Wonders of Technology - PHYS 107

Spring 2008

Syllabus

Please read the VCU Honor System statement located at: http://www.students.vcu.edu/rg/policies/honor.html

Clear and convincing evidence of honor system violations in this class will result in the submission of formal written charges to the Office of Judicial Affairs & Academic Integrity. Under these circumstances the instructor does not give warnings or ask students for explanations.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires VCU to provide an "academic adjustment" and/or a "reasonable accommodation" to any individual who advises us of a physical or mental disability. If you have a disability that requires an academic adjustment or accommodation, please arrange a meeting with the instructor as soon as possible. Additionally, if your course work requires you to work in a lab environment, you should advise the instructor or department chairperson of any concerns you may have regarding safety issues related to your limitation(s). Please contact the appropriate Coordinator of Service for Students with Disabilities to obtain an official memo detailing the academic adjustments or accommodations which you need.

Student Conduct

Students should familiarize themselves with the guidelines for appropriate student conduct as outlined in the VCU 2006-2007 Resource Guide. During class it is expected that inappropriate electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, etc.) are turned off.

What to Know and Do To Be Prepared for Emergencies at VCU

1. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (http://www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up-to-date.

2. Know the safe evacuation route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms.

3. Listen for and follow instructions from VCU or other designated authorities.

4. Know where to go for additional emergency information (http://www.vcu.edu/alert).

5. Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects.

Note to the students:

General and Announcements

Instructor: V. Adam Niculescu 

                                                   Phys107 spring 2008

The CPSOnline information

During the lecture, after a major point is covered or reviewed, a question about that point will be displayed and you will be asked to use your CPS keypad to respond. Remember:

CPS instructions.pdf

The class key is K35426G336

CPS - users guide and troubleshooting can be accessed at:

          http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/cps/troubleshooting.htm

Course Features and Requirements

‘Wonders of Technology’ is a General Education Course in Science. This is a 4 credit studio-based course. It is an introduction to physics concepts involved in everyday technological applications. The course covers selected topics in mechanics, heat, optics, electricity and magnetism by depicting their roles in common devices.

Segment I: The Lecture component is multimedia and interactive. During this period you are introduced to topics from life-related experiences.

During the lectures you will take lecture quizzes (by using a CPS RF) that contain questions from the homework and also from the material discussed at the lecture during that period. The lecture quizzes are worth 6% of the final grade.

There are no make-up lecture quizzes!

In order to pass you are not to miss more than three lecture quizzes. If you miss more than three lecture quizzes, you will earn an F in the course, regardless of the rest of your grades.

Segment II: The Studio

II A - The studio Projects (33% of the grade)

You will work on projects that have relevance to the topics discussed during the lecture. All students must participate in the studio projects and reach conclusions based on their own experimental results.

It is expected that you will perform the projects at the scheduled times, and hand in the reports within one week from the time of completion of the studio session.

Students must attend the studio and perform the experiment in order to receive credit for the project.

Reports for projects are to be done on the pages or copies of the pages in  the studio manual, or in some cases on handout sheets that will be provided during the class.

In order to pass you are not to miss more than 3 studio projects. If you miss more than 3 studio projects or you fail to hand in more than 3 studio project reports at the due dates, you will earn an F in the course, regardless of the rest of your grades. More details regarding the handling of the studio will be given at the studio.

II B -  Studio Quizzes (30% of the grade)

During the studio you will take studio quizzes, containing questions from projects already performed, the instruction given at the beginning of the studio, and also the demos the instructor will show you from time to time.

In order to pass you are not to miss more than 3 studio quizzes. If you miss more than 3 studio quizzes, you will earn an F in the course, regardless of the rest of your grades.

Segment III: Enrichment components are included in the homework, reading assignments, and during the studio component. During the hands-on projects, discussions of the topic, its relevance to personal life, technology, and other sciences will be conducted. The discussions focus on the interdisciplinary nature of the phenomena.

Homework will be assigned weekly and posted on the webpage of the course and will be due on the Monday following the week it is assigned. It is to be handed in at the lecture. Except for documented emergencies, homework assignments that are handed in more than one day late, will receive a grade of zero for the assignment.The homework is to be done as carefully and thoroughly as possible. Questions from homework are included in the lecture quizzes and final written exam

The homework is worth 6% of the final grade.

In order to pass you are not to miss more than 3 homework assignments. If you miss more than 3 homework assignments, you will earn an F in the course, regardless of the rest of your grades.

