Physics 4A--Syllabus
Spring, 2007
Instructor: Martin Mason
Required Materials:
Textbook: Young and Freedman, University Physics, 11th Edition
Supplemental Textbook: Mason et al. Physics 4A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Edition. 2007
USB Memory Stick
Bound Quadrille Rule Notebook
Prerequisite: Physics 2A or 1 year of high school physics and successful completion of Math 180.
SYNOPSIS: A semester-long calculus based physics course covering Kinematics, Forces, Work and Energy, Oscillations and
Waves.
OFFICE HOURS:
MW 9:30 - 11:30 PM
Phone: (909) 594-5611 X5306
email: mmason@mtsac.edu
BUILDING 60, ROOM 1406
COMMITMENT: Physics 4A is a difficult class. It will require 8 to 16 hours a week of time outside of class. Here are my
expectations for an A student:
 You read the chapter, paying attention as you go.
 As you read the chapter you try each example problem. You should be able to solve the problem on your own before
going on to the next problem. You should do this for the whole chapter.
 You should do all of the assigned homework problems, and look at the suggested problems.
 You should get together will other students to discuss and work on the problems.
 When you are done with the homework, you should be able to answer any of the questions or do any of the problems
assigned on your own, from the beginning.
 You should ask questions during class and during office hours. You should be an engaged and active student.
 You should try to understand what you are doing in lab while you are doing it. You answers to questions for lab should be
well thought through.
 Your written work should be complete, easy to follow, and neat.
If you do all of the above, you should end up with a good to excellent grade in the class. If you spend less time, or do less
work than the above, you should expect that your grade will be less than excellent.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY:
1. Each of you in this course intends to be either a scientist or an engineer, and as such you must develop a set of skills that
are unique to these disciplines. One of the primary tools of the modern scientist or engineer is computational modeling. Real
problems rarely have analytical solutions. So we make computational models that allow us to achieve approximate numerical
solutions. This computational model is increasingly refined until it matches physical data. For example if we wanted to model
a car we might start out by saying that it goes from 0 to 60mph in 6 seconds. The simplest model would assume a constant
acceleration. But in driving a real car you know that the acceleration is function of both the speed of the car and the RPM of
the motor. We could add this in to make our model more complete. We could then add in the effects of the transmission and
air drag, and temperature of the tires etc., building up an increasingly complex model. Eventually the model would be
sufficient so that when we compared the output of our model to a real car, they would match within the required level of
precision. This process is at the core of much of what you will do on a daily basis. We will spend a substantial amount of class
time developing and programming computational models.
2. As a scientist or engineer you will be given a set of objectives and be expected to determine the appropriate actions for
achieving those objectives. Being able to pass exams and solve homework problems does not prepare you to be a productive
scientist or engineer. In this course you must demonstrate that you can complete major projects within the context of the
physics content of this course. The objectives will be specified, but you must determine how you will complete those
objectives. Each of these projects will take six weeks to complete. Some examples of past projects include:
 Design a mission profile to get a spacecraft from earth orbit to mars orbit.
 Model a solid fuel rocket and develop an accurate model for its behavior.
 Determine the orbit of a near earth asteroid and find any potential collisions with the earth in the next 100 years.
 Model the vibrational damping of adjustable Bilstein shocks and modify them for optimal performance.
HOMEWORK: The course uses an online homework system called “Mastering Physics.” This is an excellent tool to help you
work physics problems. The homework system consists of both questions and problems taken from the end of the chapter,
and other problems. Problems must be submitted online prior to the beginning of class each class day (except for the first day
of class). The system is extremely robust and if you put the time into it, you will be rewarded with a much deeper
understanding of the problem solving skills you need to develop.
I encourage you to work together in solving homework problems and coming up with answers to questions! Your
colleagues in the class can be your most useful allies in your mutual success in this course. Put together a study group at the
beginning of the semester and meet regularly.
QUIZZES: Weekly, the last fifteen to twenty minutes of class on Thursday, except for the first week of class or when there is
an exam scheduled that week. Quizzes will consist of one or two problems or questions, taken from the homework or the
reading guides. I will drop your lowest quiz score in determining your quiz grade for the semester. There are no makeup
quizzes.
EXAMS: Three exams will be given coincidentally with each project. They are all closed book exams. They will include both
explanations and problem solving. I do NOT grade on a curve. I encourage you to work and study together before exams to
promote your mutual success.
