PHYSICS 2550 - Physics, Ideas & Society II
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code PHYSICS 2550 Course Physics, Ideas & Society II Coordinating Unit School of Chemistry & Physics(Inactive) Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Prerequisites 6 units at Level I Incompatible PHYSICS 1005 Assessment Major Essay, Tutorial assessment Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Rodney Crewther
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1 evaluate science and discuss how it progresses; 2 examine how experiments support the development of physics and discuss their role in the advancement of science; 3 analyse some of the great ideas of physics: energy, momentum, and mass; 4 analyse how the fundamental ideas of physics allow one to understand aspects of the world around us through thermodynamics, rotation, and light; 5 analyse basic ideas of nuclear physics and some radiation protection; 6 evaluate the physical structure of the Universe and discuss our place in it;
University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1-6 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 1-6 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 1-6 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-6 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1-6 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Comprehensive notes are provided.Online Learning
MyUni –Students should regularly log in to MyUni (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/) as it contains important course-related announcements, teaching material and additional resources. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
This course will be delivered by the following means:
Lectures 24 x 50-minute sessions with two sessions per week
Tutorials 11 x 50-minute sessions with one session per weekWorkload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
A student enrolled in a 3 unites course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (lectures and tutorials), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).Learning Activities Summary
Topics to be covered
- What is science?
- What is Physics?
- How does science develop?
- Getting knowledge from experiments
- Quantities and scales in Nature
- Counting – a different type of information
- Fitting theory to experiment
- Some Great Ideas of “Classical” Physics
- Force, momentum and mass
- Understanding energy
- Special relativity
- Electricity
- Heat and thermodynamics
- Entropy
- Rotational motion
- Light, colours, and spectra
- The Greenhouse effect
- Quantum ideas:
- Nuclear physics
- Radioactivity and radiation doses
- Astronomy and the Universe
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Task Type Percentage of total assessment Hurdle Yes or No Objectives being assessed Tutorial summary 1 Formative and Summative 10%
No 1-3 Tutorial summary 2 Formative and Summative 10% No 1-3 Tutorial summary 3 Summative 20% No 1-6 Essay Summative 60% No 1-6 Assessment Detail
Tutorial summary 1
One 600 word tutorial summary contributes 10% to the final assessment. Students are required to select one tutorial from weeks 2-4 and write a 600 word summary of the topic and questions addressed during the tutorial.
Tutorial summary 2
One 600 word tutorial summary contributes 10% to the final assessment. Students are required to select one tutorial from weeks 2-6 and write a 600 word summary of the topic and questions addressed during the tutorial.
Tutorial summaries 3
Two 600 word tutorial summaries contribute 20% to the final assessment. Students are required to select two tutorials from weeks 2-12 and write two 600 word summaries of the topics and questions addressed during the tutorials.
Essay 2
One 4,000 word essay will contribute 60% to the final assessment. Students are provided with a list of topics at the start of the semester and required to write a critical discussion on the topic of their choice or an approved alternative.
Submission
Submission of Assigned Work
Coversheets must be completed and attached to all submitted work. Coversheets can be obtained from the School of Chemistry & Physics Office (room G33 Physics) or from MyUni. Work should be submitted via the assignment drop box at the School Office.
Collection of Assigned Work
Assignments and tutorial work which is not collected in class can be collected from the School of Chemistry & Physics Office (room G33 Physics) until the end of the following semester.
Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Coordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. T
Penalty for Late Submission of Assessment Tasks
Assessment tasks must be submitted by the stated deadlines. There will be a penalty for late submission of assessment tasks: the submitted work will be marked ‘without prejudice’ and 10% of the obtained mark will be deducted for each working day (or part of a day) that an assessment task is late, up to a maximum penalty of 50% of the mark attained. An examiner may elect not to accept any assessment task that a student wants to submit after that task has been marked and feedback provided to the rest of the class.
Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
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