PHY203: ELEMENTARY PHYSICS I (Fall, 2015)
Section 2
Text: Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 6th Ed., by Paul A. Tipler
(Freeman, 2008) (Chaps. 1-11,14).
Instructor: David Heskett 320A East Hall, 874-2076, dheskett@uri.edu
Office Hours: MWF 1:30-2
Lecture Time: 2-2:50
Sec. 2
Course Description
Introduction to Newtonian mechanics. Kine- matics and dynamics of particles and
systems of particles. Motion of rigid bodies and oscillatory motion. Conservation
principles. (Lec. 3 ) Pre: credit or concurrent enrollment in MTH 141 and concurrent
enrollment in PHY 273. Intended for science or engineering majors.
Course Goals
1. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of kinematics.
2. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of forces.
3. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of work, energy, and
energy conservation.
4. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of linear momentum and
linear momentum conservation.
5. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of rotational kinematics,
rotational dynamics, and angular momentum conservation.
6. To develop a conceptual and quantitative understanding of oscillations and
simple harmonic motion.
General Education Areas
This course satisfies URI's general education areas: "Scientific, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematical Disciplines" (Full); and "Mathematical, Statistical, or
Computational Strategies" (Partial).
Learning Outcomes
1. To understand the basic concepts of classical mechanics.
2. To apply a conceptual understanding of classical mechanics to physics
problems.
3. To develop problem-solving strategies and techniques appropriate to classical
mechanics.
4. To be able to carry out quantitative solutions of classical mechanics problems.
Course Web Page: A course web page has been set up at the following url:
http://131.128.120.18/~daveh/PHY203/PHY203syllabusF15.html. From links in the
syllabus, old exams and exam solutions can be accessed on the web. Exam grades will
be posted on Sakai.
Sakai: The class will use Sakai for important announcements and posting exam grades.
Examinations: There will be three unit exams and a final exam. These exams are
closed book. Calculators will be permitted. You will be provided with a sheet of paper
containing relevant formulas for each exam and the final. A unit exam will be given in
class at the end of each of the three course units. The dates and times are listed below.
No make-up exams will be offered; if necessary, the final exam will act as a makeup.
Exam solutions will be linked from the course web page. Exam grades will be posted
on Sakai.
Course Units:
The course is divided into three units as follows:
unit #1
Chaps. 1-5
exam on Fri. 10/16
unit #2
Chaps. 6-8
exam on Fri. 11/6
unit #3
Chaps. 9-11,14
exam on Fri., 12/11
Final Exam
tba
Final Exam: The final exam will be divided up into three sections corresponding to the
three units. If the score on a unit exam is lower than the score on the corresponding
section of the final exam, the score on that section of the final exam will replace the unit
exam score when your semester grade is calculated. Every student must take the final
exam. No exceptions.
Quizzes: I will ask from one to several questions in every class that must be answered
electronically using the "TopHat" personal response system. You can answer with a
laptop or tablet or by smartphone (after downloading an app) or by texting in the
answer. You must register on TopHat ("Sign-up" at tophat.com) and also put in your
cellphone # (if you want to be able to text in answers). For each question, just
submitting an answer will earn you 1 ("participation") point. A correct answer an
additional 1 point. If you earn 75% of the maximum points at the end of the semester,
you will receive full credit for the quizzes. The "join code" is 617834. The phone number
for texting in answers is (315)636-0905.
Homework Assignments: A set of homework problems will be due on or before Wed.
of almost every week (by 11 p.m.) and will be administered through a web-based
system called WebAssign (see below).
Course Grade:
The grade for PHY203 will be based on a maximum of 1200:
unit exams
400 points
final exam
400 points
homework
100 points
recitation
200 points
lecture quizzes
100 points
(using clickers)
recitation extra credit
50 points
Grading Scheme:
A(93-100); A-(90-93); B+(87-90); B(83-87); B-(80-83); C+(77-80); C(73-77);
C-(70-73); D+(67-70); D(60-67); F(<60).
WebAssign:
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Homework will be administered through a web-based service named
WebAssign. Exam grades will also be posted here.
WebAssign can be accessed at http://webassign.net/student.html
The Class Key for WebAssign for this course is: uri 1305 5115
Students will enroll with this class key, creating their own user IDs and
password. When they go to the login page, they simply click the box
saying "ENTER CLASS KEY".
When you first log on you will be asked for your access code, which will be
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packaged with the textbook, which is available in the URI Memorial Union
bookstore.
You will have 5 chances to submit your homework solutions before the
due date.
After the due date, a 4 day extension with a 10 point penalty can be
selected in WebAssign (available once only per assignment-and must be
selected soon after the assignment is due).
In WebAssign each student gets a different set of numbers in the
problems, so the answers will be different.
