Fall 2005 – Physics 1425-03

Welcome to General Physics I, Physics 1425! The prerequisite for this class is Math 1322 (Calculus II) or concurrent enrollment. You and I will be using a number of new teaching technologies in this class including MasteringPhysics for online homework, ActivePhysics for quizzes, online lectures I have prepared (PDF; thanks to Frank Lee at George Washington University for help with these), and CAPA (Computer Assisted Personalized Approach) for exams. This class ishomework based, and we will be using laboratory computers during class to access my lectures and the MasteringPhysics site. I think MasteringPhysics is a better homework system than any currently available. It has hints, Skill Builder (SB) and Self Tutoring Problems (STP) and other nice feaures which we will explore as the semester goes on. The book is “University Physics” (11/e) (ISBN 0-8053-8684-X) by Young and Freedman. We will be covering Chapters 1-20. Make sure you buy the version which comes with the MasteringPhysics Access Kit, as buying it separately will be much more expensive. You should have recieved an email from me with instructions for logging onto the MasteringPhysics website (http://www.masteringphysics.com/). The instructions are also given below.

To register, you need to click on the University Physics book image at the MasteringPhysics website. You can then enter the information on the “First Time User?” “Register” area. You will need the class ID: PHY14250305 and the access code which comes with it. You will need to register before our first meeting (Tues., Aug. 23) for this homework-based class; you will not be able to do any of the homework problems until you do so. If you have any difficulties registering for the class, please let me know. The class homepage can be reached from http://www3.baylor.edu/~Walter_Wilcox/current_courses.htm. There you will find the present introduction, a course calendar, the class lectures in PDF format, and links to the CAPA login page used for exams (more on that later).

The homeworks are the above mentioned SB, STP and selected end of chapter (EOC) problems from the book by Freedman and Young, often with randomized inputs so that everyone’s problem sets are different. (Note that there is a Study Guide and a Student Solutions Manual covering some of the odd-numbered problems available from the publisher; these are completely optional.) I have set this up so that there is NO extension of the homework deadlines.

I will use the ActivePhysics site (www.aw.com/young11) during class for daily quizzes. I will take daily attendance because this is Baylor’s policy. (For a TTh class, missing 8 or more classes automatically results in an “F”.) It will be important to arrive in class on-time, or else you will not be recorded as being present.

I will give three in-class midterm exams and a two-hour long final. The final will be comprehensive. There will be a review class before the final. The final grade will be a weighted sum of percentages for Lab, Homework, Exam and Final grades.

Category               Percent of Total Grade

Lab Grade                 15%
Quizzes                      10%
Homework                 30%
Exams (3)                   30%
Final                           15%

The grading scale used in last year’s 1425 class (not guaranteed to be used this semester) was:
Grade          Final Total Percentage

A                 100       –    85
B+                85        –    80
B                  80        –    75
C+                75        –    70
C                  70        –    65
D                  65        –    55

You must have a passing Lab grade to pass the course. Passing means above a 55%.

There will be no make-ups for missed exams. If you miss an exam without a valid excuse (usually means a note from a Doctor) you get a zero. I will reweight the final if you are excused. If you miss two midterm exams without an excuse, you fail the class. If you miss two or more with a valid excuse, you get an incomplete. Missing the final with an excuse gives you an incomplete also; without an excuse you fail.

I do not give exams early or late in this class for any reason other than student athletic events. I do not allow students to leave the class during exams – be sure to make a strategic visit the Men’s or Lady’s rooms before the exams. If you MUST leave during an exam, I will treat this appropriately, depending on whether it is an unexpected medical emergency.

I will enable a “Recovery Exam” after each in-class exam using the online CAPA system (CAPA means Computer Assisted Personalized Approach). This set will consist of the problems on the exams which you can re-do to get extra points. This means that after each exam (except the final) I will open up the same exam online for you to take using a special exam CAPAID (which will be on your in-class exam). The formula for the recovery points is:

Extra points = (Recovery exam score – Initial score)*.30

Taking the recovery exam is a way of earning extra points on the exam – you can not loose points by taking it. However, you must score higher on the recovery exam than the initial exam to recover any points. This exam will open the next day at noon after the in-class exam is taken. You are responsible for budgeting your time to do the exam. Just like the homework sets, I have set this up so that there is no possibility of extending the deadline.

That bears repeating – there are no time extensions for homework or recovery exams, except possibly exams for student athletes.

Unfortunately, the subject of cheating comes up in all university classes. Baylor has an honor code written by students and faculty which I expect you to respect and follow. I will not hesitate to bring suspected cheating situations up before the Baylor Honor Council. 

Office hours:  M, W, F 9am-noon (becomes flexible near exams)
Office: Rm. E.325
Office phone: 710-2510
Dept. phone: 710-2511
Baylor website: http://www3.baylor.edu/~Walter_Wilcox/