The course comprises two equally important components that operate in parallel. 1) Lectures that cover the conceptual aspects of the material. 2) Recitation/Workshop sections that are devoted to applications, questions and problem solving. The course also has been designated to carry one unit of upper-level writing credit.
Lectures will be given on Monday and Wednesday 1230 - 1350 hours in B&L106 commencing Wednesday 5 September. Lecture notes will be distributed in class to minimize note taking in an effort to make classes more of a learning experience. Some demonstrations will be given in class. Attendance of lectures is obligatory since there is considerable experience that shows that the most successful students in courses are those with the best attendance records. If unable to attend a lecture then contact the instructor to ensure that the missed material is covered.
Recitation/Workshops will be an integral part of this course. You will meet once per week, for up to two hours, with a group of about ten other students plus a leader. The basic idea of the workshop concept is to institutionalize the study group with the addition of some leadership and supervision. At the workshop sessions, students will work through sample questions and conceptual exercises designed to elucidate the material taught in class, while the recitation component will address solving homework problems. The purpose of the workshop leader is to facilitate the discussions rather than lecture or provide answers. The workshop leaders will record your attendance and level of participation at workshop sessions and this will taken into account in the final course grade. Workshops will commence the week of September 10. You MUST sign up for a workshop section by Sunday September 10. Sign up at https://spider.pas.rochester.edu/signup/PHY235-07/ and follow the instructions. The section size is limited so you will have more choice if you sign up early. Only those registered for the course will be able to access the signup page. Send an email to Cline@pas.rochester.edu listing your full name, ID, class year and major if you cannot access the signup page. Recitation sections may be moved in time to accommodate schedule conflicts.
Problem sets will be assigned weekly to illustrate and enhance the understanding of material taught in class. They will be posted on the P235W web page. Lectures will emphasize concepts while the problem sets and workshops will emphasize quantitative problems. It may be necessary to grade only a selection of the questions for each homework problem set due to manpower limitations; it is felt that instructor time is better spent providing guidance during workshops rather than grading homework. Solutions to the problem sets will be posted on the P235W website one week after the assigned deadline. Note that examinations will emphasize quantitative problems, thus it is crucial that you take the time to learn to solve the assigned problems every week, prior to looking at the solutions. You will seriously reduce the chances of a high grade in this course if you do not expend the consistent effort needed to learn how to solve quantitative problems.
A Term paper will be assigned that requires you to write a 5 to 10 page paper that applies what you have learned in classical mechanics to one specific application of your choice. The topic must be approved by Professor Cline to ensure that the topic and scope are appropriate to P235W. The term paper also forms the basis for satisfying one unit of upper-level writing credit. Satisfaction of the upper-level writing credit component requires submitting a <1 page written outline of the paper to Professor Cline for approval. Students must meet with a Writing Fellow from the Writing center to discuss the format and quality of the first draft term paper prior to submitting the final term paper for grading.
Reading Assignments will be given prior to each lecture. Reading assignments will be given prior to each lecture.The knowledge gained from this pre-lecture reading should enable you to extract more from each lecture. Reading Taylor, or Thorton and Marion, in parallel with the lecture notes is important. It is crucial that students keep up with the material since each lecture is based on understanding material presented in prior lectures. The calculus of scalar and vector fields as well as gravitation will be covered as reading assignments since this material should be familiar to you and there is insufficient time to cover this material in class. Lecture notes will be provided on these two topics.
Office Hours. Contact your workshop leader, or Professor Cline, whenever you need help and arrange mutually convenient times to meet. Office hours will be posted on the P235W web page, but help will be available at other times. Students should take advantage of the office hours and help provided by the instructors.