We will have frequent short quizzes in-class. These quizzes
are designed to assess whether you have read the textbook and understood
the homework problems. Most quiz problems will closely resemble recent
homework problems, or examples discussed recently in class. Each quiz
will be graded on a 3-point scale (0-3 pts). If you have been coming to
class and you can do the homework, you will find the quizzes to be easy.
Details will be announced in class. No letter grades will be given until
the end of the semester: The only letter grade will be the final course
grade. This approach minimizes roundoff errors in your final grade,
so it is ultimately more fair, even if it causes some anxiety at times.
The quizzes are given in class. The final exam is an assembly exam.
You may bring a calculator but you may not bring any other materials
or notes.
Please plan carefully. Check all deadlines and final exam
dates carefully before you make any plans to travel away from campus
during the semester. If you purchase an airline ticket to travel during
the semester, and you later realize that your travel conflicts with a
scheduled exam, it will cost you money to change the ticket.
Some students may nevertheless suffer from a severe personal or
family emergency that forces them to miss a regular quiz or other
in-class activity:
Therefore, the two lowest quiz scores will be dropped when final grades
are calculated.
A student who stops
participating in the class - i.e. who ceases attending class, doing
homework, communicating with the instructor, taking quizzes/exams - should
drop the course, because otherwise a failing grade is certain. No special
end-of-semester arrangements (such as make-up work, late-drop petitions,
incomplete grades, signatures on various forms, etc.) will be provided
to any student who simply disappeared for a substantial portion of the
semester. Such accommodations are only available to students who have
participated in class and kept in regular contact with the instructor
during the term.
It is the policy of the University of Florida that the student, not the
instructor, is responsible for arranging accommodations when needed. The
instructor will not remind the student to schedule accommodations prior
to each quiz or exam. If you require extra time for in-class work, you
must initiate this request at least seven days before the exam or quiz.
The Dean of Students Office website has further details on
academic honesty policies at UF.
3 credits; Demonstrations and discussion of commonly observed phenomena of light, color, and vision such as rainbows, sunsets, the blue sky, and perceptual illusions. A study of the principles of holography and applications. (P)
Prof. Steve Hagen
Office: 2362 NPB
Email: sjhagen (at) ufl.edu
Office hours: To be announced
MWF 2nd period
Room 1002 NPB
Seeing the Light: Optics in Nature, Photography, Color, Vision,
and Holography
By David R. Falk, Dieter R. Brill, David G. Stork
ISBN-10 0471603856
ISBN-13 9780471603856
John Wiley & Sons (1986)
A copy is available at the reserve desk of the Marston
Science Library.
Used copies are also available online for less than
$50 Click here for details
PHY 3400 provides a basic introduction to the physics of light, including its
fundamental nature (what is light?), how we perceive and describe color,
geometrical optics, optical phenomena in nature, and instruments that exploit
optical principles. The course is aimed at non-science majors, and there are no
formal prerequisites. A working knowledge of basic algebra and trigonometry
is required however.
The course will emphasize the understanding of basic physical principles
through real examples and experiments, always with the goal of being
able to solve problems and understand nature.
The calendar (and all current information) is posted on the website,
which is maintained on the UF E-Learning Services (WebCT/Vista)
server. Access the site by visiting the UF E-learning Services
site (http://lss.at.ufl.edu).
Then use your Gatorlink ID to log in to the "E-Learning
System". On the website you will find the course calendar along with the syllabus,
homework and quiz problems and solutions, and various other
timely information. The instructor will assume that all
students visit the website regularly and are familiar with the
information and announcements that are posted there.
The only way to learn physics is to engage with the material
by analyzing real situations and solving real problems. Regular homework
is therefore at the heart of this course. Homework will be collected
and graded. Work with a friend if you like. Solutions will also be
posted online. Make sure that you understand each problem and that
you can present your solution. If you don't have time to do regular
homework, then you don't have time to learn this subject and you should
not be taking this course.
Current UF policy on student grades is posted
here.
The final grade in PHY3400 will be determined by:
The final examination is comprehensive - it covers the
entire semester. The date and time is fixed by the Registrar for 7:30-9:30 am,
Friday December 18, 2009. Mark your calendar. No date change or make-up is available for the final examination.
The Instructor believes that make-ups are intrinsically
unfair. This unfairness can be mitigated (but not eliminated)
by keeping the number of make-ups to an absolute minimum.
Therefore there will be no makeups for missed quizzes or homework.
A make-up for a missed exam will be granted only in a truly dire situation.
(A student who lacks diligence in contacting the instructor once
this dire situation arises is unlikely to be granted the make-up.)
Students who feel that their illness prevents them from
attending the final examination will need to bring documentation from
the Student Health Care Center (SHCC).
Regular class attendance is definitely expected. Mastery of the course
material will require each student to make a sustained and consistent
investment of effort throughout the semester. Class attendance is part
of that effort. Poor attendance or frequent lateness will result in
a reduced final grade, or even a failing grade. If you cannot
attend class regularly, this is the wrong course for you.
The instructor cannot approve requests to audit
PHY3400. Every student must register formally and take the class for
credit. Coursework of unregistered students is not graded.
Student academic records are confidential, under federal
law. I will not answer emailed questions about your grades or other
academic matters, unless the email comes from your UF email or WebCT
account. Parents (and others) cannot ask instructors for information on a
student's attendance, grades, performance, etc, either by phone or email.
Even your UFID is confidential.
Students who will require a classroom accommodation for a disability must
contact the Dean of Students Office and request proper documentation. Upon
bringing that documentation to the Instructor, the student will be
given the appropriate accommodations. No accommodations are available to
students who lack this documentation.
It is a sad commentary on the 21st century that some people need
to be reminded of appropriate classroom behavior. Frequent lateness,
entering and leaving the classroom during the lecture, listening to iPods
or reading the ALLIGATOR during class, using
email or text messaging during class, cellphone rings, etc. ...
are all rude and disruptive behaviors. They distract the teacher
and the other students in the classroom - a direct violation of the
Student
Conduct Code. Please show courtesy and respect for yourself, your
colleagues, and your institution by avoiding such distracting behavior.
All students are required to abide by the
principles of academic honesty expressed in the Student Honor Code .
Consistent with university policy, any incident of academic dishonesty in
this course will be reported to the Dean of Students Office. It is normal
and reasonable for students in this physics course to work together on
homework assignments, but certain other activities are unacceptable:
academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, fabricating information,
giving or receiving any unauthorized assistance on academic work, and
interfering with the academic work of other students. Supplying a false
or fabricated excuse for missed academic work is also academic dishonesty.
If the incident is the student's first offense at UF, the student will
receive a failing grade in PHY3400. If not, the Dean of Students Office
will decide the appropriate sanction.