Course Syllabus

Course Number: PHYS 1602 Semester: Fall, 2019

Course Name: General Physics

Text: University Physics, 14th Edition, by Young and Freedman. A subscription to

MasteringPhysics is required.

Classroom and Meeting Time: Stevenson 4327, TR 2:35 pm to 3:50 pm

Instructor Information:
Name: Dr. Sourish Dutta
Office: 6711, Stevenson Center
Office hours: 2:10-3:00 PM Wednesdays and Fridays, or by appointment. [Note: Office
hour times might change. Please check class announcements for updates]
E-mail address: sourish.dutta@vanderbilt.edu

Course Description
This is the second half of the introductory physics sequence, intended primarily for
engineers and pre-med students. Topics include electricity, magnetism, optics and modern
physics. When solving problems, you will use algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus,
and vector math.

Serial Number
You will be assigned a unique four-digit serial number for this course. It will NOT be the
same serial number you had if you took a course with me earlier. You can find your
serial number in Brightspace under “Grades”. Please memorize your serial number
and/or keep it handy (perhaps on your phone). You will have to correctly write your
serial number on each test, and also at the time of signing up for MasteringPhysics (see
below).

MasteringPhysics and TopHat

A MasteringPhysics subscription is required for this course and is essential for HW. We
will use TopHat for in-class questions and activities.

To purchase your MasteringPhysics subscription or log into the course, please go to

www.masteringphysics.com. To join TopHat, please go to https://tophat.com/sign-up/ .
Use the appropriate course ID and join code from the table below:

MasteringPhysics Course ID TopHat Join Code

MPDUTTA5704439 Join Code: 570553

At the time of signing up for MasteringPhysics,

 Please make sure that the name you use exactly matches your name on
Brightspace.
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  Please enter your 4-digit serial number when prompted for an ID as discussed
above (please do not use your email address or vu-net id)

Course Materials, Lectures and Class Participation

Textbook: Reading the textbook is essential in this course. However, it is not necessary
to use the latest edition of the text and you can feel free to purchase an older edition if
you wish.

Course Materials: All course materials (lecture notes, old tests etc) will be posted at the
following link: http://bit.ly/1602-F2019 Since lecture PowerPoints are drafts which I
keep on changing till right before class, it might not be a good idea to print them till after
the lecture.

TopHat: Throughout the lecture sessions, I will ask questions and assign mini-exercises
through TopHat. While the TopHat questions will NOT count for credit, they are
essential to your understanding of the material.

PowerPoint problems: In addition to the multiple-choice TopHat questions, the lecture

PowerPoint slides contain a number of longer problems. It is extremely important to work
these problems out in detail after class. Many of these problems illustrate important ideas
or mathematical tools that might be useful on tests.

In class, I will work out a few of the example problems on the lecture slides, but the
majority are for you to try at home. We do not have enough time to work out every
problem in class! Remember that simply watching me solve a problem on the board
(or reading the solution to a problem) is only marginally useful - you learn a lot more
from figuring the problem out on your own. For the same reason, solutions to HW or test
problems will usually not be posted online. I will, of course, be happy to discuss these as
necessary in class and/or in office hours.

Class participation: I tend to think of lecture sessions as two-way discussions. You are
encouraged to listen actively, think critically and ask me as many questions as you need
to. When a student catches a mistake I make in class, that totally makes my day! No
matter how silly you think your question is, chances are that several other students have
exactly the same question. So if a question comes to mind, by all means, raise your hand
and ask! In addition, I often randomly call on students with questions. I will always
assume that you are paying attention and are fully up-to-date on what is being
covered in class. Active participation will go a long way towards preparing you for tests.

Communication
You will be responsible for any information communicated via your Vanderbilt.edu
email, or as an announcement on Brightspace, or simply as a verbal announcement in
class. Not being present in class, or not having checked BrightSpace or your email will
not constitute a valid excuse for missing important announcements. Please make sure
you have Notifications enabled on Brightspace!

