Course Syllabus

Summer 2023  Physics 2 PHY2054 - Course Syllabus

 
 

Instructor

Shawn Weatherford Dr. Shawn Weatherford
2142 New Physics Bldg
Phone: 392-8747

E-mail

 phy2054 @ phys.ufl.edu 

This is the only email to contact either instructor for this team-taught course. This ensures both instructors can see it and have all information in one place. You may expect a response within 48 hours on weekdays.

Messages sent to instructors via Canvas may not receive a response. 

Note that homework help is given during your discussion section and during office hours, not through e-mail.

Class Lecture

TR Period 4 (12:30 - 1:35pm) in NPB 1001

Discussion Sections

All students are assigned to attend 1 discussion section, which meets twice per week. See Discussion Sections page for details about meeting times, location, and contact information for your instructor.

Textbook and Course Materials

  • Perusall: College Physics: A strategic approach. (Knight, Jones and Field), 4th edition. Print ISBN-13:978-0-13-460903-4.
    • You can access the book through reading assignments (listed in Canvas).
  • The course requires students to purchase access to the online homework system, from Pearson called Mastering Physics
    • You can access the multimedia rich version of the etext through the MyLab and Mastering link in the navigation sidebar, then clicking the Go to MyLab button.
  • iClicker account and mobile device/clicker to participate in lecture. iClicker Cloud access is already included in your student fees.

Students are required to purchase access codes for Mastering Physics and Perusall using the UF All Access program. This is the only way to gain access to your homework assignments and the cheapest option for obtaining your materials thanks to negotiated discounts. 

Access the assigned readings and homework through Assignments link in the sidebar.

iClicker

The course requires the use of iClicker Reef software. You will answer polling questions during class with the use of a wifi enabled mobile device.

Technology

This course requires a stable internet connection and a laptop or desktop computer at a minimum for any online course work. Although, many of the resources are accessible using other mobile devices, if exams transition to online due to extraneous circumstances, you will need to use a desktop device and not a mobile one. Your laptop/desktop computer must have a microphone and webcam for Zoom Office Hour visits.

Only handheld calculators are permitted for performing calculations during exams or quizzes. Only non-graphing, non-programmable scientific calculators are acceptable. Mobile devices with calculator software are not permissible for use during exams or quizzes.

About the Course

PHY2054 - Physics 2 is the second semester of Physics without calculus, covering electrostatics, electric current, electric circuits and their components, magnetism, induction, electromagnetic waves, optics, optical devices, interference and diffraction. It is typically, but not exclusively, taken by biological sciences majors and pre-professional students, i.e., those planning careers in health care, optometry, pharmacy, etc. It is not a suitable course for physics, chemistry or engineering majors, who are encouraged to take PHY2049 (Physics 2 with calculus) or PHY2061 (enriched Physics 2 with calculus), both of which offer similar material but with more mathematical emphasis.

Students will build upon the problem solving skills attained from Physics 1. Topics carrying over from physics 1 include: vectors, constant acceleration motion, Newton's Laws, circular motion, energy, momentum, and waves. Please refer to these topics in your textbook for a refresher or remediation as needed.

Course Description

Credits: 4; Prereq: PHY 2053 or the equivalent.
Second semester of introductory physics de-emphasizing calculus. Electric charge, fields and circuits; electromagnetism, applied electricity; geometrical optics, wave optics, applied optics; electrons and photons; atoms and nuclei.(P)

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will have improved their existing foundation in the concepts, principles, terminology, and methodologies used to describe interactions resulting from electric and magnetic fields, light, and the technologies which incorporate these phenomena in its design. Specifically, students will be able to:

  1. Analyze particular physical situations, and thus identify the fundamental principles pertinent to those situations to make successful predictions of system behavior,
  2. Apply fundamental principles to formulate mathematical equations describing the relation between physical quantities in these particular situations,
  3. Solve mathematical equations to find the values of physical quantities, and
  4. Communicate unambiguously both the principles that apply to a situation and the results of specific calculations resulting from the steps above.

These course objectives align with the UF General Education student learning outcomes and physical science area learning outcomes.

