Prerequisites

You should have completed Math 151 and be currently enrolled in Math 152. You should have also completed a semester of Mechanics (Physics 218 or the equivalent). Students are expected to have a working knowledge of plane and solid geometry, trigonometry, algebra, vectors, differentiation, and integration.

Textbooks

University Physics, 11th Edition, Volume 2, by Young and Freedman. You are also required to purchase a copy of the Physics 208 Lab Manual, 8th Edition, by S. A. Ramirez. (Optional: Study Guide and Solution Manual, by A. L. Ford.)

Recitation and Lab

Recitations meet in 119 Heldenfels Hall for the first hour, and then proceed to the Laboratory for the next two hours.
Students retaking the course should notify the instructor, to get credit for any lab previously completed. Note: Students retaking the course must attend the weekly recitation and take the weekly quizzes.

Recitation/Homework

Each exam will have some of its problems taken from the homework assignments (as well as the material covered in class). Recitation is a problem-solving session, where the recitation instructor will work problems and answer questions. During the semester about 11 weekly quizzes will be given in recitation. Each will test your ability to work one of the assigned homework problems or a similar problem from the text.

Exams

Exams will generally consist of problems similar in content and difficulty to the homework and the material covered in class. These problems will be workout type; the entire solution will be graded, and partial credit given for partially correct solutions. Your work must be shown - the answer alone is not sufficient. We will judge your use of physics in arriving at the solution! You can expect at least 1 problem to be something you have not seen, but that can be worked with the material presented in the course. You will be supplied with a standard formula sheet for each exam.  You must also bring a calculator to the exams. However, if you have a programable calculator, you may be asked to clear its memory before beginning the exam. If you miss an exam due to an excused absence as outlined in the University Regulations, you must contact your lecturer no later than the next class meeting following the missed exam to arrange to makeup this work. There will be a single course-wide makeup exam for those missing an exam that will be administered outside of normal class times. The Final Exam is comprehensive and lasts for 2 hours. It will consist of problems similar in content and difficulty to those seen in other exams. We also ask that you bring your student ID along with you to all exams for identification purposes.

Course Grade

Math/218 Quizzes

As a way of helping each student review important math and physics concepts seen before in previous classes, a leading Physics 208 teacher has constructed a set of quizzes using WebCT. Information on how to access these quizzes can be found at http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/WebCT/. If you wish the honor of having passed the math quizzes, you must take them until until you have recorded a perfect score. If you wish the additional honor of having passed the Physics 218 concept review quizzes, you must record 5 perfect scores. It is advisable to complete this work during the first week of classes, but no later than the week of the first exam. Again, this work is not required in the present section of Physics 208, but you should find it helpful (and fun), and it should boost your performance.