PHYSCS 240
Lecturer: Ms. Juliana Constantinescu,
Department
of Physics, UWW
Office: Upham
Hall #159 Phone: 472-5115
E-mail:
constanj@uww.edu
Office hours:
9:55 – 10:45a.m. Tuesday and Thursday
1:10–3:10
p.m Wednesday;
other
times by appointment
Office
hours are held by your instructor for your benefit. If you want to see your instructor and
do not have free time during an office hour, please make an appointment. Appointments may be made after class,
by phone, or by e-mail. Feel free
to contact your instructor by e-mail at any time. I check my email the latest
at 7:00pm. So if you write to me
after seven you cannot expect to receive an answer before the next morning.
This
course is a science course! This is a one-semester introduction to the physics of sound and
music! You canÕt wake up in the morning, walk down the street, or even
sit in an open, quiet field without experiencing sound. It is such a common phenomenon that
there is a tendency to think of it as very simple. In the way we use it everyday, it can be... but, look (and
listen) closer, and you will find there are innumerable facets to it,
especially when extended to the sometimes mysterious
realm of music. Why certain
musical sounds seem so pleasant while others grate endlessly (which ones do
which is, of course, a subject of taste) is a question that probably cannot be
answered in words, but it certainly can be considered in interesting ways.
We will explore the worlds of sound and music in this
course. Though this is a physics
course, and we will use some algebra, but most of the material will be presented in terms of concepts, pictures and activities.
¯ I hope you will be able to
understand, read, comprehend and discuss comfortably with your friends about
basic physical concepts of music and sound in general
¯ It would be expected from
you to be able to improve your
ability to recognize similarities and differences, recognizing patterns,
summarize information, generalize
concepts, identifying problems and understanding the context, being able to
research on your own and to collaborate with others, to work in team, to learn
how to collaborate and adapt, how to respect the diversity of individuals.
¯ More than everything else, I hope you will
be able to respect yourself for being able to face the challenge of approaching
new topics and teaching yourself how to deal with unexpected subjects and / or
problems.
Course Prerequisites
Intermediate Algebra 760-141
Text: The Physics of Sound, 3rd ed.
Berg & Stork.
Contact
Hours, Homework Hours and the Grades You Receive
Many students want to
know how much time they should be putting into this course in order to get a
particular grade. Unfortunately, because each student comes to this
course with different study habits and differing abilities in first-semester
high school algebra, I can give no single answer. What I can tell you is
that the university sets a minimum level of effort which each student must
devote per credit earned for all courses at the university, a minimum found
in Section V-C, page 1 (revised 1992 August 1), of the University Handbook:
Source: Office
of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
The
following defines how many hours of in-class and out-of-class time is required
per credit.
A minimum of 800 minutes (sixteen 50-minute classes) in the classroom
with the instructor equals one credit of class time. Out-of-class work
must be included and must total a minimum of 1,600 minutes per credit.
The credit/hours can be offered in a variety of
formats. However, courses offered in non-conventional time configurations
must identify, in the course proposal, a time frame to accommodate a minimum of
800 minutes of direct contact per credit and a minimum of 1,600 minutes of
out-of-class work for each credit offered.
Physics of Sound (PHYSCS 240) is a three-credit course
that meets, two times per week
If you are not
receiving the grade you think you deserve, ask yourself if you are putting in
the minimum amount of study time outside of class that the university expects
you to spend. If not, then you have additional work to do. If you
are putting in that level of effort and getting a C when you want a higher
grade, then you must realize that each person may need to study much longer
than the university-sanctioned minimum in order to earn higher grades.
Most of you already know how much effort it takes to get B's and A's in
demanding college courses. Some of you do not and will learn it in this
course: welcome to the Real World.
Learning tools, Progress
evaluation and Requirements
In
many courses you have had before, the professorÕs responsibility was to lecture
and your responsibility was to take notes and memorize the material.
In
this course, my responsibility is to find ways to help you learn astronomy and
your responsibility is to actively engage in your own learning process .
Participation
on each and every class is necessary to fully understand the material. The reading of your book
is not going to be enough for you to consider as an accomplishment for this
course.
