Course Syllabus

Lectures

Prof. Michael Dubson

Lecture Sections: MWF 8 AM (100) and MWF 10 AM (200), both in Duane G1B30
Contact:   michael.dubson@colorado.edu (303) 492-4938
Office:   Duane F1035 (10th floor, Gamow tower)   

Office hours: Tues 9-10 AM and Thurs 10-11 AM in the Physics HelpRoom, or after class, or by appointment. If you wish to make an appt to see me, please do so in person, just before or after your lecture. I am always available after lectures, and I hang around behind the stage for questions. I am always eager to hear from you if you have concerns or questions.

 

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Prof. Colin West

Lecture Section: MWF at noon (300) in Duane G1B30
Contact:  Colin.west@colorado.edu  (303)492-6956
Office:  Duane F1031 (10th floor, Gamow tower)
Office hours: Physics HelpRoom Tuesday and Weds 4pm-5pm, or after class, or by appointment. Like Prof. Dubson, I am always available after lectures, and I hang around behind the stage for questions and am always eager to hear from you!

 

Recitations

There is a 1-hour recitation meeting every Tues in the basement of the Duane Physics Bldg. Locations of various sections are listed here. You must attend the recitation to which you are assigned.

 

Required Materials

ALL students need to purchase a subscription to FlipItPhysics. This is only available for purchase online; the cost is $25.00. Instructions are here.

 

If you were a student in PHYS1110 last semester in fall 2018, you need not buy anything else. Buy nothing at the CU bookstore. Your Tutorial books and your MasteringPhysics subscription are good for both 1110 and 1120. The only thing you will need to purchase is a subscription to FlipItPhysics. (FlipItPhysics subscriptions are only good for one semester.)

 

If you were not a student in PHYS1110 recently, then you need to purchase the bundled Tutorials and MasteringPhysics subscription at the CU bookstore. The required bundle is Tutorials in Introductory Physics (a two-book set) by McDermott and Shaffer (Special CU edition). This text is used for both Phys1110 and Phys1120 . Purchase the "Tutorials in Introductory Physics" bundled with Mastering Physics at the CU bookstore, not online or elsewhere, because we use a special CU edition that is only available through our bookstore. (This bundle gives access to our required Mastering Physics homework system. Also included within this Mastering Physics bundle is an electronic version of the textbook Essential University Physics. )

 

Required Equipment: One iClicker “clicker”, an electronic transmitter used for audience feedback during lecture. Purchase your iClicker at the CU bookstore and register your clicker one mycuinfo. You only have to register your clicker once per year, in August, on mycuinfo, for all classes. If you ever lose a clicker and get a new one, be sure to register your new clicker. You cannot share a clicker with another student registered for Phys 1120 (even if they are in another lecture section). 

We recommend that you do not buy any other books offered by the CU bookstore that are labeled "optional".


Reading is an essential part of this course. Students are expected to have completed the reading assignments (either the online lecture notes or the text or both) prior to lecture. The material in this course is too difficult to learn just by listening to lecture. 

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Etiquette: The one rule in this course is to be respectful to everyone else in the course, including the lecturer. Please do not text or surf the web during lecture. Your phone should be silenced and put away; do not leave your phone out on your desk during lecture. Laptops should be closed unless you are using your laptop to take notes in this course. It is perfectly OK to interrupt the lecture by yelling “Question!” - questions are always good. We encourage collaboration, and discussion, which are essential skills in all professions. Of course, for all assignments, the work you turn in must be your own: in your own words, reflecting your own understanding.

 

Corequisite: Enrollment in a Calculus 2 course, such as APPM1360 or equivalent. This course will use integrals frequently, so you need to be taking or have taken calculus 2 to do well in this course.

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in Phys1110 or equivalent.

 

Overview

Material Covered: This is the second semester of a 2-semester survey of introductory physics, PHYS 1110/1120. This is a calculus-based course intended for physics majors, engineering majors, and others desiring a rigorous introduction to physics. Life science majors usually take the algebra-based sequence PHYS2010/2020. PHYS 1120 covers electricity & magnetism and optics.  There is no lab in this course.  There is a separate 1-credit-hour lab course, phys1140, which is usually taken concurrently with phys1120.


We emphasize conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. Our goals are for you to continue developing knowledge and intuition about how the world works, to learn to approach physics problems on both qualitative and quantitative levels, and to relate classroom physics to the real world in which you live. We want you to feel confident in the material, and ideally get excited about it.

 

Disclaimer

This syllabus is as accurate as possible at the time of writing. Announcements about changes will be made in class, and posted on the web, and will take precedence over this syllabus. You are responsible for what is said in class, whether or not you are in attendance.

 

Grading

For more details, please see our detailed grading page!

Exam 1 (Thurs evening, 7:30-9:00 PM, Feb 7)

15%

Exam 2 (Thurs evening, 7:30-9:00 PM, Mar 7)

15%

Exam 3 (Thurs evening, 7:30-9:00 PM, Apr 11)

15%

Final Exam ( Saturday morning May 4, 7:30AM - 10AM )

30%

Mastering Physics homework

13%

Online FlipItPhysics assignments

2%

Tutorial attendance, and Tutorial homework

10%

Clickers

Extra Credit: If your clicker score is greater than your exam average, we will replace 2% of your exam score with your clicker score. Please see detailed grade information page.

