San José State University
College of Science, Department of Physics & Astronomy
Physics 50: General Physics: Mechanics, Section 1,
Spring 2015
Instructor:
Dr. Monika Kress
Office Location:
Science Building, Room 264
Telephone:
(408) 924-5255
Email:
monika.kress@sjsu.edu
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 1:15-3:15 in Sci 264 or Sci 247 (if my office gets
crowded); and by appointment or email.
Class Days/Time:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30 – 2:45 pm
Classroom:
Science 142
Prerequisites:
A grade of C or better in Math 30 or 30P (Calculus 1) and
eligibility for English 1a.
Faculty Web Page
The greensheet and other files and useful links may be found on the Canvas course website.
Please check Canvas regularly for updates. Also please visit my website:
http://www.profkress.org and follow links to Physics 50.
Course Description
Physics is the study of the natural laws that govern matter and energy. Almost every degree
program in the “STEM” disciplines (science, technology, engineering, math) requires 8-12
units of physics. Physics 50 is a major-support course for most degree programs in the
College of Engineering and the College of Science. This course is very different from high
school physics in that it covers fewer topics but you will learn to solve much more difficult
problems. This course is a calculus-based introduction to classical mechanics, which is the
branch of physics that covers the motion of objects (kinematics and dynamics), gravity,
work and energy, momentum, rotational motion and harmonic (wave) motion. The prerequisite is a C or better in Math 30 or 30P (Calculus 1). Also, students must be eligible for
ENGL 1A. In addition to the lecture, there is a laboratory associated with this course. The
lab meets for three hours each week.
There is a workshop that is not required but most students opt to take it because it is very
helpful. We offer it because research shows that studying in groups is very helpful when
done right. The workshop facilitator is there to help you do it right. Workshops give you
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some structured problem-solving time outside of the lecture and lab, where you can work
with other students and the workshop facilitator.
Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to
A. Solve complex mechanics problems in a systematic manner by applying the laws of
physics and calculus (not just plug-and-chug!)
B. Describe the motion of objects using physics terms and concepts, such as velocity,
acceleration, force, kinetic and potential energy, momentum, torque, conservation of
energy, and conservation of momentum.
C. Assign the proper units and significant digits to solutions of physics problems
D. Understand the relationship between forces and the response that objects have to those
forces
E. Relate physics concepts to the world around you
F. Predict the behavior of simple mechanical systems
Required text and online learning system
The text used in the Physics 50 series at SJSU is University Physics, 13th Edition, by Young
and Freedman. We have custom editions of this book made specifically for Physics 50, 51
and 52; each volume contains only the chapters used in each course. For Physics 50, the
ISBN-10 number is 1269129155 and ISBN-13 is 9781269129152. This book contains lots of
problems with solutions, worked examples, etc. The bookstore carries these custom volumes
and each comes with one semester of access to www.MasteringPhysics.com , the online
homework system, which is also required. MasteringPhysics is where you will get detailed
feedback about your problem solving abilities, and it also contains a lot of explanatory
videos and interactive tutorials. The MasteringPhysics Course ID # is SJSU50SP15.
A note about the online homework: please start the assignments WELL BEFORE the due
date. Extensions will not be granted for any reason. We have a lot of material to cover this
semester.
Course Requirements and Assignments
SJSU classes are designed such that in order to be successful, it is expected that students will
spend a minimum of forty-five hours for each unit of credit (normally three hours per unit
per week), including preparing for class, participating in course activities, completing
assignments, and so on. For a well-prepared student, that means 8 hours of studying outside
of lecture and lab each week. For those who have ever had difficulties in science or math
classes, you will need to invest more time than that.
For each lecture you skip, add another couple of hours to your study time. Don’t plan on
doing 135 hours of studying the week before the final, or in the month before the final. More
details about student workload can be found at University Policy S12-3 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-3.pdf. Workshop counts towards those study hours, but
it is optional. It’s there so you can make better use of your time.
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Excellent quantitative problem solving skills are required in all STEM degree programs.
Much like playing a sport or a musical instrument or a computer game, problem solving is a
skill that requires lots of practice. The more practice you get, the better you are at it.
Students who google the answers do not acquire the quantitative problem solving skills that
make STEM degrees pay.
Because many students find themselves unprepared for the rigors of this course, we have
developed a preparatory course, Physics 49. This course is being offered to help those
students who are at risk of needing to repeat Physics 50. These risk factors include: 1) not
having taken high school physics, 2) a grade of less than C in any previous college-level
physics, math or chemistry course. Students with either of these risk factors should seriously
consider taking Physics 49. If you’ve done poorly in a math class before, or if you have
never had high school physics, you will find that you will need to invest more study time
than the recommended 8 hours/week. Please take Physics 49 if you have previously earned a
D or F or WU in another math or science class, particularly Chem 1a, Math 30/30P,
particularly if you are undeclared or if you are on major or university probation.
Studying and problem-solving in groups is highly recommended, but you should also
schedule time to solve problems on your own, because that is what your grade depends on.