Email: Before sending me an email, please keep in mind the volume of emails I have to
respond to. If you could first make an effort to find an answer to your question on
your own (in the syllabus or by checking with your classmates) that would be highly
appreciated. You are welcome to email me if you still need help after that.

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 Please note that while I am happy to answer a quick conceptual question or briefly clarify
a point via email, I will be unable to discuss MasteringPhysics or PowerPoint
problems, or review photos of your work, over email. If you need help with problems,
please visit my office hours or use one of the tutoring resources.

Missed Class
There is no penalty for missing class, and I do not need to be informed about your
absences. Please note that you are responsible for everything you missed, and you need to
find out from your classmates (not me!) what was covered.

Homework
Homework must be submitted online through MasteringPhysics. The due date is usually
the day of the exam for that unit, unless otherwise mentioned. You can expect between
10-20 MasteringPhysics problems per chapter. You get unlimited attempts for each
problem, and a tiny bonus (1%) for not using the hints (if applicable). Late
MasteringPhysics homework will incur a 10% grade penalty for each day late. No credit
will be given for MasteringPhysics HW done after the final deadline (the last one before
the final exam).

Tests and Final Exam

There will be three midterm exams and a comprehensive final on the dates shown on the
calendar. The questions on the tests will be mostly similar to ones assigned on the
homework and discussed in class. The dates of the tests and material covered might
change, and you will be given adequate notice of any such changes through
announcements in class.

All tests will be multiple-choice, unless otherwise mentioned. For the multiple-choice
portions of exams, the answer marked on the scantron will be treated as final, so
please double check your scantron before submitting. If a student indicates one
answer on the scantron and a different answer on the test, in fairness to the whole class, I
will only grade the one on the scantron.

The midterms will together make up 60% of your grade, and the final exam will account
for 25%. One of the midterms will be dropped. If your score on your dropped midterm
is at least a C (70-79%) you will be able to add an extra 0.50% to your overall grade
(1.00% for a B or higher), if necessary to advance to the next letter grade. The final
will be cumulative, but with emphasis on the topics covered since the last midterm.

Missed Tests: A missed test gets a score of zero, unless you have an excused absence in
the form of a letter from a designated University official (usually on account of illness or
University-approved travel). Arrangements for a replacement test will normally be made
for excused absences, only if I am informed beforehand.

Calculators: A basic scientific calculator is necessary for this course, and will be
essential on tests. Make sure your calculator has enough battery charge before a test!
Smartphone calculators are unacceptable for tests. Sharing calculators on tests is not
allowed.

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 Grading
Class Component Weight
Syllabus Quiz, Introduction and other online activities 0.25%
MasteringPhysics 14.75%
Midterms (drop lowest score) 60%
Final 25%
The course letter grade is determined according to the following point ranges:
0-59 = F, 60-69 = D, 70-79 = C, 80-89 = B, and 90-100+ = A. Plusses and minuses are
determined by the standard 3-point scale used at Vanderbilt (i.e 80-82 = B-, 83-86 = B,
87-89 = B+ etc). Fractional percentages of 0.50% or higher are rounded up, and 0.49% or
lower are rounded down.

Please note that:

 I do not curve. The grade that your numbers add up to will be the grade that you
get.
 I determine grades STRICTLY by the numbers. Since grading criteria must be
the same for all students, they cannot account for individual personal goals or
needs to maintain academic standing or scholarship status. Therefore, I do not use
any extraneous considerations to modify students’ grades on an individual basis.
 I apply the same grading policies to ALL students. Often at the end of the term
students propose a variety of alternative grading schemes to boost their own
grades (for example, “Can you give more weight to my HW and less to my final”,
etc). My policy is to be fair to the entire class and apply the same grading
calculation to everyone.

Classroom Behavior
In class I expect you to behave professionally at all times, and to engage fully in the
learning process.

