Syllabus, Physics 1500, University of Utah, Spring Semester 2014,
Version: January 05, 2014
PHYS1500 - Preparation for College Physics
This is a 3 credit hour course which provides a preparation for introductory physics sequences starting with 2010,
2110, 2210. The course covers some foundations of Newtonians mechanics but also problem-solving techniques
and non-calculus mathematical prerequisites. The class has no formal prerequisites, but basic knowledge of
algebra (as taught in high school) is needed and remembering trigonometry (as usually, but not always
sufficiently well taught in high school) is helpful.
PHYS1500 is NOT a formal prerequisite for the PHYS2010, PHYS2110, PHYS2210 classes, nor does
PHYS1500 cover all prerequisites needed for these classes. For instance, calculus (an important math
prerequisite) is not fully covered by PHYS1500. The purpose of PHYS1500 is to close gaps that some lower
division undergraduate students who want to take introductory physics classes may have due to the different
levels of exposure to math and physics at high school.
In order to identify whether students require the PHYS1500 preparation course, we have introduced a screening
test for students enrolled in the PHYS2210 classes which is administered during the first week of the semester.
The outcome of this test is available by the end of the first semester week. If a student requires PHYS1500, he or
she can drop PHYS2210 and instantaneously enroll in PHYS1500. The student can then reenroll for PHYS2210
a semester later. In order to make it easy for students enrolled in PHYS2210 to change into PHYS1500 after the
first week assessment test, there will be two sections for PHYS1500 which are scheduled at the exact same times
as the two PHYS2210 sections. Furthermore, PHYS1500 will begin on Monday January 13, during the second
week of the Spring semester in order to ensure that students of PHYS2210 who identify their need to take
PHYS1500 can change without missing the beginning of the PHYS1500 class.
The two section of PHYS1500 are:
Section 1:
Section 2:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 12:55pm – 01:45pm, JFB B1
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 02:00pm – 02:50pm, JFB B1
JFB is the James Fletcher Building which is the
main Physics Building. Room B1 is on the lower
level of the rotunda, the rotunda is the round part
of JFB (see lower right hand side of photo).
Instructor: Christoph Boehme, JFB301, 801-581-6806, boehme@physics.utah.edu,
Office hours: Monday, Wednesday: 3pm – 4pm.
Teaching Asssitant: Richard (Chad) Miller, JFB336-2, 801-581-4443 chadrgm@gmail.com
Help lab: Physics Rotunda (round part of JFB, upper level), time: Tuesday, Thursday: 3pm – 4pm
Important URLs:
Canvas course website and gradebook:
http://utah.instructure.com
On-line prelectures, checkpoint quizzes, homework: http://www.smartphysics.com
How this course works:
The teaching philosophy of this course follows a concept that is called reverse teaching, also called flip teaching.
The idea is to no lecture unknown materials directly to the class (this would be called traditional teaching) but to
make the students review materials online (in the form of sequences of short videos) before they discuss and
review these already encountered topics in the classroom. The advantage of this concept is that students may
repeat the lecture, the interrupt the lecture as often as they want and therefore determine the pace at which they
teach to heir own needs. You can learn more about this concept and its history at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_teaching. The discussions within the class will be mediated by an electronic aid,
a so called audience response system, often referred to as “clicker”. In preparation for the class you should
acquire such a clicker (more information about this below)>
The Textbook for this class is…
…a small booklet that accompanies the on-line course, smartPhysics: Classical
Mechanics by Gladding, Selen, and Stelzer, ISBN-13: 978-1-4292-7240-7. This course
officially requires this booklet as a textbook, which retails for about $15-$20, although
everything in it is also accessible on-line. It is up to you whether you want to buy the
booklet, we recommend it because you will be able to reuse it for the PHYS2210 class.
There will be a few copies of the book with a bundled access card (which covers the cost
of on-line access, as well) available in the campus bookstore. On-line access alone will be
available through the smartPhysics website, and the booklet alone is also available
through the usual internet sources, as well. There are obviously several ways to obtain the
needed course materials; how you do so is up to you.
Supplemental Material
Physics for Engineering and Science (Third Edition) by Michael E. Browne, ISBN 978-007-181090-6 is a supplemental book that provides clear and concise explanations of the
topics encountered in this course. More importantly it provides many fully solved
example problems and supplemental problems w ith answers. We will discuss problems
and solutions from this book during class.
