Carnegie Mellon University
33-106
Department of Physics
Fall 2014
Physics for Engineering Students I
Lecturers:
Prof. Hy Trac,
Dr. David Anderson,
Textbook:
Office: Wean Hall 8307,
E-mail: hytrac@cmu.edu
Office: Doherty A301B,
E-mail: dra@cmu.edu
Phone: 268-8351,
Phone: 268-1367,
University Physics, 13th edition, by H. D. Young & R. A. Freedman,
Addison Wesley, 2012.
Note: The material we cover this semester is all contained in Volume 1 of the textbook. If
you are also planning to take 33-107 Physics II in a later semester you may want to get
the combined Volume 1 & 2 edition.
Supplemental learning aids (not required):
Study Guide for University Physics, Vol. 1, by L. Kramer
Student Solutions Manual, Vol. 1, by L. Ford & W. Anderson
Schedule:
Lecture:
Recitations:
MWF
T Th
9:30 – 10:20 am,
8:30 am – 3:20 pm
Doherty Hall 2210 (all students)
(one 50 min. section/day)
(check personal schedule)
Recitation sections tend to be quite full, therefore switching sections is not permitted
unless there is a documented scheduling conflict.
Topics:
This is the first in a sequence of two introductory physics courses taken by engineering
students. We will cover both basic Newtonian Mechanics (textbook Chapters 1–8 and 13)
and Thermodynamics (Chapters 17–20). The end of the syllabus contains a brief outline
of the course
Web Site:
The website for the course is http://www.cmu.edu/blackboard. This is our main means of
communicating with you. To communicate with us, use the e-mail addresses given above
or come talk to us in person (after lecture or in our offices).
Assignments: Reading, online reading quizzes, and homework are posted online. The assigned
problems indicate the MINIMUM level of achievement expected of all students.
Exam Dates: There are four in-class exams and a Final (date to be announced by the registrar). There
are no exceptions due to travel (except for official CMU activities, such as sports or
essential academic trips). In particular, do not plan to leave before the end of finals:
everyone must take the final on the scheduled date (except for conflicts with other finals,
as noted in official CMU policies).
TA Info:
Contact information for the recitation section TAs appears on the web page.
Note that most of us will not list regular “office hours”; it is impossible to choose 1-2
hours that work for everyone! Instead, we encourage you to make appointments, or to
make use of the Course Center (see p.5). Other options for assistance are discussed
further below.
Student Objectives
Our course covers Newtonian mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws and systems) and
thermodynamics. We will learn to apply the concepts to simple physical systems. Our somewhat
idealized and simplified problems are really just vehicles to develop the toolkit you will need later to
analyze more complex situations. You will acquire the ability to apply a few basic principles and
concepts to a large variety of problems, to break complicated problems into parts that can be solved
successively, and to identify and critique the assumptions and approximations involved in solving a
particular problem. The library of examples and techniques developed in this course are the foundation
of very practical abilities to independently model and analyze physical systems in the real world.
This course will provide a solid base for further study of aspects of mechanics related to your particular
engineering discipline. In a nutshell, physics concerns learning and codifying explanations of how
nature functions. We can then use this knowledge to perform interesting feats: predicting the future of
dynamical systems, or perhaps analyzing past behavior with an eye to improving a recurring process.
These tasks are key to much of engineering.
Conceptual Outline
The first section of the course deals with kinematics, the language we use to describe motion. We lay
some groundwork by discussing dimensions and units. Next we introduce scalars and vectors and
develop tools like the dot (scalar) product. Then we get some practice with the equations of kinematics
involving position, velocity, and acceleration.
We then introduce Newton’s laws of motion. This is the core of our discussion of dynamics, the study of
how to explain motion. Many aspects of forces are not intuitive, and we must to careful to avoid
common misconceptions. Free-body diagrams will help us organize our understanding. We end this
section with the historically important topic of planetary orbits. In some sense, all of classical mechanics
is based on Newton’s laws. In addition to learning to properly reason with forces, there are also some
higher-level, derived concepts that are powerful aids in problem solving. Topics like energy and
momentum thus form the third section of the course. These are useful in part due to conservation laws;
even in the absence of conservation, focusing on the flow of these quantities is often a powerful
technique.
Our experience with energy and momentum allows us to study the behavior of systems of more than one
particle. Becoming a little bold late in the semester, we progress from one particle to two particles to
6 × 1023 particles. This last part of the course deals with the average statistical behavior of such large
systems, meaning concepts of heat, temperature, etc., and progresses to ideal gases and heat engines. We
not only discuss the high-level thermodynamics but we also get a peek at some of the statistical
mechanics operating behind the scenes at the molecular level.
We should note that although we cover circular motion of “point particles” and orbits, we do not discuss
topics like angular momentum and rigid-body rotations. This is simply due to time limitations; topics
were chosen by wise men in the past to be a good introduction for engineering students (which also
works well for those fulfilling a general science requirement).
