Physics 140 General Physics I Mechanics

Course Info Fall 2016

Instructor
Dr. Yuri Popov
Email: yopopov@umich.edu (please use subject Physics 140 regardless of your message content)
Office: Randall 1480
Office hours: Monday and Tuesday 2:30 pm 4:00 pm (in the Physics Help Room, Randall 1416)
Registration/Enrollment/Administration Issues
Physics Student Services (please contact them first, before contacting the instructor)
Office: Randall 1440 (from the main entrance to Randall, it is the first door on your left)
Hours: Monday Friday 8:00 am 4:30 pm
Email: LSA-Phys-140@umich.edu
Phone: 734-936-0659 or 734-764-5537
Course Website
Hosted on Canvas, the universitys course management system: https://ctools.umich.edu/gateway/
Select Canvas in the upper right corner, login, and then select Physics 140 200 in the menu.
Classes
Monday Thursday 10:10 am 11:00 am in 182 Weiser
i-clickers
To test your understanding in real time, we will be using electronic response units called i-clickers.
If you do not have one, please purchase an i-clicker unit from the Computer Showcase ($38).
Details: http://computershowcase.umich.edu/remotes/
Register your i-clicker on Canvas (in the i-clicker section) by the class time on September 7.
Textbook
H.D. Young and R.A. Freedman, University Physics with Modern Physics, 13th edition, volume 1.
Read the sections of the textbook listed in green on the Syllabus before each class.
Prelectures and Checkpoints
Prelectures are sets of videos that should be viewed before certain classes (on average twice a week;
see the Syllabus for red due dates/times), and checkpoints are sets of questions that should be
answered on the same days. Both prelectures and checkpoints are administered electronically on the
Flip It Physics website: http://www.flipitphysics.com
Please register on Flip It Physics and join our course site. You will need a Course Access Key. The
Course Access Key for this class is P140F2016. Access to the website costs $30. Purchase access
directly on the Flip It Physics website during your registration process.
Homework
Due midnight on Tuesday nights (see the Syllabus for exceptions).
Submit homework electronically on the Mastering Physics website: http://www.masteringphysics.com
Please register on Mastering Physics and join our course site. You will need two codes: a Course
ID and an access code. The Course ID for this class is P140F2016. On the other hand, an access code
is different for every student and needs to be purchased. It allows you to subscribe for the website for
two years (i.e. it provides access to your future physics homework as well). If you purchased a new
textbook with Mastering Physics access, the textbook should include an access code at no extra cost.
Otherwise, without the textbook, an access code costs $69 and can be purchased directly on the
Mastering Physics website. Please make sure to select the correct textbook listed above.

Exams
Multiple-choice, closed-book (notecards allowed)
Three midterm exams: Thursdays, October 6, November 3, and December 1, 6:10 pm 8:00 pm
Final exam: comprehensive (on all topics), Friday, December 16, 7:30 pm 9:50 pm
Grades
Contributions to your final Physics 140-141 combined course grade:
4%
Prelectures and checkpoints (Flip It Physics)
8%
Class participation (i-clicker responses)
16% Homework (Mastering Physics)
20% Labs (Physics 141)
36% Three midterm exams (12% each)
16% Final exam
About a half (48%) of the final grade is given for elements that require extensive effort rather than
extraordinary brilliance (class participation, homework, labs). The other half (52%) of your grade
comes from your exam performance, i.e. determined by what and how well you have learned.
Letter Grades
Letter grade distribution will be chosen so that (1) more than half the class receives grades in the A and
B ranges (from B to A+) and (2) the scale provides continuity with past semesters, i.e. about the same
fraction of the class gets each letter grade as over the past few years.
Excused Absence Policy
The six lowest i-clicker scores will be dropped from your course grade at the end of the semester.
You may therefore miss up to six classes without penalty. This covers any absences necessary due to
minor illness, travel, job interviews, important events, religious holidays, emergencies, and
malfunctioning i-clickers. If you miss a class, you are still responsible for completing your homework.
Reporting Policy
All reportable issues must be reported within a week of their occurrence.
In-class Laptop/i-pad Policy
Laptop use for non-class purposes is strongly discouraged. Laptop use for entertainment purposes
(watching videos, playing games, checking Facebook, etc.) is distractive and expressly prohibited.
Piazza
A discussion board for Physics 140 is open on Piazza: https://piazza.com/umich/fall2016/physics140
Piazza is a forum to discuss physics issues and ways to approach problems as well as to help your
classmates or to ask your classmates, instructors, or learning assistants for help. Please do not post
homework answers or complete solutions on Piazza. It should not become a medium to plagiarize.
Physics Help Room
Staffed by a combination of faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students.
Most of them should be able to answer any questions on any introductory physics class.
Location: Randall 1416
Dates: Open on weekdays from Monday, September 12, to Friday, December 16
Hours: Monday Thursday 10:00 am 9:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am 5:00 pm
Physics Problem Roulette
The problem roulette website serves random problems from past exams given in introductory physics
courses at the University of Michigan. To access the problem roulette for Physics 140, please follow
this link: https://problemroulette.lsa.umich.edu