Course Information Sheet
Course Number: PHYSICS 2425
TTh 1:10 - 2:25, 2:35 - 3:50
Instructor:
Open Lab:
MW 8-9:30; TR 12:15-1
MTWR 4-5 (+); F 8-4
Mr. Wesley Whitman
Office #1; Classroom Building
Office Hours:
M-F 8-9; F 11-12
Phone: 830-4205
e-mail: wwhitman@blinn.edu
Course description:
A course primarily designed for students majoring in engineering and physical sciences.
Topics covered include classical mechanics, heat and waves. There are three class hours and
three laboratory hours per week. Credit: Four semester hours.
Prerequisites: Math 2413 or continuing concurrent enrollment therein.
Core Course: This is a Core Course in the 42-hour Core of Blinn College. As such, students will
develop proficiency in the appropriate Intellectual Competencies, Exemplary Educational
Objectives, and Perspectives. For more information, see the Blinn College Core Curriculum
web site
http://www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum
Objectives:
Upon request, a hard copy of the Master Course Syllabus with detailed Course
Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes will be provided. General objectives are:
(a) Provide the student with an introductory knowledge of basic physical concepts, and to
strengthen an understanding of these same concepts.
(b) Help students see that physics is an integrated body of knowledge through the integration of
new concepts with those concepts previously learned.
(c) Help students develop problem-solving skills in reasoning and problem solving insight.
Textbooks:
PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS by D. C. Giancoli, Vol. 1, 3rd ed.
PHYSICS LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS by Wilson / Hernandez, 6th edition
Materials:
scientific calculator
rectangular coordinate graph paper
Course requirements:
(a) Periodic exams over 1 to 4 chapters of lecture material and the appropriate laboratory work;
(b) Submission of designated homework problems upon arrival for class;
(c) Active participation with partners in performing laboratory experiments, 50% of lab grade;
(d) Timely submission of laboratory reports.
(e) It is the student's responsibility to perform, report and submit all assignments.
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Course content and Tentative calendar: (see attached schedule)
Grading criteria:
Exam avg.
Laboratory
Daily avg.
Final Exam
- 50%
- 15%
- 10%
- 25%
Instructor's policies:
(a)
LECTURE – During lecture time, all discussions will be directed to the instructor such
that all students may benefit from the discussion.
PREPARATION – In almost every lecture, new concepts and/or techniques will be
introduced. Before coming to class, you should read the text material that is to be covered in
that day’s lecture. This reading should be for familiarity. At this reading, skip the examples.
Do not try to learn the concepts and problem solving techniques, but do become familiar
with the concepts and the new words. Review prior concepts that apply.
STUDY TIME – This course will challenge you academically, and you will need to
study. If you spend at least six hours per week outside class studying for this course, you
should do well. (This does not include the time spent working problems and/or writing lab
reports.) Re-read the text material, study the concepts, and learn the material after lecture.
You are now ready to practice physics through problem solving exercises.
STUDY TIPS AND STRATEGIES – Dr. Greg Phillips wrote the following for his
Biology students. It is very good and applies to serious students of Physics, or any other
discipline, as well. You will find it on the Blinn home page, Brenham campus. Read the
entire document.
http://www.blinn.edu/natscience/phillips/test-tips.htm
(b)
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HOMEWORK:
DUE – Completed lab reports, problem assignments, and other papers are due at or
before the beginning (not later than 1:10 pm) of the first class period for the day assigned. A
paper torn out of a spiral bound notebook or the laboratory manual must have the ragged
edge removed prior to submission of the paper.
RETURNS – When graded, quizzes, lab reports, and exams (with solutions), will be
returned near the end of the class day. Problem assignments will not be returned.
PROBLEMS – Before working problems, learn the applicable material. Study the
appropriate section of the chapter. Understand the techniques and procedures demonstrated
in the example problems. Physics is a science of measurement and analysis to describe
nature in an objective way. For each class day, a minimum number of assigned oddnumbered problems will be collected and “graded”. This minimum assignment is not
sufficient to fully understand the basic physics principles. I strongly recommend the
solution of as many odd-numbered problems as possible; problems from each section of the
chapter should be worked. You should work a few problems each and every weekday and
weekend. If you find that you must constantly refer to the chapter example problems in order
to work the assigned problems, then you have not learned the concepts.
Format for submission: Papers are to be folded (a) in half, (b) lengthwise, with
student name, course number, and chapter number at the top of the page, having the fold to
2
the left. (All other papers are to be submitted unfolded.) Problems may be worked on front
and back of the pages. If more than one chapter’s problems are submitted, separate them
and indicate the respective chapters.
LABORATORY REPORTS – The Advanced Study Assignment is not to be
submitted, unless otherwise requested. Only the “Laboratory Report” and “Questions”
sections of each experiment are to be submitted. Carefully remove these perforated pages
for submission with smooth edges.
(c)
PROJECT – An analysis project will be assigned after Chapter 10. This project will
require about four (4) weeks effort, including interim status reviews and a final typed report.
