Tentative Schedule - Physics 2030K - Spring 2024
Dr. Ben McGimsey - Office 430 One Park Place
Email mcgimsey@astro.gsu.edu
Class requirements will be provided by Dr. McGimsey

Apr 25, Thursday, 8 AM Final examination.

* Feb 29 is the last day to withdraw without a mandatory WF

Notes and General Information:

Grading: There will be three 1hr quizzes, a paper which be graded as equivalent to a 1hr quiz, and a comprehensive final exam which will count twice as much as a 1hr quiz. The total of those grades will constitute 75% of the final grade. The laboratory counts 25% of the grade. No grade is assigned without satisfactory completion of the laboratory.

Make-ups: A comprehensive make-up quiz will be given during the week of Apr 16 for anyone who misses one of the regular class quizzes for a reason acceptable to the instructor. There is no provision for making up two missed exams. Laboratory attendance is mandatory; i.e., a missed laboratory will be averaged as a zero in the lab grade. The lowest lab grade will be dropped, but make-up labs will not be available.

Physics 2030K Paper

Since Physics 2030K is a broad survey of a large number of acoustics topics, the depth of coverage of any given topic is limited. The intent of the paper requirement is to get you to explore one sound topic of your choice in somewhat greater depth than the general coverage in the course. Many people in the past have used this as an opportunity to study the acoustics of an instrument they played, or the acoustics of the voice, the hearing process, auditorium acoustics, the principles of operation of some sound reproduction hardware, etc., etc. The main limitation on the nature of the paper is that it should explore the physical principles involved, i.e., "How does it work?", or "What does it do and how does it do it?" Although some historical background may be desirable, the paper should not be primarily a historical survey.

A typical length for a paper is 7 or 8 pages, double-spaced typing. You should have at least two outside references other than the class textbook. 20% of the paper grade will be based on the bibliography with a possibility of a small amount of extra credit. You should have a bibliography with all references consulted and with a one or two sentence comment on the usefulness and quality of that reference. You should also note where you found the reference and include the call number if you got it from the GSU or other local library. Footnotes are not required, but any significant new information or any numerical data should be referenced to its source, say by a superscript or bracketed number referring to the numbered bibliography. It is not necessary to separate the bibliography and a "references cited" list. The following examples the desired form for bibliography entries:

Hutchins, C.M., "The Physics of Violins," Scientific American Vol 207, November, 1962, p79.

Backus, John, The Acoustical Foundations of Music, 2nd Ed., New York:W.W. Norton Co.,(1977).

We can provide some references, but if you choose to study some recent topic in sound reproduction, the current periodicals will be the best sources and we will not be that up-to-date in our bibliography. A useful source of up-to-date information about consumer products, including all kinds of audio and electronic devices, is Consumers Index to Product Evaluations and Information Sources. Its call number in the GSU library is TX335.C676 .