Sunday, October 13 (11:00 a.m.)

 

A quick note here about the HW grading process.  Normally the graders will be returning your scored HW assignments a week after their due date (and you need to drop by my office, Wngr 283, with your OSU ID, to pick them up).  However for the first assignment, HW0, it will take them longer than a week--due to the length of the assignment and their own course loads (early projects and midterms, as it turns out).  So HW0 will not be available for pickup until next week (but I did post all solutions to HW0 last Monday, as scheduled).  This is an exceptional case:  HW1-2 and most future HW assignments will be returned on time.  That means you should be able to pick up both HW0 and HW1-2 next week.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, October 1 (8:00 a.m.)

 

The Contacts page is now posted and should be correct.  Just a reminder:  Your lab TA is not the same person as your HW grader.  (Turn in your HW assignments to your HW grader, via the box # iindicated.  All such boxes are located on the 2nd floor of Wngr, just outside Wngr 234.)

 

Also, I am now checking with the bookstore as to the textbook situation--I know that some of you are still waiting for books.  In the meantime, today I will be placing some copies in the Reserve Books section at the library.  I'll post those call numbers as soon as I can.  Thanks for your patience about this--we'll soon get all the start-up wrinkles worked out.

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, September 27 (1:00 p.m.)

 

Hello and welcome to PH 211!

Please check this Announcements page at least once every day to stay updated on the course throughout the term.

 

This web site is still under construction and may not be completed until shortly before classes start.

 

 

In the meantime, here are some first items to note....

 

-- There is a required textbook (which is available now at the bookstore--and I have more comments below about the textbook and related materials).  But there is no printed lab manual to buy this term.  All lab activities/assignments will be posted online as we go along.

 

-- We will be using Turningpoint clickers in class, starting on Wednesday, October 2.  You will need to register your clicker for this course--and for that one task, you will need to go to the Blackboard listing for this course (PH 211) and follow the instructions there.  That is the one use we make of Blackboard for this course.

 

-- Week 1 of classes starts Monday, September 30.  We will have a full three lectures (MWF) during Week 1.  The first labs and recitations will meet on the Thursday of Week 1 (October 3).

 

-- The full course Syllabus is now posted under the link on the home page here.  Take some time to read this thoroughly.  The first couple of pages is all the usual nuts-and-bolts stuff you'd expect in a one-sheet paper syllabus, but the rest is important to know, too.  It's in .pdf format, with quick-jump links, so hopefully it's easy to find everything.  If you still have questions about how the course works after reading the Syllabus, please feel free to e-mail me.  And as always, check these Announcements daily--common questions are often addressed here, too.

 

-- The Course Calendar is posted as a pdf that shows an overview of the whole term.  You'll want to look at this daily, too, for as assignments and other materials are readied and posted, their links will change color on the Calendar:  Click on green links for posted class notes (and pre-/post- class materials), purple links for lab materials, blue links for homework (HW) assignments, and red links for exams.  Note that if you're also enrolled in the recitation portion (optional for some majors, but required for others), that's a separate course (PH 221), with its own web site--click here.

 

-- More about textbook options:  In PH 211 (and also continuing through PH 212 and PH 213), we will be using Knight's book, "Physics for Scientists and Engineers" (3rd ed.), bundled with Mastering Physics (the E-book access package).  So if you're going to be taking the full 211/212/213 sequence starting this term, you have a choice:  Here at OSU, we have asked the publisher to break down the full hardcover textbook into three custom volumes.  So:  You can either buy what you need term-by-term (so just get the OSU Custom Vol.1 + Mastering Physics package for this term, then OSU Custom Vol.2 by itself for Winter and OSU Custom Vol.3 by itself for Spring); or you can just get the full hardcover textbook + Mastering Physics package now.

 

     If you're acquiring a used textbook--so that it's not packaged with Mastering Physics--then you'll then need to make a spending choice about Mastering Physics, which you'd have to purchase separately (for $70-$90) if you want it.  "What?  Isn't Mastering Physics required?"  Yes and no.  Yes, if you're just now purchasing a new textbook, I do want you to get one of the packages that includes Mastering Physics, because I will be providing some very useful online study items from it--but nothing that you would turn in to earn actual credit toward your grade.  So technically, you could get along without Mastering Physics.  I "require" the book packages that include Mastering Physics because, when it's bundled in, it's a great deal (about $10 or less), and for that I think it's worth having as one of your study resources--just like the student workbooks and the solutions set that also come as part of the package.  So if you're bringing a used or stand-alone book, you must be the judge about whether the study material I'm recommending from Mastering Physics is worth your separate purchase of that online access.  You might want to ask a classmate who does have the access to let you browse and try out some items to see if they're helpful to you.  As with all academic materials, different formats and presentations work better for different people.

 

     Finally, if you're considering using an earlier edition of the textbook (again with above caveats about Mastering Physics, etc.):  Just be aware that there may have been changes to page or item numbers from one edition to the next.  So anytime I refer to items or passage from the textbook, if you're using an older edition, you'd better double-check with someone who has the latest (third) edition to make sure you're looking at the right content.  I have to leave this up to you, though--I can't post materials for more than one edition--so just be aware of this.