PHYS 2010-001: GENERAL
PHYSICS I COURSE SYLLABUS for SPRING 2008
Office Hours:
Text:
College Physics, 7th Edition, by Serway & Faughn
Recommended
supplement: Schaum’s College Physics 8th
(or 9th) ed. ... by Bueche
Website
for Homework: http://capa.etsu.edu
Course
Info at: www.etsu.edu/physics/henson/henson.htm
General Physics I is the
first semester of a two semester survey course in algebra-based physics; topics
will include motion, forces, energy, the properties of solids, liquids, and
gases, and heat and thermodynamics. General Physics II is the second semester of the course
and includes vibrations, wave motion, sound,
electricity, magnetism, geometrical optics, and (briefly) atomic and nuclear
physics. The two semesters should be taken in sequence, and General
Physics Laboratories I & II
are strongly recommended to accompany the basic lecture courses. Please
feel free to consult with me outside of class if you are having unusual
difficulty with the course. The problem-solving techniques of this course
will be new to many of you and you may need special assistance. Also
contact me if you have need for test taking or note taking accommodation or
have questions about the grading procedure or your own grade at any time.
note:
General
Physics is predominantly a problem-solving course—i.e., Your performance
in this course will be measured by your ability to solve numerical problems and
your understanding of physical phenomena, not by your
ability to recite a formula or law of physics. The only proven method by
which you can learn to solve such problems and understand concepts is to work
out the assigned problems at the end of each chapter and complete the online
homework. The exams will consist of problems similar to the textbook
problems and examples, the capa homework problems, and other examples I may
work in class. In addition to such numerical problems, 1/2 the exam will consist of multiple
choice questions WHICH will pertain to the fundamental concepts and
principles from the material covered.
Your
grade will be based on your performance on a math skills quiz (10 pts), four regular exams, a
A >= 92.6% B- = 78-81.9% D+ = 60-64.9%
A- = 90-92.5% C+ = 74-77.9% D = 55-59.9%
B+
= 86-89.9% C = 70-73.9% F < 55%
B = 82-85.9% C- = 65-69.9%
Calculators will be allowed for all exams, but formula notecards will not! I will provide a list
of any necessary constants but you will be responsible for ALL formulas,
equations, relationships, etc. involving geometry, trigonometry, algebra, and
physics that may be required to solve a test problem. I will provide a
list of all relevant equations for the final exam only! I may also
randomly assign seats for each exam and will not allow “caps” to be worn during
exams. Homework assignments are accessed by going to
http://capa.etsu.edu . Log in to the
course, gp1spr08, using your student
ID number and the CAPA ID number I'll provide to you. There are
help pages and I am doing a demo in class. PAY ATTENTION to the homework
problem due dates, they will not be changed!!
SPECIAL NOTES: All exams count;
none are "dropped". But if you take all four regular exams, then
your Final Exam grade (%) will be used to replace your
lowest regular exam grade if it will help your
average. There are no "extra credit" assignments. If you
make 60% or better on the Final, and if you have taken at least four of the
regular exams, then you will
receive a passing grade for the course. If you
make less than 50% on the Final, then you will not receive a passing
grade for the course.
You are expected to attend class regularly and should note the dates for each
exam given in the schedule below. NOTE that there are
no make-up exams scheduled. If you miss an exam, and if you promptly
provide me, in writing, a verifiable & acceptable excuse for
missing, then that exam will be considered your "low" score and
replaced as described in the "special notes" above.
Extraordinary situations (school sponsored activities, serious health problems,
etc.) will be handled on an individual basis but you must communicate with me
promptly. Please remember that it is your responsibility to
initiate the procedure if you miss graded material.
CLASS SCHEDULE
FOR PHYS 2010-001 SPRING
2008
Chapter
Topic
CH 1
Units, Dimensions, Conversions, Coordinates, Trigonometry & Algebra
Math Skills Quiz: Tuesday, January 22
CH
2
One Dimension Motion, Velocity and Acceleration
CH
3
Vectors and Motion in 2 Dimensions, Projectile Motion, Relative Motion
HW #1 Due January
24
HW #2 Due January
31
EXAM
1 Tuesday, February 5
CH
4
CH 5
Work, Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, Power
HW #3 Due February 14
HW #4 Due February
21
EXAM 2 Tuesday, February 26
CH 6
Momentum, Impulse, Collisions
CH 7 (Omit
7.6) Rotational
Motion with Constant Acceleration, Law of Gravity
CH 8 Torque, Conditions for
Equilibrium, Angular Momentum
HW #5 Due March
13
HW #6 Due March
20
EXAM 3 Tuesday, March 25
CH 9 (Omit 9.2, 9.8-9.10) Density, Pressure, Buoyancy, Fluids in
Motion
CH 10
Temperature, Thermal Expansion, Ideal Gases, Kinetic Theory of Gases
CH 11
Heat, Specific & Latent Heat, Calorimetry,
Energy Transfer
HW #7 Due
April 3
HW #8 Due April
10
EXAM
4 Tuesday, April 15
CH 12 (Omit 12.3) First and Second Law
of Thermodynamics, Heat Engines, Entropy
HW #9 Due April
24
Final Exam Thursday,
May
[Ch12 and Comprehensive Problems and
Questions]
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF CAPA
CAPA
homework assignments are accessed by going to the server at http://capa.etsu.edu . First
set the course name you will be logging into as gp1spr08 . Then enter your student number and the CAPA
ID number for the particular homework set you are to attempt. There are help pages and I will be doing a
demo of the answering schemes in class.
READ EACH PROBLEM CAREFULLY to see the format (and units) to be used in
answering it. PAY ATTENTION to the due
dates. DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE
TO ACCESS AND ATTEMPT THE HOMEWORK OR I WON'T BE ABLE TO HELP YOU!
I
suggest you go ahead and print out the problem set when you first open it. The problems are relevant to exam questions
and may also be used as a study aid. You
do not have to remain logged in and you do not have to answer all questions at
once. You may log in and answer questions anytime during the period the set is
open. The software records all answers
and attempts at answers so I have feedback on how each student is doing. You will have up to 99 attempts to answer
each question correctly. I strongly encourage you to seek help long before
reaching that limit, however! It is Ok
to work together on the homework. Each
student will have a unique (though very similar) set of questions to answer so
it is impossible to simply copy from each other. Use the "View Previous Set" button
to view the answers to your homework set which will be available 2 hours after
the stated due date/time.