WINTER 2003     PHY 330  -  Intermediate Mechanics I

 

Course Syllabus

 

Instructor:      Dr. James Carroll                                  Office:      311 Strong Hall

Telephone:     487-8796                                               Email:      phy_carroll@online.emich.edu

 

Lecture:          M W F 2:00-2:50 PM in 341 Strong 

 

Text:               Analytical Mechanics, 6th edition, Fowles and Cassiday

 

Pre-requisites:            PHY 224 and MATH 121 and MATH 122

 

Office Hours: MWF 11-11:59 AM, MWF 2-3 PM, TTh 9-11 AM and via “HELP DESK”  

 

Course Layout: The semester will be divided into 3 sections as follows:

 

Section 1 - Chapters 1 and 2 – Vectors and One Dimensional Motion

Section 2 - Chapter 3 – “Simple” Harmonic Motion        

Section 3 - Chapters 4 and more – General 3D Motion, Energy, Collisions, Rotation, …

 

Course Requirements: 

Your grade will be determined based on your success in completing the following tasks:

1)     Web assignments  - Delivered, collected, and graded via an online system called WebAssign (WebAssign is located at “http://www.webassign.net”). There will be at least one assignment in each section.  Problems in these assignments will come from the PHY 223 and PHY 224 textbooks.  These are problems you should be familiar with already, and these assignments are designed to get you thinking about problems in classical mechanics.  You should create a portfolio (separate notebook) to keep your solutions to these problems in, as you will need to present the solutions and you may see similar problems again during the course of the semester!  Note:  There are bonus points in these web assignments! In order to use WebAssign you must purchase a student access code from the bookstore!  (30 points each)

2)     Homework assignments – Traditional assignments from the textbook for this class, at least one per section.  The solutions will be collected in class and graded, with partial credit given.  (50 points each)

3)     Examinations  -  Each section will have an examination covering the lectures, text, Web assignments, and HW assignments. (100 points each)

4)     Reviews - The class period before an examination will be used to review the Web and Homework assignments in that section.  These reviews can be thought of as “pre-tests”.  You should treat the review as a TEST (this means:  study, be prepared, bring your formula sheet, bring your calculator, ..).  They will include similar problems from Web assignments, Homework assignments, and of course lecture. You will be graded on these problems (30 points per review).  You and your classmates will then break up into groups of 3, discuss and formulate a solution, and present the solution on the boards for discussion and review.  You will be expected to present one problem to the class during the semester.  (10 points per semester)

5)     Final Examination - A comprehensive examination on Monday April 21st at 1:30 PM. This exam may include an in-class portion and a take-home portion.  (200 points)  

 

Course Grading:   Late homework assignments will not be accepted and make-up reviews and exams will not be given.  If you miss a review or an exam because of a documented emergency, you must speak to me immediately.  Your final grade will be determined by:

 

            3 test scores                  300 points                      Letter Grades:    >93% = A,   90-92% = A-,

            5 Web assignments        150 points                     87-89% = B+,  83-86% = B,   80-82% = B-,

            5 HW scores                 250 points                     77-79% = C+,  73-76% = C,   70-72% = C-,

Homework Reviews      100 points                     67-69% = D+,  63-66% = D,   60-62% = D-,

Final Examination          200 points                     < 60%  = E  (or if the lab score is less than 60%)

            Total:                            1000 points