PHYSICS 113 SYLLABUS
Physics 113-A (CCN: 81104) Fall 2005
Prof. Jed Macosko
Office: Olin 215, Lab: Olin 213
Phone: 758-4981 e-mail: macoskjc@wfu.edu
OFFICE HOURS
MWF 1:00-2:00 pm, 215 Olin
Feel free to drop by any time and I’ll try to accommodate you.
Physics 113 is the first course in a two-semester sequence in calculus-based general physics.
It does require the use of calculus and simple vector calculations.
SCHEDULE
- Lectures: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00 – 9:50 am
-Each student must also enroll for one laboratory session.
Lab sessions begin the week of Monday, August 29. (see which day and time your particular lab session will be)

TEXT AND MATERIALS
The text is the sixth edition of Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway & Jewett.
For the lab you must get the lab manual from the bookstore (~ $10).
EXAMS AND GRADING
There will be one final exam and three 50-minute, in-class midterm exams given at the dates listed below. Homework problems will be assigned for each chapter (due two lecture days later) and they will be also be graded.
Homework:
Laboratory:
Worst test score:
Intermediate test score:
Best test score:
Final exam:
Homework notebook:
Class participation:
First class: Aug. 24, 2005
Last day to drop class: Sept 28, 2005
20%
13%
10%
14%
19%
20%
3%
1%
93 1/3

G

100, A;
90

G < 93 1/3, A

;
86 2/3

G < 90, B+;
83 1/3

G < 86 2/3, B;
80

G < 83 1/3, B

;
76 2/3

G < 80, C+;
73 1/3

G < 76 2/3, C;
70

G < 73 1/3, C

;
66 2/3

G < 70, D+;
63 1/3

G < 66 2/3, D;
60

G < 63 1/3, D

;
G < 60, F.
Exam 1: Monday, Sept. 19, 2005
Exam 2: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005
Exam 3: Friday, Nov. 18, 2005
Final: Monday, Dec. 5, 2005, 9:00 am

HOMEWORK AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Homework and problem solving is a very important part of learning in a course in physics.
Approximately 6-10 questions or problems per chapter will be assigned as homework. We will use WebAssign . Homework is due two lectures after it has been assigned. No late homework is accepted . Some problems may also re-appear on the exams and the final.
POSTINGS
Homework, exam solutions and other material relating to the course will be posted on the web site for the class: http://www.wfu.edu/~macoskjc/Courses/113Fall05.htm
This class does not use CourseInfo or Blackboard.
WebAssign http://www.webassign.net/ will be implemented for standard homework assignments. You have nine attempts to get the answers right (Demo follows).
ATTENDANCE
It is expected that students attend all scheduled classes and laboratory sessions. Attendance at the three exams and the final is required - absence will result in a zero grade unless an official excuse is presented. Excuses should be reported to me in advance or as soon as possible.

Tentative outline of class
Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Tuesday
Aug. 29
Ch. 2: 1-D motion
Last day of “free”
Drop/Add
Sept. 5
Chapter 4
Motion in 2D
Sept. 12
Chapter 5
Force & Motion I
Aug. 30
Sept. 6
Sept. 13
Aug. 24
Introduction
Chapter 1
Aug. 31
Chapter 3
Vectors
Sept. 7
Chapter 4
Motion in 2D
Last day to add courses
Sept. 14
Chapter 6
Force & Motion II
Sept. 19
Midterm 1
Chapters 1-6
Sept. 26
Chapter 8
Potential energy
Sept. 20
Sept. 27
Sept. 21
Chapter 7
Energy Transfer
Sept. 28
Chapter 8
Potential energy
Last day to drop class
Aug. 25
Sept. 1
Sept. 8
Sept. 15
Sept. 22
Sept. 29
Aug. 26
Chapter 2
Motion in 1D
Sept. 2
Chapter 3
Vectors
Sept. 9
Chapter 5
Force & Motion I
Sept. 16
Catch-up & Review
Sept. 23
Chapter 7
Energy Transfer
Sept. 30
Chapter 9
Linear Momentum and Collisions
Saturday Sunday
Aug. 27 Aug. 28
Sept. 3 Sept. 4
Sept. 10 Sept. 11
Sept. 17 Sept. 18
Sept. 24 Sept. 25

Monday Tuesda y
Tentative outline of class
Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Oct. 1 Oct. 2
Oct. 3
Chapter 9
Linear Momentum and Collisions
Oct. 10
Chapter 11
Angular Momentum
Oct. 17
Catch-up and review
Oct. 4
Oct. 11
Oct. 18
Oct. 24
Chapter 13
Universal Gravitation
Oct. 31
Chapter 14
Fluids
Oct. 25
Oct. 5
Chapter 10
Rotation
Oct. 12
Chapter 11
Angular Momentum
Oct. 19
Midterm 2
Chapters 7-11
Oct. 26
Chapter 13
Universal Gravitation
Oct. 6
Oct. 13
Oct. 20
Oct. 27
Oct. 7
Chapter 10
Rotation
Oct. 14
Fall Break
Oct. 21
Chapter 12
Static Equilibrium
Oct. 28
Chapter 14
Fluids
Oct. 8 Oct. 9
Oct. 15 Oct. 16
Oct. 22 Oct. 23
Oct. 29 Oct. 30

