| PROBLEM SETS |
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 Problem Set 1 (PDF)
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| Problem Set 2 (PDF) |
| Problem Set 3 (PDF) |
| Problem Set 4 (PDF) |
| Problem Set 5 (PDF) |
Assignment Policies
Assignments will be posted approximately one week before the due date. (Problem Set 5 is not graded and does not need to be turned in.) In general, one problem in each problem set may be declared "off limits". These "off limits" problems will not be discussed in full detail by the 2.06 staff before you hand in your solutions.
Late problem sets will not be accepted or graded. To allow for oversleeping, canine eating habits, a week with a heavy work load, allowing time to work on a project, etc., the lowest problem set grade will be dropped before calculating your problem set average when determining your final grade. There is no problem set due during quiz week.
All homework grading will be based mostly on effort. The reasons are several. First, effort is something over which you have full control, whereas numerical correctness is much harder to control. We therefore want to remove any anxiety based on thoughts such as "Did I get the right numerical answer or not?" Second, we hope that this will discourage you from copying the work of others. The effort-based grading scale is P / D / F, with the following meanings and numerical conversions:
- P (worth 2 points) Good effort: problem essentially completed.
- D (worth 1 points) Minimal effort: problem partially done.
- F (worth 0 point) No effort: problem set not done, or essentially not done.
Each problem (or part of longer problems) in the homework assignment will be graded according to this scale. Your problem set score will be the sum of all the grades on the individual problems (or parts of problems) in that set. Note that we define 'Good Effort' as completing all sections of a problem and employing sound physical principles. Assignments that are incomplete or demonstrate an inadequate physical understanding will not receive a 'P'. Further, if we suspect your work has been plagiarized, we reserve the right to assign an 'F' (0 points) to the entire problem set.
You are strongly urged to do every problem set. There is a clear positive correlation between consistent submission of the homework and how well the student performs on the quizzes and final exam. Group study is encouraged, but the solutions submitted must be your own work.
Plagiarized work will result in a referral to the Committee on Discipline. A few comments on copying the work of others: the emphasis in the quizzes and the homework will be development of problem solving skills. The problems are designed to require you to "reason out" the solutions. It is important that you consistently work on developing your own solutions to the problems posed so that you develop your own problem solving skills. Working from others solutions without a significant effort in developing your own solution will not adequately prepare you for the quizzes.