I have very little patience for tardy behavior which impedes the learning process for all of
us. Examples of behavior that I consider tardy, offensive and disruptive include:
 Idly chatting with your classmates during lecture presentations. This is very
distracting to an instructor, and it is particularly annoying to the people
around you who are trying to pay attention. Most students don’t realize the
extent to which their in-class chatting bothers students around them. I often have
students email me complaining about how their neighbors’ conversations make it
difficult for them to concentrate.
● Using your smartphone/laptop for purposes unrelated to the class during lecture.
Please note that if you are idly surfing/chatting/texting on your phone while a
lecture is ongoing, you are violating the conduct rules of the class. If you have
an emergency and have to keep checking your phone in class let me know
beforehand.
 Sleeping in class.
 Cell phone noises in the class
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  Working on activities unrelated to the class.
 Coming to class late. I understand that occasionally you might be late for reasons
beyond your control. In these situations, please use the rear entrance and slip in as
unobtrusively as possible. No penalty will be applied if you use the rear entrance.

You can be asked to leave the class for any of the above (or similar) instances of
tardiness.

Each instance of tardiness will result in one (or more) point(s) being subtracted
from your letter grade for the course.
Tardiness penalties will be applied to your grade and visible on Brightspace either
through the semester or at the end of the semester. You will not necessarily be notified
every time a penalty is applied.

Suggestions for Studying Physics

 Problem-solving is an essential element of this course. Tests will consist of problems
similar to the ones assigned on the homework and discussed in class. The only way
to improve your problem-solving skills is through regular study and systematic
practice. To do well on tests, at the very least you should be comfortable solving
o all the assigned HW problems
o all problems discussed in my PowerPoint lectures, including the ones skipped
in class.
o all worked out problems in the text
 It is essential that you understand the basic physical concepts and principles as
thoroughly as possible before attempting to solve problems. Several readings of the
text and multiple reviews of class notes are often necessary to clarify concepts and
theories.
 Remember that each chapter builds on the ones preceding it. For example, the
material in Chapter 6 uses ALL the material in chapters 1-5. So falling behind is not a
good idea.
 I would suggest the following sequence of activities (which you might need to tweak
depending on your learning style):
o Read (or at least skim) the chapter before class
o After class, review the PowerPoint lecture slides, and read through the
relevant sections of the text. Work through the PowerPoint problems
discussed in class as well as the ones omitted. Don’t worry if you can’t do
some of them – you can always come back to them later.
o Once you have a feel for the material, start the MasteringPhysics homework.
Your goal should be to work out each problem on your own.
o If necessary, for additional practice, work through the solved examples in the
text, or pick random chapter-end problems from the text.

 I would highly recommend neatly writing up the solutions to all HW problems, as

well as problems in the PowerPoint slides, for easy reference while preparing for
tests.
 If you get stuck on a problem, don’t give up easily! Remember that all students get
stuck on one problem or another. Try re-reading the relevant section from your text or
class notes to see if you are missing a concept. Taking a break and coming back to
that problem later often helps. If you are certain you have tried your best on a
problem, only then should you seek help on it. After viewing the solution to the
problem, make sure you work it out again without looking at the solution!
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  Try to complete all the assigned HW problems while the chapter is being discussed in
class and the concepts are fresh in your mind. Do not attempt to do all the HW the
evening that it is due – you will not get anything out of it.
 Please note that the majority of your learning in this course comes from working
through problems. If you excessively rely on online solutions, you will not build your
own critical thinking/problem solving skills.
 The assigned HW is the minimum amount of practice that one would require to
internalize the concepts in each chapter. Many students do additional practice
problems from the textbook. You can feel free to attempt odd-numbered problems
(which have answers provided) from the relevant sections of the text for extra
practice.
 Working in groups can be extremely useful.

Honor Code
The Vanderbilt Honor Code applies to all work in this course.

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