Syllabus for PHY 1653

Elementary Physics Methods

Section #23075

Class Time:

TTh 5:40 – 6:55 PM NRG 4213

Instructor:  Paul Williams, Ph.D.                                

Office Hours: All office hours are held in NRG 2153

MW 10:40 – 11:40 AM

TTh  8:35 – 9:05 AM

TTh 2:40 – 3:40 PM

TTh 5:05 – 5:35 PM

 

By Appointment Only:

MW 11:40 AM – 1:10 PM

TTh 4:05 – 5:05 PM

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

 

Phone: 223-4824

E-mail:  pwill@austincc.edu    

Website:  www2.austincc.edu/nrgpsc

 

Text:   Physics, 6th Edition, by Cutnell and Johnson (Wiley)

 

Prerequisite:  C or better in MATH 1316 or its equivalent

 

Course Overview:

Intended for engineering, computer science, chemistry, and physics majors with strong mathematics background. Coverage includes mechanics, thermodynamics, vibrations and waves, electricity and magnetism, and optics. This course serves as a prerequisite for the calculus-based PHYS 2425/2426 sequence. 

 

Instructional Methodology:

A substantial portion of the course will consist of lectures by the instructor to convey the basic principles of physics.  Students will also do in class problem solving practice and several other in class activities. 

 

Course Rationale:

 This course is designed for students who are mathematically well prepared to take the Engineering Physics sequence of courses (PHYS 2425/2426) but lack the physics prerequisite.  It is a greatly accelerated overview of topics in General Physics.

 

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, providing group activities, assigning homework, 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, 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.

 

Course Objectives:

We realize that most of our students will not be pursuing careers in physics.  To that end, the following objectives apply to this course:

 

·                Students will understand the basic principles of physics.

·                Students will be able to communicate these principles clearly.

·                Students will be able to use algebra and the laws of physics to solve simple problems.

 

Grading System:

 You grade will be determined as follows:

                        Tests                                        50%

            Final                                         20%

            Homework                               20%

            In Class Activities                     10%

                                                                                               

 

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:

            Attendance – 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 every lab.

 

            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 18, 2004.  Failure to do so will result in a failing grade which will not be changed.  Incompletes are given only exceptional circumstances and only to students who have completed the preponderance of the course work.

 

            Scholastic Dishonesty – Standard ACC Policy: Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression.  Academia 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.

 

            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.

 

            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 will want to consult with the Office of Student Services or the Associate Dean at their campus on such matters.

 

            Students with Disabilities – Standard ACC Policy:  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.

 

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.

 

            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.

 

            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.

 

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

 

            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.

 

            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.

 

            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 Monday of the last week of class.

 

            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.

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 sections of the text to be covered and second row gives the lab activity for that day.

Week

Date of Tuesday

Tuesday

Assignment Due

Thursday

Assignment Due

1

1/11

Introduction to Course 1.1 – 1.3

 

Kinematics ILD

 

2

1/18

2.1 – 2.7

 

1-4 – 1.7

HW #1

3

1/25

3.1 – 3.3, 5.1 – 5.2

 

8.1 – 8.3

HW #2

4

2/1

Intro to Force and Free Body Diagrams

 

Force ILD

HW #3

5

2/8

4.1 – 4.6

Test #1 Review

 

Test #1 Ch. 1,2,3,5,8

HW #4

6

2/15

4.7 – 4.12, 5.3

 

9.1 – 9.4

HW #5

7

2/22

Charge

18.1 – 18.6

 

21.1 – 21.5

HW #6

8

3/1

22.1 – 22.4

Test #2 Review

 

Test #2 Chs. 4,5,9,18

HW #7

9

3/8

6.1 – 6.7

 

19.1 – 19.3

HW #8

3/15

Spring Break

 

Spring Break

 

10

3/22

19.5

 

20.1 – 20.7

HW #9

11

3/29

20.10

 

 

7.1 – 7.5

HW #10

12

4/5

9.6

Test #3 Review

 

Test #3 Ch. 21,6,19,20

HW #11

13

4/12

11.1 – 11.4

 

12.1 – 12.5

HW #12

14

4/19

14.1 – 14.2, 15.1 – 15.3

 

16.1 – 16.3, 16.5

HW #13

15

4/26

24.1 -24.3, 25.1 26.1 – 26.2

Test #4 Review

 

Test #4 Chs. 11,12,14,15,24,25,26

 

16

5/2

Final Review

HW #14

Final Exam