(d)
QUIZZES:
A missed quiz may not be made up.
An unannounced quiz may be given at any time, either on material covered in the
previous or current class periods, reading assignments, recitation/laboratory assignments, or
other assigned materials. Any “unannounced” quiz will be included in the daily average or
laboratory grade, as appropriate. No student will be allowed in the room between the times
the quiz begins and ends.
(e)
EXAMS – During exams, students will sit at the mid-point and near the ends of the
classroom tables. A student may not leave and return to the classroom during an exam.
Take a rest room break before the exam.
MAJOR – There will be six (6) major exams (closed book and no notes) during the
semester. An Equation List will be provided. The exams will cover the lectures and
laboratory assignments. The solution procedures must be shown on designated problems on
exams. The following omissions may result in zero (0) points for the problem: (a) no
method of solution, (b) basic and/or working equation not shown, or (c) data substitution
without units. Partial credit may be given for these designated problems. Your low exam
grade will not be included in your average.
FINAL – The final exam will be comprehensive with 30 to 40 multiple-choice
questions. An Equation List will be provided. A Scantron card will be required.
(f)
LABORATORY:
PREPARATION – Read the assigned Experiment before coming to class. Read
and become familiar with all parts; i.e., parts I, II, III, and especially part “IV. Experimental
Procedure.” The lab time allotted for experiments requires prior knowledge of what is to be
done in the experiment. An unannounced “experiment familiarity” quiz may happen.
IN-LAB – (1) Limited Time: The allotted time is sufficient only for equipment set
up and data collection in accordance with the Procedure. There is no time for reading “the
experiment” and determining what must be done. A few calculations may be done in-lab;
however, the majority of the analysis will have to be done out of class.
(2) Teams: Most experiments will require participation in groups, or
“teams,” of two, three (or four) students.
(3) Accountability: Each team member is responsible for knowing the
experimental procedure, the function of all equipment used, and the actions performed by
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other team members. The response to any questions posed to a member of the team will
impact the participation grade of every member of the team. Help each other to earn a
better grade.
REPORTS – (1) Each team shall submit only one lab report before 1:10 p.m. on the
due date. Waiting until the day before (or worse, the day) the report is due is very poor
planning and will result in extreme stress. For example, the team member with some
important piece of data may not be available at the last minute, or even the day the report is
due. Good reports require more time to complete than you may expect.
(2) Each team member must sign the report, attesting to both assisting
with the data collection and helping write the report.
(3) Each team member is responsible for the completeness and
accuracy of the report.
(4) Each team member must be able to explain the contents of the
report. The response to any questions posed to a member of the team will impact the grade
of every member of the team. Help each other to earn a better grade.
(5) “Messy” reports with scratch outs, etc. will be graded down. You
should take pride in the work you submit. Each team member shall receive the same grade
for the lab report submitted.
(g)
MAKE-UP WORK — There is no substitute for class attendance!
On a case-by-case basis, late assignments and make-up work will be considered upon
prior consultation with the instructor, outside of class time. Please be aware that making
up missed labs is difficult, or even impossible, in many cases. Students are responsible
for the content of all lectures and recitation/labs missed, regardless of the reason for the
absence. Concerning excused absences, the student is excused only for the day that was
missed. At the next class meeting the student is expected to have acquired the notes and be
prepared for assignments over any material that may have been missed.
(h)
GRADE SCALE — The course letter grade is based on the traditional
A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F <60.
The student averages are used to determine the "natural grade break points" that fall
near these letter ranges. For example, if several grades are: 96, 93, 92, 90, 89, 89, 88, 85,
85, 84, etc; the 88's and above are A's, 85 and down are B’s, etc. (I think it is more fair than
89.4 = B, 89.6 = A.)
Conduct:
Be courteous. Adult behavior is expected. You are here by choice.
Late arrivals, talking out of turn, or other disruptive behavior has no place here.
I will protect the investment (time and money) of the majority of students by removing obstacles
to the learning environment.
Institutional Civility Statement:
Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are
expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all
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members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit
themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect and demonstrates concern for
the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including
respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others.
If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not
return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor: it is the student's
responsibility to arrange for this conference.
Class Attendance Policy:
Class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are expected to report
promptly and regularly to all their classes.
Unexcused Absences . . . Students with 3 or more unexcused absences, recorded on BORIS,
will be contacted by the P.A.S.S. (Promoting Attendance & Student Success) Center. After
eight (8) unexcused absences, the student will be administratively dropped from class.
Excused absences recognized by the institution:
1. Observance of religious holy days . . . The student should notify his or her instructor(s)
not later than the 15th day of the semester concerning the specific date(s) that the
student will be absent for any religious holy day(s); and
2. Representing the College District at an official institutional function.
It is the student's responsibility to officially drop a class s/he is no longer attending.
For whatever reason, should you quit coming to class and/or taking exams, do not "buy an F"; take
the required steps to officially drop the course.
