Syllabus - Davidson Physics - Davidson College

Technical Problems:Technical problems are inevitable with computers, but computers have become a part ofprofessional practice in the sciences. You need to be able to deal with these problems. Lost datadue to scratched disks, bugs in programs or programmers, and a general computer-phobia arecommon. With proper and careful operating procedures, a little work and understanding, andsome occasional humor these problems should go away.PLAN AHEAD: Start your programming projects early. You should not assume thatcomputers will be available the night before a project is due. You must turn in what you havecompleted on the due date. I may accept a revision of your work at a later date--if theproblems that are truly beyond your control-- but I must see what you have done when theassignment is due.MAKE BACKUPS: Keep your work on at least two disks drives or network locations. Irecommend that you keep a copy of your work a small USB thumb drive. Always makebackups of your existing code before you start a new programming session.ASK FOR HELP: The CSC staff are happy to help with general computer related questionsand I am happy to help with computational physics related questions. Please note that theCSC does not support EJS or Eclipse other than to get these programs running in public labs.REPORT PROBLEMS: Let the CSC staff and me know about problems as soon as theyoccur so that we can get them fixed. Report your problems using email.A general understanding of computers is helpful in many courses on campus; so you may alsowish to enroll in CSC introductory short courses on Word, the Windows operating system, orhtml if you are new to computers.Honor Code:For the smaller programs the exchange of help, ideas and strategies among students isencouraged; however, copying any portion of another student's work is a violation of the HonorCode. You may not copy either computer code or documentation without attribution. The wordPledged and the due date, included as a comment at the beginning of the program, signifies yourcompliance with this requirement. The only personal assistance a student may receive withoutviolating the Honor Code for the midterm project and the final project is from your instructor.You may copy code from textbooks or download code from the Internet with proper attribution.Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:Full accommodations are the legal right of students with all kinds of disabilities, whetherlearning disabilities or physical disabilities. I am happy to provide these accommodations. Ifyou are a student with a documented learning disability documented by Davidson College whomight need accommodations, please identify yourself to me within the first week of class, so wecan make accommodations that will enhance your learning experience. All such discussions willbe fully confidential unless you otherwise stipulate.