EASTERN
PY 201 General Physics I
Fall 2005
INSTRUCTOR: John U. Free, john.u.free@enc.edu
HOMEWORK
SESSION LEADERS: Joe Cox,
joseph.j.cox@enc.edu
HOMEWORK
GRADERS: WebAssign and Joe Cox
LABORATORY
ASSISTANTS: Tim Troxler, timothy.d.troxler@enc.edu
Tell me and I’ll forget;
show me and I may remember;
involve me and I will understand.
- CHINESE PROVERB -
OVERVIEW:
Physics
is the study of the physical universe from both the microscopic and macroscopic
vantage point. It ultimately seeks an
explanation of the nature of matter and its interactions. Like many other disciplines, physics is
composed of interacting and overlapping topics (e.g., optics, thermodynamics,
and mechanics). This is a yearlong
course designed as a survey of all areas of physics and will seek to expose a
common thread running throughout apparently disparate topics.
OBJECTIVES:
* to help students develop an understanding of the physical universe at it’s most fundamental
level
* to explore a wide range of physics
applications in science, technology, and everyday life
* to see "grand connections" among
the various topics in physics
* to develop students’ analytical and quantitative skills as applied to problems in science and
engineering
*
to help students gain skills in the physical laboratory
REQUIRED
TEXT(S):
Physics for
Scientists and Engineers, Randall Knight, Pearson Addison Wesley, 1st
ed., 2005.
Student Workbook, Randall Knight, Pearson Addison Wesley, 1st
edition, 2005.
Laboratory Study Guide - available
in the Physics Office, 162 Old Colony.
SUPPLEMENTAL
TEXT(S):
Is Your Math Ready for Physics, Walter
Gleason, W C Brown Publishers, 1993.
ATTENDANCE:
Regular
attendance is expected. Laxity in this category will negatively affect the
daily quiz/ attendance component of your grade.
There is a course web page linked to my
home page located at enc.edu/~john.u.free.
Here you will find a link to the course under PY 201 General Physics
I. You should find all the material
needed for the course. I will also place
the Power Point lectures on the course web page.
DAILY
QUIZZES:
Each class period we will start with a
5 to10 minute quiz. The class quizzes
are designed to help you prepare for class and self evaluate your understanding
of the material. To prepare for the
daily quizzes you should read the text section assigned on the daily schedule. We will use a system called PRS or Personal
Response System that will allow you to take the quiz electronically.
The lowest three quizzes will
be dropped.
HOMEWORK:
Homework
is assigned for each class and can be found on WebAssign. Since assignments are
published well before their due date, there is no excuse for late homework.
Assignments are due the next
class after they are assigned. For
example homework assigned on Monday is due on Wednesday. On exam days the homework is due the next
class. Again this semester we will use
the Internet and WebAssign (www.webassign.com/) to submit and grade your homework.
All assigned homework will be submitted
and graded by WebAssign.
There are times in the semester when this
policy will be a hardship so there is a “grace period”. Six
times during the semester you can turn in a class assignment the next class day after it is due
without a penalty. Homework will not be accepted after two class days. All
extensions must be requested from WebAssign using the extension option.
EXAMS:
There
will be three (3) exams throughout the term. The exam will consist of two
parts. The first part will be conceptual multiple choice questions
and conceptual short answer
questions. The second part will be problems. You will find the three Exam Study
Guides on the course web page.
FINAL
EXAM:
The
final exam is a multiple
choice exam and scheduled by the registrar.
The exam is cumulative and covers material studied throughout the
semester.
PROBLEM SOLVING SESSIONS:
You are encouraged to attend the Problem
Solving Sessions each week. The sessions
are Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.
Perfect attendance at these sessions will help me determine “border line
blues” in your grade. The sessions will
be totally devoted to problem solving.
To get maximal benefit from these sessions you should attempt to solve
the homework problems before coming to the sessions. In fact, the instructor will not help you
unless you have attempted the problem before the session.
LABORATORY:
The purpose of the physics laboratory is to
allow the student to examine first-hand the concepts of the classroom and to
reinforce the empirical nature of physics.
Labs are held on Thursday (
GRADING:
You may choose to have your grade computed
in one of two ways. You can have two
separate grades for the class and lab or the same grade for the class and lab.
Your grade will be computed as follows:
Same
grade for class and lab
exams - 30%
homework - 25% laboratory - 20%
quizzes/attendance - 15% final - 10%
Different
grades for class and lab
Class
grade
exams - 35%
homework - 30%
quizzes/attendance - 20% final - 15%
Lab grade
laboratory - 100%
You must indicate to me by email which way to compute your
grade by the second week of the course.
OFFICE HOURS:
Office hours this term will be Monday and
Wednesday