Miscellaneous:
(1) Please turn off all cell phones and pagers before coming into class. Do not use them to
view /send text messages, etc. during class. Phones should be placed in backpacks or
purses and should not be in view during class.
(2) You are responsible for any equipment assigned to you or to your group.
(3) No extra credit assignments will be given for the purpose of boosting the students' grade.
(4) Graded exams, quizzes and lab reports will be returned during the recitation period.
(5) Food/drinks are not allowed in the classroom during the lecture and/or laboratory period.
(6) Hats off in the classroom!!
Suggested Reading:
Cropper, William H. Great Physicists: The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to
Hawking. Oxford University Press, 2001. (Blinn College library: 530.092/C883g)
Isler, Martin. Sticks, Stones, and Shadows: Building the Egyptian Pyramids. University of
Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2001. (Blinn College library: 932/Is4s/c.1)
Morrison, Philip & Phylis and The Office of Charles & Ray Eames. Powers of Ten: About the
Relative Size of Things in the Universe. Scientific American Library. New York: W. H. Freeman
and Company, 1994. . (Blinn College library: 500/M834p/1994)
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Physics 2425
D. C. Giancoli; Vol. I; 3rd ed.
Chap / Page
ASSIGNMENT SHEET.
Problems (Odd; unless otherwise indicated)
Prob
1
14
Prob: 1-11; 12-23; 25-35; 39-41, 47-55
Assign: 5, 9, 12, 15, 25, 35, 39, 49, 53, 55
{25}
10
2
39
Prob: 1-19; 21-27; 29-45; 47-65; 69-89
Assign: 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, 23, 27, 31, 37, 41, 47, 55, 61, 71, 77, 81
{44}
15
3
70
Prob: 1-17; 19-25; 27-49; 51-57; 59-71; 73-93
Assign: 9, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 33, 37, 43, 55, 65, 75, 79, 87, 93
{47}
15
4
98
Prob: 1-25; 27-55; 59-79
Assign: 3, 7, 13, 21, 31, 37, 41, 47, 53, 65, 67, 75
{39}
12
5
125
Prob: 1-33; 35-51; 65-75, 83-89
Assign: 7, 9, 17, 21, 27, 35, 41, 47, 69, 73, 79, 85
{35}
12
6
151
Prob: 1-13; 19-31; 47-57
Assign: 5, 7, 11, 13, 19, 25, 29, 49, 51
{20}
9
7
171
Prob: 1-15; 17-27; 31-37; 41-57; 61-75
Assign: 5, 7, 13; 21, 25, 31, 33, 41, 45, 47, 51, 55, 67, 73
{35}
14
8
200
Prob: 1-9; 11-23; 25-35; 37-49; 55-67; 73-87, 81-97
Assign: 3, 9, 13, 17, 21, 27, 33, 35, 59, 63, 77, 79
{44}
13
9
231
Prob: 1-7; 9-19; 23-29; 33-41; 43-49; 51-55; 59-63; 81-89, 93-95
Assign: 3, 13, 15, 23, 25, 33, 38, 45, 51, 59, 63, 81
{36}
12
10
270
Prob: 1-17; 21-25; 27-41; 53-59; 61-67; 69-77; 83-87, 91-103
Assign: 5, 9, 15, 21, 25, 31, 37, 53, 59, 65, 73, 95, 103
{43}
13
11
295
Prob: None
Assign: None
12
322
Prob: 1-39; 41-51; 69-97
Assign: 7, 11, 15, 23, 31, 35, 43, 47, 49, 81, 87, 89
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{41}
12
Physics 2425
D. C. Giancoli; Vol. I; 3rd ed
Chap / Page
Problems (Odd; unless otherwise indicated)
Prob
13
356
Prob: 1-7; 7-21; 27-41; 43-55; 75-97
Assign: 1, 5, 9, 15, 31, 37, 45, 49, 51, 81, 95
{38}
11
14
381
Prob: 1-25; 27-37; 39-45; 69-73, 77-79
Assign: 7, 13, 19, 27, 35, 41, 43, 71, 79
{28}
9
15
412
Prob: 1-11; 37-45, 49; 59-63, 67-69, 73
Assign: 5, 9, 37, 41, 49, 61, 69
{18}
7
16
439
Prob: 1-5; 11-23; 29-41; 45-49, 53; 75-87, 91, 99-101
Assign: 1, 5, 15, 31, 33, 45, 53, 77, 81, 85
{31}
10
17
462
Prob: 3-7; 9-21; 27; 29-41; 43-47; 53-77
Assign: 7, 11, 19, 27, 33, 39, 47, 53, 73
{34}
10
18
482
Prob: 17-9
Assign: 19
19
510
Prob: 1-7; 9-15; 19-29; 31-45; 67-77; 79-81, 87-95, 101-103
Assign: 1, 7, 13, 21, 23, 27, 71, 75, 81, 89
20
540
Prob: : ( To be assigned at later date )
Assign:
Notes:
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{2}
1
{37}
10
If unable to work all the problems assigned in a chapter, then some problems from each section
of the chapter should be worked.
8