Physics 161: General Mechanics, Spring 2002, Sections 0301-0306 General course information

Lectures:  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2:00 - 2:50 in 1410 Toll Physics Building

Discussion sections in 3301 Toll Physics Building:

Tuesday 3:00-3:50 (0301 - 49058)
Tuesday 4:00-4:50(0302 - 49059)
Thursday 4:00-4:50(0304 - 49060)
Friday 10:00-10:50(0305 - 49061)
Friday 11:00-11:50(0306 - 49062)

Offices:  1310 Physics and 2226 Benjamin
301 405-8188; davidham@physics.umd.edu
Office Hours:  Mondays 3:00-4:00, Wednesdays 12:30-1:30, Fridays 3:00-4:00, or by appointment

Derek Baylay, Sections 0301 to 0305
Office: 4206 Physics
301 405-6189, baylay@glue.umd.edu

Ram Sriharsha, Section 0306
Office: 4209 Physics
harsha@glue.umd.edu

Jeff Kron, jkron@wam.umd.edu

The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking. Albert Einstein, 1936

This course concerns the physics of motion. That's something you already know an awful lot about, and what you already know will be the raw material from which you'll build your understanding. Much of it already works perfectly; we'll only need to make it precise, write it down, and follow its implications. And much of it works well in some circumstances but not in others. Sometimes what you "know" in one context just contradicts what you "know" in another, and when that happens you need do some adjusting to reconcile the inconsistency.

So learning physics means a lot of sorting through that raw material, reorganizing it, taking some of it apart and putting it back together into a more coherent whole. That's mostly what this course is going to be about.

To express ideas precisely and follow their implications--at least, ideas of the sort we'll be considering--you need mathematics. I'll assume everyone is familiar with Calculus.

1.  Course participation

You are required to attend lectures and discussion sections. They will all involve your active participation, including talking with fellow students sitting nearby about questions the TA or I pose, responding to questions on behalf of your group or just for yourself, and, certainly, posing questions of your own. Sometimes responses will be in writing; in lecture it will usually be through an electronic response system.

To say a bit more about that: At the beginning of the semester, we'll issue each student an electronic response device - sort of like a TV remote control - that will let me pose questions and get answers during lectures. You don't need to buy anything - we'll lend you the device at no cost - but if you lose it or break it you'll have to pay for the replacement.

On our part, we're responsible for making lectures and sections worth your time. If as we go you have suggestions for how to make them more worth your time, please consider it your responsibility to make them.  (Really and truly, I very much appreciate that kind of information from students, and it's hard to get.)

2.  Homework

You are required to do the weekly problem sets, which I'll assign on the web (bookmark this address!), and your work must be legible and on time. Please give these assignments your sincere attention!

What I mean by "sincere" is that you use the homework to help you build an understanding of the physics.  To say a little more about that, the reason we work problems in a physics course is not generally because we care about the answers, any more than the reason someone swims laps at the pool is to get from one end to the other.  The reason we work problems in physics is because it helps us find and resolve gaps or inconsistencies in our understanding.  You'll only find those gaps if you're digging around in your own mind--I'll be asking problems to help you do that.

 So... please don't make a habit of asking other people to solve problems for you.  That's like asking someone else to swim laps for you--once in a while it might make sense, to see a particular technique, but usually it results only in your watching someone else get some exercise.  For the most part, you should ask for--and expect from your TA and me--coaching and guidance to help you learn to solve problems for yourself.

3.  Exams

There will be two midterm exams and one final.  I try to write exams so that memorization without understanding doesn't succeed.  So please expect problems that make you think, not problems that ask you to follow recipes.  The best way to prepare for my exams is to stay with the course, "refining your everyday thinking" all along the way, rather than cramming to memorize equations at the last minute.

Please note that a point on participation won't equal a point on homework or exams!  We'll add them up in each category and then scale them to count as follows for the total grade.

Participation:  30%.  This will come from the various pieces we get from you in lectures and discussions.  Some of that you just won't be able to make up if you're not in class.  So... be there.

Homework:  30%.  We want you to be using the homework to build an understanding, and we'll assess it accordingly.  Answers alone, without explanation, will receive no credit.  (Of course, the explanation may well be expressed in mathematics.)  However, evidence of an effort to refine your everyday thinking, even without an answer, will receive at least partial credit.

Exams:  40%.  Unlike homework assignments, exams may include multiple choice questions, which we'll assess only for the answer.  Of course, they'll also include questions needing explanations.  The final will count for a bit more than the midterms (2/5 of the total exam score).

I do not grade on a curve; I grade by my expectations.  If everyone does excellent work, everyone gets an A.  If everyone's doing poorly, it's conceivable I'd adjust my expectations to raise grades, but I will not adjust to lower them.  Someone else's doing well will never affect your grade negatively.

If you have a valid excuse for missing an exam, quiz, or homework, see me to arrange what to do about it, beforehand if at all possible. Ex post facto (after the fact) excuses will require validation and may not be acceptable. (Wanting to leave early before a holiday is NOT a valid excuse.) And you must speak to me. Your TA does not have the authority to excuse you from any requirement.