Physics 14(Section 2836 )
Course Outline
Spring 2010
Physics 14 is designed for the student who is interested in a more conceptual and less
mathematical approach to physics. It is a survey course introducing the topics of mechanics,
heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, light, and modern physics. The emphasis will be on
developing conceptual understanding of the laws of nature through hands-on experiences,
laboratory experiments, and computer interactions, in addition to lectures and demonstrations.
COURSE: Physics 14 (4 Units)
Lecture/ Laboratory: 1:15p-3:15p MW SCI 122
1:15p-3:15p F SCI 101
TEXT:
Trefil & Hazen’s Physics Matters (1st Edition, 2004.), with WileyPlus
INSTRUCTOR:
Asma W. Said Office:
Office hours: Wednesday from 12:30pm-1:15pm in Room SCI 123
E-mail: SAID_ASMA@smc.edu
Laboratory sessions for the course will be integrated into the course material so that they are used to reinforce and
expand your understanding of the topics being covered, rather than being a separate entity of dubious relevance to
the course.
PREREQUISITE: NONE
HOMEWORK:
Homework assignments will be posted on my website .You should be working on the problems in a homework
assignment as we work our way through the material in Class. I will select a subset of the homework problems
for grading. The Homework is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Homework turned in late will not be
accepted .If you need to miss class for a reason other than a medical emergency; you will need to hand the
homework in early or arrange to have someone else bring it in.
Anyone copying from another's homework, quiz, exam, or re-grade or caught cheating will receive a grade of
ZERO for that assignment or exam, as will the person from whom the answers were obtained. This SMC Honor
code violation will also be referred to the Campus Disciplinarian.
FINAL EXAM:
Please note that the date and time for the final exam is:
Friday, June 11, 2010, 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Note that: The final examination time is a required class meeting
ALL STUDENTS MUST ATTEND THIS EXAMINATION AT THIS TIME.
EXAMS/QUIZZES:
There will be short quizzes during the semester, announced in the previous class.
The dates for exams are:
Midterm #1: Friday 9th, April 1:15 PM.
Midterm #2: Friday 28th, May 1:15 PM.
Final exam: Friday June 11th12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
GRADING:
Your grade in Physics 14 will be approximately determined as follows:
3% -class participation
10% -Laboratory
10%-assignments and homework
22%-quizzes
30%- midterm exams
25%-Final Exam
Every unexcused absence will lead to a loss of 1% to a maximum of 3%. You will be dropped or earn an F if you
have more than 3 unexcused classes. From this total point score, your letter grade for the course will be determined
using the scale below. THERE IS NO “CURVE” FOR THIS COURSE.
Percentage of total points you obtain
your course grade
90% or greater
A
80% or greater
B
65% or greater
C
50% or greater
D
less than 50%
a
Note: If you wish to drop the class, for whatever reason, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that the appropriate
paperwork is completed and submitted in a timely fashion. Also, the physical Sciences Department at Santa Monica
College strives to ensure that all sections of the same course have similar grade distributions and grading policies.
Cell Phones: Please turn your cell phones off or set them to “vibrate” before class starts. No cell phones on desks
.You are not allowed to use your cell phone as a calculator .The first time your cell phone sounds in class there will
be no penalty. After that, I will deduct 2 points from your final grade per occurrence.
Course Outline:
Week
Dates
Chapter
1
Feb,16th-19th
2/Scales in the Universe.
Experiments
2
Feb 22th-26th
Measurement
3
March 1st-5th
9, 23/Atoms and the Nature of
Matter.
19/Properties of Light /color
Reflection and Refraction
4
March 8th-12th
3/Straight Line Motion
Introductory
First day of class : Wednesday Feb,16th
Optics
5
6
7
th
th
4/Newton’s Laws and Forces
th
th
5/Newton’s Laws and Forces
March 15 -19
March 22 -26
th
March 29 -
6/Momentum
April 2nd
8/Energy
8
April 5th-9th
8/Energy
Midterm #1,Friday 9th
Comments
Energy
9
April 19th-23th
11/Temperature and Heat
Specific Heat
of Metals
11/Heat Transfer
10
April 26th-30th
11
rd
12
May 3 -7
th
th
May 10 -14
14/Vibrations and Waves
15/Sound
th
21,22 /Modern Physics
Simple
Harmonic
Motion and
Oscillations
13
14
May 17th -21st
th
May 24 -28
th
26/Radioactivity
27/Fission, Fusion
Midterm # 2,Friday 28th
15
May 31st-June
4th
28,29/Gravity and the Universe
16
June 7th -11th
Open Topics
Final Exam
Friday, June 11th