Physics 113
GENERAL PHYSICS I
Fall 2012
Syllabus 1.1
The current version of this syllabus will always be found on the course Moodle site.
Instructor: Brian Stewart
Office: Exley Science Center, room 237
Office phone: x2054
Lab phone: x2055
Home phone: (860)344-8128
email: bstewart@wesleyan.edu
Office hours: Monday, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Thursday, 1:30-3:00 p.m.
in addition, I will stay after class on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Please do not hesitate to contact me. If you cannot come to office hours, I will schedule a
meeting with you at another time. If you run into difficulty with the homework, don’t
delay getting in touch with me!
Course assistants: Francis Chien, cchien@wesleyan.edu
Josh Neitzel, jneitzel@wesleyan.edu
Office hours: Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Exley 213
Help sessions: Wednesday, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Thursday, 7:00-9:30 p.m. in Exley 201
Grader: TBA, tba@wesleyan.edu
Textbook: Understanding Physics, by Cummings, Laws, Redish, and Cooney. This
textbook is informed by recent physics education research, and if you read this material
before each lecture, you will be well prepared to build upon this foundation.
Those who purchase a new copy of the textbook also have access to an extensive set of
online resources at www.wileyplus.com, including a full pdf version of the text. Access to
Wiley Plus is not required for this course, however.
To assist those who do not yet have a copy of the textbook, copies of the first two
chapters are available on the course Moodle site. In addition, there will be two copies on
reserve at Olin Library. However, it is important that you have a copy of this book, as you
will need to study it every day.
Those wanting a useful overview or review of calculus will find Quick Calculus, by
Kleppner and Ramsey, to be a useful and fairly painless way to get it.
Mastering Physics: In addition to our textbook, purchase of a license to use Mastering
Physics is required. This online software package gives you the ability to practice using
the principles we are studying. There will be a Mastering Physics assignment each week,
2
ordinarily due on Tuesday evening. At least one problem on each exam will be modeled
after a Mastering Physics problem. The Mastering Physics assignments may be accessed
at www.masteringphysics.com; the course ID is MP2012PHYS113.
Calculator: A simple scientific calculator is required for the course. I recommend in
particular the Texas Instruments TI-30Xa; its simple, uncluttered layout is efficient and
adequate for all our needs. I find more complicated calculators cumbersome to use and
unnecessarily expensive. Of course, you may use any calculator you own; on exams,
however, you may only use its basic functions.
Course Website: There is a moodle website for this course available through your
portfolio or at http://moodle.wesleyan.edu. The up-to-date version of this course
information document, as well as announcements, problem sets, solutions, and grades will
be found there.
Grading: Course grades will be determined approximately as follows:
Homework: 25%. Problem sets will be assigned each week, ordinarily on Friday. I
urge you to collaborate in solving the problem sets, although answers must be
written up individually. Problem sets are due at the beginning of class; All
problem sets not turned in during class should be placed in the grader’s
box in the Cady Lounge on the second floor of Exley. Problem sets will be
marked “late” if grading has already begun. Late problem sets will typically
receive a drastically reduced score (up to 50%); exceptions will be made at the
discretion of the instructor.
Mastering Physics assignments: 10%. In addition, there will be weekly online
assignments, administered through the Mastering Physics website and due
Tuesday evening. These assignments will encourage you to keep up to date in the
reading and give you initial feedback on your grasp of the basic concepts. They
will be straightforward if you have done the reading.
Quizzes & Exams: 65%. There will be one in-class quiz, on Wednesday, 26
September. It will provide an early check-up to help me and you identify any
problems early on.
In addition, there will be three exams: two hour exams (on 10 October and 14
November) and one final exam (on Friday 14 December). All exams are
cumulative, but the emphasis will be on current material in the hour exams. You
will have from 11:00 until 12:15 to do the hour exams. They will be given in
ESC58. The final exam will be comprehensive.
I encourage you think about grades as follows:
A
B
C
mastery
competence
familiarity
3
Honor Code: Wesleyan’s honor code codifies the academic “golden rule”, which requires
that one never represent the work of another as his or her own. The honor code allows for
a relaxed teaching atmosphere and fosters integrity. In PHYS113, it applies in two
situations: problem sets and exams. On examinations, only material provided by the
instructor may be used in solving the problems. This means, for example, that any
problem-solving or memory capabilities that your phone or calculator may have are
explicitly forbidden.
The meaning of the honor code in exams is clear, but questions often arise as to how to
adhere to it when preparing problem sets. Since collaboration is extremely important in
learning to do physics, it is essential to preserve this collaboration. The basic rule is
simple: work with others, but write up your problem set on your own, in your own words.
This will maximize the learning you do and eliminate the chance of an honor code
violation. If one or more students assisted considerably in solving the problems,
acknowledge this assistance on the front page of your problem set. When in doubt, ask! In
addition, use of solutions to the problems that may be found online is not
permitted and is an honor code violation.
Course outline: The topics covered in this course, along with tentative dates, are
outlined on the next page.
Lecture
Day
Date
Description
Chapter
1
Mon
3 Sept
introduction & diagnostic quiz
1
2
3
Wed
Fri
5
7
one-dimensional motion
2
4
5
Mon
Wed
10
12
Newton’s Laws in one dimension
3
6
Fri
14
vectors
4
7
8
Mon
Wed
17
19
two-dimensional motion
5
9 Fri
10 Mon
21
24
identifying and using forces
6
11
12
Wed
Fri
26
28
centripetal acceleration & IN-CLASS QUIZ
13
14
Mon
Wed
1 Oct
3
translational momentum
extended systems
7
8
15
Fri
5
work & kinetic energy
9
16
17
Mon
Wed
8
10
EXAM I
18
Fri
12
potential energy
Mon.
15
energy conservation
19
Wed
17
rotation
20
21
Fri
Mon
19
22
FALL BREAK
22
23
24
Wed
Fri.
Mon
24
26
29
complex rotations
12
25
26
Wed
Fri
31
2 Nov
equilibrium & elasticity
13
27
28
Mon
Wed
5
7
gravitation
14
29
30
Fri
Mon
9
12
oscillations
16
31
Wed
14
EXAM II
32
33
Fri
Mon
16
19
thermodynamics: the physics of heat
Wed
Fri
23
25
THANKSGIVING BREAK
THANKSGIVING BREAK
34
35
36
37
38
Mon
Wed
Fri
Mon
Wed
26
28
30
3 Dec
5
thermodynamics: the gas laws
20
thermodynamics: the Second Law
21
39
Fri
7
COURSE REVIEW
1-21
Fri
14
FINAL EXAM 2:00-5:00 p.m.
1-21
1-8
10
11
1-14
19