PHYS P201 General Physics I Click to go to Calendar Click to go to Lab Schedule 2nd BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITY Click Here The URL for this page is http://woodahl.physics.indianapolis.iu.edu/PhysP201/ Syllabus (Fall 2024) Optional reference textbooks for Woodahl PHYS-P201/202 (New and Used), click HERE Note: There is NO required textbook purchase. Course Description: This is the first semester of a two-semester introduction to physics intended for students preparing for careers in the sciences and health professions. Topics covered: Newton's mechanics, conservation laws, gravity, rotation, fluid motion, harmonic oscillators, kinetic theory of gases, and thermodynamics (5 credits). This course is not trivial -- possibly the most challenging you will encounter as an undergraduate. Typical memorization techniques (you might have used in other courses), will generally not be effective. Mastery is best achieved by working numerous problems (at a minimum, the assigned homework). Enrollment into this course requires you to have completed IU Indy (or IU Bloomington) MATH 159 with at least a C. You must be sufficiently skilled in algebra and trigonometry. A background lacking in mathematics can be a significant reason for struggling in physics. Reiterating, physics is not a memorization course. You will be given simple laws and be required to apply those laws to new and differing geometries. Do not memorize problems. Instead, gain the knowledge of application of the laws. MasteringPhysics Homeworks: We will be using
MasteringPhysics for homework, (there is also an
included electronic text). MasteringPhysics is
accessible in Canvas > Access Pearson.
There are no required materials to be purchased at the
Campus Bookstore for this course. The MasteringPhysics
(including the e-text) are paid for through a course fee
included with your tuition. Lab Manual: You do not have to purchase an additional lab manual. Click on the "Lab Schedule" link at the top of this page, to access the labs.
Schedule:
Course Instructor: Woodahl, bwoodahl@iu.edu Office Hour: Friday 10:30 to 11:30
in LD 021, Phone: 278-9244 If this is not
convenient, contact me by phone or email. Other instructors
are also available to see you in LD 021. Do not use Canvas Messages to contact
me (it may be a week before I see it), use my
direct email (checked daily) or phone (leave
message).
Recitation Instructors: Amin,
vpamin@iu.edu
Laboratory Instructors (and Recitation Assistants): Purcell,
japurc@iu.edu Labib, hlabib@iu.edu Buchanan, dabuch@iu.edu Kumar, smaheswa@iu.edu Tutoring: Please
visit the Physics Help Center in the basement of
the LD Building. These physics tutors have
significant experience in solving the various
homework problems and can help you with questions
regarding course content, exam preparation, etc.
Their schedules are posted outside the door.
Prerequisite: MATH 159 (Algebra and Trigonometry). As noted above, students must have a working knowledge of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Course Goals for Phys P201: Our goals are for you to learn the specific topics presented in the Calendar page (below). That is, to understand these concepts as discussed in class/recitation and then also, use these concepts to solve new and different problems. There are also “big picture”
goals in terms of abilities and attitudes. These
are stated below, in connection with the IUPUI
Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success
and the Indiana State General Education
Core. Indiana State General Education Core 1) Apply foundational knowledge
and discipline‐specific concepts to address
issues or solve problems. IUPUI Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success 1) Problem Solver: 2) Innovator: 3) Communicator: Organization: Each week: 2.5 hours of lecture, 2 hours of lab, and 100 minutes of recitation. Derivations, physics content and concepts are presented in the lecture portion. Students, guided by the mentors, will work problems in the recitation. These problems are not the assigned MasteringPhysics problems. But the concepts in these problems will help you in understanding the MasterPhysics problems, as well as course content. Also, attendance of recitations will be recorded. Please do not miss any of the recitations. Important Note: Attendance during the on-campus labs is MANDATORY. Bring your calculator to all three: lecture, recitation, and lab. Finally, missed homework submittals (MasteringPhysics) will count as a zero (there are no extensions). Do not forget to submit homework in a timely manner.
Grading: The components of
the course are assigned the following points:
There is a single grade for the course determined by your point total. To pass, per Department
policy, you must accumulate at least 250 exam
points (50%). The 500 total exam points are
not always the simple sum of your exam scores
(*). Your net exam points are based upon
the method of derivatives which retains the
"time information" of a student's exam
scores. The method of derivatives awards a
few additional points to students that maintain
a positive exam score slope. In fact, a
student can do relatively poorly on the first
exam, continue to improve on the later exams and
in the end obtain a score that effectively adds
up to 10 points (or more). For a student
that maintains roughly the same exam scores
throughout the semester, there is no difference
between the "simple sum" and the "method of
derivatives". For a student who has a
negative exam score slope, the simple sum is
employed.
In a nut-shell, the algorithm for the method of derivatives
performs the following: using the method
of least squares, a first-order (linear)
equation is fitted through the five exam scores
(final exam is equal to 2 hourly exams), the
fitted line is then evaluated at the
independent-variable of 3.3 (10% beyond the
median: Exam 3), that score (the
dependent-variable of the fit-line) is then
multiplied by five and this becomes the
student's exam score total. As an example,
consider a student that scores a 50% on Exam 1,
88% on Exam 2, 78% on Exam 3, and 171/200 on the
Final Exam. The conventional "simple sum"
exam score would be 387 points. But by the
method of derivatives, the net exam score is
397. Effectively, 10 points were added to
the student's point total because the student
continued to improve. Another more
concrete example involves a student that
struggled on the early exams: A few years ago I
had a student score the following: 19%, 44%,
97%, and 186/200 on the final. The simple
sum would have been 346 points, but by the
method of derivatives, the student obtained 376
exam points and ended up earning a "B" in the
course (128 on HMK and 187 on Labs). The method
of derivatives gives the student who scores
poorly on Exam 1, a chance to earn a passing
grade in the course. Additional Comments: There are 10 labs. Some
are off-campus and some are on-campus in LD 011.
Lab attendance is MANDATORY for the labs
scheduled in LD 011! One laboratory may be
missed with the accompanying loss of points
(approx 25 out of 200). After that,
for each missed lab, the course grade will
drop by one letter.
Lab-related questions or
issues should be addressed to your Lab
Instructors. Questions regarding
MasteringPhysics homework should first be
addressed to the Physics Tutors in the Physics Help Center
(basement of LD). If that proves
unsuccessful or not helpful, then please see
either your Recitation Instructor or your Course
Instructor. Questions regarding your course
standing, exam grades, lecture
material/concepts, etc. should be addressed to
the Course Instructor. (Questions regarding
electroweak vacuum decay or blackhole
information paradox should only be addressed to
the Course Instructor 😐) Lecture notes will generally
not be provided. Attend lecture, or ask a fellow
classmate to provide you copies, or come bug me
(with a darn good excuse 🙂). NOTICE
Students Repeating the Course (Read
these instructions carefully) Bonus points, earned after the
final exam, based upon discussions among
instructor, recitation instructors, and lab
instructors, are subjectively awarded to
students who maintain good rapport and strive to
improve (all facets: exams, homeworks,
recitations, labs) throughout the duration of
the semester. Please don't slack off on homework
or labs near the end of the semester. The following
letter grades are guaranteed based on total
points. All other letter grades are determined
after the Final Exams have been scored:
Poor performance in a course
is not considered grounds for a late
withdrawal.
UPDATED: August 3, 2024 at 1:22 PM EDT |
|