á
Active engagement with nearly daily group
activities. It is my belief that you can only learn a limited amount of
information from lecture alone, no matter how clear or entertaining .
Therefore, this course is composed
of a series of mini-lectures that will be augmented by collaborative classroom
activities. You are strongly
encouraged to consider these activities as a critical component to your success
in the course.
á
There are homework assignments and/or small
projects that will be given to
you at the end of some lectures. In some occasions I will assign a set of homework problems or a specific topic
that you have to research and write a paper on, you are to complete the work on your own time and submit it one
week later in class. I will communicate all information about assignments in
class. No late homework will be accepted for ANY reason without an official
excused.
You
will be expected to t y p e your answers clearly, completely and on your
own. Point will be deducted from your grade for homework required to be typed and handed in not typed
When answer questions, donÕt copy fragments from your book. I expect
you to read and answer questions from the homework, using your own words. When
you are using web information, I expect you to read and answer using your own
words.
I encourage you to work with
someone else, but you need to turn in YOUR OWN ANSWERS/ HOMEWORK, NOT TO COPY
THE SAME ANSWERS. HOMEWORK FOUND WITH SIMILAR MISTAKES WILL BE CONSIDER
PLAGIARISM AND RECEIVE A ZERO GRADE.
Group Activities: There will be graded in-class group
activities. These activities are included so that each student will learn to
use basic measuring apparatus and methods. These activities may be made up if
missed due to university-sponsored events, but prior approval is needed. Activity
assignments received more than one class period after assigned will receive
half credit.
Papers: There will be at least a combination paper/project
assigned. These papers will be on topics related to the material under
discussion and may involve analysis of a physics problem or reporting on Web
sites devoted to a physics topic. The purpose of these papers is to increase
your ability to communicate about interesting physics topics in a clear and
coherent manner. You are expected to cite any references using the APA
style http://library.uww.edu/GUIDES/APACITE.htm and all papers are to be in your own
words. Papers may be checked for uniqueness via software and Internet search
engines.
á
DO NOT just copy a paper from the Internet! This is called plagiarism.
á
DO NOT copy a paper from somebody else!
This is called plagiarism.
á
DO NOT
just compile quotes from the sources that you found in your paper. Quotes may
be used sparsely, where they support a point that you are trying to make.
Papers that are full of quotes with not much of your own text and thinking will
receive a low grade.
á
DO NOT
forget the reference list at the end of your paper.
Points are subtracted for a missing reference list.
Your papers/projects will be presented during
the semester: you will form the team, select the topic of your final project by
February 12, 2009.
AS A FINAL COMPLETE PROJECT, YOUR TEAM WILL WRITE A
PAPER ( AT LEAST THREE PAGES LONG AND 6-7 PAGES THE MOST) AND CREATE A POWER
POINT PRESENTATION;THIS PAPER, A LIST OF WEB SOURCES AND ANY OTHER SOURCES YOU
USED AS REFERENCES, A BIBLIOGRAPHY
AND GRAPHYCS ( IF NECESSARY) A COPY OF THE POWER POINT ( AS A HANDOUT FORMAT)
WILL BE GIVEN TO THE INSTRUCTOR ONE LECTURE PRIOR TO YOUR PRESENTATION. The presentation should be 10 to 15
minutes long and it will be presented in front of the class. All members of the
team need to be part of the presentation. Professional dressing and presentation
appeareceances is required.
Keep copies of the paper and
the power point presentation for you because papers will not be return to you
Late
papers lose 10% per day starting when the bell rings for class. If you have
problems with this you must talk to me BEFORE things are due.
The project will count 15% of your final grade.
OCCASIONAL SMALL QUIZZES will be given in class to
help remember concepts and review information previously presented in class and
used by students for homework.
á
Two Summary Examinations
and a Final Examination will be given during the course. The Final Exam will
cover all the course material.
á
Attendance to class is REQUIRED. Your attendance and full participation
at each class period will be an essential component of your success in the
course.
á
Carefully studying the text is
REQUIRED!. You are accountable for all material, concepts, and
interrelationships presented in lecture, the book text and Lecture tutorials.
