Physics 4410
| Spring Semester 2008 |
Office: ENS 270 Other times by appt
Phone: Office: ext. 7945; Home: 374-0294 (NOT after 10 p.m., please.)
TEXT : Electromagnetism, by Gerald Pollack and Daniel Stump, Addison Wesley, 2002. We will do much of the second half of the book, starting with chapter 7. No new book required. ( What a bargain! You bought it last quarter!)
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Read ALL text material
2. Homework Problems and quizzes
3. Four unit exams
4. Comprehensive Final Exam
5. Class participation
GRADING:
A. Points available:
3 unit exams (100 points each). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300
1 final exam (comprehensive plus unit) . . . . . . . . . . . .205
quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(variable, up to) 100
homework. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Total: 705 points
B. Grading Scale:
91% and up: A
81% and up: B
71% and up: C
61% and up: D
Below 61%: F
Generally the lowest three points of a range will be minus and the highest three points will be plus.
In addition to this, I leave myself the option of raising the final average by a few points for the student who demonstrates a good attitude in class and out and shows improvement in his work over the course of the quarter. Usually this would not be more than the next higher level (e.g., C+ to B-).
| DISABILITY SERVICES STATEMENT: We are committed to providing an appropriate learning environment for all our students.? If you believe you may need support in managing the impact of a disability, please contact Marilyn Meyer, Coordinator of Disability Services,? phone 3843, email meyerm@cedarville.edu. The office is located in 164 Callan Athletic Center.? Examples of disability are AD/HD, Specific Learning Disabilities, Hearing, Vision, Health Impairment, Psychological, Orthopedic, and Traumatic Brain Injury. ?Faculty rely on Disability Services to verify the need for academic accommodation and to identify reasonable and appropriate accommodation strategies. View www.cedarville.edu/DisabilityServices for further information.? If you have not previously contacted the Coordinator of Disability Services, I encourage you to do so. If you have further questions or if I can assist you in any other way, please let me know. Remember: Earlier is better than later. |
C. Attendance: Attendance will be taken (primarily so I will know who has been coming). Good attendance will not figure directly in the computation of your grade other than as evidence of a good attitude, as mentioned above. Three unexcused absences are allowed for the semester. Excessive unexcused absences (more than 3) will result in a reduction of grade level for each one over the 3 permitted. (For instance if you have an A in the class, 1 excessive absence would reduce your grade to A-; 2 would result in B+, etc.)
D. Tardiness: This class starts at 12:00 sharp. Punctuality is an excellent character trait that all Christians should seek to cultivate. Don't let yourself slide into habitual tardiness. It is disruptive to the class and conveys an attitude of disrespect for the instructor and for one's fellow students. Frequent tardiness will quickly erode any special consideration you might have received from the instructor, and will be dealt with in personal conference with the instructor.
E. Exams: The unit exams will consist of a variety of questions designed to probe your level of understanding of the materials covered. They will include completion questions, multiple choice questions, and questions requiring discussion, proofs and/or computations. Many, if not most of the questions will be modeled after the questions at the end of the chapter and after the homework problems, so be sure you are able to do every problem.
The final exam will be the only exam that will be intentionally comprehensive. Individual unit exams will not be, except insofar as each chapter builds on the material of the previous ones. The comprehensive section of the final exam is intended as an opportunity to raise your grade on the previous exams. You cannot score lower on a section than your previous grade on the corresponding unit exam taken before the final.
F. Quizzes: We will have frequent short quizzes, some announced, and some unannounced. This is to encourage you to keep up-to-date in your preparation and to reward you for doing so. If you cut class and miss a quiz, you receive a grade of zero for that quiz. At the end of the quarter any excess over ten quizzes will be dropped. So for instance, if we have 13 quizzes, your lowest 3 will be dropped.
G. Homework: There will be a set of problems for each section that everyone is responsible for. You should do these and understand them. They will be collected and assigned a grade based on completeness, readability, and a reasonable attempt.
Homework is due at the beginning of class. Any additions made after the bell rings should be clearly indicated on your paper, even if you did them independently. Late homework (or labs) WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED unless you are absent with a valid excuse. If you plan to cut a class when homework is due, be sure to have someone hand your homework in at class time or slide it under my office door before class time. Do NOT send it by campus mail!
Work together with others on the homework, but the final product should represent your own work and not someone else's.
Homework must be done on standard sized white paper, in blue or black ink, or DARK pencil. Place your full name in the upper right-hand corner. Use ONLY ONE SIDE to facilitate grading. Do not tear paper out of spiral-bound notebooks, because this produces 'confetti' (a real mess) and makes the papers harder to handle. Papers not following these standards will be returned for recopying and/or will lose points.
FINAL COMMENT: I consider my position here at Cedarville to be a ministry for the Lord. If I can help you in any way, academically or otherwise, please feel free to call me. I believe that the Lord has directed all of us to this course. In it, you will learn many interesting techniques, facts and insights. If you approach it realizing that the Author of Creation used the principles that we will deal with in this course in the structure of His creation, you will appreciate it even more. Also, we will be working on the development of your thinking and problem-solving skills. This, and the discipline that you will develop by working through the problems and the study can benefit you, both academically and spiritually. May the Lord richly bless us as we study His Creation through Electromagnetic Theory.