PHYSICS 101ARC/AP100 –
TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS 8AMTAUGHT BY PROF SURAJIT
Syllabus, Spring 2013
COLLEGE PHYSICS
9:30AM, RM 201 NSC
SEN
1. Text:
Customized College Physics, 9th edition + Mastering Physics = ISBN 1256238376
2. Problem Solving:
Learning to solve problems is an integral part of the course. The grade you will get in this
course will be a measure of your problem solving capabilities. I will mostly outline problems in class and
solve problems during office hours (see below). TAs will solve problems during recitation sections. These
problems may not be from the book. Homeworks will focus on problems from the book. Quizzes will be
made from problems solved in class, related problems from outside the book and those in the book.
3. Homework System:
MasteringPhysics
• Go to http://www.masteringphysics.com, Use access code supplied in student access kit to
create an account. For purposes of identification and credit in the course, make the same ID as
your UB IT name declare your full name as it appears in UB records. The course ID you
must use to get to the assignments is MPSENSPR2013
Office – 325 Fronczak Hall
Email – sen@buffalo.edu (Please use this email for all correspondence and to insure a prompt response)
Phone –716 907 4961
To see me with questions – I maintain an “open-door” office hour policy. My office hours will be on
Wednesdays 12pm – 2pm in 341 Fronczak. I will solve problems at this time I will run a full scale class
Topic Units
Kinematics
Newton’s Laws & Circular
Motion
Work Energy and
Momentum
Rotational Motion
Elasticity, periodic motion,
waves and sound
Fluid mechanics
Heat and Thermodynamics
Learning Outcomes
Units, motion in a straight line and on a plane
(2)1
Equilibrium, Applications of Newton’s Laws,
Free Body Diagrams, Contact forces and friction,
Circular motion & Gravitation (2,5)
Work energy theorem, Potential energy,
conservation of energy, non-conservative forces
(2,5)
Rotational kinematics and dynamics, rigid body
equilibrium, conservation o angular momentum
(2,5)
Simple harmonic motion, stress-strain, damped
and forced oscillations, waves, sound and
hearing, Doppler effect (2,5)
Pressure in a fluid, Archimedes’ principle, Flow,
Bernoulli’s eq (1)
Temperature scales, Heat, Phase changes,
Calorimetry, Heat transfer, First and Second
Laws of Thermodynamics and equation of state,
Ideal gas law, engines (1)
Outcome Assessment
HWs 1-3, Exam 1, Quizzes
HWs 4-6, Exam 1, Quizzes
HWs 7-8, Exam 2, Quizzes
HWs 9-10, Exam 3, Quizzes
HWs 11-12, Exam 3,
Quizzes
HW 12, Final exam, Quizzes
HW 13, Final exam, Quizzes
1 (1) Broad knowledge of the basic laws of physics and how they can be applied to explain specific natural
phenomena; (2) General problem solving skills, conceptualization and solution construction; (3) Appreciation of
historical development of physics; (4) Laboratory skills, instrumentation and measurement techniques; (5) Use of
critical thinking, hypothesis building and application of the scientific method; (6) Contemporary areas of physics
enquiry; (7) Written and oral communication skills.
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Lectures & In-class Quizzes & 3 Exams + Final
Lectures will be delivered as chalk talks in class. So, these lectures will not be available online. Hand
written raw notes used for lecture preparation will be made available within about a week after the inclass lectures are done. If you miss class it will be your task to learn the material – please note that
raw notes may not be up before the next quiz.
Written in-class quizzes comprising of short problems will be conducted in every class starting
1/22/13 (on materials covered from 1/15/13 until the previous class). No make-ups will be given for
practical reasons. Lowest 3 scores will be dropped. These quizzes will last 10 mins only. 50% of the class
grade will be decided based on your in-class performance. No partial credit will be given, so please be
careful in answering the questions. Each quiz will carry between 2% and 2.5% of the class grade.
I will conduct an Exam 1 on February 19 (in class), Exam 2 on March 21 and an Exam 3 on April 16.
These Exams will each be 8% of the grade.
Homeworks will be 10% of the grade, there will be two sets assigned each week, one due Wednesday
and one due Saturday. Each set will have between 4-6 problems.
Final Exam (date to be announced) will carry 16% of the grade and will be a comprehensive exam.
Grade Distribution
In-Class 10 min Quizzes (problem solving)
50% (on material up to previous class)
Exams 1, 2 and 3
8%x3=24%
Homeworks (due Wed, Sat)
10%
Final Exam
16%
Grades (in raw scores and percentages) will be updated on UBLearns once a week. Letter grades will be
assigned only at the end of the course. There are no pre-set cut offs for A’s and B’s etc. To get an A you
should try to be in the top 10% of the class. You will get to see grade distribution histogram after every
exam. Note that more than 25% of the grade will be marked up by the end of Exam 1. To earn an A you
are expected to do consistently well in the course. If you miss parts of classes, you will likely not secure a
passing grade. So, please be on time.
Regarding Quizzes and Exams
All the tests administered in this class will be closed book, no cheat sheets and no calculators are
allowed. All you need is your pencil and your ID card. Needed information and numbers will be
provided on the exam book itself.
For a missed Exam, a make up will be given only in case of medical emergencies. Medical facility
documentation must be provided. Athletes should see me with documentation from UB coach as soon as
possible. Exam regrade requests must be submitted in typed format to Prof Sen within 1 week of
returning exams with specifics on exactly which part of which problem is to be regraded and why.
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Students who have special needs please identify yourself and see me as soon as possible with Office of
Disability Services’ documentation (25 Capen Hall, 645 2608). I will make every effort to accommodate
your needs.
Recitation Sections
Nelson Gross PhD student (nelsongr@buffalo.edu) and Matthew Westley, PhD candidate
(mwestley@buffalo.edu) are the Teaching Assistants for this class. Recitations start Thursday, 1/17/13.
TA Office hours will be posted on UBLearns by 1/17/13.
One or more TAs will be present in every class to help with the quiz and to insure that the recitation
section work is on problems introduced in class. Quizzes will closely relate to problems worked in class,
recitation sections, my office hours and the book. Graded quizzes will be returned during recitation
sections – please collect these during recitation sections. University confidentiality rules prohibit a friend
to pick up your quiz. Because of the large volume of quizzes given, graded quizzes that are more than
1 week old and not collected will be recycled. You will no longer have access to them apart from the
recorded grade.
Academic Integrity
Students are responsible for abiding by the academic integrity policies of the UB. In fairness to all
students, academic dishonesty will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
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