Recitation Instructors:

Vemuri, gvemuri@iu.edu

Dale, daleas@iu.edu

Laboratory Instructors:

Labib, hlabib@iupui.edu

Buchanan, dabuch@iu.edu

Tutoring:

For the latest Physics Department free tutoring schedule, click here. Please first contact the physics tutors before seeking help from your recitation instructors.

Prerequisite: C – or better in Physics P201 and MATH 15900 (Algebra and Trigonometry) or equivalent.  Students must have a good working knowledge of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.

Organization: Each week there is a 2 hour lecture, 2 hour lab, and 1.5 hour recitation.  Derivations, physics content and concepts are presented in the lecture portion. Worked examples of problems are discussed in the recitation. These problems are not the assigned/graded MasteringPhysics problems. There are quizzes during recitation (no make-ups on missed quizzes). There will be a recitation quiz almost every week, but we will drop your two lowest quiz scores. The problems discussed during recitation will help you in understanding the MasterPhysics problems, as well as the course content. There is no attendance taken in lecture. Attendance in the on-campus labs, however, is MANDATORY. Bring your calculator to all three: lecture, recitation, and lab.  Missed homework submittals (MasteringPhysics) will count as a zero. Do not forget to submit homework in a timely manner!

Grading: The components of the course are assigned the following points:

There is a single letter grade for the course determined by your point total.

To pass, per Department policy, you must accumulate at least 250 exam points (50%).

The 500 total exam points are not the simple sum of your exam scores (*).  Like P201, your net exam points are based upon the method of derivatives which retains the "time information" of a student's exam scores.  The method of derivatives awards a few additional points to students that maintain a positive exam score slope.  In fact, a student can do relatively poorly on the first exam, continue to improve on the later exams and in the end obtain a score that effectively adds up to 10 points (or more).  For a student that maintains roughly the same exam scores throughout the semester, there is no difference between the "simple sum" and the "method of derivatives".  For students with negative exam slope, we use the simple sum.  In a nut-shell, the algorithm for the method of derivatives performs the following:  using the method of least squares, a first-order (linear) equation is fitted through the five exam scores (final exam is equal to 2 hourly exams), the fitted line is then evaluated at the independent-variable of 3.3 (10% beyond the median: Exam 3), that score (the dependent-variable of the fit-line) is then multiplied by five and this becomes the student's exam score total.  As an example, consider a student that scores a 50% on Exam 1, 88% on Exam 2, 78% on Exam 3, and 171/200 on the Final Exam.  The conventional "simple sum" exam score would be 387 points.  But by the method of derivatives, the net exam score is 397.  Effectively, 10 points were added to the student's point total because the student continued to improve.

Lab-related questions or issues should be addressed to your Lab Instructors. Questions regarding MasteringPhysics homework should first be addressed to the Physics Tutors in the physics tutoring room (basement of LD). If that proves unsuccessful or not helpful, then please see either the Recitation Instructor or Course Instructor. Questions regarding your course standing, exam grades, lecture material/concepts, etc. should be addressed to the Course Instructor. Questions regarding electroweak vacuum decay or blackhole information paradox should only be addressed to the Course Instructor! 🙂

There are 8 unique labs. Some are off-campus and some are on-campus in LD 025. Lab attendance is MANDATORY for the labs scheduled in LD 025! One laboratory may be missed with the accompanying loss of points (approx 20 out of 200).  After that, for each missed lab, the course grade will drop by one letter!

Lecture notes will generally not be provided (except for medical situations). Attend lecture and recitation, or ask a fellow classmate to provide you copies.

NOTICE  (Read these instructions carefully!)
Students who are repeating the course and successfully passed the lab portion in their previous P202 have the option of using that lab grade for this semester.  The following protocol must be followed:  You must contact your previous Lab TA via email, also cc me in your email, and have those lab scores transmitted to your new Lab TA.  Until the lab scores are received by your new Lab TA, you must continue to attend the lab this semester!  Failure to follow these instructions will result in an administrative withdrawal due to the fact you are not attending lab.

Bonus points (10 points as listed above in the course components table) are subjectively earned after the final exam. Based upon consultations with recitation instructor and lab instructor, are given to students who maintain good rapport and strive to improve (all facets:  exams, homeworks, labs) throughout the duration of the semester. Please don't slack off on homework or labs near the end of the semester.

The following letter grades are guaranteed based on total points:

WITHDRAWAL DEADLINES:

Poor performance in a course is not considered grounds for a late withdrawal.

Info on University Policy Regarding Sexual Harassment can be found here.