General Education SLO Physical Science SLO Course Objective Alignment Assessment
Content Identify, describe, and explain the basic concepts, theories and terminology of natural science and the scientific method; the major scientific discoveries and the impacts on society and the environment; and the relevant processes that govern physical systems. Objectives 1-4 All assessments and student practice assignments offer opportunities for students to demonstrate learning about the physics content covered in this course.
Critical Thinking Formulate empirically-testable hypotheses derived from the study of physical processes or living things; apply logical reasoning skills effectively through scientific criticism and argument; and apply techniques of discovery and critical thinking effectively to solve scientific problems and to evaluate outcomes Objectives 1-3

Independent Practice

  • Weekly Graded Homework
  • Optional Practice Assignments

Group Practice:

  • Weekly scaffolded group problems
  • iClicker questions

Formative: Weekly Quizzes

Summative: 3 exams

Communication Communicate scientific knowledge, thoughts, and reasoning clearly and effectively. Objective 4
  • Perusall Reading assignments
  • Weekly scaffolded group problems

Student Expectations

To achieve the learning outcomes, students are expected to:

  • Read the weekly email containing the learning objectives and to plan your engagement with course content for the week ahead. 
  • Read the assigned chapters in the textbook and post to Perusall assignment prior to lecture.
  • Attend and participate in scheduled lectures in the physics building. Regular attendance is expected. Avoid use of distracting technologies during lecture to engage in social media, texting, or off-topic diversions. These can be distracting for you and for others in the class.
  • Work through the examples presented in the text in order to learn the physics concepts, principles, and problem-solving techniques of introductory physics.
  • Complete homework assignments to self–assess your understanding of the chapter’s concepts and problem solving strategies on a weekly basis.
  • Attend discussion section meetings for group problem solving and small group instruction moderated by discussion section TAs.
  • Complete weekly quizzes assessing your ability to solve a similar problem to those on homework assignments, evaluated by discussion section TAs.
  • To seek help from your instructors and other students when specific content does not make sense, and to seek out additional practice when needed to gain mastery. The additional practice is included as optional assignments in the course.
  • To seek help from university resources to support student success, which include use of peer tutoring, peer mentoring, and wellness resources found at http://studentsuccess.ufl.eduLinks to an external site.
  • Links to an external site.Physics is practiced and advanced by a scientific community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities and is open and welcoming to everyone. The instructional team recognizes 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. Students may have opportunities to work together in this course. We expect respectful student collaborations such as attentive listening and responding to the contributions of all teammates. 
    Physics, like all human endeavors, is something that is learned.  Our aim is to foster an atmosphere of learning that is based on inclusion, transparency and respect for all participants.  We acknowledge the different needs and perspectives we bring to our common learning space and strive to provide everyone with equal access.  All students meeting the course prerequisites  belong here and are well positioned for success.

This course requires an extensive amount of time to do all of the above, and students should plan accordingly to spend 12 hours per week on course preparation and practice.

Expectations of Instructors

Your instructors role is to develop a course where you can achieve these objectives through your participation and interaction. Further, we pledge to:

  • Be accessible via email and respond to communication sent to the contact addresses listed in the contact info table located on this page.
  • Design lectures and discussion section meetings which facilitate active learning through the use of examples and polling questions.
  • Design assessments which evaluate your progress towards achieving the outcomes of the course.
  • Provide weekly communication through announcements to frame the week's course activities.
  • Treat everyone with respect.
  • Recognize and celebrate everyone's unique identity and background and create an environment where everyone belongs!
  • Affirm your ability to succeed in this course and provide assistance for everyone to access resources which enable each student achieve success.
  • Adhere to course policies equitably and with fairness.

Expectations of the Learning Community

Each semester we join together to form a unique and diverse learning community. This community is enriched by our own unique backgrounds, identities, experiences, challenges, and opportunities for personal growth. It takes the participation and efforts of all to ensure this community is inclusive of everyone, regardless of our differences. Please remain respectful when there is disagreement between you and someone else. Join us in continuing the work to create learning spaces that are safe for all to participate equitably. Provide room for concerns to be voiced, which takes courage and should receive the acknowledgment and empathy they rightly deserve. We are united by a common goal: to learn physics by demonstrating the course outcomes AND to assist this attainment by others in the course, through actions consistent with UF's core values and the student code of conduct.

Lectures

Lectures offer instruction on the conceptual and problem solving topics covered by each weekly reading in the assigned textbook. The lectures may also expand in depth and focus upon the reading to include topics that the textbook author may have omitted. The lectures are designed to augment, not replace, the reading assignment. 

Lectures are recorded, but not streamed. Links to view the recording will be posted on the Lectures and Schedule page. Your attendance is expected. Please make arrangements accordingly.

Recordings

This course will post recordings of lectures. The recordings are of the instructor and may capture audio from student questions. If you do not wish the back of your head to be seen in the recording, you should refrain from sitting in the first few rows of the lecture hall. Closed captioning is offered for students with DRC accommodations. Please make the request to the DRC to have this added to your accommodation letter. The turn-around for closed captioning if requested is 24-48 hours.

