PHYSICS 1407 - Conceptual Physics I

SYNONYM #  49226

Spring, 2007

CREDITS:  (4-3-3)

INSTRUCTOR:  Paul Williams, Ph.D.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Conceptual survey of topics in physics, including the fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, light, and modern physics.  Intended for liberal arts and other non-science majors, but science majors with weak physics background may wish to use this as an introduction to physics principles.

 

PREREQUISITES:   none

 

TEXT:                         Hewitt, Conceptual Physics, 10th edition

OTHER:                     Calculator

 

METHODOLGY:      Lecture/Lab 

LECTURE:   TTh 7:05-8:20 PM NRG 2213                                     

Lab:              TTh 8:30-9:45 PM NRG 2228                                                             

 

OFFICE LOCATION:  NRG 2153                                      

PHONE NUMBER:  223-4824        

E-MAIL ADDRESS: pwill@austincc.edu

Website: www.austincc.edu/nrgpsc

                       

OFFICE HOURS:      All office hours are held in NRG 2153

MW 10:45 – 11:45 AM

MW 3:30 - 4:00 PM

TTh 5:50 – 6:50 PM

 

The following are available by appointment only

MW 9:30 – 10:45 AM

TTh 4:35 – 5:50 PM

 

If you cannot make any of these office hours then we can make an appointment.

RATIONALE:  Non-mathematics physics course intended for liberal arts majors who want an understanding of how physics can explain everyday life physical phenomena and how physics relates to their everyday lives. 


COURSE OBJECTIVES: 

I. Lecture

1.  To develop the concepts and language of physics.

2.  To make students aware of how physics related to their everyday lives and their word.

3.  To develop critical thinking.

 

II.  Laboratory

1.  To strengthen the concepts and ideas introduced in class and show the link between theory and experiment.

2.   To introduce students to experimental techniques.

3.  To develop critical thinking.

 

EXPECTATIONS AND ROLES:

            Instructor:  It is the instructor’s role to create a learning environment.  This includes but is not limited to presenting material in lecture and laboratory formats, providing group activities, assigning homework, lab write-ups, and giving tests.  Also the instructor’s role is to provide feedback on student work and tests.

            Student:  Learning is the student’s responsibility – not the instructors.  You are expected to attend and actively participate in class regularly, complete your assignments on time, actively participate in and complete your lab assignments on time, be prepared for tests at the designated time, and seek and obtain any help that you need.  In general, what you receive from any course and the grade you obtain will reflect the effort you put into the course.

 

GRADING SYSTEM:

You grade will be determined as follows:

                        Tests                                        40%

            Final                                         20%

            Homework                               10%

            Class Participation                    5%

            Laboratory                               25%                                        

 

Based on the following scale:     A                     90-100

                                                B                      80-89

                                                C                     70-79

                                                D                     60-69

                                                F                      0-59

 

            Tests – Four one-hour tests will be given approximately every 3-4 weeks as shown in the course calendar.  The tests will be closed notes and books unless otherwise indicated.  No make-up exams will be given.  However, a student may replace their lowest test grade with their grade on the final exam.

COURSE POLICIES:                      

 a.   Attendance Policy:  Attendance is required and I expect you to attend class regularly.  It is my experience that a typical student will drop a letter grade for each three to four absences.  Each student must complete each portion of every lab to receive credit for the lab.

 

b.  Withdrawals and Incompletes:   The instructor makes no commitment to withdraw a student who stops attending.  If you decide to not complete the class at this time, you must withdraw yourself by the drop deadline April 23, 2007.  Failure to do so will result in a failing grade which will not be changed.  Incompletes are given under only exceptional circumstances and only to students who have completed the preponderance of the course work.

 

c.   Scholastic Dishonesty:  Scholastic Dishonesty:  Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.

     Adding your name to a group lab that you did not complete will be viewed as scholastic dishonesty and will result in a grade of 0 for that lab activity.  Using a clicker other than the one assigned to you will result in a 0 for that activity.

 

d.  Academic Freedom: Students are free to disagree with instructors on matters of opinion or personal philosophy, and will incur no penalty from doing so.  However, instructors will judge student work based upon its relation to the current state of mainstream scientific fact and theory students are allowed to voice opinions, concerns, complaints and suggestions to the instructor.  However, it is up to the instructor to decide how to use the student’s comments to meet the class’s best interests.

 

e.  Student Discipline:  Matters of student disciple will be adjudicated by the instructor on a case-by-case basis, in conjunction with the Task Force Leader or Dean.  Students may consult with the Office of Student Services or the Associate Dean at their campus on these matters.

 

f.   Office with Student with Disabilities:  Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.  Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester

 

g.   Help:  If you need help, get it.  I hold office hours to help students and you should view me as a primary as a primary source of aid.  Also, free walk-in tutoring is provided by the Learning Labs, and I highly recommend this service.  You are encouraged to work on homework assignments with classmates.  However, regardless of the source of help you receive you are responsible for your own work.  If you copy someone else’s homework without doing it yourself, you will not understand the material and despite having a good homework grade will not do well in the course.