Academic Integrity
Cheating will not be tolerated. Offenders will receive a failing grade for the course, and their home
college will be notified.
Two Lecturers: Whom Do I Contact?
If you need help with the material, or have a simple question, you can contact either of us. If you have a
more procedural question (sports team travel, illness...), it is best to email both Prof. Trac and Dr.
Anderson.
Participation Credit for Recitation
Actively working on problems in recitation is important, and will count as a few percent of the final
grade. Going to most of them will suffice to earn full credit; thus, no excuses (except perhaps for a longterm illness, etc.) will be accepted or recorded.
Assignments
A missed item will be counted as a score of 0 unless you have a documented medical or universitysponsored travel related excuse (sports; professional clubs). No other excuses will be accepted.
For scheduled university-sponsored travel, please inform the Lecturers well in advance; usually
arrangements will be made to talk the quiz on the road.
A maximum of one item of each type will be excused. However, if you are unfortunate enough to have
more serious medical concerns, you may contact the instructor to discuss the issue further. Generally, in
such cases, your advisor or undergraduate dean will get involved.
Solutions for all items will be posted online.
Weekly Homework
The weekly homework assignments must be turned in to your recitation instructor on the Tuesday of the
following week at the beginning of your recitation class. You should write them up legibly and
understandably and staple them. A randomly selected subset of the problems will be graded, with all
homework assignments for the semester totaling about 15% of your final grade. Your lowest homework
score will be dropped. You are encouraged to discuss general problem solving methods with other
students, but the solutions you hand in must be uniquely your own. But do not copy your colleague’s
work because you will not learn the material if you do.
Please consider the “Discussion Questions” at the end of each chapter part of the study assignments.
These questions are meant to incite lively arguments between you and your fellow students! The
“ActivPhysics” cues in the text suggest that you try to supplemental material online; this is not required
but you may find it helpful.
Weekly Online Reading Quizzes
There will also be online reading quizzes factored into the grading; you will lose points for skipping
them. These will total about 5% of your final grade. The lowest is NOT dropped.
In-Class Quizzes
You should expect a quiz every week that we do not have an exam, typically on Friday, based on the
current reading assignment or on examples from the previous lectures. The quizzes are designed to
ensure that you are keeping up with the readings and homework. There will be about 8 quizzes worth
(after dropping your lowest one) a total of about 15% of your final grade. Although usually on Fridays,
we reserve the right to give a quiz in any lecture since attendance is expected
In-Class Exams and Quizzes
There will be four exams during the semester, worth 10% of your final grade each, and a three-hour final
exam worth about 30%. Your lowest exam score will be dropped. Dates are at the end of the syllabus
(though the first two still need confirmation).
Exams are designed to test your understanding of the physics principles you have been taught, not you
ability to remember formulas or reproduce homework problems that you have already solved. Most
problems on the exams will be variations and elaborations of your homework, designed to test whether
you can apply physics principles to other situations. The test problems may be harder than the
homework problems.
Exams from previous semesters are posted on the Blackboard Web-page. Both blank versions and one
with solutions are provided. No sample finals will be provided; the problems are largely just like the
other exams. This is the best way to learn the style of my exam problems, as opposed to the textbook’s
homework question style. Also, the HW solutions are written by TA’s; the sample exam solutions may
be a bit more representative of what we think constitutes a good solution since we wrote them.
On exams and quizzes, you may NOT use a calculator, books, notes, or other reference materials.
Cheating and plagiarism will be taken very seriously in accordance with the Student Handbook. There
will be no makeup exams or quizzes.
A missed event will be counted as a score of 0 unless you have a documented medical or universitysponsored travel related excuse. Only a single exam can be excused in this way. You must provide some
proof; if you are sick enough to miss an exam, then there should be some record of it. Due to problems
in the past, “they don’t give notes” is no longer an acceptable reason for lack of documentation for an
illness.
For scheduled university-sponsored travel, please inform the Lecturers well in advance; usually
arrangements will be made to talk the exam on the road.
Grading
Grades for the course will be assigned on an absolute scale, with the following divisions: A(87% 100%), B(75% - 87%), C(60% - 75%), D(50% - 60%), R(0% - 50%). Grading will not be done on a
curve, so you are only in competition with yourself. In borderline cases we may consider factors such as
class participation, improvement through the semester, consistency, etc.
Your course grade will be based on the final exam (30%), in-class exams (30%), in-class quizzes (15%),
homework assignments (15%), online quizzes (5%), and recitation attendance (5%). To be fair (since
everyone can have bad days), the lowest score on an assignment, on an in-class quiz, and on an in-class
exam will be dropped. We recommend that you attempt all assignments, quizzes, and exams since we
will take into account your effort when considering borderline course grades.
