Physics 104
College Physics
Spring 2012
Office Hours:
Monday 2:00-4:00pm in 112 NSCIWednesday 2:00-4:00pm in 112 NSCI
Additionally, a help room will be staffed to answer homework related questions. This will be in the Physics conference room (122NSF) and will be staffed at various times each day (the schedule is posted on the Rm122 door).
Semester schedule (calendar)
Web Projects (they are here!)
Links to Web info (to help with your project)
Link to Auroral Forecast at the GI
Formula Sheet for Final Exam (in PDF format)
Link to Video of Lectures (for what it's worth)
Link to the Exam 1 review session (uploading so if it does not work right away try again)
This syllabus is located at: http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/104_spring2012.html
Course Syllabus
In approaching this (and all) classes, please note the following ancient chinese proverb:
Teachers
open the door,
but you must enter by yourself.
Course Content: In the first part of the course you will learn the basics of electricity and magnetism including electrostatics (a shocking subject), DC and AC circuits as well as how things like the Aurora work. We will then move on to the strange and wonderful world of modern physics. Here you will learn about relativity and Quantum mechanics and you will learn to to love these subjects(or at least learn them) and their applications to such a wide range of problems. Most importantly, you will learn to impress your friends and relatives with your knowledge of the universe (or bore them to tears), so be prepared for being introduced to "The Power of Physics".
Prerequisites: Algebra geometry and trigonometry will be used.
Materials Needed:
|
Required Text: |
Physics: Principles with Applications, 6/E, Gioncoli, Pearson/Prentice Hall |
|
Calculators: |
No calculators may be used during exams or quizzes. Otherwise, buy yourself a nice one. A basic, simple scientific calculator with trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions is all that you need. |
Lectures: 9:15am MWF in 201 Reich. The lectures supplement but do not substitute for the reading. Lectures will cover the major topics, emphasizing and discussing the important points. They are not sessions to regurgitate material already written in the text. Your personal participation is important, and it is critical that you read the assigned material before lecture. Time permitting, several lectures will cover special topics beyond the scope of the text. These will be announced before hand.
Homework: There will be
approximately one homework assignment per week. The assignment will
be given out (and posted on the web and in the hall in front of my
office) on Wednesdays and will be due in on the following
Thursday by 5PM. Your homework must have your name
and lab section clearly written on it at the top of the page or points will
be deducted. Place your homework in the appropriate box in the Physics Department
Office. You are encouraged to work with others on the homework, but make sure
the paper you turn in is not simply copied from someone else. These assignments
help me assess your understanding of the material, and will count toward your
final grade.
Late problem sets will not be
accepted.
Only a selection of problems will be graded each week, totaling about
25 points each. Solution sets may be posted in the glass cabinet in
the Physics Dept. hall. You are
strongly encouraged get copies to
help you understand how to approach these problems; it will likely
help on tests.
Quizzes: ~10 short quizzes will be given in class during the semester. They will be closed book and no calculators allowed (or needed). All difficult formulas needed will be given and the quiz will be similar to some of the recent homework or sometihing we have just done in class. The quizzes will be announced both in class and on the schedule page at least one week in advance.
Project: There will be a project due worth a maximum of approximately 10% of the course grade. The project will be in the form of a web page on a topic in physics that you find interesting and we agree on together. These topics could include biographies of important scientists, scientific projects and scientific ideas. The topic must be agreed to by Feb 21st and must be competed by April 10th. They will be graded both for presentation and content. More details will be discussed in class and is available at the web project info link.
Labs: There is a lab
associated with this course. ALL
labs and reports must be completed to get a passing grade for the
lab.
A PASSING GRADE IN THE LAB IS NECESSARY TO
PASS THE COURSE.
Questions about the lab should be directed to the teaching assistent in charge
of your lab or as a last resort me.
Hour Exams: Exams will be given during the lectures as follows (check for changes!):
Feb. 17th, approx. Chapters 16-20 April 6th, approx. Chapters 20-25
The exams will be closed-book, but you will be given one side of an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet with most of the needed equations. No calculators are allowed. The exams will be graded and handed back as soon as possible. Solutions will be discussed and posted.
Final Exam: The final exam will be 2 hours long begining at 8 AM on Wed, May 9th. It will cover the entire course (Chapters 16-32), with some emphasis on the more recent material. You will be given two 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheets of formule.
Grading: The course grade will
consist of the following components:
2 hour exams 30 % Final exam 25 % Homework 10 % Quizzes 10 % Project 10 % Lab 15 %
Note: I reserve the right to make adjustments to the final grade based on trends in your grades over the semester
I grade on a curve however to satisfy university requirments, above 95% will
be at least an A, above 85% will be at least a B above 75% will be at least
a C, above 65% will be at least a D (in most cases the actual curve is significently
lower!).
Contacting Me: I have office hours as listed above. You can drop by at other times if I'm not busy, or make an appointment. I am (almost) never available before class.
Special Needs: The Office of Disability Services implements the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and insures that UAF students have equal access to the campus and course materials. We will work with the Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043) to provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities.
Plagiarism etc: Plagiarism and cheating are matters of serious concern for students and academic institutions. This is true in this class as well. The UAF Honor Code (or Student Code of Conduct) defines academic standards expected at the University of Alaska Fairbanks which will be followed in this class. (Taken from the UAF plagiarism web site, which has many links with good information about this topic)
Complaints and Concerns: You are always welcome to talk to me about anything, however, if you have a non-subject matter question or concern that cannot be resolved by me, contact the department chair, Dr. Chowdury, Physics Department Office, room 102 NSCI.
Alternate References: To see
the same topics explained differently, try the following:
College Physics, 5th edition, Serway, Faughn
Feynman; The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Here is a good web site on how to study physics which might be of interest and use: How to study physics
General Advice: Physics is not
something you read and memorize, rather it is something you learn how
to do. Try the following study procedure:
Last updated 8 May, 2012