that week. I will look at
papers only if you have spoken with the reader and failed to reach an
agreement. If you bring me a grading issue, I will review the grading
on the whole problem set or exam, and there may be problems that are
not the one you are interested in where I would be less generous than
the reader.

GLASS CASE: In the east wing of the first floor of the Physics/Geology
building, there is a glass case (#9) where various hard copy items
like exam solutions will be posted.

COMPUTER STUFF: You will need a UC Davis computer account and the
ability to authenticate via Kerberos. The main things that you will
need to be able to do are handle email and use a web browser. You
should have a PDF reader. I will use the PDF format for some of the
class documents. For general computer help, contact IT-EXPRESS.
Most of the electronic communication will be
handled via the main course site 
http://www.physics.ucdavis.edu/kiskis/courses/phy9b-f11/phy9b_hp.html
and email. There will be some limited use of the course
SmartSite, PHY 009B A01-BA7 FQ 2011. The email address for the whole 
class list is   phy9b-a-f11@smartsite.ucdavis.edu.
Check your email daily.

Copyright Joe Kiskis 2011. All federal and state copyrights reserved for
all original material presented in this course through any medium
including lecture, print, and electronic.