Three hours a week is a minimum to shoot for. Most importantly: Do not fall behind! Every
week builds on what we did in the weeks before. Ask for help before its too late.
The lab will be an opportunity to engage in active learning, where you will solve problems
in groups and use the experimental set-ups to guide you through solving problems. Your lab
instructors will be your first point of contact for help as well.
Classroom Protocol
Attendance
I understand that life’s events can occasionally make it difficult to attend every class
meeting, so if you miss class once or twice during the semester, you will be OK as long as
you put in an extra 2-3 hours of study time to cover the material you miss. If you find that
you have a situation that causes you to miss more than one or two classes, please consider
withdrawing, because you are not getting what you’re paying for and you’re very likely to
fail anyway. If you already know that you will miss more than a total of two class meetings
this semester, I would not recommend taking this course now.
Please arrive early to class. The room is huge and crowded; it is distracting to your fellow
students to clamber all over them to get an empty seat, particularly on exam days.
Lab
Every student must pass the lab during the same semester as the lecture course. It is required
that you take and pass both the lab and the lecture in the same semester – if you fail either
the lecture or the lab you will have to repeat the entire course (both lecture and lab).
You will be assigned a numerical lab grade (0-100) that will count toward 35% of your
overall final grade in the course. A lab grade of 70% or greater is required to pass the course,
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regardless of how the numbers work out for your overall grade. Your lab grade is largely
based on participation and effort, reflecting your ability to keep up with the assignments and
basic skills. Most students find that their lab grade is about 10-20% higher than their exam
average, helping to beef up their course grade. The key to doing well in lab is to actively
participate in the experiments and in problem solving. See the lab greensheet for how the lab
grade is calculated.
Electronic devices
You may use calculators on all assignments (in-class, homework, and exams), unless
otherwise specified. SmartPhones are not allowed. Please remember to keep your cell
phones quiet (and stowed away!) during class. Please do not use your laptop computer
during class.
Keep in touch
The best way to get in touch with me outside of class or office hours is via email. Please
keep in mind that I am not a 24-hour physics hotline, so questions that come in at 5:00 pm or
later might not be replied to until the following morning! Please look at the homework
assignments ahead of time and ask questions in class. And of course, don’t be a Clueless
Undergrad:
Office Hours
If my office hours get crowded, we will move across the hall to an empty lab. For general
questions about homework problems or concepts, you can see me in group office hours, ask
your workshop or lab instructor, or seek tutoring at one of the three venues that offer it (see
next section). If you have other concerns (for instance, about how you’re doing in the course,
your lab or workshop experience, etc) please email me to set up an appointment.
Please keep in mind that whatever is shared in office hours may also be discussed with the
department chair and/or other relevant university staff concerned with your education.
Additional Help
Please do not wait until you have fallen behind to seek help. Your lab instructor is your first
line of defense from falling behind. Many students find tutoring helpful. Tutoring is
available through the physics department, PeerConnections and the College of Science
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Advising Center (CoSAC). Also please see me in office hours if possible, or if you cannot
make it to my posted office hours, email me and we can try to set up an appointment.
Dropping and Adding
February 3 is the last day to drop without penalty. Students are responsible for
understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. This
information can be accessed at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars .
Assignments and Grading Policy
Attendance
While attendance per se is not used as a criterion for grading according to Academic Policy
F-69-24, attending class will be the most time-effective method to succeed in this course. In
class, I cover problem-solving skills and go into detail as to how to succeed on the exams.
Attendance will be taken in labs. Since graded work is conducted in lab, but it is not possible
to make up labs or the work in those labs, missing even one lab is a very serious situation. If
you miss two, you will get a WU for the course. See the lab greensheet for more details. By
“lab” I mean any time your lab section meets, even if there is no official “lab experiment”
that week. Being late to lab will count as an absence if it causes any inconvenience to your
instructor.
Midterm exams
There will be two midterm exams. The dates and topics are specified on the last page. Each
exam constitutes 20% of your overall course grade. Missing a midterm is an extremely
serious matter. If an illness or emergency causes you to miss an exam, you must let me
know before (if possible) and schedule an appointment with me to discuss your progress in
the course. This meeting must occur within one week of the missed exam, otherwise it is a
WU in the course. If your circumstances prohibit this meeting from happening within one
week, you should withdraw from the course. You also must provide some kind of
documentation of why you missed (e.g. doctor’s note in the case of a serious illness, military
orders, etc). You must be making adequate progress in the course to continue on if you miss
an exam. If you miss a lab before exam 1 and then miss exam 1, you must withdraw from
the course.
If you feel you that there was an error in grading your midterm, please email me a pdf
document that contains three pages: 1) a scan of your original work, with nothing written on
the paper that was not on the original exam (except for your name at the top); 2) your new
solution of the problem, labeled “solution”. This should contain a description of every step
of the problem, not just equations with numbers plugged in; and 3) a detailed explanation of
exactly what you did wrong on the original exam, and why you believe the grader made an
error. Any requests that do not follow these instructions will not be considered.
