Textbooks:

"Physics," by Cutnell and Johnson, 8th Edition. It is not necessary to have the 8th Edition; previous editions will be acceptable, though there may be slight differences in the page numbers. A good study aid (not required) is Schaum's Outline: College Physics. "College Physics" contains summaries of the basic concepts and many example problems.
Calculator  Click here to read about the Texas Instruments TI-83+ calculator that most students use in this course. Of considerable value to you will be the description of how to use your calculator to solve algebraic equations.

Examinations (400 points): There are four 75-minute examinations (See the dates in the table below.) The exams will consist of 20 multiple-choice answer questions. Students may use one side of a sheet of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper containing any type of information to assist them during examinations, and a calculator.   Students should bring a calculator and pencil to the examinations; answer sheets will be provided. Note: all of the answers in the multiple-choice list will be rounded the same-- all to the nearest one, for example, or all to the nearest one-tenth, for example. If, for example, the answers are all rounded to the nearest one, then round your answer to one before making your choice. If all answers are rounded to the nearest one-tenth, round your answer to the nearest tenth and then make your choice.

The final examination score (described below) will replace the lowest exam score, provided the final exam score is higher than the lowest exam score.  There are no make-up, late, or early exams; if a student misses an exam--perhaps because of participating in an athletic or other event, or for any reason whatsoever, the missed exam will count as the student's lowest exam score, and the missing score will be replaced by the final exam score. Zeroes given on examinations as a result of violations of the Honor Code (see below) are not replaced by the final exam score.

Studying for Exams  Students should work all of the problems on all of the available previous semesters' examinations, as well as the problems worked during lecture. If time permits, work the odd-numbered problems at the end of the textbook chapters (for which answers are available at the back of the text) that relate to content presented in lecture.

Cell Phones. The examinations are "curved," which means that points will be added to everyone's exam depending on the class average. The higher the class average, the fewer will be the number of points added. It is therefore in each person's interest that the class average relative to their own score be low.  Students who are perceived as taking an unfair advantage during examinations are usually reported to the professor by other students. It is therefore important that all students make certain not to be seen by other students holding or looking at a cell phone or any other communication device during examinations, or looking at another student's answer sheet. Several times in the past, following several complaints by observant students, investigations of students' use of cell phones during exams were made, with the result that the offending students were reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs, as well as given zeros on the exams. (Read the Honor Code statement at the bottom of this page.) Almost every semester students report violations to me and the offending student is given a zero on the exam, or worse. Do not be seen using a cell phone during exam, or be seen talking to other students.

Final Examination (100 points):   The final examination is three hours long and covers all of the material present in this course and must be taken at the assigned time.  It consists of 33 multiple-choice answer questions. On the final exam, students may use two sheets of 8 ½ x 11 inch paper containing any type of information on both sides -- a total of four sides, to assist them during the final exam. Alternatively, students may use four sheets of paper with information on one side each.

The final exam score is used not only to replace the lowest exam score--if one of the first four exam scores is lower than the final exam score, but also counts as the fifth examination.  Thus, there are five exam scores with a total possible value of 500 points. Some students might end up with more than 500 points on the five exams because of the curving of the exam scores.

The final exam is worth 100 points. In rare cases, owing to curving, some students may have gotten exam scores higher than 100, and thereby earned more than 400 points on the first four exams, and also have a high lab score. Those students, might, by the time of the final, already have more than the 92% of the course total of 620 points needed to receive an "A" in the class (571 points or more). In such a case, the student would not need to take the final exam, since he or she will be awarded an "A" whether the final is taken, or not.

In studying for the examinations, it is recommend that the student work the problems on the previous semesters' examinations (see links below), giving priority to those exam problems over the the odd-numbered problems (not including the more challenging starred (*) problems) at the end of the chapters. The answers to the odd-numbered problems are at the back of the text. Work only those problems that deal with the concepts discussed in lecture. These problems are not turned in for grading

Laboratory (120 points):  Students meet twelve times to work in teams of two or three to complete laboratory exercises related to the concepts discussed in the lectures. Bring a calculator to every session.  No laboratory notebook or text is required; no advance work is necessary and all work completed during the lab period is turned in at the end of the period.  Each student's report is worth up to 10 points. There are no make-up labs. 


Grading: There are 620 points possible (500 for the five exams and 120 points for the lab); your course grade will be based on following percentage scale:

For example, to get an "A " in this course, you need to have 0.92 x 620 = 570.4 points, or more. Since fractional points are not awarded on exams or labs, you will need at least 571 points to be awarded an "A." If you have 570 points, your course grade will be an "A-."

Note:  For those students who otherwise would get a D+ or lower in the course based on the single-exam replacement rule, the lower two exam scores will be replaced by the final exam score, providing the final exam score is higher than both scores.  In such an event, C- is the highest grade that will be awarded.

What Grade Do I Need to Get on the Final?

Students may calculate what score they must receive on the final exam in order to get a particular grade in the class, or how well they need to do on the fourth exam and final. To learn how to calculate these scores, click here.

Previous Semesters' Examinations

Answers to the questions on the exams below are not provided in most cases. In some cases the answers might be listed at the end of the exams. If the answers are not on the exam, they will not be made available.

Answers to Fall 2010 Final Exam:

Course Schedule

The calendar below shows the dates of the examinations, and the approximate page numbers in the text containing the material that will be covered each day in lecture.  Students are responsible for all of the assigned material, even if not all of it is covered in lecture. 

The dates of the exams are indicated in the calendar below.