PHYSICS 1112: Mechanics and Thermodynamics
course website: astro.cornell.edu/~ghallenbeck/phys1112.html
Lectures: MWF 9:30-10:30 in Rockefeller 201 (Schwartz Auditorium)
Instructor: Gregory Hallenbeck
office: 517 Space Sciences Building
email: ghallenbeck@astro.cornell.edu
Office Hours: TR 12:30-2:30 and by appointment
Course Overview:
Do you ever wonder what causes the motions of the heavens, the inevitable doom of black holes, the
burning of the stars? What about the mysteries of the atom, the complex mechanisms of a watch, or the
floating of a balloon? From the biggest to the smallest, and everything in between, physics answers all
of these questions. You will be given the tools to explore all of these topics, and we will explore them
together, in this class.
If you prefer a mundane reason, this class, along with Physics 2213: Electricity and Magnetism,
satisfies the basic physics requirements for science and engineering students. For physics majors and
intended majors, this course is also your introduction to mechanics and thermodynamics; these topics
will be covered in more depth in Physics 3314: Intermediate Mechanics and Physics 3341:
Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics.
Prerequisite: Math 1106 or Math 1110, current enrollment in either, or an equivalent course in basic
differential and integral calculus is required. No previous courses in physics are required or assumed.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
• Describe Newton's Laws, forces, energy, and angular momentum.
• Succeed at higher-level science and engineering courses.
• Use mathematical tools to predict the behavior of physical systems.
• Justify their reasoning in solving problems, or to judge another's argument.
• Apply physics concepts and ideas to real-life situations.
A Typical Class:
Even more important than getting through the mountains of material that basic physics involves, it's
important that you, the students, really understand the material. I wish I had the time and ability to
discuss everything covered with each of you individually, but I don't. In order to determine whether the
bulk of students are grasping the material (and doing your reading), each class starts with a few iclicker
questions, so I can get some overall feedback. If everything's fine, I'll go into a bit of depth in a very
short lecture. If there are problems? We'll review concepts from earlier lectures and go over a few
examples. If you personally find that this isn't enough, I encourage you to come by my office hours. I'm
here to help.
Approximately half of each class period is spent on exercises in groups of three students. The
problems in-class are mostly conceptual, rather than involving lengthy calculations. Many students find
these frustrating at first (and I'll admit that I would be in that group), but multiple studies have found
this to be one of the best ways to learn the material. The teaching assistants and I will also be
circulating around the room in order to give you help, or just to discuss anything you may find
interesting. You can think of this as a way to be doing homework-like problems with the professor onhand any time you need help. It also gives us a chance to watch the ways each of you struggle with the
concepts.
Requirements:
As this is a 4 credit hour course, you are expected to spend a combined 12 hours in and out of class per
week on this course. An expected breakdown of this time should look something like this:
Class
1 hour × 3
Laboratory
2 hours
Reading and Notes 1 hour × 3
Homework
4 hours
Textbook: University Physics with Modern Physics (12 th Edition) by Young and Freedman.
i>clicker: This course uses iclickers to take attendance and to assess the class' understanding as a
whole. After purchase, please register your device on the manufacturer's website (www.iclicker.com)
Grades:
Grades are based on 5 separate categories: attendance, group exercises, homework, laboratory sections,
and examinations.
1. Attendance: class attendance is mandatory, and is taken via a few short iClicker questions at the
beginning of class. These questions are not graded: your iClicker is registered only to take attendance.
2. Group Exercises: The 'group' part of 'group exercises' is not optional: you must work in groups with
two other students, and are expected to stay on task. Whether or not you participate in the group
exercises determines your class participation grade.
3. Homework: The homework assignments are an opportunity for you to apply the course material in a
deeper, more mathematical context. The homework is graded entirely on an “effort” basis—if you do
the assignment, you will receive full credit, regardless of whether you got the correct answer or not.
Full write-ups of the homework will be posted on the course website for you to check against.
Late Homework: In general, late homework will not be accepted, unless an acceptable reason is given
prior to the due date.
4. Laboratory Sections: Students are assigned grades by the teaching assistant based on both their
observation of your work in the laboratory section and your handed in lab write-up, due at the end of
each section.
5. Examinations: There will be three out-of-class examinations throughout the semester, as well as a
comprehensive final exam. The purpose of the examinations is to assess how well you can synthesize
the information over a significant portion of the course. The examinations test both your technical and
conceptual knowledge of the material: expect both a few computational problems similar to the
homework as well as a few questions which test your ability to make and evaluate conceptual
arguments similar to the in-class exercises. Your lowest grade of the four exams will be dropped: if you
are happy with your first three exams, feel free to skip the final.
Make-Up Exams: are given only on a case-by-case basis.
Breakdown of Grading:
Final Course Grade:
Attendance
Class Participation
Homeworks
Laboratory Work
Examinations
10%
20%
25%
15%
10% × 3
A
B
C
D
F
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
Academic Integrity:
All students are expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. The full code
can be found at: http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/AIC.html.
You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework assignments, but work you hand in is
expected to be your own. Answers should be phrased in your own words, the algebra should be your
own. On laboratory assignments, you will be working closely with one or more other students. You
may copy down data from your lab partner, and should discuss the questions in the labs, but you must
still phrase your answers in your own words. Both the in-class quizzes and the out of class
examinations are completely individual work. There should be no talking or collaborating of any kind
during the quizzes and exams.
Penalties start at receiving a 0 on the assignment. More severe instances of cheating can result in failure
of the course, and may involve university disciplinary action.
Accomodations for Students with Disabilities:
In compliance with university requirements (see the Student Disability Services website:
http://sds.cornell.edu/index.html), accommodations for students who require and request them will be
made in an effort to allow participation in this course on an equal basis. All discussions will be held in
private and are confidential.
In addition, all examinations are designed to require an hour of work to complete, but two hours are
given to complete them. In effect, all students are given additional time. In general, individuals who
normally require additional time on examinations should thus not need to disclose this. However, if this
time is still insufficient, additional arrangements can be made.