Physics 206 — Mechanics

Texas A&M University, Fall 2024

All University Physics Sections

Course overview

Physics 206, Newtonian Mechanics for Engineering and Science, is the first semester of a two-semester sequence in introductory physics, intended to introduce students to the basic principles of Newtonian mechanics and harmonic motion. We will cover topics in mechanics, Newton's Laws, the concepts of energy and work, conservation of energy and momentum, rotational motion, gravity, harmonic motion and waves. This corresponds to chapters 1–11, 13 and 14 of Young and Freedman's University Physics. The course is taught with pre-lectures, lectures, recitations and in-class particpation. The pre-lectures present the core concepts prior to class and allows more time for problem-solving strategies in class as compared to traditional lectures. The recitation is meant to practice problem-solving and to sharpen your reasoning about physics in a smaller class-size setting than the main lecture (which will have close to 150 students in it). The material is presented at a level that requires signficant algebra and trigonometry, as well as some basic calculus.

Upon successfully completing this course, you will have come to understand the basic principles governing the motion of objects, learned to think more critically/scientifically, and developed the skills needed to attack difficult problems. These are all skills that will serve you strongly in your future courses and careers, even if you never again consider a block sliding down an incline.

Course Schedule

The weekly class schedule gives an outline of the course, but is by no means definitive; check with your professor for a more complete schedule of your specific sections. Your online homework and pre-lecture assignments are listed in Mastering; the homework will generally be a chapter a week, while the pre-lectures will likely be due closer to your class (due dates will depend on your section/instructor). These assignments may be adjusted as the semester progresses to accomodate the pace of the class, so you should refer back to these calendars often to make sure you don't miss a deadline or extension. Information about the format of the recitations as well as problem sets used by your recitation leader may be found here: recitations.shtml.

Instructors

Policies

Absences Absences

• Only in the case of officially excused absences will a student be allowed to remedy a missed exam or recitation.
• Consistent with Rule 7.3, students are required to notify their instructor and/or their T.A. by the end of the second working day after their absence, and documented proof must be presented within three days of the last date of the absence. Otherwise, the student will receive a zero for the missed exam and/or recitation.
• Note: very few conditions qualify as an authorized excused absence, so avoid missing an exam at all costs!

Exams Exams

If you miss a midterm exam for a University-approved absence as detailed by Student Rule 07, fill out the Absence Reporting form found in Canvas and submit the appropriate documentation. There will be a makeup exam scheduled for the Thursday following an exam from 7:30-9:30 pm.

In the case of an excused absence for the comprehensive, the makeup will be scheduled for the Monday after Thanksgiving from 7:30-9:30 pm.

The use of calculators are allowed and strongly encouraged on exams. Students will want to have a calculator that can perform calculations using the basic trigonometric functions and their inverses, exponential and logarithm calculations as well as calculations using an arbitrary power. Calculators that can wirelessly connect to the internet are NOT allowed to be used. These include, but are not limited to, phones, laptops, smart watches, etc.

All calculators allowed on the SAT (list found here) are allowed for the exam.

Students that require accommodations for exams should not automatically schedule their exams with DR. We will be proctoring most students ourselves. Only schedule your exams with DR once you have been contacted by the course coordinators.

Homework Homework

• The absence policy described in Student Rule 07 does not apply to online submitted work (such as homework, prelectures or concept quizzes). See the syllabus for specific details.
• You should start working on the homework as soon as we start covering the material to avoid last-minute complications; if you wait until the day it is due to do the homework, you are much more likely to run into problems, either concept-related or from technical issues, neither of which are valid reasons for an extension.
• You MUST access the homework system the first time through the "Access Pearson" link on the left side of Canvas. After this you may access the course through the Pearson website if you choose.
• Each assignment is due two days prior to the exam in which that material is covered. Those due dates can be found in Mastering Physics.
• Late submissions are not accepted.
• Each incorrect answer to a problem reduces your credit for that problem by 1%. You have a maximum of 10 attempts per problem. For multiple choice problems, incorrect answers are reduced by 100%/(# of options – 1), e.g. if there are four options, you lose 33.3% per wrong guess.
• Your final homework grade is based on your average grade over all homework assignments.

Recitations Recitations

• Recitations are limited to 28 students to practice problem-solving in small groups. Recitations are led by graduate teaching assistants (TA). Your grade in recitation is based on active participation and discussion. If you are not contributing to the discussion at your table, you will not receive full credit for that day.
• If you have questions about recitations or why you were assigned a grade, you should start by contacting your TA. Their contact informaion is in their page on Canvas.
• There is no recitation during the first week of class. The first recitations will meet during the second week.
• If you need to miss a regularly scheduled recitation, make sure to fill out the absence form in Canvas. Contacting your TA is not sufficient to indicate excused absences.

Prelectures Prelectures

• Like most collegiate courses, students should be reading the chapter preior to the content ever being discussed in class. By gaining some knowledge before class, the lecture time can be used to help you grow and build a higher level of understanding. In order to encourage this, there will be a 4-6 question prelecture quiz in Canvas for each chapter. Students are expected to read each chapter and then complete the quiz before 8:00 am on Monday morning the week that chapter is to be covered. Students only get one attempt for each chapter, however you are encouraged to have your textbook available for reference while taking the quiz as you will be directed to use figures, equations and the content within it.

i>Clickers i>Clickers

• Students will only be using the iClicker Reef app that is accessible through a phone or computer. Physical remotes will NOT be used.
• Please remember that it is your responsibility to come prepared to participate with every day. Technical difficulties (unable to connect to wifi, couldn't log in, didn't answer in time, etc.) will not be reasons for your participation to be excused.
• Each instructor will have their own grading policy, however the iClicker averages will be normalized across instructors.