Reading assignment should be completed BEFORE the class lecture. It is
important to remember that exams will cover material from the text readings
that may or may not be discussed in class.
1.
There will be no make-up of missed homework assignment,
regardless of the reason for the absence. If you are absent form the class when
the homework is assigned, you are expected to obtain the problem from a
classmate and hand it in at the required time. A missed homework assignment
will be recorded as a zero grade.
2.
There will be no make-up of missed quiz, unless you have an
excused absence for a University activity, family emergency or health problem.
A written documentation is required and you have to inform the instructor in
advance.
3. Attendance
at examinations is mandatory. Those with excused absences will be able to make up the exam ( once) at the
scheduled date by your instructor. Permission to miss an examination must be
obtained from the instructor prior to examination. Family emergency, University
activity and health problems need to have written documentation. Those with
unexcused absences will be given a
zero grade for this portion of the course; the unexcused absence to the regular
date of your exam will you the
permission to come at the make up time scheduled for that particular
The Final
Exam will cover all the course material and be of the same form as
Summary Examinations. However will count 1.5 times as much as a single Exam.
Grading policy: SUMMARY: examinations 45%
quizzes 5 %
assignments 10%
in
class activities 18%
term-paper
15%
TOTAL
POSSIBLE = 100%
GRADE ASSIGNMENTS:
88%<A<100%; 78%<B<87%; 66%<C<77%; 56%<D<65%; F<55%
CALCULATOR
POLICY
Successful
completion of this course requires your possession of a scientific calculator
with at least the power of the Casio FX -300 series. You are expected
to bring working scientific calculator to every class. Three or
more non participation in class activity with your calculator will bring a 3 points deduction from your grade each time you will not bring your calculator in class
If
you do not already own such a calculator, a Casio fx-300 series calculator or
an equivalent can be purchased at Wall-Mart for about $15. Of course, you may
use as expensive a scientific calculator as you wish to purchase, provided it
possesses the functions available on Casio fx-300 series.
Policy
of cellular phone
The cellular telephone would be turned off during class periods and
lectures time.
YOU
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE CELLULAR PHONE AS A CALCULATOR DURING ANY EXAMS!
Cell phones will not be allowed during final exam: if you will bring it with
you will leave at the instructor desk and pick it up at the end of the exam.
Attendance Policy and Defined Excuses
Attendance
is expected.
Students
are expected to participate fully in class discussions and in-group assignments.
o
Show the instructor documentation for missing class for a university
sponsored event as soon as possible in advance of the absence so
that arrangements may be made for makeup. Absences for university-sponsored
events will not count as an absence in recording grades.
o
In case of illness or
other unavoidable reason for missing, it is the responsibility of the student
to contact the instructor within 24 hours and be able to
document the reason for being absent. In the case of illness and other
unavoidable absences, only the first three ones will be
excused.
o
You can have three unexcused
absences over the semester. Each absence, after these, that is not
excused, will bring zero points to
your grade for that day for in class activity
o
Missing a class is not a legitimate excuse for
turning in assignments late.
Special Needs
Statement
Students with special needs should contact the
instructor to make appropriate arrangements.
Religious
Beliefs Accommodation
Board of Regents policy states that students'
sincerely held religious beliefs shall be reasonably accommodated with respect
to scheduling all examinations and other academic requirements. Students must notify the instructor,
within the first three weeks of the beginning of classes (within the first week
of summer session and short courses) of the specific days or dates on which
they will request accommodation from an examination or academic
requirement. For additional
information, please refer to the section of the University Bulletin and
the Timetable titled, Accommodation of Religious Beliefs.
Academic
Misconduct
Academic dishonesty
includes such things as cheating, inventing false information or citations,
plagiarism, and helping someone else commit an act of academic dishonesty. It usually involves an attempt by a student to show possession of a
level of knowledge or skills that she or he does not posses.
á
Cheating is
the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any
dishonest, fraudulent, or unauthorized means.
á
Plagiarism is
the act of taking the specific substance of another and offering it as oneÕs
own without giving credit to the source.
The University believes that academic honesty and
integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education and of the
University of Wisconsin System.
