www.learn.uci.edu
(949) 824-7613
Physics 12: Science Fact and Science Fiction
Summer 2013
Class Meeting Information
This course meets online from June 24 to Aug 1. THERE ARE NO IN-CLASS MEETINGS EXCEPT FOR
THE FINAL EXAM Aug 1st, 7-8:50 pm in PSCB 140. Everything is ONLINE!
Instructor Information
Name: Michael Dennin
Office Phone: 949 824 2995
Email: mdennin@uci.edu
Office hours: Email responses Mon./Wed. evening or in person by appointment
As a Professor of Physics at UC Irvine, I have taught physics courses at all levels from introductory courses
to graduate level courses. One of the more interesting experiences has been teaching a range of Freshmen
Seminars on the Physics of Superheroes. This experience has lead directly to the creation of this course.
TA Information
Name: TBD
Prerequisites — Classes or Knowledge Required for this Course
There are no specific prerequisites for this course. However, it will rely heavily on your everyday experience
with the physical world!
Course Objectives
After completing this course, the student will be able to:







Define key scientific terms
Evaluate the use of numbers in an argument
Explain simple functions and algebraic expressions
Evaluate if a particular argument follows the scientific method
Provide a qualitative analysis of a physical situation in terms of fundamental scientific principles
Identify if a particular question can be answered by scientific methods
Design and execute a “simple” scientific experiment
1
Course Text or Online Resources
The course uses the online textbook: Science Appreciation: Introduction to Science Literacy, by John White
and Michael Dennin. You will also be provided various articles and videos through the course website.
Course Outline: DRAFT!!! WARNING: The order of topics may change – but the actual topics will
not.
Because this is a 10 week course offered in 5 weeks, the weeks are indicated by 0.5 weeks in
this outline. A second table indicates how each week really looks as there is some overlap of
topics.
Week 0.5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 1
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 1.5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Science Literacy
Read Chapter 1 of textbook
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter One.

Analyze an argument explaining a particular natural phenomenon and determine if
it is based on modern science or Aristotelian views.

Explain the limits of modern science technqiues and provide an argument justifying
whether or not scientific methods can provide an answer to a particular question.
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are two online forums the students will participate in this week.
Scientific Process
Read Chapter 2 of textbook
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter two.

Determine if a particular method of analysis is scientific or not.

Discuss the sociology of the practice of science
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are two online forums the students will participate in this week.
Numerical Literacy
Read Chapter 3
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter Three.

Determine the accuracy and the precision of a measurement

Analyze a numerically based argument in a news article

Discuss probabilistic and statistical situations
Students will conduct an experimental study of the period of the pendulum and hand in a
report of this study.
There will be guidelines for the experiment and the students will respond to two forum
questions.
2
Week 2
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 2.5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Scientific Model
Read Chapter 4 of the Textbook
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter Four.

Convert an equation to English

Analyze a graph and discuss its relation to standard functions

Convert a mathematical model involving derivatives to English

Discuss the impact of parameters on a model
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are three online forums the students will participate in this week.
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT
Read chapter 5
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Design an experiment

Describe their experiment

Discuss the results of their experiment
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Students will conduct an experimental study of the period of the pendulum and hand in a
report of this study.
There will be guidelines for the experiment and the students will respond to two forum
questions.
Week 3.0
Classical Mechanics
Read Chapter 6 of textbook: WARNING – THIS IS THE MOST CHALLENGING WEEK
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 3.5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter Five.

Describe the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration.

Analyze a physical situation to determine when there is a net force on an object
from either a description of its motion or the interactions it has with other objects.

Identify “correct” and “incorrect” physical motions and interactions in video clips
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are three online forums the students will participate in this week.
More science
Read Chapter 7 of textbook
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter Six.

Explain the range of applicability of a scientific theory

Explain the difference between disproving a theory and expanding a theory.
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are two online forums the students will participate in this week.
3
Week 4
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 4.5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week 5
Topics/Reading
Objectives
Assignments
Due
Method of
Instruction
Week
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Science Fiction or Science Fact?
Read Chapter 8 and Video clips and links to articles
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Evaluate the likely validity of future technologies

Identify fundamental versus technological limits
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz
There are two online forums the students will participate in this week.
Superhero Week!!
Read Chapter 9
PROJECT: DESIGN YOUR OWN SUPERHERO DUE AT WEEKS END
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Justify the origin and powers of a self-designed superhero

Rate the origin and powers of the other superheroes
A description of their superhero must be provided by the middle of the week. Evaluation
of the other superheroes due by the end of the week.
Examples of superheroes and an analysis of their powers will be provided.
Science and Society
Read Chapter 10 of textbook
By the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

Provide definitions for the list of terms found at the beginning of Chapter Six.

Explain the arguments presented in the case studies in Chapter 6.

