The rules in this list may seem rather harsh and arbitrary but they are essential to maintaining the integrity of the course. I have stories to tell about each rule. Some of these stories are predictable and easy to imagine while others are stranger than fiction. Although most of you will never come up against any of the rules, I have a handful of students each semester who just cannot seem to avoid them. If these rules are going to cramp your style, then this class is probably not for you. -- Lou Bloomfield

Coursework:

1. All problem sets must be submitted via the web. No paper copies will be accepted.
2. All term papers must be submitted both on paper and as an email attachment (I will announce the email address in-class).
3. Exam booklets and bubble sheets must be placed in the boxes at the front of the lecture hall upon completion. Exam materials not placed in these boxes will not be accepted.

Grading and Regrading:

1. All grading is final except in cases where the scores were added or recorded incorrectly. However, I may, at my option, regrade materials that are brought to me in person during the 48 hour period after the class at which those materials were returned. I will not regrade term papers that were poorly proofread.
2. Regrading may result in lower scores. If you bring in a printout of your friend's work for comparison, that person must sign the printout to indicate that they understand that I will also regrade it and that its score may be lowered as a result.
3. No regrading will be done after the semester grades have been sent out via email.
4. The final exam will not be regraded under any circumstances.
5. I will not tell people how close they came to the next higher semester grade. That information only promotes grade grubbing, a practice that I strongly discourage.

Problem Sets:

1. Problem sets must be submitted via the WileyPlus web site.
2. You may discuss problem sets with other students but you must write them up separately and in your own words. Points may be deducted from problem sets that are found to have similar answers, regardless of who obtained those answers from whom.
3. Problem sets are usually due on Mondays at 1:00:00pm, as listed in the course schedule. Late problem sets are worth at most 80% during the first 24 hours after the due date, 60% during the second 24 hours, 40% during the third 24 hours, and 20% during the fourth 24 hours. After that 96 period has expired, problem sets are no longer acceptible for credit.
4. If you find someone else who has a nearly identical answer but received more credit than you, I will not necessarily raise your grade. That person may have received more than they deserved and the proper action would be for me to lower that person's grade.

Term Paper:

1. You must submit two copies of your term paper: a paper copy and an electronic copy. The paper copy must be placed in the designated container in class, while the electronic copy must be sent as an email attachment to: .
2. The term paper is due before Friday, November 17 at 1:00:00pm. The official submission time is the one recorded by the email submission of your paper. I will deduct one grade step (A becomes A-) for each day the term paper is late (including Saturday and Sunday). After the seventh day (Friday, Nov 25 at 1:00:00pm), term papers will no longer be acceptable under any circumstances.
3. Although the official term paper submission time is the email time, you should not delay turning in the paper copy. If your paper copy is not received within two days of your electronic submission, points will be deducted for lateness.
4. You must cite all of the sources you use in preparing your term paper, include people, online materials, and student papers. Citations must be placed appropriately in the body of your paper, using an accepted citation style (e.g. Modern Language Association Style or Chicago Style), and you must include a list of works cited and/or a bibliography at the end of your paper.
5. Term papers must be written in your own words, using your own structure, style, and language. Copying material essentially word-for-word from another source without crediting it as a quotation is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Using another person's structure or style is also plagiarism and will not be tolerated.
6. You may not use any other student's paper as a model, reference, or template for your own paper.
7. You may not resubmit a term paper, in whole or part, that you submitted previously for a grade in any other class. Such resubmissions violate the UVa honor code clause prohibiting "multiple submission" and are intolerable.
8. You may not contribute your term paper to any private file or resource at the University of Virginia. Since the term paper is pledged work, granting private access to it gives aid to future students and is in violation of the honor code.
9. You may not write on the same topic you used in a previous semester of How Things Work.
10. You may not work together with anyone on a term paper.
11. Term papers may not be written on objects that are part of the course syllabus or the other semester of How Things Work. A list of such forbidden topics is part of this packet.
12. I will not assist in topic selection for the term papers after Friday, November 10.