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 Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.

A FAQ about this UF policy is stated here. 

Discussion Sections

Discussion sections are class meetings where you will get small group instruction on how to answer physics problems, both numerical and conceptual. All students are assigned to attend a lecture period and a discussion section.  A highly skilled TA will guide you through the problem solving process that will be helpful for you as you practice the homework problems on your own outside of class. You will also receive formative assessment feedback on your learning through weekly quizzes. The content of these quizzes are based on the problems assigned in homework and serve to assess not only the correct answer to quantitative problems, but also critique and provide feedback on how you justify your answer with an in-depth solution.

Discussion section meetings are not recorded or streamed. Participation points will only be awarded if students participate in group work. Participation is not awarded if you are not present and engaged. Therefore the minimum requirement to earn any extra credit participation points is to attend and offer substantive discussion towards the completion of the assigned tasks.

Practicing physics is the best way to learn it, and the apprenticeship model works quite well as you see how experts identify which physics principles are needed to obtain a correct solution. Review the  Discussion Sections page for listing of meeting times.

Class Attendance and Missed Work

Attendance of lectures and discussion sections is required and counts from the first class meeting. Students are required to attend the discussion sections and lectures listed on their registration. Acceptable reasons for absence include: illness, serious family emergencies, special curricular requirements (e.g. judging trips, field trips, professional conferences), military obligation, severe weather conditions, religious holidays, court-imposed legal obligations, and participation in official university activities such as music performances, athletic competition or debate.

Students are expected to participate in this course in person for the entire Summer C term. Summer can be a popular time for vacations, mission trips, or other worthwhile excursions, but these are not excused. Further, studying or taking MCAT and other professional exams are not excused absences. Please plan accordingly.

Absences due to circumstances listed above during scheduled quizzes or exams will necessitate you to request a makeup quiz or makeup exam following the procedures below. All requests for a makeup assessment requires documentation. For illness or medical emergencies, the only acceptable documentation for consideration is an excuse note from a healthcare provider indicating which dates you are unable to participate in school related activities. Documentation merely indicating you visited a healthcare provider (whether in person or remotely) is not sufficient. Unexcused absences are not entitled to makeup assessments. Requirements for class attendance and makeup exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at this link

Discussion Section Quizzes: Contact your TA to request a makeup quiz. Students have one week from the date of the missed quiz to submit a makeup quiz request. The request must contain supporting documentation. Students who are approved for a makeup quiz by the TA will have up to two weeks from the original date of the missed quiz to complete the associated makeup quiz, at a time mutually agreeable with their TA, or August 8th, whichever comes first.

Missed Exams: Students missing an exam must notify the instructor BEFORE the beginning of the exam and provide documented evidence for a request for a makeup. Arrangements will be made to take a makeup exam as soon as possible. The makeup exam will consist of material similar to that which was tested on the missed exam.

For exam conflicts, note that our exam is classified as an assembly exam. Only the exams listed in the table below have priority over  PHY2054. If you are in one of these classes, please write to course email to request a makeup exam.  

Exam 1 June 12 Exam 2 July 18 Exam 3 August 7
MAC 2312, MAN4504 BUL4310, ENT3003, MAN4504 ECO2023, MAR3023

Missed iClicker points: Students are not permitted to earn iClicker points if they are not successfully submitting responses during the open polling times. Students missing class for excused reasons are not permitted to make up missed bonus opportunities, as the drops will cover the missed polling sessions. Please ensure your device is powered and connected to internet during the duration of the lecture.

Missed Discussion Sections: Students are not permitted to earn bonus participation points if they are not attending and participating in solving group problems during discussion sections. Instead of offering makeup discussion sections or providing alternate assignments, I drop the two lowest participation scores in the calculation of the discussion section participation bonus. Students missing class for excused reasons are not permitted to makeup missed bonus opportunities. Note, that the bonus is not just attendance, but also awarded for your active participation. This means that you should be prepared to work collaboratively in teams and contribute constructively to the assigned tasks. Students who attend without contributing to the group will not earn bonus participation points. 

Missed Homework: Students have ample opportunity to complete available homework assignments prior to the due date. There are no extensions or makeups for homework assignments. Please plan accordingly.

Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx

Office Hours and Contact Info

Visit your instructors for free help! We're the ones writing your exams and quizzes and have a good idea about how to help you succeed in this course. You may visit any of the TAs, not just the one teaching your discussion section. Please find someone you can go to for help. Here's our Weekly Schedule (subject to changes):

Instructor Office Hour Schedule Location
Dr. Weatherford Monday 1:00pm-2:00pm (NPB 1100)
Thursday 2:30pm-3:30pm (NPB 2165)
see middle column
Corey Bathurst Tuesday Period 6 NPB B059
Harrison Coombes Wednesday Period 2 NPB B059
Andrew Davis Tuesday Period 5 NPB 2120
Farshad Kamalinejad Wednesday 12:30pm-2:40pm NPB 2111
Matthew Reinhard Thursday Period 4 & 6 NPB 2107
Travis Zeigler Thursday Period 7 NPB 1131

 

Contact Information for Instructional Team

Instructor Phone Email
Dr. Weatherford 352.392.8747 phy2054@phys.ufl.edu
Corey Bathurst 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail
Harrison Coombes 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail
Andrew Davis 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail
Farshad Kamalinejad 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail
Matthew Reinhard 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail
Travis Zeigler 352.392.0521 Use Canvas Mail

Grades

Letter Grades are based on the sum of the points earned in each assessment category. The maximum number of points available in the sum is 105. The calculation of the points awarded for each category is based on the total percentage of awarded points on the assignments within the assessment category as shown in the table below.

After release of exam 1 scores, we will enable the canvas grading tool to calculate intermediate grades based on scores earned to date, since this calculation is only meaningful if at least one score appears in each of the grading categories. The What If tool can project how hypothetical scores on future assignments affect the overall grade calculation according to the scheme used in calculating your final score.

Using the What If tool to place hypothetical grades in all grading categories will incorporate extra credit into an accurate grade calculation that matches the table below.

Assessment Max Points Calculation
Exam 1 23 23*(earned points/max points)
Exam 2 23 23*(earned points/max points)
Exam 3 24 24*(earned points/max points)
Discussion Section Quizzes 20 20*(your earned points/max quiz points)
Drop lowest scoring quiz (excluding Q0 and Q7)
Reading Assignments (Perusall) 5 5*(your earned points/max points)
Drop three lowest reading scores
Homework 5 5*(your earned points/max hw points)
Drop lowest scoring homework**
Total 100 Sum this column
iClicker Bonus +2.5 2.5*(your total points/max points)
Drop three lowest scoring polling sessions**
Group Problem Participation Bonus +2.5 2.5*(your total points/max points)
Drop two lowest participation scores
Maximum Score

105

This total includes all extra credit.

 

** The specific assignments dropped within a grading category will vary for each student in order to produce a calculation of the highest possible grade.

Use Canvas Grades to track your scores and report any discrepancies in your scores to your TA. Notification of discrepancies are due to your TA by August 7th. Letter grades will be reported to the Registrar at the end of the term corresponding to the total score and the minimum values to an accuracy of 0.01, following this grading scheme:

A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E
≥85.00 80.00 75.00 70.00 65.00 60.00 55.00 50.00 45.00 40.00 35.00 <35.00

Exams

Purpose: Exams serve as an assessment of your ability to answer questions on specific topics and demonstrating proficiency on course objectives 1, 2, and 3. But not all topics covered in this course will receive an exam question. The questions are designed to assess your application of the material learned (consistent with the course outcomes) to answer a very specific question correctly. Therefore do not expect to see problems you have solved before or problems that have appeared on previous exams.

There are a total of three exams. All exams are assembly exams, have a duration of 2 hours and held during period E1-E2 (7:00pm-9:00pm). The dates, chapter coverage, assigned room locations, and allowed materials are described on the  exams page . Please place these exam dates and times in your calendar today.

Exam questions will be taken from a number of sources, typically including (but not limited to!) the textbook, lectures, iClicker quizzes and homework problems. Exam format is multiple choice using ScanTron sheets. The answer which you bubble in on the ScanTron is the one we grade, with no exceptions. 

Unless superseded by a valid excuse a missed exam will result in a zero. Valid excuses are officially sanctioned UF events, medical excuses or family emergencies. Acceptable excuses will require a coach's, doctor's or instructor sanctioned note with a verifiable contact phone number. The documentation must be provided to your instructor immediately. A valid excuse for your absence on the exam date will allow you to take a make-up exam.

Students who need special accommodations due to a registered disability must carry out the DRC procedures described below.

Reading Assignments

A graded reading assignment is due prior to each lecture. The lecture builds upon what students have learned from the assigned reading and therefore completion of these reading assignments is graded. For the syncing of grades to occur (i.e. to get credit) access the assignments by clicking on the assignment name in Canvas. Accessing the reading any other way will not allow your scores to sync.