Prerequisites: For PHYS1500 you will need no prerequisites other than the core high school math skills, in
essence, arithmetic, algebra of real numbers and variables, and geometry. Trigonometry and experience with
word problems are expected as well, however, these topics will be reviewed again in the course of this class.
Use of the internet via the Canvas course website and smartPhysics: This course makes extensive use
of internet resources; the main course page is is set up via the canvas system (http://utah.instructure.com) and
maintained by the instructor. It contains all course information, including the syllabus, file downloads,
supplementary material, and announcements. Please consult this page regularly! Updates will be posted there as
soon as the information becomes available. The smartPhysics website (http://www.smartphysics.com) is your
portal for viewing prelectures, taking the checkpoint quizzes, and doing homework. You will also be able to
view your scores in smartPhysics, but only for these three assignment categories. You are required to pay $25 to
register for and view these materials for my course in smartPhysics. All scores, including those from
smartPhysics, will be posted on the Canvas site. We will be using Canvas exclusively as a communication toll
and as a gradebook; no assignments will be posted or accomplished on Canvas. We will make extensive use of
Canvas for course announcements and information on how to contact the course instructor and TA.
Course Schedule
Please consult the SmartPhysics calendar to see the tentative dates for assignments, lectures and other activities
of this course at https://www.smartphysics.com/Course/Calendar?enrollmentID=49701.
Office Hours
The instructor will have office hours between 3:00 pm and 4:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Outside of
these you can meet the instructor by appointment. The TA will also be available during the help lab hours. This
is an important resource for students. If you have questions that you have not been able to get answered in the
discussion sections or during the lectures be sure to attend the help lab.
Help Lab
There will be a help lab in the physics rotunda (round part of JFB) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to 4pm
that is run by the TAs. The ”help lab” is to help you with the current homework assignment, discuss results and
solutions of exams, and give you a chance to ask questions about the course material.
Course Objectives
The most important objectives of this course are:
•
•
•
•
Develop proficiency in describing physical phenomena quantitatively.
Develop problem solving skills that can be applied to physics as well as other areas of science/engineering.
Develop a good conceptual understanding of the fundamental principles of classical mechanics.
Develop comfort and confidence in problem solving.
The achievement of these objectives will require the following:
• Sufficient ability in applying mathematical concepts.
• A methodical approach to problem solving.
• Disciplined study and practice!!!
Study and practice will be provided by:
• Reading the textbook and supplemental material.
• Viewing and understanding the pre-lecture video material
• Performing the checkpoint exercises before class to check your understanding.
• Attending and participating in lectures.
• Working through example problems.
• Discussing questions with the TA and other students. (Teaching/helping other students may be the best way
to develop an excellent understanding of the material).
• Solving the assigned homework problems is absolutely necessary!!!
The saying “practice makes perfect” definitely applies to learning physics! The only way to understand physics
concepts well enough to use them is to practice on problems. Just as with music or sports, you must practice to
be able to perform. Do the assigned homework problems, review problems (before exams), and other related
problems in the textbook. Practice problems by mimicking the exam situation: start with a blank sheet of paper
and work the problem through as far as possible without looking for help from the text, notes, or solutions until
absolutely necessary.
On-line Access
Much of the course materials can be accessed on-line. Your homework assignments will be accessed, turned in
and graded electronically. They can be found on the Web through the smartPhysics website. You can purchase
smartPhysics directly from the smartPhysics website or purchase from the Campus Bookstore. However, in
either case you must enter the smartPhysics access key for our course, which is DeC25_1642 . SmartPhysics also
offers a video that will acquaint you with the features of smartPhysics. It is found at the following web address:
http://www.smartphysics.com/Content/About/student-support-videos.html You should familiarize yourself with
the websites of smartPhysics and the Canvas course webpage for your section, and learn how to turn in your
homework on-line and find your homework assignments. Solutions, important notices, and other information
will also be posted via Canvas. It is essential that you check the Canvas and smartPhysics sites regularly,
because essential course information will be posted and updated there from time to time.
