Physics 270 is the third of a three-semester introductory physics sequence designed primarily for engineering students.  The major topics included in the course are magnetism & magnetic fields, alternating circuits, electromagnetic waves & optics, special relativity and an introduction to modern physics & quantum mechanics.  The course consists of three parts -- Lecture, Recitation and Lab.

The course web page, http://www.physics.umd.edy/courses/Phys263/wth/fall04/, contains additional information along with links that you will need during the semester. Important announcements regarding exams, changes to the schedule or other items will be issued via comments in iLrn and mass emails. Please make a habit of checking for messages frequently. You are responsible for all messages issued.
 
 

Lecture:	MW (16:00-15:15)	All sections	PHY 1410
Recitation:	Th (14:00 -14:50)	Sec. 0101	HJP 2242
	Th (16:00-16:50)	Sec. 0102	PHY 1402
	W (09:00-09:50)	Sec. 0103	PHY 1219
	F (13:00-13:50)	Sec. 0104	PHY 1402

 

Laboratory:

PHYS271, is required. You must complete PHYS271 (do all the labs) in order to pass PHYS 270.  If you believe that you have completed the lab in a previous semester, go to Student Services (PHY 1120) during the second week of this semester to have your grade verified.  The lab is run separately and is organized by Prof. Roos this semester. All question specific to the lab should be addressed to your lab TA or Prof. Roos.   Please click here for more information regarding the lab.

CORE Lab Science Requirement:

PHYS270 and PHYS271 must be taken in the same semester to count for CORE Lab Science. PHYS270 taken along will NOT count as a non-lab science for CORE.

General Information

Lecture: 
Lecture and the text are your primary source of information for the course. The lecture will consist of derivations, worked examples along with demonstrations designed to enhance what you have read in the text. To extract the most from lecture, you should read the material in the text before it is discussed in class.
On-line Help: 
Your secondary source of help are the on-line tutorials and worked examples provided through iLrn. You should spend time with these aids if your are having trouble with some of the concepts.
Recitation: 
The recitation sections will be used to review the major points from lecture each week. Homework from the previous week along with the quiz will also be discussed in the recitation period. You will have a chance to hone your problem solving techniques during the recitation period. You will garner bonus points by attending your recitation regularly; your TA will take attendance.
Homework: 
Homework will be web-based and done via iLrn with PhysicsNow. For information on how to get connected click here.  You will generally have a week to do each problem set. (See schedule  for due dates.) Problem sets will usually be available at 6:00 PM and due by 3:00 PM each Wednesday.  Late homework will receive no credit!  For most homework assignments, you will have an unlimited number of tries to do each problem.  You will receive feedback from the program about the correctness of your answers. While similar to WebAssign, used in past semesters, iLrn is more powerful providing practice tests, tutortials and other helpful aplets. Although I encourage you to work and study with your classmates, you should each do all of the problems.
Quizzes:
A quiz will be given approximately every week. These may occur in lecture, your recitation or online. There will be no quiz during weeks this course has an exam. The solutions will be discussed and your quizzes returned during recitation.  The quizzes will be closed book and based on the previous week's lecture, as well as reading and homework assignments! The purpose of the quizzes is to assess your understanding of fundamental concepts!
Exams:
There will be two midterm exams given on lecture days and one final exam. You must take the final to pass the course! The dates the exams will be given are listed in the schedule.  All exams will be closed book. You will be allowed one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper (front and back) for notes. 
A single make-up exam covering material for the entire semester will be given the last day of class. This exam is open to all students and can be used to replace your lowest midterm score. If you miss an exam, the score you receive on the make-up exam will be used in its place. There will be no other make-up exams so if you miss more than one exam your will receive zero points for the additional missed exams! 
Student ID Numbers:

The university will no longer use your social security number as your SID No. All students will now be provided with a U ID No. If you don't know yours, you can obtain it by logging into Testudo and viewing your class schedule. (Visit here for more information.) Photo ID cards issued since June 2003 should have the U ID No. displayed on the front.

Calculators:
You can use a standard scientific calculator to all exams. Your calculator should provide arithmetic, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic functions, and arbitrary roots and powers. 
Grade Budget: 



Homework	10%
Quizzes	15%
Midterm Exams	25%
Final Exam	25%
Laboratory	25%

Bonus Points
There are various ways to earn bonus points.  Those who attend discussion sections regularly will receive the benefit of the doubt in borderline cases.  Generally, there will be a bonus question on exams.  Finally, there could be one or more pop quizzes in lecture. 

Letter Grades
Final letter grades are based upon the distribution of class scores and will not be known until the end of the semester. Recognizing that the actual divisions will most likely be different, you may use the following as an approximate guide:




A:	100 - 80%
B:	70 - 80%
C:	55 - 70%
D:	45 - 55%
F:	0 - 45%

Again, this is only a guide and should not be taken as a promise of a specific grade. The borders can fluctuate in either direction by a few percentage points. Regardless of your point accumulation, if you do not take and pass the lab you will have earned an F! 

Again, you must take the final and pass the lab to pass the course!