FINAL EXAM: The final exam will be cumulative. It is scheduled for TUESDAY, May 20 from 11 PM to 1:30 AM.
EXAM MATERIALS:
QUIZZES: You may use your homework completed prior to that quiz and your laboratory notebook.
EXAMS: You may bring in notes written out by hand on one side of a 3” x 5” index card; no photocopies.
FINAL EXAM: You may bring in notes written out by hand on one side of an 8 1/2” x 11” piece of paper; no photocopies.
OR, you may tape your index cards from previous exams to one side of an 8 1/2” x 11” piece of paper and write notes on the
rest of that side.
LABORATORY: This course may be different then other courses you have taken. Most of this course will be completed in the
laboratory. As a result your laboratory work is critically important to your success in the course.
Laboratory Notebooks:
There is a formal Laboratory notebook requirement for this course. You will enter data in your lab notebook
each week and it must be reviewed by the instructor prior to your leaving class. The notebook will be stamped at the
end of the laboratory each week. The Laboratory notebook is the primary source of information for your laboratory
report. While the laboratory is a group effort, I expect to see the complete development of ideas in each group
member’s notebook and evidence of original work.
All work in the laboratory must be conducted in English for safety reasons.
PROJECTS: You will participate in 3 team projects this semester that will serve as the context for your learning of physics. As
a project based rather than topic based course, you will learn the physics needed to complete your projects rather than
progressing through a typical physics text. You will be responsible for figuring out what you need to learn and for teaching
yourself and each other those things. Your learning will be entirely your responsibility. I will help you develop skills with various
problem-solving, technical, and construction tools. It is my goal to produce students who have real scientific and engineering
skills beyond the ability to do well on examinations.
GRADES:
Homework
200
Quizzes
100
Midterms
300
Final
200
Lab and Projects
400
Total
1100
The tentative grading scale is:
A = 90+%, B = 80+%, C = 70+%, D = 60+%, F = below 60%.
ATTENDANCE: Be here! You can’t make-up missed classes with homework and tests. If you can’t make my class go to
Professor Anderson’s Class or Professor Christenson’s class. We all have very different styles, but if you do miss class,
attending another faculty member’s class is the best you can do!
INTEGRITY: Fundamental to any scientific pursuit is honesty. I expect you to be honest and above-board in all of your
dealings with me and your fellow students. Behave honorably!
Disclaimer: Your instructor will make every attempt to follow the above procedures and schedules, but they may be changed
in the event of extenuating circumstances.
Good Luck! If you have any questions be sure to contact me by email at mmason@mtsac.edu
2/26/2007 Week 1
Chapter 1
2/28/2007
Introduction to Laboratory
Computational Modeling
3/5/2007 Week 2
Chapter 2
1D Kinematics
3/7/2007
Chapter 2
Non constant Acceleration
3/12/2007 Week 3
Chapter 3
2D Kinematics
3/14/2007
Chapter 3
2D Kinematics
3/19/2007 Week 4
Chapter 4
Forces in Equilibrium
3/21/2007
Chapter 5
Force and Motion
3/26/2007 Week 5
Chapter 5
Exam 1/Air Drag
3/28/2007
Chapter 5
Frictional Forces
4/2/2007 Week 6
Chapter 12
Projects/Gravitation
4/4/2007
Chapter 8
Momentum
4/9/2007 Week 7
Chapter 6
Work and Energy
4/11/2007
Chapter 7
Energy
4/16/2007 Week 8
Chapter 7
Energy
4/18/2007
Center of Mass
4/23/2007 Week 9
4/25/2007
Exam 2
Chapter 9
4/30/2007 Week 10 Chapter 9
5/2/2007
Chapter 11
5/7/2007 Week 11
5/9/2007
Moments of inertia
Rotational Statics
Projects/Center of Mass
Chapter 10
5/14/2007 Week 12 Chapter 10
5/16/2007
Rotational Kinematics
Torques
Angular Momentum
Chapter 13
Oscillations
5/21/2007 Week 13 Chapter 13
Oscillations
5/23/2007
Exam 3
5/28/2007 Week 14
Holiday
5/30/2007
Chapter 13
6/4/2007 Week 15
6/6/2007 CH 1-13
6/11/2007 Finals
Oscillations
Final Projects
Chapter 14
Waves