Concept Quizzes Concept Quizzes

• Concept quizzes are found in Canvas and are due two days prior to the exam in which that material is covered.
• These quizzes emphasize conceptual understanding and how some quantities vary with the change in others.
• Students are allowed to attempt each of these quizzes as many times as they want and the best score will be kept. Each time they take a quiz, they will get a different combination of questions, although the questions will be very similar with small details often being the only thing that changed. Be slow, careful and diligent with your reading of the questions.
• Students should attempt taking these quizzes after they have read the chapter and continually take them as the chapter is covered in class.

Course Evaluation

Exams	70% As listed on the class schedule, there are 3 common midterms on the evenings of Mon Sep 16th, Mon Oct 14th, and Mon Nov 11th. In addition, we will be having a common comprehensive exam covering all of the material in the course on Nov 25th, the Mon before classes end. All exams will be in person and are multiple choice. Each midterm exam will count for 15% of the overall course grade. The comprehensive exam will count for 25% of the overall course grade. If the comprehensive exam grade is better than the lowest midterm exam, the lowest midterm will be replaced with the comprehensive exam score. If any midterm grade is a zero due to an unexcused absence, use of improper calculator on an exam or other form of cheating, no midterm exam score will be replaced and the zero will stand.
Online homework	6% Submitted and graded using MyLab & Mastering.
Recitations	6% The grade for recitations is based on participation. See this page for more information. We strongly suggest you be an active learner and actively participate in the discussions of these smaller class-sized recitations.
Prelectures	6% The prelectures will be submitted through Canvas. Each quiz will be weighted equally.
iClicker	6% A personal response system used for in-class participation and/or quizzes. Each instructor will have a slightly different policy described on the first day and in Canvas.
Concept Quizzes	6% The concept quizzes are available to take in canvas. The quizzes can be taken as many times as desired and the highest score will be kept as a grade. These are meant to reinforce concepts that students have historically found challenging. Each time a quiz is taken, students will see similar but different questions. Students are encouraged to go slow, take their time and pay attention to detail.

Resources available to you

Further information

Math readiness:	link to some simple quizzes to test how prepared you are in math.
Custom pre-lectures:	videos we made to supplement the ones you normally do. We cannot embed them in Mastering, so these are not worth points; but you may find them useful. They follow Prof. Melconian's lecture notes very closely.
Formula sheets:	link to the formula sheets that will be provided to you for each midterm and the comprehensive exam.
Previous exams:	link to the exams from PHYS 206 last year (with answer keys). Note that this course adopts a common midterm exam policy: all sections of PHYS 206 will write the same midterms at the same time; your professor is only one of a number of faculty that will be contributing problems to the midterms.
Academic calendar:	link to the Registrar's academic calendar. Includes important dates, holidays and deadlines. Note that all sections of PHYS 206 take a comprehensive exam the evening of Mon Nov 25 (7:30–9:30 pm). Therefore we will not be having a final exam during finals week.
Canvas:	Texas A&M's centralized learning management system.

Academic Integrity Statement and Policy

"An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do."

"Texas A&M University students are responsible for authenticating all work submitted to an instructor. If asked, students must be able to produce proof that the item submitted is indeed the work of that student. Students must keep appropriate records at all times. The inability to authenticate one's work, should the instructor request it, may be sufficient grounds to initiate an academic misconduct case" (Section 20.1.2.3, Student Rule 20).

You can learn more about the Aggie Honor System Office Rules and Procedures, academic integrity, and your rights and responsibilities at aggiehonor.tamu.edu.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement

Texas A&M University is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. If you experience barriers to your education due to a disability or think you may have a disability, please contact Disability Resources in the Student Services Building or at (979) 845-1637 or visit disability.tamu.edu. Disabilities may include, but are not limited to attentional, learning, mental health, sensory, physical, or chronic health conditions. All students are encouraged to discuss their disability related needs with Disability Resources and their instructors as soon as possible.

Title IX and Statement on Limits to Confidentiality

Texas A&M University is committed to fostering a learning environment that is safe and productive for all. University policies and federal and state laws prohibit gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

With the exception of some medical and mental health providers, all university employees (including full and part-time faculty, staff, paid graduate assistants, student workers, etc.) are Mandatory Reporters and must report to the Title IX Office if the employee experiences, observes, or becomes aware of an incident that meets the following conditions (see University Rule 08.01.01.M1):

• The incident is reasonably believed to be discrimination or harassment.
• The incident is alleged to have been committed by or against a person who, at the time of the incident, was (1) a student enrolled at the University or (2) an employee of the University.

Mandatory Reporters must file a report regardless of how the information comes to their attention – including but not limited to face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Although Mandatory Reporters must file a report, in most instances, you will be able to control how the report is handled, including whether or not to pursue a formal investigation. The University's goal is to make sure you are aware of the range of options available to you and to ensure access to the resources you need.

Students wishing to discuss concerns in a confidential setting are encouraged to make an appointment with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Students can learn more about filing a report, accessing supportive resources, and navigating the Title IX investigation and resolution process on the University's Title IX webpage.

Statement on Mental Health and Wellness

Texas A&M University recognizes that mental health and wellness are critical factors that influence a student's academic success and overall wellbeing. Students are encouraged to engage in proper self-care by utilizing the resources and services available from Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS). Students who need someone to talk to can call the TAMU Helpline (979-845-2700) from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. weekdays and 24 hours on weekends. 24-hour emergency help is also available through the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800-273-8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.