Course Syllabus

In response to COVID-19, the following recommendations are in place to maintain your learning environment, to enhance the safety of our in-classroom interactions, and to further the health and safety of ourselves, our neighbors, and our loved ones.

• If you are not vaccinated, get vaccinated. Vaccines are readily available and have been demonstrated to be safe and effective against the COVID-19 virus. Visit one.uf for screening / testing and vaccination opportunities.
• If you are sick, stay home. Please call your primary care provider if you are ill and need immediate care or the UF Student Health Care Center at 352-392-1161 to be evaluated.

This section tells you how to contact the course instructor and TAs and gives an overview of how communication will happen and in what time frame.

There are TAs available to help you during discussion sections and office hours. Please contact your TA using Canvas Mail. The office hours schedule and contact information for TAs can be found in Office Hour Links on Canvas.

The Official course e-mail is guaranteed a response by the instructors. Contacting TAs must be through Canvas message and do not copy the instructors. You must email us from your official UF email to receive a response. 

Instructors respond to the course email between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm and will usually respond within 48 hours.

Class Comportment

All participants of this course (students, TAs, and instructors) should adhere to the following etiquette policies:

• Treat your instructor and classmates with respect in email or any other communication
• Always use your professors’ proper title: or Prof. Use clear and concise language.
• All college level communication should have correct spelling and grammar 
• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as tone is sometimes lost in an online interaction and your message might be taken seriously.

This section tells you the role and responsibilities of the TA, how to contact the TAs, and gives an overview of how communication will happen and in what time frame.

Statement on TAs' Role

The TAs will be running your discussion sections, writing and grading your quizzes, and managing quiz makeup requests. We (the instructors) will guide the TAs in these endeavors. All course policies have been set by the instructors, and any questions about them should be sent to instructors through the course e-mail list. Your TAs are not the authorities on course policy. They are, however, excellent authorities on physics, and you should not be shy about asking them questions. They are actively involved in departmental TA training to continuously improve their teaching practices.  If you have any concerns please contact your instructors.

TAs are not responsible for creating or interpreting course policies.  Any questions/clarification required for course policy must be addressed to your instructors.

Contact Information

Office Location: See the Office Hours on the left sidebar for full details. You are welcome to attend the office hours of any TA. You can also see where your discussion section meets. 

This section overviews the materials you will need to complete the assigned work in the course. 

Times/dates of all items listed in our syllabus in Canvas are in US East Coast times. Canvas does not automatically reset these to show when they will occur in your local time. Currently UF policy is such that all quizzes and exams must be taken in person in Gainesville.

Required Reading and Other Course Materials

• Canvas Notifications:
  • You must have your notifications in Canvas set such that you get instant notification of all course Announcements and (minimum) daily notification of emails.
• Text (e-book):
  • College Physics: A Strategic Approach by Knight, Jones, and Field (4e). You will need to purchase a RedShelf access code purchased from All Access, then use the course navigation bar on the left and click on 'Redshelf' to insert your code and  access the e-text. See this All Access Link for further details Links to an external site.. Download .  You can also access RedShelf Support. Links to an external site.You do not need to do this in case you already have the textbook (physical textbook or other).  UF All-Access sent us this guide for students Download guide for students.  You must register separately via canvas for the HW system.
  • Note: All-Access managers have informed me that the textbook is not yet set up in their system, but should be there after Friday, Aug 19th.
• Homework:
  • HW will be presented and submitted through Expert TA. To access the homework, click the "Assignments" link in the left-hand navigation menu. Clicking on an assignment will take you to the assignment in Expert TA. The first time you do this, you will be asked to pay for your access privileges.  See ExpertTA Support Links to an external site. and FAQ Links to an external site. for help navigating this process.
  • If you bought your Expert TA code from BryteWave and are experiencing difficulty gaining access to Expert TA, the Expert TA has sent us some advice for you: 
    This issue is being caused by a mis-match in the BryteWave instructions (they have some "dated" info on how to register for a class), versus how your class is actually configured (with LMS integration). Please provide the following information below for any student that has to use BryteWave to gain access to their "bookstore code" in order to pay for their Expert TA access for the fall term. They won't need to access their BryteWave account to get their Expert TA code immediately, as they won't be asked to input a code until they go into Expert TA to complete their first assignment. See below:
    Hello Everyone, your class uses LMS (Canvas) integration. So, you can just click on your first assignment that uses Expert TA (you will want to retrieve your 16-character code from BryteWave prior to opening your first assignment) and it will take you to our payment page before you go into the "take assignment" area.  Once, on our payment page, you will select your class by placing a checkmark next to it (indicating you would like to pay for that class) and then click on "Access Code" to enter your 4 part code in the 4 boxes provided.  Please see our step by step instructions at https://theexpertta.com/how-to-register/ Links to an external site..  Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns by emailing support@theexpertta.freshdesk.com.
• Clickers:
  • Most lectures will feature a in-class clicker question for extra credit. UF has purchased a sitewide license to the iClicker system; please see iClicker information for instructions on how to get set up. Use only your @ufl.edu email address when registering; if you use a different account we will not be able to match you to the gradebook and you will not be awarded any points. See IClicker FAQ Links to an external site. and Support Links to an external site.for help.
    
