Physics 140 - General Physics I - Mechanics Course Info - Fall 2016
Physics 140 - General Physics I - Mechanics Course Info - Fall 2016
Physics 140 - General Physics I - Mechanics Course Info - Fall 2016
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