Try logging on well before the first assignment due date, and become
familiar with the WebAssign system. There is a 2-week (free) grace period
for you to get started.
Recitation:
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All students must also register for any recitation section of PHY273.
The recitation meets once a week (for one hour in Room 112).
Your recitation grade will be counted toward your PHY203 grade up to a
maximum of 250 points. There is no separate letter grade for the recitation
of PH273.
You will be given 6 problems in each recitation session. If you solve 3
problems every week, you will earn a total of 200 points by the end of
semester. By solving more than three problems, you can also earn extra
credit up to a maximum of 50 points. However, solving more than 3
problems in one week cannot compensate for solving less than 3
problems in another week.
You must attend the recitation section in which you are enrolled. You
will not get credit in another section.
Course Assistance
 Physics students are often available in East Hall, Room 216, to provide help.
 The Academic Enhancement Center (AEC-in Roosevelt Hall).
AEC tutors are students like you who have succeeded in this course and understand
how challenging it can be. They can answer questions, clarify concepts, test your
understanding, and show you how to study in the most effective ways possible.
You can make an appointment or walk in anytime during office hours -- Monday
through Thursday from 9 am. to 9 pm, Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, and Sunday from 4
pm. to 8 pm. For a complete schedule -- including when tutors are available
specifically for this class -- go to www.uri.edu/aec, call (401) 874-2367, or stop by
the fourth floor in Roosevelt Hall.
Any student with a documented disability is encouraged to speak with one of
us early in the semester so that we can arrange for accommodations.
PHY273: LABORATORY AND RECITATION FOR ELEMENTARY PHYSICS I
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PHY273 is closely connected to PHY203. It consists of two components:
Laboratory and Recitation. Separate enrollment in each is required.
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Your recitation grade will be absorbed into your PHY203 grade, but you will be
getting a separate letter grade for the lab section of PHY273 (1 credit).
PHY273 Laboratory
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A statement of Laboratory Policies and the Lab Schedule for the semester is
provided below.
A lab manual must be purchased either in advance or at the first lab meeting.
Please bring an acceptable lab notebook (see Laboratory Policies) to your first
lab meeting.
CONTINUATION OF ELEMENTARY PHYSICS
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Elementary Physics will continue for two more semesters:
PHY204: Electricity and magnetism. (Chapters 22-32).
PHY205: Thermodynamics, waves, acoustics, optics. (Chapters 15-21, 33-35).
Exam and Homework Schedule
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Homework must be submitted to WebAssign by 11 p.m. of the date due.
With the problems on WebAssign, some of the numbers and therefore the final
answers will in general be different for each student.
5 chances are allowed per assignment.
After the due date, a 4 day extension with a 10 point penalty can be selected in
WebAssign (available once only per assignment).
Wed., Sept. 16
HW #1 due
Reading: Sections 1.1-1.5
Wed., Sept. 23
HW #2 due
Reading: Sections 2.1-2.3
Wed., Sept. 30
HW #3 due
Reading: Sections 1.6,1.7,3.1-3.3
Wed., Oct. 7
HW #4 due
Reading: Sections 4.1-4.8
Wed., Oct. 14
HW #5 due
Reading: Sections 3.3,5.1,5.3
Fri., Oct. 16
Exam #1 (Chaps. 1-5)
Wed., Oct. 21
HW #6 due
Reading: Sections 6.1-6.3
Wed., Oct. 28
HW #7 due
Reading: Sections 7.1-7.3
Wed., Nov. 4
HW #8 due
Reading: Sections 5.5,8.1-8.3
Fri., Nov. 6
Exam #2 (Chaps. 6-8)
Wed., Nov. 11
No Homework due
Wed., Nov. 18
HW #9 due
Reading: Sections 9.1-9.6
Wed., Nov. 25
HW #10 due
Reading: Sections 10.1-10.3
Wed., Dec. 2
HW #11 due
Reading: Sections 11.1-11.4
Wed., Dec. 9
HW #12 due
Reading: Sections 14.1-14.3
Fri., Dec. 11
Final Exam: tba
Exam #3 Chaps. (9-11,14)
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PHY273: LABORATORY POLICIES
Registration
Each student registered for PHY203 must also register for two sections of PHY273.
Register for one of 000x sections for laboratory, and one of R0x sections for recitation.
First Lab Meeting
You will be performing your first experiment on the first lab meeting for each
experiment. Each week of experiment will be followed by an analysis lab. You must
purchase a Laboratory Notebook prior to your first meeting, and bring it. See below for
the description of the Lab Notebook. The Laboratory Manual is sold in the bookstore.
Both the Lab Notebook and the Lab Manual are required for this course.
Make-up Labs
You must complete every one of the five experiments. Otherwise, you will receive zero
points for the experiments missed. If you have a legitimate reason to miss a laboratory
session, you may ask in advance permission from the TA to participate in another
laboratory section. For each student with a valid excuse there will be only one make-up
lab available at the end of the semester.
