Instructor: Dr. Thomas Handler

Office: 226E Ayres Hall

Phone: 974-7820

Email: thandler@utk.edu

Class Hours: 11:15 - 12:05 Mon/Wed/Fri

Office Hours: 10:00 - 11:00 Mon/Wed/Fri and by appointment

Textbook:

Required: Young & Freedman, University Physics, 12th Edition with Modern Physics

Suggested: Wells & Slusher Physics for Engineering and Science, Schaum’s Outline Series or any other similar physics problem solving book.

General Course Description;

This course is intended to provide an understanding of various phenomena including Simple Harmonic Motion, Waves, Light, Geometrical optics, Interference and Diffraction, Relativity, and Modern Physics.

Prerequisites:

The course and textbook presume a familiarity with calculus and calculus concepts. A background in mathematics up to the level of Math 141-142, or equivalent, is recommended.

It is assumed that the student is familiar with kinematic motion and with energy considerations, i.e. work, kinetic energy, potential energy and conservation of energy. If this is not the case, the student is strongly encouraged to review the material from chapters 1 – 12 of the textbook.

Grading Policy

The semester grade will be determined from the following:

Hour Tests & Final Exam will comprise 58% of the final semester grade

There will be three 1 Hour Tests, counting for 34% ( The 1^st two exams count 12% each while the 3^rd exam counts 10%) of the final grade and one Final Exam counting for 24% of the final grade. The final exam is cumulative. No hour exam score will be dropped and ordinarily no make-up hour exams will be given. However, if there are documentable circumstances, a makeup will be considered. Hour exams will be closed book, but a list of useful equations and constants will be provided.

A MISSED FINAL EXAMINATION IS EXCEPTIONALLY SERIOUS

Laboratory Scores will comprise 24% of the final semester grade.

While laboratory work will be graded by each Lab Instructor independently, an effort will be made to insure a uniform grading policy between different laboratory sections.

Laboratory make-ups are entirely at at the lab instructor’s discretion and arrangements for such must be made with the lab instructor.

Homework will comprise 18% of the final semester grade

Homework sets will be assigned using the On-Line CAPA software system ( http://homework.phys.utk.edu/). The availability of the problem sets will be announced in class with the available time for each set being ~ 1 week. Due dates for problem sets are firm. There will be ~12 problem sets

NO EXTENSIONS OR MAKE-UP PROBLEM SETS WILL BE GIVEN

Grading Scale

Your grade will be determined using the number determined from the above description. The grade boundaries are:

Problem Solving

If you have difficulty in solving problems, you can find some problem solving tips at

Study Tips for Introductory Physics Students
Solving Problems in Physics
Tips

Examination Schedule:

Dates for hour exams are provisional and are subject to change as situations may warrant. Date changes will be announced in class. It is the student’s responsibility to verify exam dates.

Previous Examinations:

As some of your colleagues have access to previous exams, in order to level the playing field for all, previous exams and their solutions are being made available to one and all. Note that the exams for this semester may or may not be like previous years.

Examination Grading:

If you have any questions concerning the grading of a particular examination, you have one week from the time that the examination is returned in class. After one week, the grade is final!

Please note that in the grading of individual problems, a correct answer obtained by erroneous means will count for zero points.

Academic Honesty

All work submitted by a student is expected to represent their own work. Students are expected to enter their own homework on the CAPA system without assistance from others. Students are expected to perform all work in conformance with the University policies regarding Academic Honesty.

Class Schedule

The class will meet formally 42 times with 39 lectures and 3 hour exams.

Lecture slides will be posted as PDF files as the lectures and the semester progresses.