Introduction
    Physics 104 is a new course being taught for the fifth time at the University of Maryland this semester. It is based on a similar course that was developed and taught at the University of Virginia by Louis Bloomfield, whose book we are using. Much of the material in this course description was taken (with permission) from the UVA course. There will be some differences between our course and theirs. We have a smaller class which allows us to do things in a more personal manner.

    You may have chosen this course as part of your CORE Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies Program, the general education portion of your degree program. CORE Distributive Studies courses are designed to ensure that you will take a look at several different academic disciplines and the way they create and analyze knowledge about the world. A faculty and student committee approved this CORE Distributive Studies course because it will introduce you to ideas and issues that are central to a major intellectual discipline and because it promises to involve you actively in the learning process. Please take advantage of the opportunities this course offers you.

Course Description
    The class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:15 pm in room 1410 of the Physics Building.  We are very near the world's best lecture demonstration facility which we will use liberally during the semester.  Because this class meets only two days a week for 75 minutes, we have time in each class to do demonstrations and have discussions. This will be an important part of the course and missing even a single class will put you at a serious disadvantage.
    The purpose of this course is to show you the scientific basis of how objects work in the world around you. I have picked a list of topics that hopefully you will find interesting. There will be many opportunities to ask about things that we don't cover both in class and on the E-mail forums.

Grading
    The course grade will be determined by the following:

Homework	15%
First Hour Exam	20%
Second Hour Exam	20%
Term Paper	20%
Final Exam	25%

Homework
    Homework will be given regularly throughout the semester. It will be collected and graded. Homework is actually worth more than the 15% of the grade that it counts for, as it will help you clarify your understanding of the material, point out areas of weakness and help you prepare for the exams. Only rarely will a student do well in the course without carefully doing the homework.

Term Paper
    Each student will be required to do a term paper.  Details about the paper can be found below.  The rules for the paper are:

1.    The report on the project paper is due on Thursday, November 29, 2001. I will deduct one grade step (A becomes A-) for each day the term paper is late (including Saturday and Sunday). After the seventh day (Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001), term papers are no longer acceptable under any circumstances.

2.    Term papers must be written in your own words. Copying material essentially word-for-word from another source without crediting it as a quotation is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Extensive quotations make for a very poor paper.

3.    You may not work together with anyone on an individual term paper. If you are writing a group term paper, you may work together only with the 1 or 2 other members of your group.

4.    Term papers may not be written on objects that are part of the course syllabus. A list of such forbidden topics is part of this packet.

5.    I will not assist in topic selection for the term papers after Thursday, November 8, 2001.