Course Content
Currently the schedule is such that we will study most of the material in units 1-13 of smartPhysics. Depending
upon the pace of development of student understanding we may add additional units or reduce the number of
units covered. Any excluded or additional sections will be announced ahead of time. The schedule on
smartphysics will be adjusted accordingly. Unless specifically announced, you are responsible for understanding
all material in the covered units, whether it is discussed in the lecture or not, as well as any supplemental
material actually covered in the lectures. Please see the Course Schedule for details. Here, the topics to be
covered in each lecture and the corresponding sections of smartPhysics are listed. The actual due dates of the
prelectures, checkpoints and homework of SmartPhysics can be found on the SmartPhysics Calendar.
Supplemental assignment will have due dates posted separately. Supplemental material from the Schaum’s
outline as well as other online sources may also be discussed.
Prelectures and Checkpoints (using smartPhysics)
After registering for smartPhysics (remember to use the access key code, “boehme2014”) you should look at the
“Calendar” There you will see various entries, some in blue (prelectures), some in green (checkpoints). These are
all due by 8:00 AM on the date specified. The checkpoint exercises are due at the same day and time that the last
pre-lecture on a particular subject is due. Performance of these in a timely manner will acquaint you with the
topic of each lecture. Also, you should be prepared to discuss the checkpoints in the corresponding lecture. If
you read all the pre-lecture slides and answer the pre-lecture quizzes prior to the due time/date, you will receive
full credit for that particular pre-lecture. Similarly, if you do the checkpoint problems prior to the due date/time,
you will receive full credit for that particular checkpoint assignment. Full credit will be given for reading the
slides and attempting the quiz and checkpoint problems, even if you do not provide the correct answer. The
purpose here is not to penalize you, but rather to reward you for becoming acquainted with a lecture topic ahead
of time. You must watch the whole time required in the pre-lectures to get credit for them.
Lectures
The class meets three times a week for lectures (M,W,F) at 12:55 - 1:45 pm for section 001 and again at 2:00 2:50 pm for section 002. We will discuss the physics underlying the smartPhysics prelectures and checkpoint
problems during the lecture periods. Additional worked examples and supplemental material from the Schaum’s
outline and online sources will be presented for discussion. The lecture is intended to be interactive and will be
adjusted in accordance to student performance on checkpoints and homework. Extensive use of an audience
response system (clickers) will be utilized during the lecture.
Class Participation and Attendance
Your participation in the form of lecture attendance as well as completion of assigned exercises by deadline are
an essential component in your success in meeting the objectives of this course. Roll will not be taken explicitly
during lecture. However the clicker system does record student participation.
Homework
This class will use the web-based homework assignments and grading system provided by SmartPhysics. You
will complete all homework assignments over the web and get feedback (grading) online typically after the
deadline. The deadline for homework submission is posted on the SmartPhysics schedule. Please note that
Canvas provides on-line forums for homework that you may use to discuss problems with fellow students. These
forums will also be regularly monitored by the instructor at times to be determined. You are encouraged to
participate actively in the forums, to seek help and to offer advice to your classmates on how to approach
problems. However, the forums are not to be used for the purpose of posting explicit solutions to the assigned
problems in any form.
Midterms and Final Exam
There will be three (3) midterm exams and a final exam. The final exam will be comprehensive. All exams are
closed book. You may not bring any materials to the exams but a single 8.5” x 11” sheet, with helpful equations
and relationships on it, and a calculator. Normal scientific and graphing calculators are allowed during exams.
We do not allow laptop PCs, handheld computer, webbooks, palm pilots, smart phones, chromebooks, iphones,
or other devices with significant text (alphanumeric) storage capability, or wireless communication devices. If
there is any doubt as to whether an item is allowed, ask your instructor. You must take the midterm exams with
your lecture section. There will be no make-up tests or exams. The only exceptions to this rule are (a) absence
due to a University sponsored activity or to military duty, and (b) serious medical emergencies. In either case the
student must provide complete documentation. Midterm exams are tentatively scheduled for Wednesdays,
February 5, March 3, and April 9. The final exam dates for section 001 is Tuesday 04/29/2014, 1pm to 3pm and
for section 002 is Wednesday, 04/30/2014, 1pm to 3pm. These are governed by a University scheduled exam
time. There will be no early final exams! Note that all exams will take place in the regular class room (JFB).