Note:

Because  of the full schedule, make-up projects and studio quizzes are not scheduled. If you miss a studio because of documented extenuating circumstances, e.g. illness, a family bereavement, you may attend another studio section during that week, provided you have received written approval from that instructor, and have notified your assigned studio instructor of this one-time change.

Under exceptional circumstances and with appropriate documentation, the instructor may allow you to make up one project and/or one studio quiz at the end of the semester.

Segment IV -  Term Project (13% of the grade) to be chosen and developed by the student with instructor supervision and assistance as needed.

A written outline is required by mid-semester, as shown on the schedule of activities. The written report on the project and the oral presentation are required at the last studio session of the semester. The project should have relevance to physics and to the extent possible, to the student's major or his/her other interests. All term project topics MUST be approved by the studio instructor. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your term project with your instructor well before the final presentation. For details on the organization of the term project, go to the end of this document.

A student who does not complete the term project earns an F for the course, regardless of the rest of the grades. There will be no make-up term project.

Segment V - Final Written Exam (12% of the grade) is comprehensive and contains questions from material covered at the lecture and the studio during the semester. It will be handled in a similar fashion with the studio quizzes. This is scheduled for the end of the semester.

Below is the schedule of activities for the semester. You should expect changes and adjustments to this schedule, thus, check it regularly .

Weekly Homework

The course grade will be computed this way:  

Science for non-majors offers an important chance to reach out to students outside the sciences, and try to give them some appreciation for the scientific process.  The benefits of analytical thinking learned from this process reach far beyond the realm of scientific inquiry.  A term project will allow each student to personally experience the scientific process.   

The term project is done by each student, outside the class, and is in the form of an actual experiment involving measurements of two variables.  Pure research papers are unacceptable.  Your lab instructor will give you specific guidance on selecting a topic and must approve the topic.

 Projects should follow the scientific method:

 1)     Pick a topic and conduct research in books or on websites

2)     Write a hypothesis based on your research

3)     Develop and describe an experimental procedure

4)     Perform the experiment with measurements

5)     Analyze the data, draw conclusions with regard to your hypothesis, describe sources of experimental error.

 Part I- Preliminary Draft

A preliminary draft of the project will be due week of March 24, 2008..  This typed draft will include the first three elements of the scientific method:  1) pick a topic and conduct  research on that topic   2) write a hypothesis   3) develop and describe the experimental procedure.

 Section One:  Topic and Summary of Research

Select a topic dealing with  physics and summarize the background research of the planned experiment.    

Section Two: Hypothesis

Use the information from Section One to state the objective of your project in the form of a hypothesis.  The hypothesis should relate to the information that you found in the reference sources.

 Section Three:  Procedure

This section will describe the method and equipment of the planned experiment.  The focus here will be on consistency and validity.  You will be manipulating variables and measuring the results. Your primary concern should be the restriction of outside effects.    The reader should be able to repeat your experiment based solely on your description. 

References (Mandatory!)

At least two scientific references must be provided to support your preliminary research. References usually cover the theory behind your project topic, applications of the science, or a description of what others have found while conducting a similar experiment.

 The preliminary draft will be returned with instructor comments week of March 31, 2008..  The remaining elements of the scientific method will be included in the final project.  All revisions must be included in the final project. Do not conduct the experiment until you have received written approval from your instructor.

 Part II- Term Project Report

The term project report is  due week of April 21, 2008.   This typed report will include a revision of the preliminary draft as well as the last two elements of the scientific process.

 Section Three:  Data

This section will present all data from the experiment.  Remember to use procedures learned in class: multiple measurements, averages, metric units, graphs and charts.  Charts and graphs should be correctly labeled and titled.  Units are a necessity. 

 Section Four:  Conclusion

This final section will provide an argument, based on your data, supporting or denying your original hypothesis.  This argument should also include comments on data accuracy and experimental error.

 Format

All reports must be typed and should be 5-10 pages in length including charts and graphs. 

·        Your name

·        Section #

·        Date

·        Title

·        Hypothesis and Summary of Research

·        Procedure

·        Data

·        Conclusions and experimental error

·        References        

Part 3- Oral Presentation

The term project will be presented at the lab week of April 21, 2008. This presentation will entail a 2 minute summary of the hypothesis, experimental procedure,  the resulting data, and conclusions.  Acceptable visuals shall include but are not  limited to poster boards, transparencies and PowerPoint.

 Use of VCU Equipment