Exams:

1. The midterm exam will be given on Wednesday, October 11, from 1:00pm to 1:50pm. The final exam will be given on Saturday, December 9, from 9:00am to 12:00noon. If you miss either exam without prior permission from me, you will receive a score of 0 for that exam. There are no exceptions except fully documented medical emergencies that prevent you from telephoning me or my answering machine. In case of a family emergency you or the deans must notify me at (434) 924-6595 before the end of the exam.
2. Exams must be taken in Physics room 203 unless authorized by me. Under no circumstances may exam materials ever leave these rooms during the exam. If you remove your exam materials from one of these rooms, even briefly, you will receive a score of 0 on the exam.
3. If you miss the start of an exam, you will still be expected to turn the exam in at the regular time. If you miss the exam entirely, you will receive a 0.
4. I will consider compelling reasons for an alternative midterm time only up until Wednesday, October 4. After that time, you must take the midterm exam as scheduled.
5. I will consider compelling reasons for delaying your final exam only up until the College deadline for such requests. After that time, you must take the final exam as scheduled. You must also get permission from the Dean. All late finals will be given as 1-hour oral examinations.

General:

1. I will not sign any petitions to change the grading from Credit/No-Credit to Letter Grade or vice versa after the Credit/No-Credit deadline. Check your registration form carefully.
2. I will not sign any petitions to add into the course after the Add deadline. Check your registration forms carefully.
3. You must attend the first two days of class to remain enrolled in this class.
4. I do not give any extra credit work.
5. Permission for exceptions from the normal classwork schedule must be requested in advance. I will not make exceptions after the fact.
6. I will not fail a student who makes a serious effort at all the assigned work. If you do not submit a homework assignment or do not take an exam, it becomes possible for you to fail the course.
7. I will enforce all of the rules of the University of Virginia’s Honor System, including those associated with academic fraud. By enrolling in this course, a student implicitly agrees to be bound by that honor system and its rules.
8. It is the responsibility of each student to learn the rules of the UVa Honor System. Ignorance of these rules will not excuse a failure to follow them.
9. The following is a list of some specific forms of academic fraud that concern me most in this course. This list is intended only as a reminder and is not comprehensive. All other forms of academic fraud and other honor violations are still forbidden in this course.
1. It is an honor violation to submit for a grade work that is not your own or to permit another student to do so.
2. It is an honor violation to submit for a regrade any work that was modified after it was graded.
3. It is an honor violation to lie to me in an effort to improve your grade or to obtain any special consideration or exception from the normal classwork schedule.
4. It is an honor violation to obtain aid on an exam through any means, including copying another student’s work, having another student complete portions of your exam, referring to materials other than the exam booklet itself during the exam, or discussing the exam with anyone other than the instructor or instructor’s assistants during the exam.
5. It is an honor violation to knowingly provide aid to another student during an exam.
6. It is an honor violation to plagiarize or conduct multiple submission on the term paper. The term paper must be your original work and must never have been submitted before, in whole or part, in any context including a previous semester of this course. You may not copy your term paper, in whole or part, from any source, including another student, yourself, or a third party. Only brief and properly cited quotations are permitted.
7. It is an honor violation to offer me a forged receipt for electronically submitted work.
8. It is an honor violation to copy or paraphrase answers from another student’s problem set without their permission.
10. The honor pledge is implicit for the term paper and the exams. By turning in any one of those items, with or without a written pledge, a student agrees to be bound by the honor pledge and the UVa Honor System with regard to that item.
11. I will contact the University Administration, the University Police, and/or the University Judiciary Committee regarding any student who attempts to intimidate me or harass me in an effort to improve their grade or to obtain any special consideration or exception from the normal classwork schedule.
12. Documentation from the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC) must be submitted to the instructor in person no later than 1 week (7 days) after the date that documentation was prepared and signed. Documents retained beyond that period reflect a lack of interest or importance to the student involved and therefore will be considered to be irrelevant to the course.