Course material can be found online at URL
http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys283/phys283.html
Michael Richmond
Building 76 = CAR, Office 1274
Office phone: 475-2538
FAX: : 475-5988
E-mail: mwrsps@rit.edu
Monday 9:00 - 9:50 AM ROS-A310 Wednesday 9:00 - 9:50 AM ROS-A310 Friday 9:00 - 9:50 AM ROS-A310
Monday 10:00 am - 11:00 am Tuesday 11:00 am - noon Wednesday 11:00 am - noon Thursday noon - 1:00 pm
It may be necessary to run some Office Hours via Zoom. In that case, I'll use this Zoom ID:
You may call to make an appointment. If my office door is open, feel free to enter.
In order to use the on-line homework system, you need to know your login name and your initial password. Your "login name" should be the same as your last name, but with lowercase letters only; something like richmond. Your initial password should be the final 4-digits of your student RIT student ID, so if your ID is 456781234, the initial password would be 1234. Include all zeroes: if your ID is 456780012, then your initial password will be 0012. You can change your password from the default after you log in for the first time.
Answers to the homework problems will appear after the due date. Because the answers will be visible to everyone at that time, I will accept no late homework.
15 percent in-class quizzes and exercises
20 percent homework
30 percent two tests (15 percent each)
35 percent final exam
4 percent optional extra credit assignments (2 percent each)
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104 percent
Course grades are based on a total of 100 percent.
If your score on the final exam is higher than that on at least one of the two tests, I will replace the lowest test score with the final exam score.
At the end of the course, I shall calculate the total score for each student. Based on the overall distribution of scores in the class, I may use the traditional means of assigning letter grades to scores ("A" for greater than 93%, "A-" for 93% to 90%, "B+" for 90% to 87%, etc.); or I may slide the grade boundaries downward to some degree.
If you know in advance that you will have to miss a test, or if you miss a test unexpectedly, you may request a makeup test. However, make-up exams are provided only in unusual circumstances. A request for a make-up exam must be submitted in writing to your instructor. Submission of the request is in no way a guarantee that it will be approved. All requests are considered by the instructor on a case-by-case basis. Whenever possible, you must allow sufficient and reasonable lead time for a considered response to your request.
There will be no makeups for in-class material or homeworks. Instead, students may complete extra credit projects.
The on-line book is
The recommended references are
But there are many other books on this topic, some of which are quite reasonably priced. For example,
The Academic Success Center provides tutors both on campus and on-line. See the ASC webpages for Math and Physics tutoring.
If my office door is open, please feel free to visit.
If you have any special needs, you must inform me during the first week of classes. Otherwise, I may not be able to make arrangements in time to help you. Please contact me after class or at my office.
The academic demands in this course and your other classes can be understandably difficult. It is normal to feel anxious about your academic ability, especially when unexpected life events emerge. Please let me know about any difficulties you have in this course as soon as possible. Your success is important. I want you to get the additional assistance needed before the challenges become too much.
Please read RIT's Policy on Academic Integrity , section D08.0 of the Policies and Procedures Manual. I will follow this policy strictly if there is any evidence that students have violated it; that is, if there is any evidence of cheating, duplicate submission, or plagiarism.
You are welcome to bring laptops and smartphones into the classroom in order to view course materials. I will ask questions in class which require one to access the Internet, so please bring a device with you. However, you may not use your device to engage in activities not related to the class, such as
These activities will disturb other students, in addition to distracting your own attention. If you are discovered to be using your device for activies unrelated to class, I will take your device from you for the remainder of the class, or you will leave the room.
Students who break these rules multiple times will be subject to further penalties.
RIT provides many resources to help students deal with difficult situations. The document below contains a list of organizations and offices that can help you, both on-campus, and nearby.
This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Jan 6, 2022.