Chemical
Principles I 50:160:115
Fall Semester 2008
Professor Luke A. Burke
Office: 114B Science Building
burke@camden.rutgers.edu
Textbook:
Chemical Principles, The Quest for Insight
by Atkins and Jones
4th Edition
This
is the 3 credit Lecture Course, which is different from the 1 credit Lab
Course.
The
Lab Course is a co-requisite. This means that you will be deregistered from the
Lecture course if you do not register yourself in a Lab section.
For
assigned problems please select "Edition 4" from the left column.
Read
the notes for the appropriate chapter before class. This will help you with
reading from the textbook to prepare for class. Always bring the notes to class
since they can serve as a template for your class notes.
Exams
will be approx. every three lectures. (A lecture might extend over several
class sessions, MW1:20-2:40).
Tentative exam schedule
|
Sept.
24 |
Lectures
1,2,3 (Textbook: Fundamentals Sections A-H |
|
Oct.
29 |
Lectures
4,5 (Textbook: Fundamentals Sections I-M, Ch 6,4 |
|
Dec. 10 |
Lectures
6 through 11 |
|
Dec.
18, 2-5PM, Final Exam |
Lectures
1-12 |
You
will notice that there are 12 "Lectures" and 14 weeks of class. With
time out for mid-term exams, this leaves approximately ONE lecture per week of
class. This means this course will go by faster than you think!!!
Grading:
I do not believe in giving a curve. You all have the right to the grade that
you have demonstrated. I have taught Chemical Principles I or II 30 times. I
have a very good idea of what is excellent (A), good (B,B+), satisfactory
(C,C+), and unsatisfactory (D, F) work, no matter what the year or how many
students are in the class. The number of A's per class has varied from 4/100 to
14/100 (an exceptionally good year). My grading scheme based on the total
number of points for the course is:
A
88-100, B+ 82-87, B 75-81, C+ 68-74, C 60-67, D 50-59, F below 50.
There
are three hourly exams, each counting 20%
The final exam (which is comprehensive) counts 40%
This
course is given very quickly, so NO make-up exams. (If illness or a personal
tragedy occurs, I would rather you make up for lost time by studying than to
take time out for an exam. For those students who have missed an exam and have
presented an acceptable excuse, a compensatory exam may be possible during
Reading Day at the end of the semester.
Added 30 October 2008:[The exam needs to be cumulative. The subject of
chemistry is built on material from previous chapters. So people missing earier
tests would have an advantage over the other students if the compensatory exam
were based only on earlier tests. I mentioned this on the first day but it
might have been missed by many people.]
Note!!!
You should expect to spend at least two hours of study and problem solving for
every one hour of class. Since there are 3 hours of class per day, you should
expect to put in an additional 12 hours per week for this class. (Remember that
you must assign additional time for lab.) I suggest that you make and keep a
schedule for yourself.
One
of the most useful ways to learn chemistry is through study groups. You should
form them immediately. Members don't have to be from your circle of friends.
Form acqaintanceships for this class. Members don't all have to be
"brilliant". One of the best ways to learn chemistry is to teach it.
Please
do not ask me for “extra credit” to raise your grade. My
answer will be that I cannot give extra credit. There is one way to attain the grade
of A, the “Holy
Graal”. I also give bonus questions on the exams, and sometimes it helps to know a foreign language.
Articles
to be considered during the year:
one
two AS(III)
AAAS
index Aug 15th