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PHYSICS 221: GENERAL PHYSICS I Instructor: Fred Lemmerhirt Textbook: Physics for Scientists & Engineers, Third Edition, by Douglas C. Giancoli Prerequisite: Completion of Math 131 or other introductory calculus course. Objectives: 1) To increase knowledge and understanding of the phenomena, principles and methods involved in the study of mechanics, thermal physics, and wave motion, as required for further study in science and engineering. 2) To develop physical intuition and problem-solving ability. Content: Most of the topics in chapters 1-14 and 17-20 of the textbook will be included in the course. Exercises & Problems: Verifying one's understanding of the concepts and methods of physics is done primarily by applying them to the solution of logical and numerical problems. The textbook provides a large selection of such problems for practice, and those that seem best suited to students in this course are listed on the back of this sheet. Other problems, mostly from old exams, will be distributed regularly. These may be submitted for grading, and those that are graded will apply, proportionately, toward the total points for your course grade. Only problems done in good form and submitted by their due dates will be accepted for grading. (For more details see the section on Graded Problems below.) Lab: The course includes a weekly three-hour lab session. You are expected to perform all assigned laboratory exercises and submit summaries of your work according to the instructions distributed. The lab grade will be based on completion of the lab exercises themselves, on the quality, completeness, and timely submission of required summaries, and on the results of a lab exam given at the end of the semester. Exams: There will be three regular exams and a comprehensive final exam. Emphasis will be on problems similar to those assigned for practice and those included on in-class exercises. Exams taken late for any reason are subject to a penalty of 10% of the score. This penalty may be reduced to 5% if arrangements to make up the exam are made no later than the day of the exam. (Once an exam is graded and returned, the makeup exam may be delayed until late in the semester.) Grades: Grades will be based on total points, as follows: Letter grades are not assigned for individual exams. Typical correlations between letter grades and total points have been: A-90%, B-75%, C-55%, D-40%. These correlations are given only as an approximate guide. They are subject to adjustment and may vary somewhat from one semester to another. Attendance and Homework: Most students find that regular attendance and consistent effort are required for success in this course. If your present schedule may cause you to miss more than one or two classes during the semester or prevent you from devoting at least two hours a day to working problems outside of class, you might consider postponing this course. Help: You must try to recognize when you need help and be willing to ask for it, both in and out of class. The availability of help, from both instructor and fellow students, is an important advantage of taking a course in physics rather than studying it independently. If you have any disability or other special circumstance that could interfere with your ability to succeed in this course, please discuss your situation with the instructor or with the staff of the Access Center (118 Collins Hall). Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate most special needs. These problems from the textbook are suggested for practice, not to be turned in for grading. They probably represent the MINIMUM that a typical student in this course must do in order to master the concepts. CHAPTER 2 DESCRIBING MOTION: KINEMATICS IN ONE DIMENSION CHAPTER 3 KINEMATICS IN TWO DIMENSIONS; VECTORS CHAPTER 4 DYNAMICS: NEWTON'S LAWS OF MOTION CHAPTER 5 FURTHER APPLICATIONS OF NEWTON'S LAWS CHAPTER 6 GRAVITATION AND NEWTON'S SYNTHESIS CHAPTER 7 WORK AND ENERGY CHAPTER 8 CONSERVATION OF ENERGY CHAPTER 9 LINEAR MOMENTUM AND COLLISIONS CHAPTER 10 ROTATIONAL MOTION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS CHAPTER 11 GENERAL ROTATION CHAPTER 12 STATIC EQUILIBRIUM; ELASTICITY AND FRACTURE CHAPTER 13 FLUIDS CHAPTER 14 OSCILLATIONS CHAPTER 17 TEMPERATURE, THERMAL EXPANSION, AND THE IDEAL GAS LAW CHAPTER 18 KINETIC THEORY OF GASES CHAPTER 19 HEAT AND THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS CHAPTER 20 SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS In addition to the textbook problems listed above, a selection of instructive problems that may be submitted for grading, mostly from previous exams, will be distributed regularly. Any points received on these problems might be considered "extra credit" in the sense that any particular course grade can be earned without these points. (Submitting them for grading is optional, but doing them is essential!) Because the points are "extra", these problems should be done in your best problem-solving "style" and must be submitted by their due dates. (Solutions are to be very clear, detailed, and easy to follow, with diagrams and verbal explanation of reasoning where appropriate.) They will be graded roughly on this basis: 5: exceptionally well-presented, clearly showing a good understanding of the concepts involved 4: basically complete and correct 3: OK except for possibly some small error, omission, or misconception 2: a good effort, but spoiled by some significant omission, mistake, misconception, or lack of organization 1: some understanding indicated, but not a coherent solution 0: no indication of significant effort or understanding The contribution to your course grade points from these problems will be: (100 times your total problem points) / (4 times the total number of problems assigned) |
Last updated: August 31, 2004 Fred Lemmerhirt flemmerhirt@waubonsee.edu