DEPARTMENT OF
PHYSICS
PHYX 1800
PHYSICS of
TECHNOLOGY
SPRING 2008
Michael Taylor
Course
Information
PHYSICS OF TECHNOLOGY – PHYS 1800
Spring Semester 2008
Course: Designed for non-physics majors (4 credits).
Goal: To help you develop a good understanding of everyday
physics, i.e. the world around us.
Help you develop an enjoyment in understanding and explaining
everyday phenomena.
Not aimed at simply accumulating a bunch of facts!
You will discover- that learning to develop your own
physical explanations will be most gratifying and will give you a much better
appreciation of nature.
Class: Mon, Wed, Fri,
10:30-11:20 am, Room EL 207 (Old Eng. Bld).
Instructor: Dr. Mike J. Taylor, SER Bld. 220C, Tel:
797-3919, e-mail:
mtaylor@cc.usu.edu.
Office Hours: Mon,
Wed, Fri, 11:30am -12:30pm
Laboratory Demonstrations:
Tue 1:30-2:45 pm, ESLC Room 053
Recitation: Thur 1:30-2:45 pm, ESLC Room 053
Teaching/Lab Assistant:
Jennifer Albretson, e-mail: jen.a@aggiemail.usu.edu.
Prerequisites: Algebra
(Math 1050) and Trig (Math 1060).
Objectives:
This course provides a conceptual introduction to physics with the primary goals of gaining knowledge and
intuition into every day phenomena using well-developed physical principles and
to acquire basic problem solving skills.
Texts:
W. Thomas Griffith, The
Physics of Everyday Phenomena, A Conceptual Introduction to Physics, 3rd or 4th or 5th
Ed (McGraw Hill, 2001, 2004,2007) REQUIRED.
Eugene Hecht, Physics:
Algebra/Trig, 2nd Ed (Brooks/Cole Publishing, Pacific Grove, 1997) recommended
as a study guide.
Disability Note: In cooperation with the Disability
Resource Center, reasonable accommodation will be provided for students with
disabilities. Please meet with the
instructor during the first week of class to make arrangements and/or call the
Disability Resource Center (797-2444) as soon as possible.. Alternative format print materials,
large print, audio, diskette or Braille will be available through the
Disability Resource Center.
Honor Code: The honor code will be strictly enforced in this course. Any suspected violations of the honor code will be promptly reported to the honor system. Policies regarding the honor code will be enforced and can be found at: http://www.usu.edu/policies/PDF/Acad-Integrity.pdf
COURSE ACTIVITIES:
Lectures (EL 207):
- Will focus on basic physical concepts and their
application in our every day world.
- To better assist the student they will augment and
follow the textbook development but will not cover all the text material
in detail.
- The student is advised to read the text (as indicated in the attached Syllabus
breakdown) prior to coming
to each lecture to be more familiar with the topics discussed.
Lecture notes will be
made available at the bottom of this website.
Laboratory (ESLC 053):
- To aid the understanding of
the physical concepts a laboratory demonstration class will be given every Tuesday (1:30 -2:45 pm).
Over 100 experiments will be performed to illustrate the principles
discussed in the lectures and to help develop your understanding.
- No direct credit will be
given for attending these demonstration labs, but the homework and exam
questions will often draw upon
these experiments and you are strongly advised to attend the demonstrations.
Note: The $10 fee is
used to upkeep the laboratory demonstration equipment used in this class.
Recitation (ESLC 053):
- A recitation class will be
given every Thursday (1:30-2:45
pm). They are designed to review
and reinforce the material presented
in the lectures and in the textbook and will act as a forum for developing
your problem solving skills.
- Recitation classes also
provide an excellent opportunity for you to discuss your homework
problems and applications of the
class material to every day life.
Homework:
- Assignment problems based on
the class and laboratory material will be given out weekly at the
Friday class and should be returned
at the beginning of class on the following Friday (see Syllabus for exact schedule).
- You are encouraged to
discuss the homework assignment with others and to work together solving
the problems. However, it is
a violation of USU rules to copy someone elseÕs homework. Your homework must be in your own
words and must not duplicate the
work of other students.
HOMEWORK FORMAT:
- There will be 12 sets of homework each of which will consist of
several short answer questions as well as some basic problems.
- Each homework is worth up to
20 points. (Note, to get credit for a
problem you must show your workings and make a reasonable attempt to solve
it.)
- Only your top 10 homework scores will be counted in your grade.
Homework must be handed in on time.
HOMEWORK GRADING:
- No credit will be given for late homework; it will be counted as one of the two scores
that are dropped.
- Up to two additional Bonus
Questions will
be given out with each homework assignment. These are a little more challenging (but quite doable)
problems that are intended to expand your physics comprehension and
problem solving skills.
- These bonus questions are
optional and must be handed in with your homework. You may receive an additional
score of up 10 extra points for
these optional questions.
CLASS GRADING:
Your final grade will be based on your homework, and four
exams as described below:
Homework (20%):
This is an
essential part of your studies and is key to doing well in the class.
A large fraction of the exam questions will be based on the homework and
laboratory problems.