Monday
Nov. 7
Chapter 16
Waves I
Nov. 14
Chapter 18
Waves III
Nov. 21
Chapter 19
Temperature
Nov. 28
Chapter 19
Temperature
Tuesday
Nov. 1
Nov. 8
Wednesday
Nov. 2
Chapter 15
Oscillations
Nov. 9
Chapter 16
Waves I
Thursday
Nov. 3
Nov. 10
Friday
Nov. 4
Chapter 15
Oscillations
Nov. 11
Chapter 17
Waves II
Saturday
Nov. 5
Nov. 12
Sunday
Nov. 6
Nov. 13
Nov. 15
Nov. 22
Nov. 29
Nov. 16
Catch-up & Review
Nov. 23
Thanksgiving break
Nov. 17
Nov. 24
Thanksgiv ing break
Nov. 18
Midterm 3
Chapters 12-18
Nov. 25
Thanksgiving break
Nov. 30
Chapter 20
Thermodynamics
Nov. 19 Nov. 20
Nov. 26 Nov. 27

Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Dec. 7
Thursday
Dec. 1
Friday
Dec 2
Catch-Up & Review
Saturday Sunday
Dec. 3 Dec. 4
Dec. 8 Dec. 9 Dec. 10 Dec. 11 Dec. 5
Final
9 AM (section A)
Dec. 12
Winter break
Dec. 6

Monday
TUTOR & HOMEWORK SESSIONS
(Room & times to be announced… Stay tuned!!)
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
The tutors:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Tutor sessions in semesters past were very successful and received high marks from students.
All students are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

Reading assignment (reading quiz this Friday!): Chapters 1 and 2
Homework 1:
(Chp 1) Q5, 12, 17, 22, 52
(Chp 2) Q15
Due: Monday August 29, 2005, 10 pm
Check out WebAssign: http://www.webassign.net/

Units
In mechanics the three basic quantities are:
• Length (we will use the ________________; Paris, 1792)
•
Mass (we will use the __________________ Paris, 1792)
• Time (we will use the ___________________________)
And combinations of these units (e.g. unit of velocity: m/s)
• These are units of the SI (Système International) system that is used throughout the world in the Sciences.

We need to apply conversion factors (a ratio of units that are equal to one) to get the right units
Black board example 1.1
A snail crawls along with a speed of one inch per minute.
What’s its speed in m/s?
See appendix for conversion factors

Significant figures
A significant figure is a reliably known figure.
Give answers in significant figures.
 black board examples.
When adding or subtracting numbers, the number of decimal places in the result should equal the __________ number of decimal places of
___________ term in the sum.
When multiplying several quantities, the number of significant figures in the final answer is the same as the significant figures in the
_____________ accurate of the quantities being multiplied. (Same for
______________)

Factor Name
10 24
10 21
10 18
10 15
10 12
10 9
10 6
10 3
10 2
10 1
10 -1
10 -2
10 -3
10 -6
10 -9
10 -12
10 -15
10 -18
10 -21
10 -24 yotta zetta exa peta tera giga mega kilo hecto deka deci centi milli micro nano pico femto atto zepto yocto
Symbol
T
G
M k h da d c m
µ
E
P
Y
Z f a z y n p
The 20 SI prefixes used to form decimal multiples and submultiples of SI units (from NIST).
Black board example 1.2
DNA has a diameter of 2x10 -9 m. How many nanometer is that?

The building blocks of matter
Atomic force microscope image of gold surface
• All matter consists of atoms (greek: atomos = not sliceable)
• All atoms consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons
• Nuclei consist of protons and neutrons. The sum of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of a particular element is called the atomic __________ of the element. The number of protons is called the atomic ____________ .
• Protons and Neutrons consist of Quarks (six different varieties)
Atomic mass of an element : average mass of one atom in a sample of the element.
Unit of the atomic mass: 1u = 1.66·10 -27 kg
One atom of the ______________ isotope
( 12 C) has a mass of 12 u.

:
Density r
= _______________
For example:
Aluminum: 2.7 g/cm 3
Lead: 11.3 g/cm 3
Density of matter depends on:
• The atomic _____ of the individual atoms
• How tightly atoms are packed
Black board example 1.3 (problem 20)
Gold, which has a mass of 19.32 g for each cubic centimeter of volume, is the most
_________ metal and can be pressed into a thin leaf or drawn out into a long fiber.
(a) If 1.000 oz of gold, with a mass of 27.63 g, is pressed into a leaf of 1.000 µm thickness, what is the area of the leaf?
(b) (b) If, instead, the gold is drawn out into a cylindrical fiber of radius 2.500 µm, what is the length of the fiber?

Dimensional analysis
Dimensions (In this case we mean the units of a physical quantity) can be treated as _____________ quantities.
• Always do a dimensional analysis when solving problems.
Black board example 1.4
Newton's law of universal _______________ is represented by the following equation.
F = GMm / r 2
Here F is the gravitational force, M and m are masses, and r is a length.
Force has the SI units kg · m/s 2 . What are the SI units of the proportionality constant G ?

• Always make sure you use the right _________
(conversion may be necessary)
• Always do an _____________ estimation (Ask yourself: “Does the number I’m getting make sense?).