Physics 1240 : Sound and Music

Syllabus

 

 

For convenient printing purposes, a slightly abbreviated syllabus is available here, in pdf format for downloading.

Contents:

 

Instructor: Steven Pollock

Office:  Gamow Tower F419

Telephone: 303-492-2495

E-mail: steven.pollock@colorado.edu

Course Website http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1240/

Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 - 1:45 PM, Duane Physics Building, room G1B30  

 

Steve Pollock's Office Hours (TENTATIVE -- subject to change, check back here)

I'm happy to work with you individually, as time permits! Please do check my virtual office hours first, your question may have already been answered!
  • Mon 1:30-2:30 in my office, Duane F419, for administrative stuff (e.g. grades, add/drop, general difficulties in the class).
  • Wed 1-2 and Thurs 10-11 in the Help Room (basement) for course content/homework questions.
  • You can also always email me ( steven.pollock@colorado.edu), or make an appointment outside of these hours.

TA Office Hours

We have two assistants in this class, available to discuss material and homeworks. We'll set up fixed times for these sessions and announce them here, subject to interest we can add more or change the times (so let me know!) You can always use the Physics Help Room (basement of Duane, below our class) M-F 9-5, look for a table with "Phys 1240" on it, and work with your fellow classmates. See also our help page with lots of links to resources.
  • Jeff Merkel (jeff@8housesdown.com), the Teaching Assistant for this class, will be available to review course material and homework problems. Wed evening, 7-9 (Duane G2B60, in the basement under the lecture halls)
  • Chris Rosen ( christopher.rosen@colorado.edu ), the Learning Assistant for this class, will be available to review course material and homework problems. Thursday 2-4 PM in the help room (or someplace nearby, we'll announce it here soon)

The course Graders may be consulted too:
 David Malaspina ( David.Malaspina@colorado.edu) Thursday 4-6 in the help room (or someplace nearby, we'll announce it here soon)
David Steussy ( David.Steussy@colorado.edu) (you can make an appointment for a time in the help room)

Course Intro

Musical acoustics is a unique area of study where "art" and "science" meet, providing a natural venue for learning about and appreciating science. This course will explore the generation and propagation of sound and your ear's response to it. We will study sound generated from musical instruments and by the human voice. There will also be an introduction to room acoustics, electronic synthesis, and digital sound.

 

Overall Course Goals

1. To learn the basics of musical acoustics.

2. Use physical concepts as tools to understand how sound and music works

3. Motivate and deepen your appreciation of scientific methods while building on your interest and understanding of sound and music

4. to have fun learning this stuff!


Required Text: Musical Acoustics, by Donald E. Hall, 3rd edition, (Brooks/Cole, 2002).

Note that clickers are required for this course! Please register it as soon as possible.

 

References on Reserve in the Math/Physics Library 

There are several useful books on reserve for this course: ask the librarian for a list. (This library is just upstairs from our lecture hall. There is a good public computer room next door too.)

 

Prerequisites:  No special background in physics or music is required. Basic math and logical thinking skills, enthusiasm, curiosity, and an open mind will be essential!

 

Reading:  is a critical part of 1240. Reading the text (and articles) before class is very important. Class time is to clarify your understanding, to help you make sense of the material that you have already started thinking about outside of class. I will assume you have done the readings in advance! Reading assignments will appear every lecture. (Extra readings, beyond the text, may be assigned from time to time.)

 

Class Participation:  is another essential part of the course! This class is intended to be engaging and supportive. Don't try to "hide" in the back! Plan on attending and participating every day.