To earn a grade, students must add thoughtful annotations, questions, and responses to the reading assignments using Perusall. The assignments are graded according to the quality, frequency, and value added by the context of each annotation and response to others' annotations and evaluate student proficiency on course objective 4. There are no extensions granted, as the reading is due prior to the accompanying lecture period. You can complete the assignment any time up until the day of the lecture. Feel free to read ahead!

Quizzes

quiz will occur in your discussion section to give you feedback on your ability to utilize your understanding of the previous week's physics content to answer qualitative and quantitative questions. Partial credit is given based on the quality of the response. The questions can be based on (though not identical to) a homework problem from the homework turned in Monday of that week or the previous week's lectures and reading. Quiz numbering corresponds to HW numbering. Quizzes are given only on Tuesday or Wednesday. Two diagnostic quizzes, each worth 3 points, are given at the beginning and end of the semester, and serve as diagnostic tools to evaluate your overall conceptual knowledge of electricity and magnetism. The first quiz is scored based on completion of the quiz at the assigned time and while proctored by your TA. The final quiz is scored based on your question performance while proctored by a TA in your discussion section. Quizzes will not be assigned during exam weeks, and the Quiz time will be used by your TA to help you review for the exam.

Approved make-ups for missed quizzes will take place at the first opportunity determined by your TA according to the absence and makeup policy stated above. The documentation must be provided to your TA within 1 week of the missed quiz or a rational reason that it will be delayed must be e-mailed along with the projected receipt date of the documentation to your TA within that period. All quizzes must be made up within one week of the missed quiz. The last date for an eligible makeup will be the Tuesday before the last day of class (August 8th).

Homework

Homework  is based on the MasteringPhysics online homework system and assignments are due Mondays at 12PM (noon) EDT. Each student gets a unique set of numbers for each problem. Because of the length of time each homework set is available, there are no extensions  on the homework. You are strongly encouraged to start entering your answers well ahead of the deadline to avoid possible technical problems that might occur on the day the homework is due. If an unforeseen technical difficulty like a down internet connection or computer virus causes you to miss the deadline, you will not receive credit for the unfinished work. The homework solutions will be released at 12:05PM EDT on Mondays to give you meaningful feedback on your problem solving work.

Please note: Scores do not sync immediately with Canvas. Weekly homework scores are synced to Canvas a few days after the homework deadline has passed.

Homework and academic honesty: While we encourage students to discuss homework problems with one another, we regard it as a breach of academic honesty to get homework solutions or algorithms external sources, including websites or companies that give away or sell such solutions or algorithms (this is stated explicitly in our course Academic Honesty policy found below).

iClicker extra credit

Students will use free access to iClicker Cloud to submit responses to formative feedback questions during the lecture listed on their class registration. Each question provides students the opportunity to earn maximum of two points based on submitting a response (one point) and submitting a correct response (a second point).

Four iclicker session scores are dropped to allow for absences, broken devices, late answers, technology issues, etc. However, to receive credit for your responses, your iClicker account must be linked to your Canvas course. Instructions for completing this linking is detailed in a later section of this syllabus. The deadline for completing a successful iClicker sync is the last day of class (prior to reading day). Students not completing an iClicker sync before this deadline forfeit their extra credit points. If you do not see iClicker session scores in Canvas Grades, then you have not completed the sync successfully and must try again.

Please see the  iClicker page regarding syncing your account with this course and contacts for iClicker customer service support.

You are responsible for maintaining the functioning of your device, including its connection to the internet. No credit will be given for questions if you forget your mobile device or your mobile device battery is dead or you do not respond to the question in the allotted time. 

Only students physically present in the lecture hall are permitted to respond to iClicker questions. Students answering from locations other than NPB1001 will lose the benefit of earning extra credit points for their participation.

Discussion sections are designed to promote collaborative group problem solving while practicing the skills necessary to become successful in solving physics problems on your own. To reward your efforts, your discussion section TA will award weekly participation bonus points for your collaborative work in solving problems assigned to your group. On non-quiz days, students will work through collaborative group problem solving exercises. These problems require productive and focused application of what you have learned from reading the textbook and reviewing the lectures. You will be assigned to a small group, with each group receiving a problem to solve together. TAs will monitor attendance, evaluate your level of participation in the group and answer questions, as well as facilitate your discussion by asking specific students in the group to explain or justify decisions made by the group in arriving at a solution. 

As a participant you must have thoughtful discussion and engagement to be eligible for the participation bonus. The points are individual and the entire group does not necessarily get the same participation points.

