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Instructor: |
Dr. David R. Burgess |
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Office: |
ST239, (Office hours are posted on my door.) |
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Phone: |
603-897-8264 |
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Internet: |
dburgess@rivier.edu
(E-mail Dr. Burgess) |
Required Text: Physics Algebra/Trig 3rd Edition, by Eugene Hecht
Physics is the fundamental science. At some point all other physical and biological sciences merge into physics. In addition, physics is used to describe the motion and interaction of everyday objects. There is no other discipline that can better help to gain a fundamental understanding of the world we live in.
Physics is also an excellent opportunity to work on the college-wide competencies listed on the page titled Academic Assessment at Rivier. The nature of physics requires you to apply an understanding of course content to solve a variety of problems. In the process you will need to think critically and synthesize concepts. It is also an opportunity to make judgments about the appropriateness of solutions, not only in a physical sense, but often in more global ways. The ability to communicate will be important when explaining concepts and working in groups.
Since it would be impossible to cover all of the topics associated with physics, this course will concentrate on a few of the most basic concepts. They will be chosen carefully to provide an introduction to the basic concepts in physics and to provide an opportunity to sharpen critical thinking and problem solving skills. Indeed, the main objective of this course in not to learn all of physics, but to learn how to investigate and approach problems in a sound, logical manner. This will provide you with some basic physics and other skills that will enable you to make sound scientific judgments.
Specifically, this course will provide the opportunity:
1. To obtain a sound background in physics that will allow further study in the sciences and provide a basis for sound scientific judgments.
2. To investigate and learn to use the problem solving techniques and tools used in physics.
3. To further develop communication skills using scientific terminology.
4. To gain a sense of satisfaction from being able to solve difficult problems.
One of the main tools of a scientist is logical reasoning. This course will emphasize logical reasoning as a means of investigating and understanding physical systems.
The heart of physics, especially this first semester, is problem solving. Many problems from the book and other problems will be provided for practice. It will require diligent effort to understand the concepts and that will enable you to do the problems.
Remember that it is the logical investigation of the problem, not the specific answer that is important in this context. Test your understanding of the concepts by doing problems.
Quizzes will be given at the beginning of laboratory periods over the homework problems. One quiz will be dropped when determining the quiz average and the quiz average will count toward the lecture grade. Four exams will be given. Exams will not include true-false or multiple choice questions but will include problems similar to homework problems and exercises done in class and in the laboratory. There will also be a comprehensive final exam.
Final grades will be determined using the following weighting scale:
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Quiz average |
15% |
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Exam average |
65% |
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Final exam |
20% |
Raw scores will be converted to letter grades as established by the college (see the page titled Academic Assessment at Rivier). For example, if a student had a quiz average of 86%, an exam average of 82%, and earned a 77% on the final exam, she would have an overall score of
(.15)(86) + (.65)(82) + (.2)(77) = 81.6
and receive a B- for the course.
Course Schedule
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3 Sept - 22 Sept |
Introduction and Kinematics (Ch. 1-3) |
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22 Sept |
Exam 1 |
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24 Sept - 20 Oct |
Statics, Dynamics, and
Centripetal Force ( |
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20 Oct |
Exam 2 |
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22 Oct - 17 Nov |
Work, Energy, Momentum, and Conservation Laws (Ch. 6-7) |
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17 Nov |
Exam 3 |
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19 Nov - 8 Dec |
Rotational Motion, Equilibrium, and Dynamics ( |
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8 Dec |
Exam 4 |
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10 Dec |
Comprehensive Final Exam ( |
Homework, Fall 2008
Text: College Physics Algebra/Trig 3rd Edition, by Eugene Hecht
Ch. 1: 13, 23, 25, 27, 31, 37,
41, 49, 53, 57
Ch. 2: 1, 5, 7, 33, 43, 45, 51, 53, 59, 61, 63, 69, 71, 73, 75, 81, 87, 89
Ch. 3: 25, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 73, 81, 87, 89, 93, 95, 97, 103,
105, 109, 111, 115, 117, 119, 121, 125
Ch. 4: 3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 47, 49, 53, 55, 57, 59, 65,
67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 87, 89, 91, 95, 97, 101, 103, 109, 111,
113, 115, 117, 119, 121, 123, 127, 129, 131, 132
Ch. 5: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15, 19, 23, 25, 27
Ch. 6: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 19, 21, 23, 31, 35, 43, 53, 59, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79,
91, 93, 95, 105, 107
Ch. 7: 1, 5, 11, 17, 23, 31, 33, 35, 39, 41, 47, 49, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63,
65, 67, 69
Ch. 8: 5, 7, 9, 15, 23, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 65, 69, 71, 73, 75, 77, 81, 83,
85, 87, 89, 93, 95, 99, 119, 121, 127, 156, 157
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PHYSICS
111 LABORATORY, PHY111L
The physics laboratory will provide an opportunity to investigate the concepts presented in the lecture portion of the course. This will be accomplished by investigating real and theoretical physical situations. Many exercises will be done in small discussion groups. To account for the time available during lab day when exams are scheduled, you will be required to do a lab project during the semester. These projects can be done individually, or in pairs. To do these projects, pick a Discussion Question (first set of questions at the back of each chapter) that you think can be modeled in an experiment or done directly. These can be taken from the back of any chapter through Chapter Eight. Develop an experimental set-up to model the situation that requires data collection and analysis (this may require modifying or extending the stated activity). One good strategy for these projects could be to determine the rate of change of something and incorporate some basic calculus concepts into the analysis. Conduct the experiment, work up the data, and write a lab report in the standard format. Be sure to focus the experiment on a specific objective. The report will be due on 24 November. Monday, 10 November, will be set aside for working on these experiments. A tentative list of hands-on experiments to be done by the class during the semester is given below. General outlines of the experiments will be provided, but the specific details will be developed by the students. For each experiment you will need to identify the variables involved and use the best methods available to minimize the uncertainty in each variable's measurement. Individual reports are due one week after completion of the experiment. Late assignments: There will not be any penalty for up to three late lab assignments. If there are four or more late assignments at the end of the semester, all of the late assignments, including the first three, will be penalized 20% when calculating the final grade. Only the late assignments will be penalized and this will be done when final grades are calculated, after the assignments have been graded (all assignments will be graded as if they came in on time). Tentative experiments:
Grading in the Physics Lab: Each person will individually hand in a report on each laboratory exercise. Most of the exercises will be laboratory experiments done in class, but some may involve computer simulations, internet activities, or other activities as assigned. Each activity will be given equal weight. |
The following outline may be used for the laboratory reports.
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I. |
Title |
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II. |
Objective |
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III. |
Materials |
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IV. |
Theory |
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A. Physical concepts |
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B. Mathematical models |
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V. |
Procedure |
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VI. |
Results |
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A. Numerical results (with uncertainty) |
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B. Conceptual results (Do you trust the numbers?) |
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VII. |
Implications |