 

 

Incompletes

Rules of the University require that grades of incomplete (I) may be assigned only if “for reasons beyond the student’s control, the student is unable to complete the course requirements.” (I) requests must be made in person to Profs. Dubson or West.

Clickers

We will use clickers during lectures, to help you learn the material. You need to purchase an "iClicker" from the bookstore. Your iClicker responses count only as extra credit points. You will receive 1 point for the wrong answer, and 2 points for the right answer. At the end of the semester, we will forgive your FIVE worst clicker days, to accommodate any and all possible issues: dead batteries, late registration, sore throats, broken alarm clocks, and fresh powder, etc.

Your iClicker responses count only as bonus (extra credit) points: they REDUCE exam weight by a max of 2% of midterm exam total. Please see the exam information page for more details, this extra credit is not a simple "addition" to your course score. 

 

Exams There will be three midterms and a final: Locations will be announced on the website

Exam Date Time Location
  Midterm 1

Thurs, Feb 7

7:30-9:00 PM

TBA
  Midterm 2

Thurs, Mar 7

7:30-9:00 PM

TBA
  Midterm 3

Thurs, Apr 11

7:30-9:00 PM

TBA
  Final

Saturday, May4

7:30-10AM

MORNING!

(sorry)

Coors Event Cntr


You are allowed to bring a single 8.5" x 11" formula sheet to each exam. You can write anything you want on your formula sheet (both sides!) but you must write it by hand - no photocopying, typing or sharing allowed. Any kind of calculator is allowed, but NOT a phone app. 

It is your responsibility to make sure you have no conflicts with these exams. If you have a conflict, you should retake Physics 1120 in a semester when you can make it to all the exams. If you are absent for a serious medical reason, or with prior approval from Prof. Dubson, you may be excused from one midterm. Medical excuses must be submitted no later than 1 week following the exam. There are no makeup exams. Students who miss two exams due to circumstances beyond their control will get a grade of Incomplete and must repeat the course in a later semester. 

Students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities, or other conflicts or issues must let us know early in the semester (first two weeks) so that your academic needs may be appropriately met. Students with religious obligations that conflict with the exam dates should contact us early in the semester (first two weeks) so that accommodations can be made. (Details below)

 

MasteringPhysics Homework

You will get a weekly personalized homework (everyone’s is slightly different). We recommend leaving your computer terminal and working out solutions on paper often and regularly! One advantage of Mastering is the instant feedback on how you are doing. Also, you get the opportunity to change wrong answers without penalty. You get multiple tries (typically 6) on each problem, with no points off for wrong answers. If you get it wrong all 6 times, that particular problem is "closed out" but you can still work on others. You can log off and return at any time.


The system sometimes gives hints to problems. In most problems, we will set it so that these do not cost you any points. Work on the problems without using hints first, but use them to help you learn and understand. 

Mastering Physics Homework is due Weds evenings at 8pm. If you miss the 8pm deadline, we will give you a no-cost extension until 8am Thurs. If you miss the 2nd deadline, there can be no further extensions.

If you have problems with Mastering Physics, try the troubleshooting page or the Mastering Physics main help page first. As much as the instructors would like to help, they often have far less ability to diagnose and resolve technical problems than the experts who work for the Mastering Physics team.

We will drop your lowest week's MP score when computing your final grade. (Each week's set will count equally.)

 

Written Tutorial Homework

In addition to the weekly MP there will be a written Tutorial homework assignment due at the start of your weekly recitation. You are encouraged to work together on homework, but in the end, you are responsible for generating your own solutions and understanding. We will drop your lowest written homework score when computing your final grade.

 

FlipItPhysics Homework

FlipItPhysics online Prelectures and Checkpoints are a required part of this course, worth 2% of your grade. These FlipItPhysics assignments are due at irregular intervals, so you should check the calendar of FlipIt assignments regularly.

 

Physics Help Room

Prof. Dubson, Prof. West, and the TAs and LAs will all have regular office hours in the Help Room (Duane G2B87), open from 9AM-5PM Mon-Fri. Times when specific TAs will be in the Help Room are posted on the Help Room schedule, but you can drop by anytime. If you need to see your TA or instructor privately, contact them directly.


Solutions

Solutions of the in-class concept tests (clicker questions) and exams will generally be posted on Canvas. Mastering Physics lets you see answers after the sets are due.

 

The following statements reflect campus-wide policies

 

Accommodation for Disabilities

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so that your needs can be addressed.  Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities in the academic environment.  Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance.  If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical Conditions under the Students tab on the Disability Services website.

Classroom Behavior

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy.  Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. We will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise us of this preference early in the semester so that we may make appropriate changes to my records.  For more information, see the policies on classroom behavior and the Student Code of Conduct.

Honor Code

All students enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the Honor Code. Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu); 303-492-5550). Students who are found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic integrity policy can be found at the Honor Code Office website.

Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment and/or Related Retaliation

The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is committed to fostering a positive and welcoming learning, working, and living environment. CU Boulder will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct (including sexual assault, exploitation, harassment, dating or domestic violence, and stalking), discrimination, and harassment by members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or cureport@colorado.edu. Information about the OIEC, university policies, anonymous reporting (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and the campus resources can be found on the OIEC website.

Please know that faculty and instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to ensure that individuals impacted receive information about options for reporting and support resources.

Religious Holidays

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance.  In this class, please contact the lead instructor at least one week before a missed lab or assignment.for full details. See the campus policy regarding religious observances for full details.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due