Final exam
The final exam will be comprehensive (it covers everything). You must take the final exam
during the time specified by Academic Scheduling. If you miss the final exam, but you have
at least a C in the course at that point, you will receive an incomplete. You will take the final
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during the next semester. If you miss the final and do not have at least a C (or have missed
one midterm), you will receive a WU for the course.
Online Homework
The majority of the assignments done outside of lecture will be conducted online, through
the website http://www.masteringphysics.com . It is a requirement to sign up for the online
homework.
Grading policy
Lab is 35% of your overall grade for the course. The breakdown of the lab grade is on the
lab greensheet. Each exam is 20% including the final. The online homework counts for 5%.
These letter grades are assigned based on your total score:
A+ = 100-97%
B+ = 89-87%
C+ = 79-77%
D+ = 69-67%
F = 59-0% Unsatisfactory
A = 96-93%
B = 86-83%
C = 76-73%
D = 66-63%
A- = 92-90%
B- = 82-80%
C- = 72-70%
D- = 62-60%
Please note that students who receive less than C for the course will have to repeat it, but
they will have the lowest priority to add. In this era of increased enrollment and budget cuts,
it makes repeating the course here at SJSU during the academic year highly unlikely;
therefore, the Physics Department usually offers this course during the summer session.
Don’t count on a curve – there is none.
University Policies
Academic integrity
Students should know the University’s Academic Integrity policy. Your own
commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University and
the University’s integrity policy, require you to be honest in all your academic course work.
Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and
Ethical Development. For details, please see the website for Student Conduct and Ethical
Development.
Common examples of academic integrity violations in this course include the
following: 1) googling answers or other information with a smartphone during exams, 2)
looking up the solutions to masteringphysics problems and then just plugging-and-chugging
in the answers without the trial-and-error that is intrinsic to learning how to solve problems.
These violations are very easy to spot (and to prove) and result in an F for the course, which
cannot be repeated for grade forgiveness. It’s not worth it. Working with others is
encouraged, but draw the line at entering answers with little or no understanding. I know
that it can sometimes be a fine line. But ultimately the question is this: are you getting points
but then you don’t know how to solve the problem a week later? If the answer is yes, then
you haven’t learned anything and it’s technically cheating.
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Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or
plagiarism (presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas
without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. If
you would like to include in your assignment any material you have submitted, or plan to
submit for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Policy F06-1 requires approval
of instructors.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to
make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an
appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential
Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must
register with the DRC (Disability Resource Center) to establish a record of their disability.
Student Technology Resources
Computer labs for student use are available in the Academic Success Center located on the
1st floor of Clark Hall and on the 2nd floor of the Student Union. Additional computer labs
may be available in your department/college. Computers are also available in the Martin
Luther King Library. Here in the Physics Department, we have a computer room (Sci 242)
available during most business hours (except when a class is in session).
Peer Connections
Peer Connections provides support services, such as skills assessment, individual or group
tutorials, subject advising, learning assistance, summer academic preparation and basic skills
development. Visit their website for more details.
SJSU Writing Center
The Writing Center in Clark Hall 126 offers tutoring services to San Jose State students in
all courses. Writing Specialists assist in all areas of the writing process, including grammar,
organization, paragraph development, coherence, syntax, and documentation styles. For
more information, visit the Writing Center website at http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter or
call 924-2308. Low grades on your lab reports may ultimately result in your having to repeat
this course. If you are having trouble, see the Writing Center for help.
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Physics 50: General Physics, Spring 2015
This is a list of topics to be covered in class. This schedule is approximate but we will try
to stick to it. The topics are listed below. There will be an online homework due shortly
after we finish each chapter.
Week
Week of
Topics, Readings, Exam dates
1
Jan 26
Ch.1: Vectors and vector addition
2
Feb 2
Ch.2: Acceleration, velocity and displacement in 1-D
3
Feb 9
Ch. 3: Projectile motion and circular motion (x,v,a in 3-D)
4
Feb 16
Ch. 4: Newton’s Laws of Motion
5
Feb 23
6
March 2
Monday: Review for exam 1
Wednesday: Exam 1 Ch. 1-4
Ch. 5: Applications of Newton’s Laws (friction and springs)
7
March 9
8
March 16
9
March 30
10
April 6
11
April 13
Monday: Review for exam 2
Wednesday: Exam 2 (Ch. 1-8)
Ch.9: Rotational kinematics
12
April 20
Ch 10: Rotational dynamics
13
April 27
Ch.11: Statics and equilibrium
14
May 4
Ch.14: Simple harmonic motion and the simple pendulum
15
May 11
Review
Ch.6: Work is done by forces; kinetic energy, conservative forces;
work-energy theorem
Ch.7: Work, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, nonconservative forces, conservation of energy
Chapter 8: Momentum
Final exam for section 1 is on Thursday, May 21 from 12:15-2:30 in Sci 142.
Final exam for section 2 is on Friday, May 15 from 12:15-2:30 in Sci 142.