• Calculators:
  • For this course, calculators are a necessity. Internet-capable calculators and cell phones as calculators are not allowed.
  • You may not use a calculator that has a QWERTY keyboard. You are not allowed to store information in your calculators. Exam proctors may ask to check your calculator. 
  • Canvas does not have a built-in calculator.
  • You must bring your own calculator to your quizzes; failure to bring your own calculator is not grounds for requesting a makeup.

Recommended Reading and Other Course Materials

 We have provided additional OPTIONAL materials (problem solving, etc) and these are located in the Modules.

Required Technology

Lectures will be held in person. During lecture you need technology to respond to clicker questions for extra credit. Exams and weekly quizzes will be taken during discussion in-person  The syllabus quiz is electronic and to be taken in Canvas. You will need a reliable computer and internet access to access the etextbook and homework. Exam Reviews and Office Hours may be via Zoom.

• Links to an external site.Materials and Supplies Fee: n/a.

Grading in this course takes place within the following parameters.

• Your course grade will be based on a 105.5 point fixed scale.
• All grades will be available in Canvas.
• We use drop-lowest as a make-up policy to accommodate circumstances that may arise throughout the semester that may hinder your performance in the homework, the discussion quizzes and participation, and the clicker questions. The drops for each category are given in the table below. Grading in this course is consistent with UF Grading policies Links to an external site.
• Assignment Values: Point values/percentages for each assignment are available in the Assignments page of Canvas.

Course Schedule

The course schedule, including lecture topics, content covered on quizzes and exams, and UF holidays, is found on the Canvas Course Homepage.

Policy on Late and Make-up Work

Homework solutions are released immediately after the due-date thus no late HW can be accepted for credit.  Makeups for quizzes and exams are permitted under UF attendance policy guidelines. See the following dropdowns for further details: Additional Information, Exam-Specific Information, and Quiz-Specific Information.

Grade Return Timing

Homework grades and solutions are released within 1 minute of the due-date through Expert TA. Graded quizzes are posted by the following week's Group Problems Discussion Session. Exam grades are typically posted within 1 week of the exam.

Grade Composition

Note that a grade of C- is not a qualifying grade for major, minor, Gen Ed, or College Basic distribution credit. 

This course is aligned with the UF policies described below. 

• Contact Hours:
  • "Contact Hours" refers to the hours per week in which students are in contact with the instructor, excluding office hours or other voluntary contact. The number of contact hours in this course equals the number of credits the course offers.
    

• Workload:
  • As a Carnegie I, research-intensive university, UF is required by federal law to assign at least 2 hours of work outside of class for every contact hour. Work done in these hours may include reading/viewing assigned material and doing explicitly assigned individual or group work, as well as reviewing notes from class, synthesizing information in advance of exams or papers, and other self-determined study tasks.
    • For tips and suggestions on how to approach this class and the appropriate amount of work required to master the topics we'll be covering see the page: How To Study For PHY2053

• UF Attendance Policy for Excused Absences Links to an external site.

• Statement Regarding Evaluations:
  • Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. See the guidance on how to give feedback Links to an external site. in a professional and respectful manner is available at. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via the GatorEvals website Links to an external site.. 

• Statement Regarding Course Recording:
  • Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
  • A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
  • Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Code and Student Conduct Code.
    

• Honor Policy:
  • UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code". On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Honor Code Links to an external site. specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. You are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor in this class.