Each week, you may earn points based on your participation and group's success. These points will sum over the course of the semester and will determine your individual participation bonus. This bonus will be added to your overall course grade. Your discussion section instructor will have details for showing evidence of participation.

You can't makeup missed participation bonus points with a group, nor complete alternate assignments to replace missed bonus points. You must be able to join the session at the meeting time arranged. Remember, this is not a course requirement, but an encouragement to participate in these meaningful exercises to gain both feedback and confidence in your problem solving ability.

Ungraded "Additional Practice" Assignments

You will find assignments offering additional practice for students called "Additional Practice X". These are not counted in your course grade and exist to encourage you to practice physics prior to exams, or as an opportunity for remediation. There is a deadline for the assignments at the end of the semester after the exam is completed, but they are not required to be completed.

Dropped Assignments

Dropped Assignments : A combination of planned and unforeseen factors may cause you to miss some classes or discussion sections, additionally, it is likely for most of us to have a bad day or week (for any number of reasons) during the semester.  To accommodate this reality, we drop the lowest scoring assignments as a "makeup" policy for excused and unexcused absences to accommodate circumstances that may arise throughout the semester that may hinder your performance in the online HW and the discussion section quizzes. Homework, discussion participation bonus, and iClicker bonus assignment categories include dropped assignments as stated above, and discussion quiz will permit one dropped assignment. No exam will be dropped.

Note: The calculation of which assignments to drop in each category is performed so that the dropped assignments yield the highest possible student grade. As you might imagine, this means it will not necessarily be the assignments with the lowest percentage score. This will be true in the Homework and iClicker categories since these categories are include assignments with non-uniform total point values. For more details of examples and the calculations performed to determine the dropped assignments, see the paper Kane, D. and Kane, J (2006). Dropping Lowest Grades.

Canvas and Course Technologies

The lectures notes (pre and post lecture) will be linked from the Schedule. Exam solutions will be linked from the Exam Information. Scores on homework, exams, and quizzes will be posted in the Grades section.  Occasional announcements may be sent by your instructional team. You are expected to read all announcements.

Need help with Canvas?

For help with technical issues or difficulties with Canvas, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

iClicker Setup

You are required to participate with the iClicker Cloud app on a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It is your responsibility to follow the steps below to properly register your iClicker account in a timely fashion. It is also your responsibility to regularly check your iClicker records for any discrepancies.

In order to participate in iClicker activities and ensure that your grades are properly reflected in the gradebook, follow the steps below:

1. If you have an existing iClicker student account that uses an official university email address and/or Student ID, you will automatically get added to the iClicker course.

If the iClicker system does not find a matching iClicker student account, you will receive an email from iClicker Support with instructions to create a new account or update your existing account's profile. Please note that this email may appear in your Spam or Junk folders.  

If you receive an email prompting you to update your iClicker account, you will need to sign in to iClicker and modify your profile information. If you already have an iClicker account, do not create a new account. Instead, edit your existing account's profile to avoid confusion and potential loss of points due to multiple accounts.

If you do not already have an iClicker student account, click "Sign Up" and create an account

If you have never used the iClicker student app, click Sign Up! and follow the steps to create an iClicker student account, making certain to use a university email address and UFID.

When you have finished creating your account, sign in to the iClicker student app to establish the connection with your Canvas or Blackboard account.  

2. Set up the device(s) you’ll use to participate in our synchronous lectures.

  • You can download the iClicker cloud app via the App Store or Google Play, or you can use iClicker on your laptop.
  • If you have multiple devices, I recommend accessing our virtual class using your computer and participating in the iClicker questions using your mobile device.
  • If you only have one device, you can open up a new tab in your web browser for iClicker cloud, or switch back and forth between our virtual class and the iClicker cloud app.

3. Now the fun part! Participate in iClicker class activities.

  • When it’s time for class, make sure you have selected this course from the main screen of your iClicker cloud account.
    • When the instructor starts a class session in iClicker, select the Join button that appears on your screen, then answer each question asked in iClicker cloud.
    • For short answer, numeric, and target questions, make sure you select Send.

4. Review your work in iClicker cloud.

  • You can review your grades, performance, and participation in iClicker cloud.
  • Grades will be synced from iClicker cloud to Canvas on a regular basis. Please allow a week after lecture for the sync to occur. If you do not see scores in Canvas, you have not successfully completed step 1 above. The deadline for completing step 1 above is the last day of class for this semester (prior to reading days), but you are strongly advised to complete step 1 in the first two weeks of the semester.

