Problem Set #0
Goal of Problem Set #0: This assignment serves three purposes:
  1. to introduce you to the EClass Homework System.
  2. to make sure that you understand and support the honor system as it applies to this course.
  3. to allow me to learn more about you, your interests, and your expectations.
You must sign the honor statement to remain enrolled in this course.
The UVa honor system and its community of trust form the basis for an elevated relationship between the students and the broader University community. By promising not to lie, cheat, or steal and to punish students who violate that promise, the students contract with the faculty for a high level of respect and a wide range of privileges. Among these are:
  • the privilege of completing the most educationally valuable assignments, even if those assignements are vulnerable to cheating,
  • the privilege of great liberty in how, when, and where those assignments are completed,
  • the privilege of being allowed to work together on many assignments and thus to teach one another and learn from that experience,
  • the privilege of being taken at one's word.
The broader University community does not offer these privileges blindly or unconditionally, so that any breeches of the community of trust inevitably weaken the elevated relationship and may lead to the loss of some or all of these privileges. You might take a moment to think about what University life would be like without those privileges. While society often encourages students to focus on credentials rather than education, the reason for spending time at the University is to learn something, not simply to get good grades or obtain a degree. Any student who takes an unethical shortcut to purchase a credential at the expense of integrity has
  • cheapened that credential for everyone,
  • damaged the community of trust and its associated privileges,
  • wasted everyone's time and energy, including their own,
  • and missed an irreplaceable opportunity to learn.
By typing your name in the box below, you are:
  1. agreeing to be bound by the Physics 105 course rules, whether you have read them or not,
  2. agreeing to be bound by the UVa honor code as it applies to this course,
  3. stating that you understanding that the exams and term paper are pledged work under the honor code,
  4. and stating that you are present as this statement is being signed.
It is an honor violation to sign anyone else's name in this box.Type your signature here:
The following four questions are optional, but answering them will help me get to know you and do a better job of teaching this semester.
1. What aspects of this course or of physics and science are you most interested in?
2. What do you hope to get out of this course?
3. What aspects of this course are you most concerned or worried about?
4. Any other comments?