SAINT JOSEPH'S PREPARATORY SCHOOL
ADVANCED PLACEMENT PHYSICS — C
COURSE EXPECTATIONS

September — 2011

Instructor: DEACON THOMAS P FITZPATRICK

Office Phone: (215) 978-1988
email: tfitzpatrick@sjprep.org

Web Page: http://www.mrfitzics.com

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Course Description:
This is a calculus based, college level Physics course. The course will follow the guidelines as published by the College Board. The entire AP Physics C syllabus will be covered. The content will include mechanics and electricity & magnetism. The goal of the course is to give the students a knowledge of physics commensurate with that which would be obtained in both semesters of a first year physics course in a physics or engineering course of study. At the same time, the students will be prepared to score well in both parts of the AP Physics C test given on the Afternoon of Monday, May 14, 2012. The mechanics exam begins at noon and the electricity & magnetism exam begins at 2:00 PM.

Laboratory experiments will be conducted to aid in the understanding of the concepts and to provide an opportunity to apply the principles of physics to the design and implementation of experiments and demonstrations.

Grading

Homework: (45% of quarter grade) Approximately one chapter will be covered each week. This is an intense and relentless work load. It is essential that each student keep up with reading and working problems. Problems will be collected as each chapter is completed. Homework problems will be graded according to a rubric that is available separately. Twenty percent will be deducted for each class day that any assignment is late. This means that no credit will be given for any assignment that is 5 or more class days late.

Lab Work and Quizzes: (20% of quarter grade) Each experiment must be followed by a lab report to be submitted within one cycle of the completion of the experiment.

Tests: (35% of quarter grade) Two tests will be given in each of the first three quarters and one test in the third quarter. These tests will be comprised of AP multiple choice questions and text book problems.

Fourth Quarter: In April, students will be given approximately 120 free response problems from earlier AP Examinations. These problems are to be completed and turned in before the student reports for the AP Test on Monday, May 14, 2014.

Semester Exam: The semester examination will consist multiple choice and free response questions from previous AP examinations.

Final Exam: After the AP Examination, students will design experiments to test physics principles. The submission of the proposed experiments will be in lieu of the final exam.

 

Absence or canceled school:
Absence for any reason and the closure of school have no effect on the date and time of the AP test. For this reason, the calendar must be strictly followed. When school is closed, or a student is absent, it may be necessary to schedule extra classes in order to catch up. This scheduling will be done with the cooperation of both the students and the teacher in order to be sensitive to the demands that are already impacting everyone. No student should be foolish enough to delay by even a day making arrangements to complete missed work.

Academic Honesty - Cheating is wrong for several reasons. Among them are:

⇒ Cheating is a lie. It attempts to give the impression that the student’s skills, effort and/or knowledge of the subject are greater than they are.
⇒ Cheating is stealing. It falsely gives a better grade to a student than that student deserves and leaves an honest student with a lower grade. This can ultimately result in a college admission or a job being given to a less qualified cheater and not to an honest, deserving student.
  1. Any student who copies another's work or allows another to copy his work, is guilty of cheating and will be given a zero for the assignment.
  2. In tests and examinations: Any student found to have cheated, attempted to cheat or made preparations to cheat will be given a zero for the entire test or examination.
  3. Lab Reports are to be the student’s own work. Only the data may be shared among the members of a lab group. Copying another student’s purpose, procedure, graphs and/or analysis constitutes cheating and both students will receive a zero for the report. In addition, using data obtained by others without one’s own participation is also cheating as is the fabrication of data.
  4. Students are not permitted to store any formulas or data in a calculator's memory except those explicitly mentioned by the teacher.
  5. School policy requires that all incidents be reported to the Assistant Principal for further action. Refer to the student directives for details.

Extra Help
Extra help is available after school each day in the Physics Prep room until at least except when meetings intervene. Before school, extra help is usually available in the Physics Prep room from approximately . Extra help is not available before school on test days. Help during the school day is available whenever a mutually acceptable time can be found. Students are encouraged to come for extra help in groups of two or three.

Requirements of the Course

  1. Class notebook It is recommended that a 3-ring binder be used but the student may choose whatever serves his needs the best.
  2. The text book.
  3. Pen or pencil.
  4. Calculator.
  5. Good attitude.

Text Books:  (These books are the property of the state of Pennsylvania and must be returned in good condition.)

Halliday, David, Resnick, Robert, Walker, Jearl.
Fundamentals of Physics Extended, 9th Edition
ISBN 0-471-23231-9
Copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Thomas Fitzpatrick
St Joseph's Preparatory School
Philadelphia, PA
31 August 2011 Valid HTML 4.01 Strict