Phys. 111 Sec. 01 Spring 2009 Syllabus


Instructor: Prof. János Bergou

Office: HN Rm. 1205
Email: jbergou@hunter.cuny.edu
Tel.: (212) 772-5254
Office Hours: Monday 2:00pm-3:00pm or by appointment.
Textbook: Fundamentals of Physics, Volume 1, by Halliday, Resnick and Walker, 8th edition (Wiley, 2008, ISBN 13: 978-0-470-04473-5)

Academic integrity: Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty.  The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.

Course Description
The course will attempt to cover most of chapters 1-16.  Omitted sections will be announced as we proceed.  There is tutoring available at the Physical Science Learning Center: Hunter North 12th floor, Room 1219.

 

Pre- and Co-Requisites

Algebra, calculus, trigonometry and some geometry are prerequisites of PHYS 111.  Students with a poor mathematical background do not do well in this course.  If you do not have the necessary mathematics background, it is recommended to obtain it before proceeding with PHYS 111.  The pre-requisite course is MATH 150.

 
Course grade
There are two midterms and a comprehensive final exam.  The grading is described in the table below.  The higher scoring midterm counts for 25% and the lower scoring midterm counts for 15%.  If a student misses a midterm it counts as zero, there are no make-ups!  The exam questions are of problem solving types.  The Lab counts for 15%.  The Final is cumulative it counts for 45%. 

Midterm 1

25%

 

Midterm 2

15%

 

Lab

15%

 

Final

45%

 

Total

100%

 

 
Credit/No Credit Grading Option
Credit/NoCredit is not an option if PHYS111 is part of your major/minor requirement or if you are a pre-professional student.  Credit/NoCredit was instituted to allow students to take courses outside their major as a means for broadening the student’s background without penalizing the student.  So, before selecting this option, check with your departmental advisor and be aware that many colleges, professional schools, and employers may look with disfavor on Credit/No Credit grades and may even convert Credit to C and No Credit to F for their purposes, as described in the Hunter Catalog. If you do select the Credit/No Credit option, you must complete all course assignments, including the final examination.
IMPORTANT: if you choose the Credit/No Credit option, you must do so by the last class, using the official college form (you can obtain it from the Registrar's Office). Credit/No Credit requests will not be accepted after the final examination.

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday January 26th first day of classes
Sunday February 15th last day to drop a course (delete from record)
Thursday March 26th last day to withdraw from course with a “W” grade
Friday May 15th last day of classes
 

LAB

The lab is the same as for Physics 110.  It is an essential part of the course, and no grade is given without completion of the lab.  If a student is repeating the course and has completed the lab in a previous semester, it is not necessary to repeat the lab.  The lab average from the preceding semester will be used in determining the course grade.

Exam Schedules

Date

Type

Time (always in Room 1311HN)

Chapters

03/04/09

First Midterm

Wednesday March 4

9AM - 11:00AM

Chs. 1-6

04/22/09

Second Midterm

Wednesday April 22
9 AM - 11 AM
2nd MT,
Chapters 19 - 22

Chs. 7-11

5/20/09

Final

Wednesday, May 20

 9 AM - 11 AM

Cumulative