Syllabus

Fall 2009

Instructor

• Dr. Branislav K. Nikolic
  • Email: bnikolic@udel.edu
  • Web: http://www.physics.udel.edu/~bnikolic
  • Phone: (302) 831-2943
  • Fax: (302) 831-1637

Calendar

• MWF 1:25PM-2:15PM in 308 Gore Hal.
• Computational Lab:
• Poster session for the final project: December 10, 224 Sharp Lab.
• Office hours: MW 2:30-3:30 PM in 234 Sharp Lab, or by appointment (send me an email).
• Classes start on Wednesday, September 2 and terminate on Wednesday, December 9.
• Breaks:
  • Labor Day, September 7.
  • Fall break, October 16.
  • Thanksgiving Holiday, November 25-29.
  • Instructor's travel schedule: October 13-18.

Requirements

Lectures: The goal of class time is to emphasize important concepts covered in the textbook, introduce topics not in the text, and highlight common conceptual and problem-solving pitfalls. It is my responsibility to present this material for your coherently and create an environment in which you will feel comfortable participating. It is your responsibility to take me up on my offer to participate and to prepare yourself for the class by reading the material and working sample problems. Attendance for all lectures and discussions is strongly recommended.

Discussion: Will be used to cover some of the challenging problems (beyond the textbook material) and MIT TEAL computer simulations of electromagnetic phenomena, as well as for students to work in pairs or groups on either homework problems, workbook exercises, or special questions brought by the instructor.

Lab experiments: Lab sessions will start in the week of September 11 and will consist of eight experiments closely linked to electromagnetic topics covered in the class. The Lab portion of the course is both significant and important—you should gain appreciation for the empirical nature of physics and experience how its theoretical description is tested in real world. While, the Lab instructor for will make clear the expectations for the experimental portion of the course, you are expected to prepare for the labs in advance (including the first lab).

Quizzes: Short quizzes will be given at the beginning or at the end of the class to test student preparation and class participation.

Homework: Electronic homework will be assigned on Mondays and graded through the internet-based system called Mastering Physics (you will be given instructions on how to submit electronic homework during the first week of class). The problems will consist of:

   *
     Skill Builders (SB): These offer detailed worked examples with multiple hint-giving options that focus on improving conceptual understanding or developing key skills. Hints and feedback on these problems have been developed from detailed educational research of students solving these problems and are ranked according to the most common difficulties at each step.
   *
     Self-Tutoring Problems (STP): These are "standard" homework problems that provide similar individualized help as a result of an incorrect answer or when requested. Including hints and simpler sub-problems, Self-Tutoring Problems help bridge the gap between worked examples and textbook end-of-chapter questions. They develop the student's ability to solve more complex multi-step problems and motivate them in this process with immediate feedback and grading. They also give students an accurate measure of how well they understand the material and where they need to study further.
   *
     End of chapter problems (EOC) from the Knight's textbook:These do not have hints or tutoring elements.

Some of the problems will be practice or extra credit problems so that students can practice without worrying about their final score. In addition, 1-3 "challenging" problems for the honors class will be assigned to be completed in conventional paper-and-pencil way and submitted to the instructor. The due dates for both electronic and conventional homework are one week from the assignment date and will be also listed on the Homework page of the course Web site.

Exams: Two mid-term exams will be conducted during the regular class time (at 9:05 AM - 9:55 AM in GORE 306). The final exam will be held during regularly scheduled weeks for the University of Delaware exams. The final exam will be cumulative, as each of the midterm exams are, but will differ in being much more balanced representation of the whole course material. The format of these exams will be discussed at least one week prior to the exam.

Academic Honesty: The policy on academic honesty as stated in the Student Guide to University Policies will be followed during this course. In particular: collaboration on homework assignments and in-class activities is permitted and encouraged (unless your instructor explicitly indicates otherwise); collaboration is NOT permitted during the mid-term exams or the final; students are NOT permitted to use another student’s PRS transmitter in lecture.

Grading

• The final score will be determined as a weighted average of different class activities listed above using the following formula:
  • Homework - 50%
  • Quiz - 10 %,
  • Midterm and final Research Project - 40.

• Here is a guideline for your final letter grade, as a percentage of the total number of points: 86-100, some type of A; 73-85, some type of B; 61-72 some type of C, 51-60 some type of D; 50 and below is F. These numbers may be lowered, depending upon numerous factors, but will not be raised (i.e., if you have an 86 average you are assured of at least an A-). The course grades are not curved.

• Grading of overdue reports: Reports submitted after the deadline will incur a penalty 5 points for each 24 hour period. After eight days, the maximum possible grade is set at 60 points.

Textbook

• Main textbook:

• Supplementary textbooks:

• Supplementary material: Review articles from Reviews of Modern Physics, Physics Reports, American Journal of Physics, ... (see