Determination of Course Grade
Your grade for the course will be based on the pre-lectures and checkpoints, homework , midterm and final exam
scores. The prelectures and check points count for 20%, homework counts 25%, the midterms exams 30%, and
the final exam will count for 25%. The lowest three (3) homework scores will automatically be dropped. The
lowest midterm exam score will be automatically dropped. The final score will range between 0 and 100. It will
translate into the university grade point system through the following table
Score
Grade
points:
Grade:
95≤
≤100
4.0≥
>3.7
A
90≤
<95
3.7≥
>3.3
A-
86≤
<90
3.3≥
>3.0
B+
82≤
<86
3.0≥
>2.7
B
78≤
<82
2.7≥
>2.3
B-
74≤
<78
2.3≥
>2.0
C+
70≤
<74
2.0≥
>1.7
C
64≤
<70
1.7≥
>1.3
C-
58≤
<64
1.3≥
>1.0
D+
50≤
<58
1.0≥
>0.7
D
42≤
<50
0.7≥
>0.0
D-
<42
0.0
E
Course Grade Verification
It is the student's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of all recorded homework, prelecture/checkpoints, and
exam grades (which will reflect what is in our database). The exam scores will be kept in your Canvas account,
and the checkpoint, prelecture and homework scores will be in your Smart Physics Account. At the end of the
Semester, we will combine the appropriately weighted Canvas scores with the SmartPhysics scores to obtain a
final score to determine your course grade. These will be made all accessible from the Canvas course website.
Please check your scores regularly, keep all your returned tests and contact your instructor in case of an error.
University Accommodation Policies:
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with
disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the
Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the
instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made
available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. The web site for the
Center for Disability Services is at: http://disability.utah.edu/
Information about other University policies and procedures can be found at
http://www.regulations.utah.edu/index.html
Policy of academic honesty and class:
It shall be pointed out that for all evaluated materials (homework and exams), rules of academic honesty apply as
outlined in the University of Utah student handbook and the University of Utah code of student rights and
responsibilities (http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html). Academic misconduct such as use of
cheating, plagiarism or fabrication will be sanctioned as outlined therein. The University policies also describe
consequences of absence of students from the lectures, as well as the rules for other student rights and
responsibilities.
Summary of important dates:
01/13/2014
First days of class (NOTE: THIS IS IN THE SECOND WEEK OF THE SEMESTER!)
01/20/2014
02/05/2014
02/17/2014
03/03/2014
03/10/2014
03/12/2014
03/14/2014
04/09/2014
04/23/2014
04/29/2014
04/30/2014
No class, Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
First midterm exam, during regular class hours for both sessions
No class, Presidents’ day
Second midterm exam, during regular class hours for both sessions, no office hours
No class, no office hours, Spring break
No class, no office hours, Spring break
No class, no office hours, Spring break
Third midterm exam, during regular class hours for both sessions, no office hours
Last day of classes
1pm to 3pm Final exam for Session I
1pm to 3pm Final exam for Session II
Dates concerning dropping and adding classes and holidays may be found at the following University website
http://registrar.utah.edu/academic-calendars/spring2014.php.
The syllabus is not a binding legal contract. It may be modified by the instructor when the
student is given reasonable notice of the modification.
Gary Gladding, Mats Selen, and Tim Stelzer W.H. Freeman & Company
smartPhysics includes:
1. Online PreLectures (animated lessons, completed before lecture)
2. Online CheckPoints (quizzes to check knowledge, completed before lecture)
3. Lectures (interactive, with clicker activities)
4. Online homework exercises
5. Printed textbook (reference, problems)
To access smartPhysics: Go to www.smartphysics.com
Create a smartPhysics account
1. Go to smartphysics.com
2. Locate and select “Get access to smartPhysics > Register”
3. Begin the process of registering for the site. Enter your email address (your institutional email address)
and Read and agree to the site terms and conditions.
4. Click “Register”
5. Set up your profile, then choose the “Enrollments” tab.
6. Enroll in this course by entering in the Course Access Key
The Course Access Key for this course is: boehme2014.
You will be given 30 days in which to access smartPhysics before having to purchase access or redeem an
access code. This will provide you with a nice grace period should you drop the course.
Register by purchasing access or redeeming an access code.
• If you purchased a printed
access card in the bookstore,
scratch off the code in the
inside of the access card and
enter it into the field on the
screen.
• If you wish to purchase
access online, choose that
option on the screen. Complete
the billing and credit card
information.
Save your confirmation screen