 

Homeworks will be assigned every week. There are two different kinds of homeworks(!) Each is important, and addresses different learning goals in the course. (More information is also available here)
  • Due EVERY TUESDAY (by noon, half hour before class): Online participation
    Here I will ask you to come up with at least one question you have about the reading. Additional questions may be about upcoming material which you aren't expected to know yet - it's a pretest to help me target lectures more effectively, or learn more about the class and how it's working. Any real effort will give you full credit (but your question has to be a real (serious) question on the reading!), and we will never take off any points on any of the "survey questions" no matter what you say, so please just be honest, thanks!
  • Due every THURSDAY (by midnight): CAPA (Computer assisted physics assignments)
    CAPA is an automated homework system, used for calculations and some multiple choice/conceptual questions. It also serves as a way to input "long answer" (essay/explanation) type questions.
    For CAPA problems, you should work out the answers before you log on via the web to "hand it in". Each CAPA set is personalized (same problems, different numbers or details). You need a "pin" to sign on (different each week!), but you can have the system email this pin to you (go to the CAPA login page, there's a link there). Or, just pick up your personal hard copy in the basement. For the "long answer" questions, the entry system is crude. I recommend you write out your solutions elsewhere, and copy and paste into the CAPA entry blank. The system will lose any pretty formatting - do NOT try to include "formula code" or figures, no fonts, no attachments - just type in plain old text. (If we really need sketches or something, from time to time I *may* have you turn in a homework in class on Thursday, we'll see! ) This part of CAPA is hand graded after the set is due (by real people!)
    Some advantages to CAPA: you will have instant feedback on how well you are doing on all quantitative questions, and will have opportunities to change answers without penalty at any point up to the deadline (as long as you haven't gone over a maximum number of tries on any given problem, usually a half dozen.)
Deadlines: There is simply no mechanism to turn in late homework or online participation (I post solutions, and the systems shut out late entries). But, please note that I do drop one of almost everything! (That means one CAPA, one online participation, and 3 days worth of in-class participations are automatically forgiven, no need to ask me or explain.)
Don't panic if your clicker dies or you forget it one day - but deal with it quickly, that's how I know you're participating. (Please don't tell me you were there, there's no easy way for me to enter such info by hand.) That's one reason I'm automatically excusing three full classes worth of participation - more for forgetting your clicker (or dead batteries) than for skipping classes!

Homework solutions will be available on the Physics 1240 Home Page. The grades on homework will typically be very high, so failing to turn in more than one assignment, and thereby getting a 0 will have a big impact on your grade.

 

 

We encourage collaborative teamwork on homework , an essential skill in science (and highly valued by employers!) Collaboration is critical to anyone's success - most good ideas grow out of discussions with colleagues. As you study together, try to help your partners get over confusions, ask each other questions, critique each others homework. Teach each other. You will learn a lot! Note: While collaboration is the rule in any technical work, evaluations of individuals also play an important role. Exams will be done without help from others. For all assignments, the work you turn in must in the end be your own: in your own words, reflecting your own understanding. Plagiarizing classmates or other sources (e.g. web pages) without giving proper credit is grounds for failing an assignment. It's fine to talk with each other about how to do CAPA problems, but if this means giving (using) a formula they (you) don't really understand just to punch numbers into, to get credit - that's crossed a line... Copying long answer questions (or pieces of them, or slightly rewriting them) is outright plagiarism, please don't go there! Feel free to talk with me at any time if you are unsure of what this means, or if it applies in any given specific case!

 

Grades: the amount you will learn depends on how much thought and practice you put in distributed sensibly over the term. I set an absolute scale for guidance (see the web for details) This may be curved down (i.e. in your favor!) if appropriate. But I promise never to curve up past that. So, if you get above 90% in the course, you're guaranteed an A (or actually an A-) in the course. (I'll be delighted if everyone earned an A, it's certainly possible!) The overall course grade weighting will be as follows: (See here for finer details)

 

45% (total) for three exams (2 midterms and a final, weighted equally).
40% for homework. I drop one CAPA set.
10% for weekly online participation (See above - this is graded on effort, not "correctness". Again, I'll drop one week!)
5% for in-class participation (clickers are used for this) It's not about getting the questions right, just participation. I will automatically excuse up to three full days worth of absences. (You don't have to ask, this happens automatically)

 

The right answers to clicker questions are pure extra credit : they can reduce the total exam weight by up to 12% of the exam total (i.e. up to just over 5% of your total grade!) See grade info page for details . The extra credit does not make up for missed homework, it simply reduces the pressure of exams. It's truly extra credit - getting clicker questions wrong never penalizes your grade. (Note that there will be no other possible "individual" extra credit work beyond what has been outlined in the syllabus or web page.)

