PHYSICS 101: HOW THINGS WORK I
Debra Krause Dandaneau, Ph.D.
Nielsen Physics Building, Rm. 616
Email: dkraused@utk.edu
Phone: 865-974-8783
General Information:
Class Hours: 9:40 AM – 10:55 AM Tuesday and Thursday in Nielsen Physics 415
Final:
10:15 AM – 12:15 Thursday, Dec. 4
Text:
How Things Work – Louis A. Broomfield, 3rd Ed.
Office hours: 11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Tuesday/Thursday
Course Description:
The course examines familiar objects of everyday experience and leads to an
understanding of the physical principles that make them work. Laws of motion,
mechanical objects, fluids, and heat. This course is an approved natural science course
for general education credit. *
Supplemental materials, pre-class work, worksheets for in-class work, updates,
etc. will be posted on Online@UT (“Blackboard”). Pre-class work and in-class work
(which often can be done in teams) is integrated into the structure of the class; attendance
in the course sessions and completion of work is vital to your success.
Prerequisite(s)/Corequisite(s):
The 2008-2009 UT undergraduate catalog lists no prerequisites or corequisites for
the course.
Path to success:
In-class work, pre-class work, and exams are all vital to your success in the
course. Attendance in class sessions is required to receive full credit for in-class
activities. Updates, pre-class work and many other course materials will be posted on
Blackboard/Online@UT ( http://online.utk.edu/ ), and we will make use of other online
resources (PhET, etc.). Reading the text throughly before the class sessions will help you
succeed and is technically required! I also recommend that you re-read the material to be
sure you understand the content fully and start the new material soon after class sessions
to be prepared for the next session.
Disability Accommodations:
Any student who may need an accommodation should contact me privately to
discuss specific needs. Please also contact and register with the Office of Disability
Services at 865-974-6087 in Hoskins Library, which will help us coordinate reasonable
accommodations based on the impact of a disability.
*
You are required to have two natural science general ed. classes, one of which includes laboratories – this
course does NOT fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Schedule:
The class meets 28 times on the regular schedule, with 25 classes and 3 midterm exams.
There is no class on Thursday, October 9 (Fall Break) or Thursday, November 27
(Thanksgiving). I reserve the right to change the class sessions when midterms are
administered; changes will be announced both in class and via ONLINE@UT or
email.
Class sessions:
1. R
2.
T
3. R
4.
T
5. R
6.
T
7. R
8.
T
9. R
10. T
11. R
12. T
13. R
14. T
15. T
16. R
17. T
18. R
19. T
20. R
21. T
22. R
23. T
24. R
25. T
26. R
27. T
28. T
Aug. 21
Aug. 26
Aug. 28
Sept. 2
Sept. 4
Sept. 9
Sept. 11
Sept. 16
Sept. 18
Sept. 23
Sept. 25
Sept. 30
Oct. 2
Oct. 7
Oct. 14
Oct. 16
Oct. 21
Oct. 23
Oct. 28
Oct. 30
Nov. 4
Nov. 6
Nov. 11
Nov. 13
Nov. 18
Nov. 20
Nov. 25
Dec. 2
Introduction
Laws of Motion Part I (Ch. 1)
Laws of Motion Part II (Ch. 2)
Midterm I (Ch. 1&2) - Laws of Motion
Mechanical Objects Part I (Ch. 3)
Mechanical Objects Part II (Ch. 4)
Midterm II (Ch. 3&4) - Mechanical Objects
Fluids (Ch. 5)
Fluids and motion (Ch. 6)
Midterm III (Ch. 5&6) - Fluids and motion
Heat and Phase Transitions (Ch. 7)
Thermodynamics (Ch. 8)
Waves (Ch. 9)
Course wrap-up
R Dec. 4 -- CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM (10:15 AM - 12:15 PM)
COMPLETE ASSIGNED PRE-CLASS WORK ON BLACKBOARD!
Grading:
Your total course grade is from a weighted average, allotted as follows:
Exams:
60%
In-class and pre-class work:
35%
Pre-class and post-class surveys: 5%
The grading scale is as follows:
A
93 and above
A90 – 92
B+
88 – 90
B
83 – 87
B80 – 82
C+
C
CD
F
78 – 80
73 – 77
70 – 72
60 – 70
below 60
Exams (60% of the total course grade):
There will be three midterm exams and one final exam (which counts as two
exams). I will drop your lowest “effective” exam to determine the 60% exam-portion of
your grade. If the lowest grade is a midterm exam, that exam will be dropped and the
other two midterms will be weighted at 15% each and the final exam at 30%. If the
lowest grade is on the final, the midterms and the final will all be weighted at 15% each.
If for any reason a midterm is missed, it will be considered to be the low score. Make-up
midterms will not be given!
All exams, including the final, will be closed book and no calculators will be
allowed. Each exam will have an appeal period of one week after it is returned to the
class – you must ask about grading or other concerns about the test during this time.
After, exam grades will be considered final and will not be altered.
Pre-class and in-class work (35% of the total course grade):
In class sessions, you will be doing the work in the form of in-class work
activities (ICW’s) – learning activities that emphasize conceptual understanding. These
activities will often consist of the use of online simulations, but occasionally you will be
doing small activities using simple materials. To prepare you for ICW’s (and to give you
practice questions for the exams), you are required to complete short pre-class work
(PCW’s) of the nature of small quizzes (multiple choice and T/F) covering the basic
content in assigned reading. PCW’s are completed on Blackboard. You are advised to
check your submission in the Blackboard gradebook after you submit each PCW.
Blackboard can lock up on submissions; you must email me before the set is due to have
me unlock your attempt and give you a password for late access.
ICW grades are based on completion only. Some questions on the PCW’s are
graded for correct answers, and some are graded only on the basis of a submitted answer.
At the end of the term, the lowest three grades in the ICW/PCW category will be
dropped (3 ICW’s or 3 PCW’s or 2 ICW’s + 1 PCW or 1 ICW + 2 PCW’s). This means
that makeup work on ICW’s or PCW’s is not allowed without 24 hrs prior
arrangement or a documented medical reason (note from health official required).
Entrance and Exit Surveys (5% of the total course grade):
As part of the grade, you are also expected to complete two surveys (an entrance
survey and an exit survey) regarding your attitudes and expectations in about physics
classes in general. The entrance survey will also ask some questions that will help me
tailor the class to your interests. The exit survey will help me evaluate some of the
teaching techniques I use in the class. The surveys each count for 2.5% of your total
grade. You will be graded only your completion of these surveys… not your answers. In
any research based on these surveys, your identity will be confidential. Talk to me if
you have any concerns with the surveys.