Laboratory Schedule
Each of the PHY273 laboratory sections meets once a week for two hours in East Hall
Room 102. You will be conducting five experiments over 10 weeks. See specific dates
below:
Experiment
Week
Intro
Meeting
9/17,18
1.Motion in
1D (free fall)
1.Motion in
one 1D
(analysis)
9/24,25
2.Motion in
2D
(projectiles)
2.Motion in
2D
(analysis)
10/8,9
3.Newton's
laws (expt.)
3.Newton's
laws (sim.)
10/22,23
10/1,2
10/15,16
10/29,30
4.Collisions 11/5,6
(experiment)
4.Collisions 11/12,13
(simulation)
No lab
11/19,20
No lab
11/26,27
5.Rotational
dynamics
(expt.)
5.Rotational
dynamics
(anal.)
12/3,4
Make-up
Lab
(Pendulum)
12/14
(Reading
Day)
12/10,11
Conducting a Laboratory
At the beginning of each experiment, the teaching assistant (TA) will give a brief
introduction to the relevant material (the goals, physical principles, measurement
techniques, data analysis, error estimate) and explain how to handle any particular
piece of equipment.
It is not the TA's duty to set up, perform, analyze or interpret experiments for the
students. While the work on the experiment proceeds, the TA will circulate among the
students, look over their shoulders, and with leading questions, help them understand
what they are doing. However, it is the students' responsibility and obligation to ask
questions about any aspect of the experiment or the underlying physics which is unclear
to them.
Make sure you know your TA's name, email address, and office phone number, so you
may contact her/him later when you need more information.
Laboratory Manual
The PHY273 Laboratory Manual contains detailed descriptions of all scheduled
experiments. You are expected to read the Lab Manual before coming to conduct your
experiments.
Laboratory Notebook
You must bring a Laboratory Notebook that is quad-ruled for graphs and has
sequentially numbered pages and pages bound to stay. Spiral notebooks or notebooks
without page numbers are not acceptable. The URI bookstore sells a Computation
Notebook for ~$15 (Avery-Dennison, #43-648). You may use this same notebook in
subsequent semesters for PHY274 and PHY275.
For every one of the five experiments, observations, data, graphs, calculations,
interpretations, and conclusions must be recorded in the Lab Notebook. Do not remove
pages under any circumstances. If you make a mistake in writing, simply cross it out,
and make corrections in the next available space. You are allowed to paste printed
graphs and tables into the Lab Notebook pages.
Note: You must complete your writing in the Lab Notebook while you are in the
laboratory. Your performance in the PHY273 Lab will be evaluated on the basis of your
Lab Notebook. There will be no other written reports.
Keeping the Laboratory Notebook
During the first session of each experiment, you will record pertinent information, set up
tables, sketch the equipment, perform the experiment, gather data, and begin a
preliminary analysis. Use your time in the laboratory efficiently. Do not leave the
laboratory before the session is over. You may take the Lab Notebook with you when
you leave the first session, for your own study.
During the second session of each experiment, you will usually perform a more detailed
analysis of your data, compare your results with other groups' results, and participate in
class discussion of your results. For some experiments, you will also conduct computer
simulations.You will record all pertinent information in your Lab Notebook during the
session and hand in your Notebook to your TA before you leave the room. You
cannot take the Lab Notebook home with you after the second session. The TA will
grade your Notebook and return it to you before the next experiment.
For each experiment, your Lab Notebook must include the following items:
(a) A sketch of the apparatus with significant dimensions indicated and a brief
description of its purpose.
(b) The data taken from measurements recorded in tabular form including the
appropriate units.
(c) Graphs (histograms or line graphs) appropriately labeled and accompanied by
explanatory captions.
(d) An estimate of the expected error of each observation and a statement of how these
errors affect the uncertainty of the final result.
(e) A discussion and interpretation of the results obtained in light of the goals of the
experiment.
Grading Scheme
The evaluation of each entry in your Lab Notebook will be based on the following five
items:
(a) descriptions, definitions, and sketches (20 pts)
(b) data tables (20 pts)
(c) graphical representation of experimental data (20 pts)
(d) error estimate (20 pts)
(e) interpretation and conclusions (20 pts)
These items do not necessarily represent separate sections in the Lab Notebook.
However, each item must be present conspicuously. Each item will be awarded up to 20
points for a total of 100 points per experiment
The letter grade for PHY273 lab will be calculated by your total number of points divided
by 5. There will be no additional scaling of grades.
A (93 or higher)
A- (90-93) B+ (87-90) B (83-87)
B- (80-83)
C+ (77-80) C (73-77)
C- (70-73) D+ (67-70) D (60-67)
F (60 or lower)
NW (No submission of work)