Academic Integrity Information

iClicker activities are academic activities and fall under the provisions of our student code of conduct. Students must not engage in academic dishonesty while participating in iClicker activities. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Having another student participate for you
  • Using more than one iClicker account at a time
  • Distributing clicker questions and/or answers to questions through communication channels including, but not limited to GroupMe, email, Canvas Conversations, etc.

Any student found to be in violation of these rules will lose their iClicker points for the entire term and may be reported to SCCR as a violation of the UF Student Code of Conduct.

Need help with iClicker cloud?

MasteringPhysics

Homework is delivered and scored using MasteringPhysics. You gain access to the system with the purchase of your ebook access when using the UF All Access program, as documented here. You MUST participate in the UF All Access program. There is no other way to gain access to the homework system. Pearson office hours on campus during the first week of term offers troubleshooting help. 

You can access your homework assignment by clicking on a homework assignment listed on the Assignments page, from the ToDo list, or from MyLab and Mastering in the sidebar.

Details about Homework Assignments, Grading, and Late Policy

  • You have five attempts to get the correct answer. To get credit your answer must be correct within 2% and you must enter at least three significant digits.
  • Multiple choice and True/False question types. The points you can earn for correct submissions decreases by a constant amount for each attempt. The decrease per step is 100% / (Noptions-1). Thus for a 5 part multiple choice question, the decrease in value is 25% per attempt.
  • There are no extensions on homework assignments.
  • Additional Ungraded Practice Assignments are available within MasteringPhysics. These are found in the Assignments section, but note they do not appear in your To-Do list since that is driven by deadlines. These additional practice assignments are not required. However it is wise to use these extra problems as an evaluation tool of your problem solving skill, as students report every semester that solving problems in addition to the assigned homework is the most beneficial way to improve exam performance.

Students are permitted to work together on homework assignments, however the answers you submit for grading must be obtained through your own effort and representative of your understanding.

Need help with MasteringPhysics?

    • For initial registration issues, see the link to the virtual office hours with Pearson noted above.
    • The student guide link is located here.
    • Pearson System Status (including all Mastering Products) is noted in this status log. If you wish to speak to customer support, please navigate the customer support website.

Perusall for Reading Assignments

Reading assignments are completed in Perusall, a social platform to enable the completion of reading among a small cohort of peers. Students will annotate the reading with thoughtful and engaging comments, questions, or responses to fellow students. Those who engage frequently and directly with the reading, who assist other students with helpful responses, and who elicit responses from other students through threaded comments or upvotes will earn top marks on these assignments. Students should use this opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the text, and to identify their own confusion through their annotations. Students who rush through the reading, or complete the reading in only one sitting with little impact on the dialogue of the community will have the lowest scores. .

Students are required to purchase a UF AllAccess code and enter this code when prompted to do so when accessing their first reading assignment. Always enter the assignments starting from Canvas, so that your time spent reading is logged and you are credited for it.

Need help with Perusall?

Schedule

Information about the exams (chapters covered, times, allowed materials, etc.) can be found on the   Exams   page.

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 5/16 
Introduction, Algebra, Vectors,
Observations from Static Electricity, Electric Fields
Discussion Sections begin 5/18.
5/17 





5/18 
Ch 20 1,3-5
Electric Fields and Forces
Quiz 0
5/19


Quiz 0
2 5/22




HW 1
5/23 
Ch 20.2,6-7
Matter and Fields
 

Quiz 1
5/24




Quiz 1
5/25 
Ch 21 1-5
Electric Potential, Electric Potential Energy

Group Problem 1

5/26 

Group Problem 1
3 5/29 

Memorial Day
HW 2


5/30
Ch 21.7-8
Capacitors

Quiz 2



5/31 



Quiz 2
6/1 
Ch 22

Currents and Resistance; Kirchhoff's Laws, Power

Group Problem 2

6/2 

Group Problem 2
4 6/5
 


HW 3 
6/6
Ch 23

Resistor Arrangements; Multiloop Circuits
 
Quiz 3

6/7



Quiz 3

6/8 
Ch 23
Capacitor Arrangements; RC Circuits

Group Problem 3
6/9


Group Problem 3
5 6/12



HW 4
Exam 1: Ch 20-22 (E1-E2)