Disability Resource Center Links to an external site. (DRCaccessUF@ufsa.ufl.edu | 352-392-8565) helps to provide an accessible learning environment for all by providing support services and facilitating accommodations, which may vary from course to course. Once registered with DRC, students will receive an accommodation letter that must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodations. Students should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

• Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:
  • Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center Links to an external site.. This class supports the needs of different learners; it is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs as early as possible in the semester.
    • The DRC has an  online portal for sending out accommodation letters, and you need an instructor email address in order to use it. For this purpose only, you may use the email address jhamlin@ufl.edu  or phy2053@ufl.edu to generate your letter. Please send a copy of your DRC letter to your TA as well. DRC Accommodation Letters received at least 72 hours in advance of a timed assessment will be in effect for all future assessments. If a response is submitted with less than 72 hours until the next scheduled assessment, then the accommodations will apply after the next timed assessment. Failure to meet the announced 72 hour deadline prior to a timed assessment is not a valid rationale for requesting a makeup assessment. 
    • DRC students must complete the DRC Process in the course and sit their quiz on the same day as their section does.

Physics, like all human endeavors, is something that is learned. Physics is practiced and advanced by a scientific community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities and is open and welcoming to everyone. We recognize the value in diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of this course. This includes, but is not limited to differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and disability.

Our aim is to foster an atmosphere of learning that is based on inclusion, transparency, and respect for all. We acknowledge the different needs and perspectives we bring to our common learning space and strive to provide everyone with equal access. Know that you belong here.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any concerns, or with any suggestions for improving the inclusivity of this course.

The following are additional policies regarding graded material for this course.

• See the Course Schedule on the Homepage for detailed information about lecture topics, quiz and exam content, etc.
• Homework:
  • Before you begin you will need to register your account.
    
  • Homework sets will be due on Sundays at 11:59 pm and will be open for a period of at least 7 days prior to the deadline.
  • You get 5 attempts to get a question right. You will lose a portion of that part value as a deduction for each incorrect submission attempt. For multiple choice or true/false type questions credit will be deducted for incorrect attempts. Deduction per incorrect answer = 100%/(# of options - 1). Full solutions to homework will be available shortly after the due date in the homework system.
  • Expert TA requires your responses be within 3% of the correct answer to account for rounding errors. Going by significant figures can result in the system marking your answer wrong despite you technically being correct. Do not worry about significant figures unless specifically asked for them in the HW problem.
  • Follow appropriate practices of academic honesty when working on the homework problems: discussions with colleagues and/or tutors about methods of posing and solving a homework problem are acceptable and encouraged. Using a formula that is specific to the problem, derived by someone else to input answers is considered cheating. 
  • Some of the exam and quiz questions will be based on the homework problems. Treat the homework as practice for the exams and quizzes: derive, on your own, any result that you submit and attempt to do so using the provided formula sheet and minimal reliance on your calculator. 
  • Make-up Homework
    • Solutions are released immediately after the due-date; no make-ups and no extensions are possible for homework. We do, however, apply 2 drops to your lowest 2 homework grades.
      

• In-Class Clicker:
  • In-lecture clicker questions begin to count on Tuesday, September 6th, 2022. You must use either a computer or mobile device to participate in the clicker questions.
  • We will get set up and practice with clicker on the 2nd week of class.
    
  • Correct responses to clicker questions are worth 2 points and incorrect responses will be worth 1 point. No response is worth 0 points. It is your responsibility to make sure your technology works. If you are present in class but the system does not record your response, seek iClicker support before the next class and this class will be one of your drops.  Responding for other students is considered cheating by both parties.

• Discussion Section Participation:  GP

During your second discussion section you will work in groups of ~5. This session will provide you TA-facilitated practice on solving problems in groups. You TA will keep track of your active participation in your group. There are 9 group problem sessions, you are allowed to be absent for 1 and still get the full points. So there is 1 drop. GP points and survey points total up to 1 Quiz in the Quiz category. i.e. You can get 10/10 if you complete all surveys and GP requirements. 

• Surveys & Group Problem Participation:
  • There are surveys that we ask you to complete during the semester. No preparation is required for any survey; they are designed as course benchmarks or for information that will help us improve discussion section group work. You will receive full points for fully participating in these surveys.
  • Surveys and Group Problem Participation together are worth one quiz. The value of each survey and Group Problem Participation will be in proportion to the number of activities. Points are for completion of the survey and participation in at least 8 GP sessions. You are allowed 1 drop in GP.
  • All surveys are required to be taken online using an internet-capable device. You may be asked to take it during your discussion section or outside class time. 

This section provides information on exam content, dates, and makeup policy.

