PHYS 435 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Physics 435 Course Description

Lectures

Lectures take place MWF 9-9:50 am in 151 Loomis. Lectures are in-person only; there is no Zoom or asynchronous option. Lecture notes will be posted on the course schedule the weekend after class so you can refer to what we discussed.

Phys 435 uses optional mandatory attendance, which means you can elect to receive up to 10% of the points in the course by attending the lecture in person. Please indicate your preference in the physics gradebook by Sunday, August 27, 2023. After Aug 27, your response is final and you cannot change it. We will start taking attendance on Monday, Aug. 28. Attendance will be taken during class using iClickers. Your lowest attendance score will be dropped, i.e., you can miss one class without penality.

To participate in the attendance program, you will have to get an iClicker. You can purchase one new at any of the local bookstores. There are also many cheap ones for sale on EBay. Be sure you register your iClicker in the gradebook.

Homework

There will be one homework set assigned each week. Homework will be posted on Wednesdays on the course syllabus and will be due at 5 pm on the subsequent Wednesday. Homework will be handed in, graded, and returned using Gradescope. Please create a Gradescope account, if you do not have one already.

A 30% penalty will be charged for late homework handed in by 5 pm on the Wednesday a week following the deadline. After that time, no credit will be given.

Use Gradescope code G246E7 to add Phys 435.

Discussions

Discussion sections take place on Mondays in person in 4036 Campus Instructional Facility, during which you will break up into tables of 3-4 people and work E&M problems. The purpose of Discussion is to get you talking physics with your classmates and the TAs, which is an important part of how real problems get solved. Grading is pass-fail and based on whether you engaged with other people and succeeded in solving the problem.

Exams

There will be three hour exams as indicated on the course syllabus. They will take place in person in class and will be handed in on paper, and returned during your Discussion section.

Academic Integrity

All activities in this course, including documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence, are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.