 

h.  Problems:  If some problem arises causing you to miss an assignment, please see me in advance if at all possible and I will try to make accommodations.  Incompletes are not given except under extreme circumstances.

 

i.  Time:  You should expect to spend 2 hours outside of class for each hour in class.  It is expected that you will keep up with the reading assignments and you should expect to read 5-10 pages per night in the text.  I believe whole-heartedly in homework.  Physics requires a different type of thinking than other classes and this though process must be developed through practice.  Homework will be due approximately every week as shown in the class schedule.

 

j.  Homework Grading:   Homework will be spot checked with each assignment earning a grade from 0 – 10 depending on effort, correctness, and completeness.

 

k.  Assignment Due Dates:  Homework assignments are due on my desk without my asking for them at the end of the class period indicated in the course calendar or as directed in class.  Lab assignments are due at the end of thee period the assignment is completed unless otherwise directed.

 

l.  Organization:  Please keep your assignments so that any possible errors in my grading records can be rectified.  It is a good idea to keep your homework in a loose leaf binder for reference.

 

m.  Late Homework:  Homework is an integral part of this course.  You need to work on assignments regularly and turn them in a timely fashion.  Late homework will be given 5 points for completeness but will not be graded. Also no assignments will be accepted after Tuesday of the last week of class.

 

n.  Laboratory:  A major component of this course is the laboratory.  You will perform laboratory exercises typically twice per week.  Each will require a brief write-up which will be due at the end of that class period unless otherwise directed.

 

o.  Lab Groups:  Students are free to choose their own lab groups.  If a space is available a student may change a lab group.  However, lab groups may not exceed four students without permission from the instructor.

 

p.  Laboratory Make-up – You may make up a total of three missed laboratory periods.  To make-up a laboratory obtain a copy of the missed activity from the instructor and then schedule a time to make up the lab with the laboratory coordinator.  Typically make-ups are held on Friday mornings.  There may be one or two times during the semester that a lab can be made up during the normally scheduled lab time.

 

q.  Cell Phone – As a courtesy to your instructor and your classmates, please make sure that your cell phone is turned completely off before class.  If you are expecting an urgent phone call, then please place the phone in a silent mode

 

r.  Privacy -  To protect student privacy I will not give information about grades via email or phone.

 

Tentative Course Outline / Calendar: 

In the calendar below the date is the Tuesday of that week.  For each week, the first row gives approximately the chapter of the text to be covered and second row gives the lab activity for that day.  The instructor reserves the right to adjust the calendar to meet the instructional needs of the course and any unusual circumstances.

 

Week

Date of Tuesday

Tuesday

Assignment Due

Thursday

Assignment Due

1

1/16

Introduction to Course Ch. 22

 

Ch. 22

 

 

Safety Orientation,

Charge and the Forces between charges

 

Introduction to Potential

 

2

1/23

Ch. 23

 

Ch. 23

HW #1

 

Electric Current

 

Series and Parallel Circuits

 

3

1/30

Ch. 24

 

Ch. 24

HW #2

 

Magnetic Fields

 

Electromagnetism

 

4

2/6

Ch. 25

HW #3

Test #1  Chs. 22-24

 

 

Test #1 Review

 

Faraday’s Law

 

5

2/13

Ch. 25

 

Ch. 26

HW #4

 

Transformers

 

Rectilinear Propagation of Light

 

6

2/20

Ch. 27

 

Ch. 28

HW #5

 

Color Addition

 

Law of Reflection

 

7

2/27

Ch. 28

 

Ch. 28

 

 

Refraction

 

Image Formation

 

8

3/6

Ch. 29

HW #6

Ch. 29

 

 

Interference Patterns

 

Diffraction Patterns

 

3/13

Spring Break

 

Spring Break

 

 

9

3/20

Ch. 30

HW #7

Test #2  Chs. 25 – 29

 

 

Test #2 Review

 

Classification of Spectra

 

10

3/27

Ch. 31

HW #8

Ch. 31

 

 

Photoelectric Effect

 

Atomic Spectra

 

11

4/3

Ch. 32

HW #9

Ch. 32

 

 

e/m

 

 

 

12

4/10

Ch. 33

HW #10

Test #3  Chs. 30 - 32

 

 

 

Test #3 Review

 

Half-life

 

13

4/17

Ch. 33

 

Ch. 34

HW #11

 

Exponential Growth

 

TBA

 

14

4/24

Ch. 35

 

Ch. 35

HW #12

 

TBA

 

TBA

 

15

5/1

Ch. 36

HW #13

Test #4 Chs. 33 - 35

 

 

Test #4 Review

 

Make-up Lab

 

16

5/8

Final Review

HW #14

Final Exam