Our goals are for you to learn the specific topics presented in the Calendar page (below). That is, to understand these concepts as discussed in class/recitation and then also, use these concepts to solve new and different problems.

There are also “big picture” goals in terms of abilities and attitudes. These are stated below, in connection with the IUPUI Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success and the Indiana State General Education Core.
In Phys P201 we emphasize these skills:

Organization: Each week: 2.5 hours of lecture, 2 hours of lab, and 100 minutes of recitation.  Derivations, physics content and concepts are presented in the lecture portion. Students, guided by the mentors, will work problems in the recitation. These problems are not the assigned MasteringPhysics problems. But the concepts in these problems will help you in understanding the MasterPhysics problems, as well as course content. Also, attendance of recitations will be recorded. Please do not miss any of the recitations. Important Note: Attendance during the on-campus labs is MANDATORY. Bring your calculator to all three: lecture, recitation, and lab.  Finally, missed homework submittals (MasteringPhysics) will count as a zero (there are no extensions). Do not forget to submit homework in a timely manner.

Grading: The components of the course are assigned the following points:

There is a single grade for the course determined by your point total.

To pass, per Department policy, you must accumulate at least 250 exam points (50%).

The 500 total exam points are not always the simple sum of your exam scores (*).  Your net exam points are based upon the method of derivatives which retains the "time information" of a student's exam scores.  The method of derivatives awards a few additional points to students that maintain a positive exam score slope.  In fact, a student can do relatively poorly on the first exam, continue to improve on the later exams and in the end obtain a score that effectively adds up to 10 points (or more).  For a student that maintains roughly the same exam scores throughout the semester, there is no difference between the "simple sum" and the "method of derivatives".  For a student who has a negative exam score slope, the simple sum is employed. In a nut-shell, the algorithm for the method of derivatives performs the following:  using the method of least squares, a first-order (linear) equation is fitted through the five exam scores (final exam is equal to 2 hourly exams), the fitted line is then evaluated at the independent-variable of 3.3 (10% beyond the median: Exam 3), that score (the dependent-variable of the fit-line) is then multiplied by five and this becomes the student's exam score total.  As an example, consider a student that scores a 50% on Exam 1, 88% on Exam 2, 78% on Exam 3, and 171/200 on the Final Exam.  The conventional "simple sum" exam score would be 387 points.  But by the method of derivatives, the net exam score is 397.  Effectively, 10 points were added to the student's point total because the student continued to improve.  Another more concrete example involves a student that struggled on the early exams: A few years ago I had a student score the following: 19%, 44%, 97%, and 186/200 on the final.  The simple sum would have been 346 points, but by the method of derivatives, the student obtained 376 exam points and ended up earning a "B" in the course (128 on HMK and 187 on Labs). The method of derivatives gives the student who scores poorly on Exam 1, a chance to earn a passing grade in the course.

Additional Comments:

There are 10 labs. Some are off-campus and some are on-campus in LD 011. Lab attendance is MANDATORY for the labs scheduled in LD 011! One laboratory may be missed with the accompanying loss of points (approx 25 out of 200).  After that, for each missed lab, the course grade will drop by one letter.

Lab-related questions or issues should be addressed to your Lab Instructors. Questions regarding MasteringPhysics homework should first be addressed to the Physics Tutors in the Physics Help Center (basement of LD). If that proves unsuccessful or not helpful, then please see either your Recitation Instructor or your Course Instructor. Questions regarding your course standing, exam grades, lecture material/concepts, etc. should be addressed to the Course Instructor. (Questions regarding electroweak vacuum decay or blackhole information paradox should only be addressed to the Course Instructor 😐)

Lecture notes will generally not be provided. Attend lecture, or ask a fellow classmate to provide you copies, or come bug me (with a darn good excuse 🙂).

NOTICE Students Repeating the Course  (Read these instructions carefully)
Students who are repeating the course and successfully passed the lab portion in their previous P201 have the option of using that lab grade for this semester.  The following protocol must be followed:  You must contact your previous Lab TA via email, also cc me in your email, and have those lab scores transmitted to your new Lab TA.  Until the lab scores are received by your new Lab TA, you must continue to attend the lab this semester!  Failure to follow these instructions will result in an administrative withdrawal due to the fact you are not attending lab.

Bonus points, earned after the final exam, based upon discussions among instructor, recitation instructors, and lab instructors, are subjectively awarded to students who maintain good rapport and strive to improve (all facets:  exams, homeworks, recitations, labs) throughout the duration of the semester. Please don't slack off on homework or labs near the end of the semester.

The following letter grades are guaranteed based on total points. All other letter grades are determined after the Final Exams have been scored:

WITHDRAWAL:

It is the student's responsibility to properly submit withdrawal requests/forms BEFORE the required deadlines.