Syllabus for CH 440/540: Physical Chemistry

Homework sets are assigned and partially graded. The TA's will select half the assignment and grade those problems. There are roughly fifty problems assigned over the term. Each problem will be graded as right or wrong by the TA. If the assignments are not submitted by the end of the class on the due date, the problem set will not be accepted.

On collective efforts ...  There has been a tendency for students to work in groups in order to do the homework. However, to represent the work of another person as your own is plagiarism.  A pattern has evolved over the years among those students who work in groups. In general their homework assignments are performed correctly but their exam grades are bone-chillingly miserable. Being that the homework is worth roughly ten percent of your grade, it might be quite a risk both for issues of academic dishonesty and for issues of learning physical chemistry to rely too heavily on group efforts. Is the group approach of merit? Of course, and I don't want to discourage it. Try the strategy: after having discussed a problem within your group, do it yourself rather than to copy verbatim the work of the one individual who deciphered the problem.

The grade guideline given above are upper bounds. If your grade exceeds the value given, e.g., if it exceeds 330 then an A grade is guaranteed. If the examinations are poorly constructed (an error on my part) and the grades are not representative of student comprehension, then the entire scale given above will be shifted to compensate for my errors.

Learning Outcomes

For Ch440, we require that students conduct calculations involving the First and Second laws of thermodynamics, to be able to derive the differential identities linking thermodynamic quantities,  to understand the differences between first and second order phase transitions, and to express thermodynamic properties in power series.  The language for all of the above is calculus.  For students of Ch540, we require additionally that the students take an oral exam of proofs of thermodynamic identities. More detail on the explicit examination topics for both Ch440/540 is provided in the "Exams" portion of this site.

Quality of Life Issues

On the homework assignments... Procrastination is your right. However, the homework assignments are long and your understanding of the solutions will influence your grade significantly. My recommendation is to try to do a homework problem after the topic is covered in lecture. Perhaps this is a sustainable approach to physical chemistry without homework-induced angst.  Hour exams and the final will reflect the problems assigned on the homework.

On the lectures... physical chemistry is not poetry. Interrupting me during lectures will not take away from the intrinsic beauty of physical chemistry. I encourage discussion: it adds to the lectures, it clarifies issues to the students and it gives me a better appreciation of the student's overall comprehension. 

Students with Disabilities

"Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at 737-4098."  

Expectations for Student Conduct (cheating policies)

see,     http://oregonstate.edu/studentconduct/code/index.php#acdis