PHY252S

Assessment

There will be three types of assessment in this course:

four homework assignments
one midterm
the final exam

Homework

You will have two weeks to do each homework assignment. Homeworks will be due in-class at 11:10am (the beginning of class) as follows:

HW#1, posted Wed 12 Jan , due Wed 26 Jan [ Solutions #1 , posted Mon 31 Jan]
HW#2, posted Wed 02 Feb , due Mon 21 Feb [ Solutions #2 , posted Mon 21 Feb]
HW#3, posted Wed 02 Mar, due Wed 16 Mar [ Solutions #3 , posted Mon 21 Mar]
HW#4, posted Wed 23 Mar, due Wed 06 Apr [ Solutions #4 , posted Mon 11 Apr]

For details on how homeworks are handled, including my lateness policy, see course Homework Policy details .

Midterm

The midterm this year will be a 50-minute test in-class on Friday 25th February. For the midterm, a scientific calculator will be allowed. This calculator should be capable of doing basic scientific functions including exponentials and logarithms, but it may NOT be programmable or have any graphing function. An aid sheet will be allowed. This aid sheet must be handwritten, letter-sized, and on only ONE side of the paper; size-reduction using a machine is NOT permitted.

Final exam

The final exam date is, according to the Faculty of Arts and Science info web site ,

PHY252H1S

MON 18 APR

PM 2-5

BR200

For the final, a scientific calculator (non-programmable, non-graphing) and an aid sheet will be allowed. This aid sheet must be handwritten and letter-sized, and may be written on both sides of the paper; size-reduction using a machine is NOT permitted.

Final grade algorithm

Your final grade F will be a 60%-40% 'flip-flop' split of your term grade T and your final exam grade E, with the weighting in favour of the better grade. The term grade T will be computed as 60% homeworks H and 40% midterm M. Overall, then, we have the formula:
F = 0.6*max(T,E)+0.4*min(T,E) where T=0.6*H+0.4*M.
Note: all homeworks have the same weight, i.e. each is worth 15% of your term grade T.

For important university deadlines and dates, see the Faculty of Arts and Science calendar.

Note about raw marks versus "UofT marks"

In testing, I aim to design an exam to really differentiate between students who know their stuff and those who are barely keeping head above water. My philosophy is quite similar to David Harrison's testing philosophy, which I recommend reading . The upshot is that you can expect lower raw marks in my midterm and final exam than you are used to. This will not handicap you versus other courses; you will end up with a regular-sized "UofT mark" in the end, after scaling .

Final note:
No other considerations will go into producing your final grade. If, for example, you do more poorly than you expect and you end up needing an extra 2% in your GPA to get some sort of scholarship, no appeals to the Prof. will make any difference whatsoever. The reason is clear: grade assignment policies must be equally fair to all students in the class. To repeat: the grade algorithm showcased above is the final word on grade computations; you earn your final grade exactly as advertised above. (Exceptions such as illness will be handled precisely according to Faculty of Arts and Science regulations. The Prof. has no leeway in interpreting these regulations, either.)

Back to Main PHY252S Course Page