Provide their own analysis of at least one of the case studies.
Students must complete the assigned end of chapter questions and take the online quiz.
There are two online forums the students will participate in this week.
Book Chapter
1 and 2
3 and 4
5 and 6
7 and 8
9 and 10
Main activities
Introduction to science, the scientific community and the process of science.
Introduction to quantitative descriptions and models.
Do your own experiments and learn key ideas in science
Specific issues in science – evaluating science in movie clips and the media
Design a Superhero and Science and society plus the final project
Evaluation and Grading: In this course, you will be evaluated in the following way:
Participation in Forums
Homework
Pendulum Project
Superhero Project
Final Paper
Quizzes
Final Exam
15%
5%
10%
15%
20%
10%
25%
4
The forum participation will be graded for quality and quantity of participation. To
provide you with guidance, you will receive a “progress report grade” at the end of
week one and three that lets you know what your grade in this area would be if you
continued the same level of participation. The FINAL EXAM will be an in-class proctored
exam that can be taken either at UCI or at a remote location. For those taking it at an
approved testing center, alternate instructions will be available during the course.
Details on how the various assignments will be graded will be provided with each assignment.
Grading Scale
85 % – 100 %
70 % – 84 %
55 % – 69 %
45 % – 54 %
Guarantees A- or better
Guarantees B- or better
Guarantees C- or better
Guarantees D or better
Types of Communication
In an online course, the majority of our communication takes place in the course forums. However, when we have
a need for communication that is private, whether personal, interpersonal, or professional, we will use individual
email or telephone.
As with any course, we encourage students to interact with each other and discuss the readings, assignments,
etc.. There are four basic methods for students to interact with each other.




Required Forums: Each week there are 1 – 2 forums that require student participation as part of the
grade. You will be assigned a group of 15 – 20 students that forms your FORUM GROUP. During the
week, you will interact with these students. At the end of the week, you will be able to view all forum
discussions.
General Course Questions Forum: This is a place for students to initiate forums to discuss any aspect
of the course. These forums are open to ALL students in the course.
Student initiated chat session: Students can initiate a chat session on a topic. Again, these sessions are
open to all students in the course. An important feature of the chat sessions – THEY ARE NOT
ARCHIVED.
Student initiated STUDY GROUPS: For most courses, students find it useful to form study groups. In
fact, that is encouraged for this course. However, being an online course, we want to provide for online
study groups. If you wish to form a study group, email the instructor the names of all students in the
group and a private forum will be created for the study group.
Code of Conduct
All participants in the course are bound by the University of California Code of Conduct, found at
http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/coordrev/ucpolicies/aos/uc100.html.
Netiquette
In an online classroom, our primary means of communication is written. The written language has many
advantages: more opportunity for reasoned thought, more ability to go in-depth, and more time to think
through an issue before posting a comment. However, written communication also has certain disadvantages,
such a lack of the face-to-face signaling that occurs through body language, intonation, pausing, facial
expressions, and gestures. As a result, please be aware of the possibility of miscommunication and compose
your comments in a positive, supportive, and constructive manner.
5
WEBLINKS
As part of the lessons and in various places on the course website, you will find links to websites, articles, and
video clips. A few of these you will be required to go to for an assignment and comment on specifically. We
will do our best to ensure that these links are all working links! The rest of the links are provided as an extra
element of the course. We do not guarantee that all of these will work. Also, their presence in the course does
not imply any support for the material at the website. It is merely provided as an interesting website to analyze
in the context of the lessons in this course.
6
Course Policies
Expectations of students
This course contains many different components that are designed to maximize the experience of the students. A
critical feature of the course is a strong level of interaction between the students. The main avenue for this is the
online forums that will exist each week of the course. To receive a passing grade in the course, the students must
write a substantial response to each forum question and respond to at least one other students posted answer
EVEN IF IT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THAT PARTICULAR FORUM!
(Some assignments will require additional responses for full credit, so please read the instructions for each
assignment carefully.) In addition to the public discussions on the forums, the students will be required to keep a
journal. This will be the main form of communication between the professor and the students.
Because this course will involve analysis of many real world issues, the students are encouraged to research the
topics and discuss the issues with each other through the forums. During forum discussions, students should
provide sufficient information on any sources used (books, articles, websites), that the other students can
reference the sources as well.
The following assignments will have specific guidelines that must be followed. However, a summary of the main
issues is provided here.
1) quizzes: all quizzes must be taken without reference to any materials or communication with other
individuals.
2) Individual projects: all individual projects must have any sources properly references and must adhere to
standards of academic honesty
3) Group Projects: Each group project must contain a statement of the role/contribution of each group
member.
EMAIL GUIDELINES: When sending an email to the TA of Professor make sure that the subject line starts
with “Physics 12:”. If it does not have that starting point, we can not guarantee that the email will be
noticed.
The students MUST regularly check the “Instructor Announcement” portion of the course. Students are
responsible for any information posted there.
Expectations of the instructor
This course has many components, and as the instructor I will be sure to monitor all aspects of the course. The
most important element each week is the online forums, or threaded discussions. Either the TA or I will actively
monitor these by logging on and responded to the discussion at least once every 48 hours. HOWEVER, I will
only respond to Forums during the week for which they are assigned. This is defined as Monday to
Sunday. The forums will remain active during the entire course for students to continue their discussions
if they are interested. If there is any reason that I will be out of internet contact for a time period that prevents
this, I will make sure all students are aware of the situation and make alternate arrangements.
For all graded assignments, the work will be graded and returned within 5 days of the due date.
I welcome individual email requests where necessary. In most cases, I will reply to email the same day it is
received to at least acknowledge receipt of the email. Depending on the content and request, a reply may not
occur until my online office hours. Online office hours will take place Monday and Wed evening for the professor
and TBD for the TA, unless otherwise announced. During this time and I will respond to any emails that I did not
get to during the week.
For those students who can make it to campus, I will be available for office hours in person by appointment.
7