• quantitative skills (e.g. units, significant digits, error analysis)
• problem solving skills
• understanding of how the universe works

Class Work & Participation: Everyone starts with 90% participation grade. Subtractions are made for being disruptive (excessive talking, ringing phones, being late, etc) as well as excessive absences. Additions are made for contributing (questions or answers) to class discussions. Problems will also be given to be done in class. These graded problems can be done in groups (up to 3 people). The intent of these is to have you benefit both from working in groups and have my (limited) assistance at making it past the stumbling blocks of problem solving.

Homework: Homework assignments will be presented in class and will generally consist of problems from the required text. The homeworks will not be graded. Instead, quizzes will cover the material and problem solving skills. Even though the homework will not be graded, the homework problems must be done in order to gain mastery of the material and skills necessary for both the quizzes and tests.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be 20 minutes long given in class usually every week in which we don't have a test. The intent of the quizzes is to insure: (1) that you have read the chapter to be covered that day and (2) that you can solve problems from the previous material. Hence, questions on the new material that you are to have read will be very straightforward covering, for example, new vocabulary. Questions on the older material will be more along the lines of the easier homework problems. I will drop your lowest quiz grade.

Tests: The class will have two tests as scheduled on the syllabus. Each test will cover the material presented since the previous test (to be precise, much of what we will learn applies throughout all the chapters, however, the questions will be geared towards specifically covering material presented between the tests). The tests will be given during classtime.

Final: The final will be held during the time dictated by the Registrar during Exam Week and will be similar in style to the two tests.

Lab: The lab is integral with the lecture. You receive a single grade for the class which represents the work you do in lecture and lab. I will drop your lowest lab grade.

Cheating: You are encouraged to work on homework problems with others. However, you must work alone on quizzes and tests. On quizzes and exams you may use only a calculator (not a cell phone's calculator) and writing utensils; I will give you an equation sheet for each test.

Other Resources: Department-provided tutors, library books, office hours, and supplemental texts provide additional assistance.

Syllabus: Below is the anticipated schedule of what we'll cover. The dates of the tests are fixed; on principle I do not change them so that students can plan for them. Near the end of the semester, I generally have flexibility in what we cover. If you have a preference for what we might cover, please feel free to provide feedback.