Homework Policy
Mechanical Engineering 2030, Spring 2014

Homework policy: To get credit, please do these things on each homework.

a) Hand in to the homework box in the basement of Upson by 5 PM Fridays. Unless stated otherwise, homework from lectures in one week (Tues and Thurs) are due the following week on Friday. That is, lecture material on a given Thursday is associated with homework due 8 days later and lecture material from Tuesday is due 10 days later. A grader may or may not accept a late homework for reduced credit, contact your grader (see course staff page).

b) On the first page of your homework, please put the following to ease sorting:

	On the top left corner please put your section information, e.g.:		On the top right corner neatly print your name, course, date, e.g.:
	1:25 PM Section 207    TA: Rafael Wong		Sally Golnaraghi ME 2030  HW 1, Due Jan 24, 2014

 

 

 

 

c) At home, please put a Staple at the top left corner. Folded interlocked corners fall apart. Paperclips fall off.

d) Cite your help. At the top of each problem clearly acknowledge all help you got from TAs, faculty, students, or any other source (with exceptions for lecture, text and section, which need not be cited). You could write, for example: "Mary Jones pointed out to me that I needed to draw the second FBD in problem 2." or "Nadia Chow showed me how to do problem 3 from start to finish." or "I copied this solution word for word from Jane Lewenstein " or "I found a problem just like this one, number 386.5.6, at cheatonyourhomework.com, and copied it." etc. You will not lose credit for getting and citing such help. Don't violate academic integrity rules: be clear about which parts of your presentation you did not do on your own. Violations of this policy are violations of the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity.

e) Every use of linear or angular momentum balance must be associated with a clear correct free body diagram.

f) Your vector notation must be clear and correct.

g) Every line of every calculation should be dimensionally correct (carry your units, read the units appendix of the online text).

h) Your work should be laid out neatly enough to be read by someone who does not know how to do the problem. Part of your job as an engineer will be to convincingly get the right answers. Your job on the homework is to practice this. Box in your answers.

i) Some problems may seem like make-work because you already know how to do them. If so, you can get full credit by writing in full "I can do this problem but don't feel I will gain from writing out the solution" or, in short, "Can do, don't want to." You can keep doing this unless/untill your grader/TA challenges your self-assessment.

j) Computer work should be well commented (sample). Your name should be near the top of the computer text file. Before handing in, you should highlight (or circle with a colored pen) your name on the computer printout. At least some part of any other computer output should also include your name, printed by the computer. Highlight (or circle) your name on each page.

k) At least one problem in each week should be "solutions quality". This should start on a fresh page, use single sides, and not have a new problem start on the same page. It should be self-contained, including, for example, enough of a problem restatment so that a reader need not see the original problem statement. It should be clear and convincing enough so that another ME 2030 student (who has not done the problem and does not know how to do it) can read your solution, understand it, and judge that it is correct. The first word of this solution should be "SOLUTION". Your solution may be selected for posting (without your name). If you do not want your solution posted, please say so on the top of each homework.

l) Grading and regrading. We have a reasonable homework grading and re-grading policy.

Study advice: Try to do assigned homework problems from beginning to end with no help from book, notes, solutions, people, etc., yourself without looking up even one small thing. Explain, at least outloud to yourself, every step. If you did need help, then afterwards start the problem over by yourself without looking up even one small thing. Then similarly do other problems that are like the assigned problems. Then do old prelims and exams. Finally, for A+ style studying, invent and solve your own problems.