In-Class Tests (20% each):
There are three
in-class exams. These will be scheduled during recitation time on Thursdays
(see attached Syllabus). Each test
will be closed-book and will be based on the recent topics covered in class and
on the homework and laboratory demonstrations. Each test will consist of a number of multiple choice
questions, short answer questions and some basic numerical problems. A list of relevant formulas will be
provided.
Final Exam (20%):
The final exam
is not cumulative but will follow the
format of the previous three in-class exams (Final exam: Wed: 30 April,
09:30-11:20am).
Make-Up Exams:
- These will not be given unless there are compelling reasons
(see instructor beforehand), or illness in which case a DoctorÕs letter
will be required.
- ID: You should be prepared to present a photo
ID at the time of each exam.
About the
Text:
The Physics of Everyday Phenomena provides a clear explanation of each physics topic that
we will cover: first in words and
then using simple examples with important but very limited use of math and
formulas. The text is divided into
six units:
- Motion – NewtonÕs laws, linear and circular
motion, energy.
- Fluids and
Heat- Behavior of fluids,
heat flow, engines.
- Electricity
and Magnetism-
electrostatics, magnetic fields, generators, motors etc.
- Waves and
Optics- Properties of
waves, light, lenses, telescopes.
- Atomic and
Nuclear- Atoms,
radioactivity, nuclear reactions.
- Relativity- EinsteinÕs theories, cosmology.
This course will focus on the first
4 units (Chapters
2-17) which concern major ideas in Classical Physics.
Each chapter is divided into
several separate sections and concludes with a well-developed summary of the
most important points. Each
chapter also has a list of:
-Conceptual questions- aimed at developing basic concepts
of the phenomena.
-Numerical questions- aimed at developing skills in
problem solving using basic algebra.
-Home experiments- that can be performed to augment
the laboratory demonstrations.
(There is
no substitution to doing some simple experiments yourself!)
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you find yourself confused on a particular topic in
this course or are spending more than 10-15 min on any given homework problem
you should:
1.
Review the relevant
chapter and looking over example problems.
2. Try to solve a similar problem. (The solutions to odd numbered problems are given in the
back of the textbook.)
3. Talk with others colleagues in your class. Ask them to explain things to you
(rather than solving the problem for you).
4. Ask questions in the Recitation class (be prepared to show your work and explain where the
problem arises). This will lead to
a better understanding for you and will result in a positive discussion for the
whole class too.
5. Seek additional help from the Class Instructor (Dr. Mike Taylor), the Assistant Instructor (Ms. Jennifer Albretson) during designated office hours
(or other times as available).
PHYSICS OF TECHNOLOGY, PHYS-1800
Spring 2008 Syllabus
Date |
Day |
Lecture |
Chapter |
Homework
Due |
|
Jan 7 9 11 |
M W F* |
Class Admin:
Intro.Physics Phenomena Units,
Scalars, Vectors, Speed and
Velocity |
1 1 & App.
B, C 2 |
- |
|
Jan 14 16 18 |
M W F* |
Acceleration Free Falling
Objects Projectile
Motion |
2 3 3 |
1 |
|
Jan 21 23 25 |
M W F* |
Martin Luther King
NewtonÕs Laws Mass and
Weight |
No Class
4 4 |
2 |
|
Jan 28 30 31 Feb 1 |
M W Th F |
Motion with
Friction Review Test 1 Circular
Motion |
4 1-4 - 5 |
3 |
|
Feb 4
6
8 |
M W F* |
Planetary
Motion Gravity and
Orbits Energy |
5 5 6 |
- |
|
Feb 11 13 15 |
M W F* |
Harmonic
Motion Momentum Impulse and
Collisions |
6 7 7 |
4 |
|
Feb 18 19 20 22 |
M Tu W F* |
Presidents
Day Catch up Day Rotational
Motion Angular
Momentum |
No Class - 8 8 |
5 |
|
Feb 25 26 27 29 |
M Tu
W F* |
Review Test 2
Static
Fluids, Pressure Flotation |
5-8 9 9 |
6 |
|
Mar 3
5
7 |
M W F* |
Fluids in
Motion Temperature
and Heat First Law of
Thermodynamics |
9 10 10 |
7 |
|
Mar 10-14 |
M-F |
Spring
Break |
No Classes |
|
|
Mar 17 19 21 |
M W F* |
Heat flow and
Greenhouse Effect Climate
Change Heat Engines |
10 - 11 |
8 |
|
Mar 24 26 28 |
M W F* |
Power and
Refrigeration Electric
Charge Electric
Fields |
11 12 12 |
9 |
|
Mar 31 Apr 2
3
4
|
M W Th F |
Electric
Potential and Lightning Review Test 3
Magnetic
Force |
12 9-12 - 14 |
10 |
|
Apr 7 9 11 |
M W F* |
Electromagnets Motors and
Generators Making Waves |
14 14 15 |
- |
|
Apr 14 16 18 |
M W F* |
Sound Waves E-M Waves,
Light and Color Mirrors and
Reflections |
15 16 17 |
11 |
|
Apr 21 23 25 |
M W F |
Refraction
and Lenses Telescopes
and Microscopes Review |
17 17 4-17 |
No test week 12 |
|
April 30 |
W |
Final Exam:
09:30-11:20am
|
|
|
- = Homework Handout