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AP Physics C: Mechanics with Calculus / 2015-2016
Contact information: Phone: 720-886-2252; email: mkelly29@cherrycreekschools.org, website: www.astrostrider.com
Office Hours (by appt): Room 138; Office Hours: Periods 2A, 4A and 4B, and 2:45-3:30 Mondays, Thursdays
Introduction:
This class is one year physics course, using calculus, equivalent to Physics I (mechanics) at a University. It is ideally suited for students planning to enter science or engineering careers. AP Physics-C is a very demanding course and will require a lot of time and hard work. The course covers Newtonian Mechanics in-depth and provides instruction in each of the following seven content areas outlined in the syllabus. You are expected to take the AP Exam in May and you can expect to receive college physics credit. If you intend to use your AP Physics score for college credit then it is your responsibility to research if the college you intend to enroll in will accept it. Colleges have differing policies in regard to accepting College Board AP scores, so it would be wise to look into this.
Syllabus:
Kinematics
Newton’s laws of motion
Work, energy, and power
Systems of particles, linear momentum
Circular motion and rotation
Oscillations
Gravitation
Textbook: Fundamentals of Physics, 9th ed., by Halliday/Resnick/Walker, 2001, John Wiley & Sons. Your textbook must be appropriately covered at all times. Papers should not be “stored” in your book. Treating your textbook like a file cabinet will break the binding. Replacement cost for your textbook is $145.00
WORK REQUIREMENTS: All work must be done on standard size, clean-edged paper. Try to write as if you would like me to understand your ideas, i.e. clear and legible using standard English. Use full sentences whenever possible for conceptual questions and show all work for computational problems. Your full name should appear at the top right. If there is more than one page it is to be stapled at the top left (no binders, paper clips or folds). Work turned in without meeting these specifications will be returned to you for re-submission after correction.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: I am committed to academic honesty and scholarly integrity. All members of the CT community are expected and encouraged to contribute to this environment by observing all accepted principles of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: plagiarism, copying homework, cheating, fabrication, grade tampering, misuse of computers and other electronic technology, and facilitating academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is the act of claiming credit for knowledge which is not your own. This is a common mistake made by many students and you will be trained on how to avoid the problem. Those found in violation of the academic integrity policy may be subject to disciplinary actions including a grade of zero for the particular assignment, temporary removal from the class, or more serious sanctions under the CCSD code of conduct.
DUE DATE POLICY: All assignments are assigned a due date. Assignments can be placed in our class in-box anytime until 3pm on the due date. Work turned within five school days late will be penalized 10 percent for each calendar day. After that no late work will be accepted unless you explicitly speak to me about the special circumstance that prevented you from completing the assignment. This policy does not apply to online homework assignments, which are due on the due date. You are usually given one week to complete these online assignments and due dates are not negotiable.
Turn your work in early to avoid penalties! You may resubmit work to earn back points for extra credit if the original assignment was handed in on time and if the corrections are written on a separate page stabled to the original assignment. This resubmitted work is only allowed for assignments handed in on time and is due within 3 school days of the due date. Re-submission work for online homework assignments must justify your answer and be written in full sentences and include calculations where appropriate. Resubmitted homework must be handed in prior to the answers being posted on the website.
RECORD KEEPING: Keep any work I return to you until the end of the semester. You can monitor your class grade progress though the Infinite Campus student portal.
EXAMS: Exam dates will be announced at least one week in advance. Any dates announced prior to that are to be tentative. Due to unforeseen circumstances or special events an exam may have to be rescheduled. Exams are usually held after every two units. All exams have two components, multiple choice (30-40 questions) and free response (3-4 problems). The first semester final exam will be a full 1.5 hour test in the AP format. Before the actual AP test, students are given an AP Physics C test as a mock that counts as the second semester final exam. If you miss one of the regular Exams or quizzes you must make it up at the Testing Center within five (5) school days of the scheduled exam date.
You cannot score well on these exams unless you have thoroughly read the assigned textbook sections, attended lecture periods, and completed the online practice problems. Those students who complete the assigned online practice problems will be allowed to retake an exam should they not receive a passing grade.
Tutorial periods: If you are having difficulty with the class or are concerned about your grade please see me. I sincerely want to help you do your very best in this class. The best way to get extra help is to see me during after school or during office hours.
Lab Attendance: The course utilizes guided inquiry and student centered learning to foster the development of critical thinking skills. The course includes a laboratory component comparable to a semester long, college level physics laboratory. Full credit (10 points) is awarded for beginning on time and successfully completing the assignment. You will generally have to show your work to me before receiving full credit. Lab grades will be assessed based upon lab quizzes or by written report. Missed lab sessions must be made up within five (5) school days of the lab date and will be submitted in a full lab report format.. Students spend a minimum of 20% of instructional time engaged in laboratory work and will record lab results and observations in a lab book.
Work groups: In college, work groups are necessary to survive. I heartily recommend that you establish a work group. Groups work well with up to 4 people. You may use these groups for online homework, lab write ups, and reviewing for exams and quizzes. For some projects I will assign work groups.
Math requirement: Introductory differential and integral calculus is used throughout the course. Students should have already completed or be currently enrolled in AP Calculus. Students in Calculus AB will learn and use derivatives and integration in AP Physics concurrent with their Calculus class.
Grading: 40% tests and quizzes, 20% homework, 20% labs. and the final exam is worth 20%. Grading scale: A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%
