Course Description (from the campus bulletin): Physics 3 is the first half of an introductory, calculus-based, physics course for science and mathematics majors, covering the laws and principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, and waves. Four hours lecture, two hours laboratory. This course fulfills the Scientific Inquiry and the Natural World thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.

Course Objectives: Students will learn the principles and applications of mechanics and fluid dynamics through classroom lectures, problem solving sessions, and laboratory work.  Student knowledge will be evaluated through the use of quizzes and tests. Ultimately, this class should improve your:

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

Grading Policy: Final grades will basically follow the traditional divisions at 90% (A or A-), 80% (B+, B, B-), 70% (C+, C, C-), and 60% (D), with minimal adjustments at the end of the course based on how the class proceeds.

Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit or extra credit papers, Do the homework, labs, and take the quizzes and tests, and everyone can do well in this class. As the semester progresses, there is less and less to be done to increase your grade.

Class Work & Participation: Everyone starts with 90% participation grade. Subtractions are made for being disruptive (excessive talking, ringing phones, arriving late, dramatic yawning, wearing earbuds, packing early, etc) as well as excessive absences. Additions (only up to 100%) are made for contributing (questions or answers) to class discussions. Problems will occasionally be given to be done in class. These 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 roughly 20 minutes long, given in class (usually every week [Monday] 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. I will drop your lowest quiz grade. In many cases, missed quizzes can be made-up if taken before the subsequent class (either section), generally at 9am by stopping by my office. Only with good and verifiable excuses can quizzes be made up after the subsequent class.

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. Because arriving late to an exam disturbs others, lateness will adversely affect your participation grade. Also, any who are late must turn in their exam once all on-time students have turned theirs in. For all the tests and the final exam, trips to the bathroom will generally be allowed, with only one person outside the classroom at a time. Also, you are not allowed to take your phone, tablet, smartwatch, or other networked device with you.

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. Lab writeups must include all raw data measured in class. Only students present for the lab can attach their name to a writeup.

Turning things in: I prefer items turned-in via paper. For those cases where you need to send me work electronically: (1) the subject should be "PHY3:" followed by the title of the lab, (2) attach the write-up as a PDF. Do not share a Google Doc which can be changed after "sending" it to me or even removed before I get a chance to grade it, (3) Do not send me a file in a closed-source format (such as Word or Excel) because I don't use such software and conversions are unreliable.

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; The class therefore requires a scientific calculator, separate from any mobile, internet-connected device. I will give you an equation sheet for each test.

Misc: If you are not physically present for a lab (even if a group lab writeup), then one can't receive credit for it and it's cheating to add your name to any writeup. No sharing of calculators until the owner of the calculator finishes the quiz or test and shows the instructor that the calculator has been adequately cleared.

Other Resources: Department-provided tutors, library books, office hours, and supplemental texts provide additional assistance. Please see the Learning Support Center for more information.