The University has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and
integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of
academic dishonesty. Students are
responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the
appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others' academic
endeavors. Students who violate
these standards are subject to disciplinary action. URS Chapter 14 identifies procedures to be followed when a
student is accused of academic misconduct. For additional information, please refer to the section in
the Student Handbook titled, Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures.
Absence for University Sponsored Events
University policy adopted by
Faculty Senate and the Whitewater Student Government states that students will
not be academically penalized for missing class in order to participate in
university-sanctioned events. They
will be provided an opportunity to make up any work that is missed; and if
class attendance is a requirement, missing a class in order to participate in a
university event will not be
counted as an absence. A
university event is defined to be
any intercollegiate athletic contest or other such event as determined by the
Provost. Activity sponsors are
responsible for obtaining the Provost's prior approval of an event as being
university sanctioned and for providing an official list of participants. Students are responsible for notifying their
instructors in advance of their participation in such events.
The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events. (For details please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate Timetables; the ÒRights and ResponsibilitiesÓ section of the Undergraduate Bulletin; the Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Bulletin; and the ÒStudent Academic Disciplinary ProceduresÓ [UWS Chapter 14]; and the ÒStudent Nonacademic Disciplinary ProceduresÓ [UWS Chapter 17]).
* This syllabus conforms to the "Common
Syllabus" resolution S 95-96: 09 of the Whitewater Student Government.
Tentative
Schedule*:
* I reserve
the right to modify this schedule if necessary.
|
Class |
Date |
Chapter |
Topic |
Additional
activities |
|
1 |
Jan-20 |
Chapter
1 |
Intro/course
overview |
|
|
2 |
Jan-22 |
|
Simple
Harmonic Motion |
|
|
3 |
Jan-27 |
Chapter
2 |
Waves
and Sound |
|
|
4 |
Jan 29 |
|
Sound
Propagation and Speed |
|
|
5 |
Feb 3 |
|
Beats
– The Doppler Effect |
|
|
6 |
Feb 5 |
|
Standing
waves |
Guest
visit |
|
7 |
Feb-10 |
|
Standing
waves - overtones |
|
|
8 |
Feb-12 |
Chapter
4 |
Synthesis
of complex waves |
|
|
9 |
Feb 17 |
|
Analysis
of tone quality / review for exam |
|
|
10 |
Feb-19 |
|
Mid Term – Exam 1 |
|
|
11 |
Feb-24 |
Chapter
6 |
Human
Ear / Perception of sound |
|
|
12 |
Feb 26 |
|
OhmÕs
Law of hearing/ masking /
hearing problems |
|
|
12 |
March -
3 |
|
Student
presentation |
|
|
13 |
March 5 |
|
Anatomy
of vocal sounds / Voice |
|
|
14 |
March 10 |
|
Analysis
of vocal sounds/Communicative disorders |
Guest |
|
15 |
March 12 |
|
Student
presentation |
|
|
16 |
March 17 |
Chapter
7 |
E&M
/ electrical circuits and OhmÕs law |
|
|
17 |
March 19 |
|
Mid term exam2 |
|
|
18-19 |
March
22-March 28 |
|
SPRING
BREAK |
|
|
20 |
March 31 |
Chapter
8 |
Refraction
and diffraction/ Room acoustic |
|
|
21 |
April 2 |
|
Problems in Acoustical design |
|
|
22 |
April
7/9 |
|
Visit to
Young Auditorium |
|
|
23 |
April 14 |
Chapter
10 |
Woodwind instruments |
|
|
24 |
April 16 |
|
Student
presentations/Building instruments |
|
|
25 |
April 21 |
Chapter
11 |
Brass
instruments |
Guest
visit |
|
27 |
April 23 |
Chapter
12 |
Stringed
instruments |
Students
guests(?) |
|
28 |
April 28 |
|
Student
presentations |
|
|
29 |
April 30
|
|
Possible
visit to GETZEN company |
|
|
30 |
May 5 |
Chapter
13 |
Piano |
|
|
31 |
May 7 |
|
Student
presentation |
|
FINAL
EXAM
Monday May
18, 2009 1:00-3:00 pm Room #166