Section #: 584771
Class Time: TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
Room: TBA
(Official) Office Hours:
M : 11A - 12P
T : 1130A - 1230P and 330P - 430P
W : 11A - 12P and 4P - 5P
R : 2P - 4P
If I'm in my office, feel free to ask me questions, whether or not it's during the "official" office hours.
For this course, you will be required to buy two items:
- Textbook: Physics, 5th ed., James S. Walker, ISBN: 9780321976444 The homework for this class will not be through MasteringPhysics, so you don't need to get a copy of the book that provides the code or buy an individual code; I will be providing homework assignments for you, attached as links to the course calendar below.
- A scientific calculator, NOT a graphing calculator or any type of programmable calculator, which will NOT be allowed on exams
For a great review of all the mathematics necessary for physics, I don't think you can beat Paul's Online Math Notes. It has thorough reviews of algebra, trigonometry, pre-calculus, etc., all of which are essential to suceeding in a physics course. The number 1 issue that students have in learning physics, from what I've seen, is a lack of comfort with algebra; so the best thing you can do to ease the learning process is to make sure your math skills are honed and up-to-date.
We will meet for lecture twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 1:50PM. If you've never taken a physics class before, you should read my note on how to succeed in a physics class here. During the semester, we will cover the following topics:
- Vectors
- Kinematics
- Newton's Laws
- Energy Conservation
- Momentum Conservation
- Rotational Motion and Gravity
- Applications: Simple harmonic motion, waves, and fluids
- Thermodynamics
Your grade in the course will be based on your performance on the homework assignments, the 3 exams, and the cumulative final exam. See the grading scheme below. The exams will be a mixture of multiple choice questions and free response problems, with 10 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each (total of 20 points) and 4 free response problems worth 20 points each (total of 80 points). There will actually be FIVE available free response problems, of which you only need to answer FOUR; you CANNOT do the fifth problem for extra credit. The material covered on each exam is going to break down like:
- Exam 1: 2 - 6
- Exam 2: 7 - 11
- Exam 3: TBA
- Final: All Previous Chapters
You can compute your grade in the class with the following formula (were HW is your grade on the homework, LG is the lowest-graded exam, MG is the mid-graded exam, HG is the highest-graded exam, and FE is the final exam):
For example, if you get a 94% on the homework, a 75% on exam 1, a 92% on exam 2, an 85% on exam 3, and an 83% on the final exam, your grade in the course will be: (0.94*15) + (0.75*10) + (0.85*20) + (0.92*25) + (0.83*30) = 86.5, which is a B (refer to the grading scale given below). For final grades, I round to the first decimal place; for instance, an 86.92 = 86.9, which is a B, but an 86.96 = 87.0, which is a B+.
Tentative Course Schedule: TBA
WEEK | TUESDAY | THURSDAY | HOMEWORK |
---|---|---|---|
January 8 | Vectors | 1d Motion | |
January 15 | 1d Motion | 2d Motion | |
January 22 | 2d Motion | Newton's Laws | Assignment #1, Due Thurs, Jan 25 |
January 29 | Applications of Newton's Laws | Applications of Newton's Laws | |
February 5 | Class Cancelled | Review for Exam 1 | |
February 12 | Exam 1 (Ch 2 - 6) | Work & Energy | Assignment #2, Due Tues, Feb 13 |
February 19 | Work & Energy | Conservation of Energy | |
February 26 | Momentum & Collisions | Momentum & Collisions | |
March 5 | Spring Break | Spring Break | |
March 12 | Rotation of a Rigid Body | Rotation/Dynamics of a Rigid Body | |
March 19 | Dynamics of a Rigid Body | Review for Exam 2 | Assignment #3, Due Tues, Mar 20 |
March 26 | Exam 2 (Ch 7 - 11) | Class Cancelled | Assignment #4, Due Tues, Mar 27 |
April 2 | Gravity | Gravity | |
April 9 | Oscillations | Waves | |
April 16 | Heat/Thermodynamics | Review for Exam 3 | Assignment #5, Due TBA |
April 23 | Exam 3 | Review for Final Exam | Assignment #6, Due TBA |
April 30 | No Class During Finals Week | Final Exam, 12:30PM - 2:20PM | Assignment #7, Due TBA |
*Blue days are days off, red days are exam dates.
Grading Scheme:
Homework | 15 points |
Lowest-Graded Exam | 10 points |
Mid-Graded Exam | 20 points |
Highest-Graded Exam | 25 points |
Final Exam | 30 points |
Total | 100 points |
---|
Grading Sale:
Letter Grade | Points Earned |
---|---|
A | 85.0 - 100.0 |
B | 75.0 - 84.9 |
C | 65.0 - 74.9 |
D | 55.0 - 64.9 |
F | < 55.0 |