Exams

There will be three exams during the term:  one in September, October, and November.  Any changes to the exam schedule will be made by the end of the first week of class.  If the schedule of the course changes, the content of the exams may be adjusted, but you can plan in advance for each exam date.  For this reason, there should be no missed exams, except in the case of emergencies or unavoidable conflicts.  In the case of an unavoidable conflict, you must notify me at the earliest time to be eligible to make up the exam.  In the case of an emergency, be prepared to provide documentation if you wish to petition for a makeup opportunity.  Missing an exam is very serious.  Only one make-up exam will be given, near the end of the term, and it will be comprehensive.  Calculators may be used on the exams, but not notes.  If you do not have a scientific calculator, you should get one before the first exam.

There will be a comprehensive final exam at the end of the term.  You must make every effort not to miss the final exam. 

The exams will each contain a selection of problems similar to the ones in the homework. You should write you answers as neatly as possible to achieve the greatest possible credit.  Be complete, and show all equations used.  If you are not sure of the equations, try explaining what you would do in words.  Just because you are stuck on a problem does not mean you should panic.  Use strategy to get as much credit as possible on the problem.  Do not turn in blank problems if you can avoid it.  Partial credit will be awarded generously on exams, if you provide enough information to merit it.

A common complaint in courses such as this is that the students will say they did well on all the homework, but could not work the exam problems.  This is usually a result of incomplete preparation.  The exams test your knowledge more completely than the homework, since they cover more material and force you to make decisions about which concepts apply to the problems.  In the homework, this is usually obvious, since you have just studied the material. 

You can help avoid difficulties on the exams by going back and reading the chapter after you did the homework, so that you are sure you understand the concepts and their physical meaning.  Physics is not about finding the equation that has the same symbols in it as your problem.  Those symbols have a meaning, and you will do much better in the course if you take the time to learn the physics behind the equations. 

Another way to avoid problems on the exams is to be sure you can work every problem yourself.  Working through someone else’s solution is no substitute for puzzling through the problem on your own.  Those frustrating moments (or hours) when you can’t figure out which equations apply, or when you don’t seem to have all the variables you need, are the same moments when most of your learning is occurring.  The amount of hard effort you put into this course is directly proportional to what you will get out of it.  There are no shortcuts to learning physics.