PHYSICS 103
PHYSICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Fall, 2013
Professor Cain
Office: Dana 171
Classroom: Dana 146
Email: lacain@davidson.edu
Lecture: 1:30-2:20 pm., MWF
Office hours: TBA
Our text: Energy: Its Use and the Environment, Hinrichs and Kleinbach, 5th Edition, Brooks/Cole
Course site: http://moodle.davidson.edu/moodle2/course/view.php?id=2621
Course Objective: This course is a study of the physical laws and processes that underlie environmental
phenomena. Our special focus and main theme will be energy. We will examine not only the physical
laws and processes themselves, but also some of the technical, economic, political and social
consequences of these laws and processes. Our goal is to help you better understand the complex
decisions that are related to all environmental issues, especially energy use. These are major issues that
each of you will have to deal with during your lifetime.
Course Requirements:
Class time: Class periods will be a combination of lecture, demonstrations, mathematical and conceptual
problems, discussions, and interactions with your classmates and me. These class periods will amplify
and supplement your study of the textbook. In order for you to get the most out of this method, it is
imperative that you read the relevant textbook material before coming to class. If you have questions,
please ask when opportunities arise in class or come to office hours.
Reading: We will not cover every section in the text this semester. At the beginning of each chapter I
will tell you what sections we will cover. Reading scientific and technical material is different from
reading a novel or other literary material. In most cases you need to read the material several times in
order to have a reasonable understanding of the concepts.
Honor Code: You each have agreed to adhere to the Honor Code in everything you do and to enjoy the
privileges it provides. If there are any questions about how the honor code applies to a given assignment,
please ask me. Rather than write the full pledge (On my honor I have neither given nor received
unauthorized information regarding this work, I have followed and will continue to observe all
regulations regarding it, and I am unaware of any violation of the Honor Code by others.) out for each
assignment, I will assume that the word PLEDGED, the date, and your signature on each assignment
means that you have subscribed to the pledge on that assignment.
ADA: If you have a diagnosed learning or other disability such that you are allowed accommodations for
reviews, assignments or the final exam, please make sure that you contact the Dean of Students office
immediately. I must receive notification from the Dean of Students office regarding your accommodation
for this course before assignments are due or reviews are taken.
Electronic gadget and email policy: Remember that your gadgets, including cell phones and laptops,
affect everyone in the class. Cell phones are to be turned off in class. I do not allow the use of laptops
during class, unless you clear it with me beforehand. Audio and video recordings of class must also be
approved by me beforehand.
Physics 103
Fall, 2013
Page 2
In this course, my methods of contact with you outside of class are through my office hours and my
response to emails. I have office hours that are set based on your class schedules and that allow you a lot
of contact with me and other members of the class who might be there at the same time. Please avail
yourselves of them; they are the best way to receive help in this course. If you have a short question, I
will respond to email within 24 hours. For longer questions, office hours are the way to get help.
Homework: I will assign, by chapter, questions and problems and, at various times, hands-on exercises
that are to be done and handed in at the beginning of class on the assigned date. These hands-on exercises
will be explained as we do them. This course does not have a regular laboratory period; however, some
of your homework exercises will be done in a laboratory setting so that you will understand how scientists
work. The individual problems are to be done by you alone. You are encouraged to discuss the group
problems with other members of this class in terms of interpretation and clarification of a question or
problem. The tutors in the Math and Science center can be used in this same way. The solution that you
write down on your paper must, however, be your own. Remember that reviews and the final will test
your individual ability to answer questions and do problems. Copying a tutor’s work or another student’s
work from this class or previous classes, using printed solution manuals, or using solutions that are posted
online are honor code violations. The word PLEDGED with your name, the date and your signature on
the outside of your vertically folded homework paper signifies your compliance with these requirements.
All late homework will have points deducted from it. I do not grade unpledged papers and do not give
full credit for unsupported answers (if the answer is NO or a number, for example, I want a reason or a
calculation as well).
Daily Exercises: On a random basis I will assign daily exercises that will test to make sure you are doing
the reading and keeping up with the course. These will be problems or questions; short, timed quizzes; or
other exercises. These exercises are included in the homework portion of the grade.
Mathematics: As with any physics course, we will use appropriate mathematics - at the level of basic
algebra and trigonometry in this course. You will need a calculator that can do these operations. Please
make sure it is a calculator that you use regularly. Do not borrow one from anyone, including me, right
before a review – you may not know how to use it efficiently. For the final exam, you will need a
calculator. Phones are currently not allowed in Chambers Building during final exams.
Attendance: Class attendance for a course such as this is critical. The class structure assumes your active
intellectual participation on a daily basis. You will fail the course with more than 8 absences for any
excuse (this is 20% of the class periods). Sign in for yourself by initialing the posted sheet every day you
are present. Attendance is required at reviews. If you are sick or have another emergency, please email
me before the review so we can make accommodations.
Reviews/Exam: There will be three reviews during the semester. These will be composed of work similar
to that done in class, on daily exercises and on homework assignments: short-answer, definitions,
concepts, discussion and computation. The exam is a cumulative one. It will be self-scheduled during the
regular exam period.
Grading:
Homework, Exercises - 35%
Reviews - 40%
Final Exam - 25%
Physics 103
Fall 2013
Page 3
The schedule below is approximate and is subject to change. It is a guide to where I hope we will be
during a given week. The only days fixed on this schedule are the days for the reviews.
Week
Aug. 26-30
Topics
Text Chapter(s)
Introduction
Energy Mechanics
Sep. 6 - No class - AP DC meeting
Energy Mechanics
Conservation of Energy
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Home Energy Considerations
Friday - Sept. 27 - Review #1 (Ch. 1-4)
Ch. 1, Ch. 19
Ch. 2
Sep. 30 - Oct. 4
Solar Energy
Ch. 6
Oct. 7-11
Fossil Fuels
Oct. 14: Fall Break – No Class
Air Pollution
Global Warming
Global Warming
Electricity
Monday – Oct. 28 - Review #2 (Ch. 5-9)
Electricity
Nov. 1 - No Class – AP DC meeting
Electricity
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electricity from Solar Energy
Electricity from Solar Energy
Atomic and Nuclear Physics
Fission
Fission
Other future energy sources
Thanksgiving Break – Nov. 27-29 – No Class
Other future energy sources
Wednesday - Dec. 4 - Review #3 (Ch. 10-14, other sections)
Other future energy sources
Other future sources of energy
Exam overview and student evaluations
Ch. 7
Sep. 2-6
Sep. 9-13
Sep. 16-20
Sep. 23-27
Oct. 14-18
Oct. 21-25
Oct. 28 - Nov. 1
Nov. 4-8
Nov. 11-15
Nov. 18-22
Nov. 25-29
Dec. 2-6
Dec. 9-11
Dec. 12
Reading day
Dec. 13-19
Self-scheduled exam
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Ch. 9
Ch. 10
Ch. 10
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Ch. 14
Selected sections
Selected sections
Selected sections