PHY483F/1483F

Outline

Your final grade will be computed using two main instruments - term work and exam work:

  • Homeworks (graded, 3 assignments);
  • Final exam (written, 3-hour, open book).

The grading algorithm goes as follows.
Let H be your average homeworks score, F your final exam score, and G your final grade, in percent. Then your raw final grade G is computed as
G=0.6*max(H,E)+0.4*min(H,E)
This means that your grade is weighted slightly in favour of the better performance on term assignments and the final exam.

I will curve scores if necessary, but only upwards . (i.e. you will end up with a regular-sized "UofT mark" in the end, even if absolute homework/exam scores seem on the low side.)

Overall, I am a fair marker, I reward excellence, and I work hard to be maximally ethical in the way I teach.

Homeworks

My philosophy of grading is that you begin with 0% and you earn positive marks. (I do not encourage students to entertain the topsy-turvy notion that they start with 100% and the prof/grader then "subtract" marks!) Homework efforts will earn marks with plus-signs, not lose marks via minus-signs.

Homeworks are scheduled as follows:-

Assignment Problems handed out Due date Assignments Returned / Solutions posted @
HW#1 W21Sep - θ06Oct F14Oct F21Oct
HW#2 F14Oct - F28Oct F04Nov F11Nov
HW#3 W09Nov - F25Nov F02Dec F02Dec

# Note that no HW#3 assignments will be accepted after 13:15 on Friday 2nd December. This is to allow all students the final week of classes to study the HW#3 solutions.

@ Solutions will be posted at 17:00 (5PM) on the day indicated.

Lateness policy

Homeworks are due at exactly the beginning of class. Five minutes is the maximum grace period I will allow: anything handed in later than that will result in a lateness penalty.  Homeworks late by N days will garner a penalty of Nx10%  (i.e. 10% per day of the total grade, not 10% of your actual grade), and the homework assignment will be handed back to you correspondingly late by N days. No homework assignments will be accepted after solutions are posted.

** Procedures For Handing In Late HW#1 and HW#2 **

Note: Students must attend classes in order to pass the course. It will not be possible to "take the course electronically" by just reading the digitised lecture notes!

Regularly updated by course professor or her e-representative.