Syllabus
PHY3101
Class
Hours: MWF,
Period 3 (9:35 - 10:25 am), Room 1002. Section
3798
Instructor: G. R. Stewart, Office NPB 2132, phone 392-9263,
e-mail stewart@phys.ufl.edu, Office
Hours: Monday Period 7 (1:55-2:45 pm),
Wednesday Period 4 (10:40-11:30), or by appointment.
Course
Description: This
is a grand survey of all (or at least a lot) of
physics, condensed into one semester!
The pace is fast – most subjects (exception is relativity)
only get 3
lectures. If you want to learn a lot of
physics in 15 weeks, and are willing to work hard in order to keep up,
this is
the class for you: relativity, quantum
mechanics, the nuclear atom, the Schrödinger equation, atomic
physics,
molecular structure, solid state and nuclear physics.
Prerequisites: This
course requires that you have studied Newtonian
mechanics in a previous calculus-based physics course such as PHY2048, as well as
electricity
and magnetism in PHY2049 and at
least have co-registered in
a vector calculus course (Calc 3).
Grading: Grades
will be based 20% on homework sets, 25% each on two
midterm exams and 30% on one cumulative final exam.
Homework: Unless otherwise announced (for existence, when
Martin
Luther King day falls on Monday, Jan. 15), homework will be due each
Monday in
class. Late homework is not allowed, as solutions will be posted (eLearning site, or Canvas) after
the homework is turned in. Homework can be turned in in class or
in the mailbox outside of
Prof. Stewart’s office door, room 2132 in the physics building by
10:25 am. Solutions will be posted on the
e-learning
web site. You will get to drop your lowest homework score. If you miss a homework because of, e. g.
illness or U of F mandated travel, that will count as your drop.
The final exam (closed book) is 12:30-2:30 pm on
Thursday, May 3
(Exam group 3C) in our regular classroom 1002. The two
midterm Exams
will be in class (see Course Schedule), closed
book. For each midterm you may bring one 8.5 x 11 inch formula
sheet
(both sides), prepared (printed, hand written, Xeroxed, …)
however you
wish. The anticipated letter grade scale
is A: 85%; A-: 81%; B+: 77%; B: 70%; B-: 65%; C+: 60%; C: 50%; C-: 45%,
D+:
40%; D: 35%; D-: 30%; E: <30%.
Makeup: For
anyone missing *one* of the two midterms
due to an excused absence (illness with doctor’s note, organized
U of F
activity requiring your presence elsewhere), there will be a “one
size fits
all” makeup given in class on the last day of class, April 25,
that will cover
all of the material covered on the first two tests (chapters 1 through
7). Only students with an officially
excused
absence may take the makeup. (The makeup
may *not* be substituted for a low score on one of the midterms by
students who
take both midterms.) Students missing
both midterms will receive an incomplete in the class. Students
who have
already taken both midterms have the last day of class free.
The
following paragraphs of advice on how to do well in Physics are
shamelessly
plagiarized from an earlier class. You are of course free to
make your
own choices, but - if you should feel inclined to accept advice (which
although
'free' is not of zero worth) - you will find it helpful:
I do not take daily attendance, but it is to your advantage to attend
class.
You may spend most of your time distracted by things other than
physics, but in
between you will have the opportunity to learn what subjects I think
are
important, and you can then concentrate on these subjects during your
reading.
If by some unfortunate set of circumstances you do miss class, do not
ask me if
I said anything important. Instead, ask a classmate; she or he is
likely to
give an honest answer, and you won't offend me. There will be a
substantial
number of examples discussed in class that are not in the textbook, and
examples in class will, in some sort of modified form, appear
on tests.
If you miss class you will not do as well in this course.
Do the
assigned
homework. This is the drudge part of physics, but it is absolutely
necessary. We will learn grand ideas and see their wondrous
applications in
class. But, your understanding is only superficial unless you can apply
these
same grand ideas to completely new circumstances. As well, some of the
concepts
introduced in this class will seem hard to understand at first. In course work, this is usually overcome by
doing homework problems. Do not be surprised if the homework is
frustrating at
times; solving one challenging problem makes the next much easier. And
homework
problems often appear on tests. Doing all of the homework is the
easiest way to
improve your grade. Not doing homework is the easiest way to lower your
grade. You may work with others while
doing your
homework, but the handwritten solutions you turn in must be yours.
Textbook: The
course text is
Modern
Physics by
Tipler and
Llewellyn. The 6th edition is
currently available. This
text is required, meaning that you will be assumed to
have access to this text to complete reading and homework assignments.
Other
books and resources:
Outside
Help Services: The
Teaching Center in Broward Hall (tel. 392-2010) offers
a range of free services, including individual tutoring in
physics.
Accommodations:
Students requesting classroom accommodations must first
register with the Disabilities Resources Program, located in the Dean
of
Students Office, P202 Peabody Hall. The Disabilities Resources Program
will
provide documentation to the student, who must then deliver this
documentation
to the instructor when requesting accommodations.
Academic
Honesty: All
University of Florida students are required to abide by
the University's Academic Honesty Guidelines and by the Honor Code,
which reads
as follows: We, the members of the University of Florida community,
pledge
to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and
integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the
University of
Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my
honor,
I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this
assignment."
Cheating, plagiarism, or other violations of the Academic Honesty
Guidelines
will not be tolerated and will be pursued through the University's
adjudication
procedures.