• Exams:
  • Exams each have 15 multiple choice questions and are worth 25 points.
  • Exams are closed book/closed notes; the only materials allowed are your pencil/eraser/pen/highlighter, scientific or graphing calculator. We will provided scratch paper for in-person exams.  Private formula sheets and cell phones as calculators are not allowed. An official formula sheet will be provided.
  • There may be variable-only problems.
  • The Final Exam will be cumulative.
  • Dates and content covered by the Exams is found on the Course Schedule
  • Exams are in person: the only materials allowed are your pencil/eraser/pen/highlighter and scientific calculator.  We will provide your scratch paper and your formula sheet.  If you come with your own you will be reported for academic fraud.
  • The answer you mark on your Exam is your final answer to a question. We do not look back over your work, even if you think you solved your answer correctly on the scratch paper.
    
  • A student who will miss an assembly exam due to an exam conflict or any other foreseeable reason that is approved under UF attendance policies Links to an external site. should request in advance to take the conflict exam instead of the regular exam.
  • A student who has an unforeseeable absence from an exam should contact the instructor as soon as possible, normally within 24 hours after the missed exam. For an absence to be approved, documentation of the reason for absence must be provided.  If the unforeseeable absence is excused by the instructor, the student will be expected to take the conflict exam unless they have another exam conflict or reason that is approved under UF attendance policies. The conflict exam will cover the same subject matter as the regular exam and in a similar format, although the exams will not be identical.

This section provides information on quiz content, makeup policy, and how to use Canvas to take your quizzes.

• Quizzes:
  •  Quizzes will be administered in your first discussion section of the week. All students will be taking the quiz on paper. You have 20 minutes total to take the quiz once started.
  • You must be present in person to take the quiz. 
  • Quizzes will contain the formula sheet. You will supply an appropriate calculator and writing implements. We will supply the formula sheet that will be used on the closed-book, closed-note exams and scratch paper. We will collect the scratch paper.
  • Quizzes test how well you have learned the concepts and methods of the assigned homework problems. The quiz questions will be related to, but not identical to, the online homework problems. The problems may be restructured to provide guidance, allow awarding of partial credit, and discourage memorization of a solution formula.
  • There will be two questions on each weekly quiz. Each question will be graded on a 5 point scale. You are expected to do the problems on your own without any additional help. Note that formula sheets will still be provided with the quizzes so that you may practice using them for the exams.
  • Content covered by quizzes is found in the Course Schedule. Quiz # corresponds to the HW# it is based on. 
  • To allow for partial credit we will include a text entry field where you can describe in proper English your approach to the problem. This should just be a rough outline of the main ideas you used in getting to your solution. You should only write these after you have solved the problem to your satisfaction, or if you get stuck in getting a numerical answer, then include what you think the general approach should be (the text description allows for giving partial credit).
    • Example: The director wants the boom to begin to tip just as the Rock reaches the end of the boom. How far from the point where the boom attaches to the crane should the counterweight be placed if the counterweight weighs 230 kg and the Rock weighs 15 kg? (Answer in terms of D.)

      On describing your approach in the text entry box:

      Incorrect:

      I would use 1D kinematics to find how long it takes for the Rock to move from the center of the boom to the edge, using D as the distance traveled, and 2pi*D/v as the acceleration.

      Too short:

      Use equilibrium to find the distance.

      Too long (We will not take off for an answer being "too long" - but keep in mind that you still only have 20 minutes to take the entire quiz, including calculations.):

      This problem has a tipping bar and things providing torque, so it is an equilibrium problem. As such, we need to use the sum of the torques = 0 to solve for the unknown variable.  When you move the Rock's torque to the other side of the equation you can replace the taus with FRsin(theta) and then do some algebra to rearrange the known variables to be on the other side of the equation from R for the counterweight. Use 90 degrees for theta because the boom is horizontal and gravity points straight down.

      Just right:

      This is an equilibrium problem. Set the sum of torques equal to zero and solve for the unknown lever arm.

  • Make-up quizzes are permitted provided you have a valid documented excuse (e.g. doctors excuse for illness, official UF sanctioned event).  Please contact your TA with your excuse note to request a makeup quiz.
    • Your TA will approve or deny the request.  If approved you will sit the appropriate Makeup Quiz at 8.30pm in NPB 2205 as on the Course Schedule. If you cannot make that time and have a valid excuse contact your TA for further 1:1 arrangements.
    • The make-up quiz must be taken within 3 weeks of the missed quiz (not within 3 weeks of the request for approval of the makeup). There will be no make-up quizzes for quiz 1-10 given after 5 pm on Monday of the last week of classes.  You have until this date to request any re-grade or to question any grade discrepancy pertaining to the quizzes.