PHYSICS 114 - 9:00 MTWThF Fall 2004 in CF110

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Mel Davidson, CF357, 650-3153, www.wwu.edu/~davidson

OFFICE HOURS: 10 and 11 AM Thursdays

TEXT: Physics Vol.1 of 2nd edition by James S. Walker

GENERAL: This first quarter course of a three quarter sequence is an introduction to classical mechanics using algebra and trigonometry. We will attempt to cover the entire book this Quarter but may have to leave out some sections. You should budget at least two hours per day for this class. The material is cumulative, so if you fall behind, you will have trouble catching up. You should do the homework problems listed below by the dates shown, but I will not collect them. Work as many problems as you can but do not spend too much time on any one problem. If the solution to a problem seems obvious, or if you have trouble with a problem, move on to another (often the solution to the earlier problem will come to you later). Work by yourself about half the time and in groups of 2 or 3 half the time. Generally in larger groups some people do not pull their load and, as a consequence, do not learn as much. Class discussions will be based on the problems shown or similar problems in the text. I would prefer to answer questions rather than lecture.

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS:The solutions to text book problems are available on the campus K-drive (through "My Files") at "K:\Physics\Davidson\P114solutions." When you sign on the Western's computer system, go to the K-drive and open the "Physics" folder. Then open the "Davidson" folder and finally the "P114solutions" folder. There you will find the problem solutions for Chapters 5 through 13 stored as separate Microsoft WORD documents, one for each chapter. Double click on the chapter you are interested in or open the file as a Word document. The solutions to quiz and exam problems are in the same "Davidson" directory.

QUIZZES AND EXAMS: These will be primarily problem-solving and will usually consist of one problem for each quiz, three selected from four provided for each one-hour exam, and five selected from six provided on the final exam. Show your work in a logical fashion. Each necessary step carries a certain credit. You must show your work clearly and neatly for full credit. Your explanation should be short and precise. All quizzes and exams will be closed book, but you may use a 7.6 x 12.7 centimeter [3" x 5" ;-) ] card of handwritten information and your calculator. I will provide you with most of the equations required for the quiz or exam. The one hour exams will be based primarily on the material covered since the last exam, but the final exam will be comprehensive and will cover the entire course. Your grades for exams and quizzes are posted on the K-drive in the Physics/Davidson directory.

GRADING: The grade for the Quarter will be based on: quiz total 20%, each one-hour exam 20%, and final exam 40%. The letter grade for each exam, the final exam and your quiz total will be based on the following "curve."

Percentage:	≥93	≥90	≥87	≥83	≥80	≥73	≥66	≥60	≥50	<50
Grade:	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D	F

Your grades are available on the campus computer system "K" drive at K:\Physics\Davidson as the MS-Word file in a file labelled "Grades".