Homework

Homework begins with reading the textbook. You should always try to read the sections being discussed in class ahead of time, so that you will not be confronting new material in the lectures. Physics should be read with a pencil and paper at hand, so that you can work through the examples and be sure you understand any difficult points. You can then come to the lectures prepared to ask questions about anything you couldn’t understand on your own. If you get behind on the reading, the course can be much more difficult than it has to be. It often helps to read the material more than once. You should find that you understand much more of it after you have done the problems.

After you have read the sections being discussed in class, you should start on the homework from those sections. The Giancoli text shows which problems come from each section. You should start on the appropriate problems immediately, and not wait until just before they are due. Working the problems will help you understand the rest of the chapter much more completely.

Between 15 and 20 problems will be assigned for each chapter. The odd-numbered problems in Giancoli have answers in the back. You can use these problems to gauge your progress. The even-numbered problems will be turned in on the due date for grading. Each problem counts 1 point, but partial credit may be given. Late homework will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made, or an acceptable excuse is provided in case of emergency

You may find it helpful to discuss problems with other students. I have set up a discussion page on the campus Blackboard system to facilitate such discussions. However, you should never let someone else do the homework for you. This is the surest route to a disappointing final grade. You can easily deceive yourself into thinking you have understood the material, only to discover otherwise when you take the exams. It is not enough for the solutions to the problems to make sense to you. You must develop the problem solving skills to complete them on your own. Make sure you understand everything on your own.

In the graded homework, neatness counts. The grader will not be asked to assign grades to answers that cannot be read or easily found. The problems must be in order, written with ample space, and the final answer clearly indicated. Any submitted papers must be stapled together. You should include a sentence or two when it would help explain your answer, especially if you are hoping for partial credit. It is also useful to do as much as the problem as practical algebraically, rather than substituting numbers immediately. This makes it much easier to catch errors and to understand your methods. The grader must be able to understand how you arrived at an answer. Answers with no explanation will receive no credit, even if correct. Be sure to include correct units in your answer. No physics answer is complete without units. It is best to carry the units through every step of the calculation, to be sure they are correct in the end.