  

Exams

Hour exams will be given in Duane G1B30 during class on Thurs Sep 22 and Thurs Oct 27. The final is Sat, Dec 10 7:30-10 PM . If you have three finals on Sat Dec 10 and want to reschedule, this must be arranged with Prof. Pollock before Sep 30. Be sure to be in class on exam days!
It is your responsibility to make sure you have no conflicts, there is no mechanism for making up exams .
(If you do miss (one) for valid reasons, generally medical, completely beyond your control, let me know immediately (in advance if at all possible: email or 492-2495, leave a message) and provide me with documentation (e.g. a note from your physician) and I will drop that exam, using your average from the other two instead.)

  

Students with Disabilities: including non-visible disabilities, must let me know early (1st two weeks, in writing) so that your academic needs may be appropriately met. You should also talk to the Counselor for Students with Disabilities, Disability Services Office, located in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671). All recommendations for accommodations must be in writing from Disability Services.  

Exams will be open book. You should bring a simple mathematical calculator to class and exam. (Sharing of calculators during exams and the use of cell phones at any time will not be allowed, of course.) Exam solutions will be posted after the exam on the course website.

  

Ground Rules

Please show respect and consideration for others and let's work together for a good classroom learning experience. The university's official classroom behavior policy may be viewed at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html
I strive to promote a class environment which is open and mutually supportive, CU's policies on discrimination can be seen at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html

 

Change of registration

ADD: The add deadline is 5:00 PM, Aug 31 without instructor approval.   (Approval can only be given after this date if you have attended all classes and done all assignments up to that time).
Final deadline without having to petition the Dean is 5 PM Sep 9.

DROP: The deadline to drop a course without the instructor's signature, without being assessed tuition and fees for that course, and without a W grade appearing on your transcript is 5:00 PM, Sep 7 .  To drop a course after Sep 7 and through Oct 5 a special action form (available from the Physics Department office, Duane E1B32) must be signed by your instructor.
After that, you need your Dean's signature, as well as that of your instructor, on the special action form.

 

Religious Obligations – Conflicts with Scheduled Exams, Assignments or Class Attendance: The instructor will make every effort to accommodate all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or other required attendance, provided you notify him at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled conflict. The campus policy can be viewed at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/index.html


Honor Code: I'm a big fan of the CU honor code, and ask that everyone read and respect it! The purpose of our Honor Code is to secure an environment where academic integrity, and the resulting behavior, can flourish. The Honor Code recognizes the importance of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility and wishes these principles to be a defining part of the CU-Boulder campus. The Honor Code allows all students to have responsibility for, and the ability to attain, appropriate recognition for their academic and personal achievements. You can view the honor code information at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
Bringing someone else's clicker to class to give them credit is a direct and serious violation of the CU honor code - please don't do it, nor tolerate other people doing it. I know this is a big class, but I really want to establish an atmosphere of trust and respect. Please feel free to talk to me if anything is going on you're not comfortable with! (In keeping with this, I will immediately fail any student who: submits for a grade work that is not their own or permits another student to do so/ submits for a re-grade any work that was modified after it was graded/ lies in an effort to improve their grade or to obtain any special consideration or exception from the normal class work schedule.)


It is my goal to make this course responsive to your needs and interests. Talk to me if you're unhappy! Announcements about changes of any kind will be made in class, and (hopefully) posted here, and will take precedence over this syllabus. You are of course responsible for what is said in class, whether or not you are in attendance.

There is more information about the course content, goals , and syllabus here.

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