Physics Homework Requirements and Expectations

Physics homework consists mainly of three types of exercises – numerical problems, conceptual questions, and graphing problems.  Find below instructions for adequately completing your homework assignments.

1. Use Separate Paper – Notebook paper is fine for most problems.  Graph paper is required for all problems that instruct you to make a graph.  Do not work problems on the assignment papers that you receive in class – nor should you turn in these papers.

2. Show Your Work – As stated in the course syllabus, credit for homework assignments is earned by showing your work (you do not have to get the correct answer to get full credit).  On all papers at all times the method of solution must be evident for numerical problems!  It must be a legitimate attempt to solve the problem – nonsense work will not be accepted.  If you submit only the answer to a numerical problem you will not get full credit, even if it is the correct answer! 

3. Answer Conceptual Questions Completely – Some of the homework will be conceptual and require no calculations.  Make sure you give a complete answer or response to the question – again no “nonsense” responses will be accepted.

4. Clearly Label – Make sure each problem and question is labeled by number and by “parts” (many physics problems will have multiple parts labeled a, b, c, etc.).

5. Clearly Indicate Each Answer – (numerical problems only)  Draw a box or circle, underline, highlight, or otherwise mark to show clearly the final answer to each numerical problem.  Always remember to include appropriate units and use the correct number of significant digits.  Put each answer at the end of the work that produced it (i.e. put it to the right or below the calculations that were necessary to find it).  A physics solution may involve many numerical values and intermediate results so it is important to make it clear which value is the final answer and which values are leading up to that final answer.

6. Do Not Copy or Paraphrase – Each graded assignment is to be the work of an individual.  It is not acceptable to copy homework or any other assignment.  Papers that are essentially identical are not acceptable! 
Note:  It is okay to get help from another student or to look at another student’s work.  What is not okay is using another student’s work to avoid doing the work yourself and/or to avoid having to think – then you are cheating and dishonestly trying to get credit for something you did not do.

Examples and Commentary

Find below hypothetical examples of students’ papers and comments on the acceptability of such.  Let’s suppose that this is problem #5 found on the homework: 

5. A rectangular piece of land has a width of 25.1 m and a length of 106.8 m. 
    (a) Determine the perimeter.  (b) Determine the area.

Now consider the following seven possible student responses to the same problem:

John Doe did a great job and gets full credit!  Diagrams are very helpful for working problems.  All of the given values are clearly labeled as are the unknowns.  The method of his solution is very clear – he has shown the equations being used and the values plugged into those equations.  Final answers are clear.  This is an example of how it should be done!

Al Einstein did a minimal job but he gets full credit because it is clearly labeled and the method by which answers were calculated is evident.  However, if Al wants to look back at this it will be pretty meaningless and useless. 

Poor Sally Smith does not understand the problem.  But there is an obvious attempt to solve both parts of the problem.  Because the method of her solution is apparent she gets full credit even though her answers are wrong.

P.D. Skrui will not get full credit for this.  Notice the (a) and (b) parts are not labeled.  Also it is not clear which numbers answer the question.  On close inspection it does seem like P.D. was capable of working the problem, but this is simply not good enough.

Didee Duit has done some good things but will not get full credit because it is not clear how he got these particular numerical values unless he shows what values were used in the equations.  This is not good enough!

Ani Diot will not get full credit because method of solution is not evident.  Yes there are some answers and yes there appears to be some work but it is not clear which work produced each answer.  Put each answer at the end of the work that produced it – not at the beginning!

Sollay Zee gets no credit.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  She may argue that this problem was really, really easy and that she just added and multiplied the numbers on her calculator.  She does have the correct answers and she may have actually done the problem on her calculator.  But, the rule is that the method of solution must be evident and that is not the case here!