6/13 

Ch 24.1-4
Magnetic Fields 


6/14




6/15

Ch 24.5-7
Magnetic Forces


6/16 

 
6 6/19
Juneteenth


HW 5 


6/20 

Ch 25.1-25.2
Motional EMF

Quiz 5
6/21 



Quiz 5
6/22 

Ch 25.3-4
Faraday's Law


Group Problem 5
6/23

Group Problem 5

7 6/26 - 6/30 :: Summer Break
8 7/3 



HW 6 

7/4 
Independence Day


7/5 



No discussion
7/6 
Ch 25.5-7
EM Waves, Polarization


Group Problem 6
7/7 

Group Problem 6

9 7/10 


HW 7

7/11 
CH 17.1-2
Double Slit Interference

Quiz 7
7/12 



Quiz 7
7/13 
Ch 17.3-4
Thin Films and Gratings

Group Problem 7
7/14

Group Problem 7
10 7/17 



HW 8
7/18 
Ch 18.1-3
Reflection and Refraction

Exam 2: Ch 23-17.4 (E1-E2)

7/19 




7/20 
Ch 18.4-7
Image Formation Mirrors, Lens

Group Problem 8
7/21

Group Problem 8
11 7/24 




HW 9
7/25 

Ch 19.1-4
Optical Instruments 

Quiz 9

7/26 




Quiz 9
7/27 

Ch 30 1-4
Nucleus; Binding Energy; Stability
Group Problem 9
7/28 


Group Problem 9
12 7/31 

HW 10
8/1
Ch 30 5-6
Radioactivity


8/2 

8/3
Exam Review
HW 11


8/4 


13 8/7 
Final Exam: Ch 18,19,30; Cumulative
8/8
No class
8/9

8/10
No class

Academic Honesty Policy and Honor Code

Background

We go to great lengths to ensure that our physics course is administered fairly, by setting clear goals (what is needed to attain each grade) at the outset, by providing materials (lectures, homework, office hours, reviews) to help you reach those goals, and by assessing progress towards those goals using easily understood procedures (exams, quizzes, iClicker, online homework). We pledge to do the best job we can to make the material understandable and to bring out the best in every student.

Course Policy

Maintaining the integrity of the grading process demands fairness and compassion on our part and honor on your part. Accordingly, we take a very hard line on cheating in any form, including

  1. Providing or copying answers on exams or quizzes
  2. Taking an exam or quiz for another student
  3. Entering online homework answers for another student
  4. Distributing or copying exam or quiz questions
  5. Obtaining course homework solutions or software algorithms from external sources, including websites or companies that give away or sell such solutions or algorithms.

Any person caught cheating in any form will fail the entire course automatically and will be subject to Honor Court penalties.  Furthermore, we expect students to not tolerate cheating of any kind and to report incidents to your instructors.

Honor Code

The Dean of Students Office  website  has a detailed discussion about academic honesty and the University of Florida Honor Code, which was adopted by the Student Council. The Honor Code says

We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. 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."

Disability Services

Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center by visiting our  Get Started page . 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.

Requesting an accommodation letter to be sent to instructors via the course email address (phy2054@phys.ufl.edu) is sufficient for receiving accommodations, as long as the letter is received at least four working days prior to the deadline for assessments. Letters received less than four working days before the assignment deadline will have the accommodations applied for the next and subsequent assessments.

Exams: Students requesting accommodations on exams must complete the testing center ATR prior to the four-business day deadline, as described on the DRC website. Students not meeting this deadline elect to complete the exam without accommodations during the nominal exam time at the location advertised on the exam information page. Therefore it is imperative to submit the ATR timely to enable use of your accommodations.

Submit the ATR so that the start time matches your extended time accommodation:

1.5x students:  Start time of 6pm or later.
2.0x students:  Start time of 5pm or later.
2.5x students:  Start time of 4pm or later.


Online Course Evaluation

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of  instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. 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 ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/

Campus Resources

Health and Wellness

U Matter, We Care:
If you or a friend is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu or 352 392- 1575 so that a team member can reach out to the student.

Counseling and Wellness Center: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/Default.aspx, 392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS) Student Health Care Center, 392-1161.

University Police Department, 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies). http://www.police.ufl.edu/

UF Student Success :  For improving study skills to connecting with a peer tutor, peer mentor, success coach, academic advisor, and wellness resources, go to http://studentsuccess.ufl.edu

Academic Resources

E-learning technical support, 352-392-4357 (select option 2) or e-mail to Learning- support@ufl.edu. https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml.

Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601. Career assistance and counseling. http://www.crc.ufl.edu/

Library Support, http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/ask. Various ways to receive assistance with respect to using the libraries or finding resources.

Teaching Center, Broward Hall, 392-2010 or 392-6420. General study skills and tutoring. http://teachingcenter.ufl.edu/

Writing Studio, 302 Tigert Hall, 846-1138. Help brainstorming, formatting, and writing papers. http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/

Student Complaints: https://www.dso.ufl.edu/documents/UF_Complaints_policy.pdf

Course Summary:

Date Details Due