One sure way to do poorly is to miss assignments. A good way to do well is to make sure you maximize
on-line quiz and HW grades, which are high-average items with grades that are very much based on
effort.
How to Study in This Course:
Learning is a collaborative activity involving you, your fellow students, and the staff. Treating each
other with mutual courtesy and respect is important to develop the environment we need for a successful
experience. You are encouraged to collaborate with other students while thinking about how to solve
problems, since talking about physics is one of the best ways to learn physics. Of course you need to
write down solutions to problems on your own, since this is the way to solidify your understanding and
to develop the analytical skills you need.
Diligent attendance in the lectures and in the recitation hours is very important; experience shows that
active participation in the classes leads to better performance. Come to class prepared! This means read
the chapters ahead of time, and look over and try to solve the assigned problems. The purpose of the
lectures is to: inspire you, explain the tougher issues in the book, make you think rigorously about what
is going on, stimulate you to go off and learn the material yourself, and show you some demonstrations
to illustrate the physics you are learning. The purpose of the lectures is not to: introduce you to new and
unexpected material, cover everything you are expected to learn, or dwell on problem solving.
This is a “12 Unit” course, which means that typically 12 hours per week are to be spent on it. Apart
from the five hours spent in class, then, seven would be spent outside of class. Spending one solid hour
per day, with no distractions, is a very good point of reference. Read and solve problems, not just to
keep up, but to get ahead of the lectures in times where your workload is lighter so you can make it
through the rougher times. If your high school preparation is weak or you score poorly on the first few
assignments you may need to increase the time you spend studying physics.
Course Centers and Other Extra Help:
Schedule information for the items below will be posted on Blackboard, under Course information.
Some of the course staff will be available for extra help with the course material during evening tutorial
sessions we call the Course Center. The plan is to hold these sessions on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday,
and Thursday evenings (which includes evenings before HW is due, and Exams) in Wean Hall 7423 (the
Physics Faculty Lounge) 6:30 - 8:30 PM. While optional, you are strongly encouraged to make use of
this opportunity if you want or need to have questions answered.
Academic Development sponsors “Supplemental Instruction”, which are extra help sessions from a
trained student who will be following along with our course.
Prof. George Klein holds regular office hours at Academic Development. While this year he is not
directly involved in our course, he has many years of experience with our course and helping students to
learn physics.
There is also Peer Tutoring sponsored by Academic Development. Some students may find this very
useful. While these tutors may have taken the course, they don’t follow along with this semester’s
version (though the content is quite standardized).
You may consult with the Lecturers about individual problems, as well as give comments and
suggestions about the course. We invite and welcome constructive feedback from you – it can improve
the quality of the course. Please be specific whenever possible about issues you encounter.
Course Schedule
The following is an approximate schedule for the course.
See the Blackboard website for specific reading assignments, etc.
Note that Exams tend to occur just over one week after the material is completed in lecture.
Weeks 1-3: (8/26–9/13)
Sections 1-1 thru 1-10
Kinematics: describe motion
Units, Physical Quantities, Vectors
Sections 2-1 thru 2-5 (2.6 optional)
Motion in One Dimension
Motion in 2 or 3 Dimensions
Sections 3-1 thru 3-5
Weeks 4-6: (9/16–10/04)
Sections 4-1 thru 4-6
Sections 5-1 thru 5-3
Sections 5-4, 13-1 thru 13-2; 13-4 thru 13-5
(ignore potential energy if unfamiliar)
Dynamics: explain motion
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Applications of Newton’s Laws
Circular Motion; Gravity
Weeks 7-10: (10/07–11/01)
Sections 6-1 thru 6-3
Sections 6-4, 7-1
Energy and Momentum
Sections 7-3 thru 7-5, 8-1 thru 8-3
Sections 8-4, 8-5
Weeks 11-15: (11/04–12/06)
Sections 17-1 thru 17-7
(can skip ‘Thermal Stress’ in 17.4)
Sections 12-1 thru 12-3
Sections 18-1 thru 18-4, 18-6
Sections 19-1 thru 19-8
Sections 20-1 thru 20-8
Work & Kinetic Energy
Power & Potential Energy
Energy & Momentum
More on Momentum
Thermodynamics
Temperature and Heat
Pressure and Buoyancy
Thermal Properties of Matter
1st Law of Thermodynamics
2nd Law, Entropy
Date and location to be confirmed, but the current plan is:
EXAM I
EXAM II
EXAM III
EXAM IV
Friday Sep 19, 9:30 - 10:20 AM
Friday Oct 10, 9:30 - 10:20 AM
Friday Nov 7, 9:30 - 10:20 AM
Monday Dec 1, 9:30 - 10:20 AM
FINAL EXAM: Time and place to be announced (by CMU).
Alternate Final Exam times will be possible only for conflicts with other exams as explained in
the official University policy.