PHYS P201 General Physics I  

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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.

Late homework submittals will not be allowed -- due dates/times will not be modified/extended.  If you miss the due date/time, for any reason, you will receive a zero for that homework set. Do not send emails asking for extensions, also emails will be ignored for those asking for extra points due to missing significant digits, units, "I was close", etc. The "Intro to MasteringPhysics" and "Physics Primer" are not graded and will not count in your homework score, but you are encouraged to complete them (or attempt them).

The MasteringPhysics HMKs (HMK 01 thru HMK 13) are worth 170 points. However, the points are awarded as follows: Every students gets 30 free points and the remaining 140 points are earned based upon your HMK percentage.

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

Vemuri, gvemuri@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.
In Phys P201 we emphasize these skills:

Indiana State General Education Core

  1) Apply foundational knowledge and discipline‐specific concepts to address issues or solve problems.
  2) Use current models and theories to describe, explain, or predict natural phenomena.
  3) Distinguish between scientific and non‐scientific evidence and explanations.
  4) Apply basic observational, quantitative, or technological methods to gather data and generate evidence‐based conclusions.

IUPUI Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success

  1) Problem Solver:
       * Thinks Critically
       * Collaborates
       * Analyzes, Synthesizes and Evaluates, Perseveres

  2) Innovator:
       * Investigates
       * Creates/Designs
       * Confronts Challenges, and Makes Decisions

  3) Communicator:
       * Evaluates Information
       * Convey Ideas Effectively

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:

   Three one-hour tests (100 pts each) *   = 300
   Comprehensive Final Exam *   = 200
   MasteringPhysics Homework   = 170
   Recitation Attendance   = 30
   Laboratory   = 200
   Bonus
  = 10
   TOTAL POINTS   = 900

 

 

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)
Students who are repeating the course and successfully passed the lab portion in their previous P201 have the option of using that lab grade for this semester.  The following protocol must be followed:  You must contact your previous Lab TA via email, also cc me in your email, and have those lab scores transmitted to your new Lab TA.  Until the lab scores are received by your new Lab TA, you must continue to attend the lab this semester!  Failure to follow these instructions will result in an administrative withdrawal due to the fact you are not attending lab.

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:

810 points
A –
720 points
B –
630 points
C –


WITHDRAWAL:


It is the student's responsibility to properly submit withdrawal requests/forms BEFORE the required deadlines.

Poor performance in a course is not considered grounds for a late withdrawal.

 


UPDATED: August 3, 2024 at 1:22 PM EDT