Physics 1AL
Faculty Instructor:
Dr. Michael Anderson
mganderson@physics.ucsd.edu
Lab Manual/ Syllabus Link for first week:
on WebCT
OR
http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/courses/
winter2009/physics1labs/
Physics 1A
Lecture 1A
"You do not really understand something unless
you can explain it to your grandmother."
--Albert Einstein
Introduction
Welcome to Physics 1A!
Physics 1 is a three quarter course designed
as an introduction into basic physics for
students in the biological sciences.
Physics 1A in particular will focus on motion,
kinematics, and Newton’s Laws.
Please note that the lecture and the lab are
separate courses with separate instructors.
Introduction
Who is this guy?
I am Professor Frank
Wuerthwein.
I am a faculty in the Physics
department.
I have taught Mechanics a
few times elsewhere.
This is the 1st time I teach
this particular course!
My research is in
experimental particle physics
Acknowledgements
I follow strictly the course material put
together by Dr. M.G. Anderson.
Many thanks, Mike !
Though, I might skip lecture demos in favor
of doing example problems in class.
Less entertainment, more drill, and
maybe better grades as a result ?
Introduction
My office is
located in
5515 Mayer
Hall.
The TA for this
course is:
Agnieszka
Cieplak .
Updated Map
My office is on the
5th floor, about here
Administrativa
The website will be an extremely useful
place. There you have:
The class syllabus, incl. academic calendar.
The problem sets
Current announcements
Office hours and Problem Sessions
Lecture PDFs
http://physics.ucsd.edu/students/courses/winter2009/physics1a
Administrativa
The book we will be using is:
Serway and Faughn, College Physics,
7th Edition, Vol. 1 Thomson/Brooks/Cole
The list of problems for the quarter is on the
website.
They are divided into: Easy, Medium, and Hard.
Solutions will be posted on the website before
the quiz.
Administrativa
There is a lot of help available for you to
complete your homework and understand the
concepts:
Problem Solving Session (TBA)
First one: TBA (probably next week)
Physics Dept. Tutorial Center runs from
Sunday-Thursday from 3:00pm-8:00pm
2101 Mayer Hall.
There are also office hours. They will be
posted on-line when they are all determined.
Administrativa
Grading:
Your grades will be determined by your
performance on the quizzes and the final
exam.
There are 5 quizzes:
F 1/23 M 2/2 F 2/13 F 2/27 M 3/9
Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.
The cumulative final exam will be Friday,
Mar. 20th from 11:30am-2:30pm.
Administrativa
Your grade will be calculated by: 60% Quizzes +
40% Final.
I will stick to the grading scale announced today.
I hate it when people try to negotiate grades with
me. If you have a grading issue, then talk with the
TA first.
If you can’t work it out with the TA then both of you
come to me together, and chances are you’ll get a
worse grade than you started with.
Administrativa
Your grade will be determined by using
the following scale:
Between 85% and 100% =>
A
Between 70% and 85% =>
B
Between 55% and 70% =>
C
Between 40% and 55% =>
D
Grade below 40% =>
F
What is science?
Question: At what temperature is water at its
greatest density?
Answer: 4o C.
Question: How long does it take light from the
Sun to reach Earth?
Answer: It takes slightly over 8 minutes
(8.3 minutes).
Question: What is the half-life of Uranium–238?
Answer: 4.46 billion years.
What is science?
Are memorizing facts and figures, the
basis of science?
The answers to the previous questions are
merely terminology and facts.
Terminology and facts are necessary to
science but not the key.
What is science?
The scientific method is designed to break down
knowledge and data so that it can be studied and
reproduced.
1) Make an educated guess (or hypothesis) to
solve an existing problem.
2) Predict consequences that can be observed to
test if the hypothesis is right.
3) Perform experiments or tests to find
observations.
4) Retest many times until a general rule has been
found regarding your hypothesis.
What is science?
Specifically in this class, we will be using
the scientific method in conjunction with
the lab class.
I will present ideas and concepts in
lecture.
You will test the validity of those
concepts in lab.
If you ever truly doubt the validity of
any concept I present, then come up with
a test to disprove it.
Physics: Friend or Foe?
How would you describe what Physics
is to your grandmother?
What immediately comes to mind when
you hear the word “Physics?”
Physics: Friend or Foe?
Technically, Physics is the study of the
symmetry of the universe.
Basically it answers the question of what is
equivalent in nature.
Physics looks at different forms of energy
and matter and studies how they interact.
This means that Physics ranges from the
tiniest objects in the universe (quarks,
gluons, neutrinos) to the largest objects in
the universe (black holes, neutron stars,
galaxies). And everything in between.
What is Mechanics?
A set of very simple ideas.
Ideas, that can be used in conjunction with calculus
and linear algebra to predict the outcome of a wide
range of “experiments” and natural phenomena.
You haven’t understood the concept if you can’t compute
answers to problems.
Just because you can compute, doesn’t mean you
understood!
You will test the validity of those ideas and
concepts in the lab.
For Next Time (FNT)
Download and read syllabus
Read Chapter 1
Start on the homework for
Chapter 1
When is the first quiz?
In two and a half weeks (Friday,
1/23). It will cover chapters 1,2,3.