PHYS101 Introduction to Physics Fall 2009

Text: Hewitt, Conceptual Physics, 10^th edition, 2006 Pearson/Addison Wesley (ISBN 0-8053-9190-8)
Lecture: T/TH 4:40-5:55; Lab: MP 304 TH 6:10-8:00

Wk.	Tuesday	Thursday	Laboratory
_{Read specified chapters prior to class}
1.	8/25 Orientation C1 About Science/C2 Inertia	8/27 C3 Linear Motion	No lab
2.	9/1 C3 Linear Motion	9/3 C4 2^nd Law	Shadows
3.	9/8 C5- Third Law and Review	9/10 Exam 1 (C1-5)	Free-fall
4.	9/15 C6 Momentum	9/17 C7 Energy	Force Table
5.	9/9 C8 Rotation	9/11 C9 Gravity & Review	Impulse-momentum
6.	9/29 Review & Exam2 (6-9)	10/1 C11 Atoms & C12 Solids	C13 Liq/C14 Gases lect.
7.	10/6 C15 Temperature & C16 Heat Transfer	10/8 C17 Change of Phase	Density
8.	10/13 Rev./ Exam 3 (C11-17)	10/15 C19 Vibrations and Waves	Heating
9.	10/20 C20 Sound	10/22 C22 Electrostatics	Sound /Resonance
10.	10/27 C22 Electrostatics & C23 Electric Current	10/29 C23 Electric Current & C24 Magnetism	Bulbs
11.	11/3 Exam 4 (C19-24)	11/5 C26 Properties of light C28 Reflection	Mirrors
12.	11/10 C28/ C29 Light Waves	11/12 C29/ C30 Light Emission	Lenses
13.	11/17 C31 Light Quanta & Review	11/19 Exam 5 (C26-31)	TBD
14.	11/24 Holiday	11/26 Holiday	No Labs
15.	12/1 C32 Quantum	12/3 C33 Nucleus	Spectra
16.	12/8 C33 Radioactivity & C34 Fission and Fusion	12/10 Finish C34 / Review	Radioactivity
17.	12/17 Final Exam 3:30-5:30PM

Grading is based on your
	class participation at 1 point per day up to 20 points maximum, quizzes/HW 24 pts.
	13 Labs at 12 points each for 156 points (note week 9 is a double lab session)
	best 4 out of 5 multiple-choice exams at 100 points each for 400 points
	final review exam at 200 points

Totalpossible = 800 points. Grading is on a curve with the followings: C ≥ 60%, C+ ≥ 68, B- ≥ 74%, B ≥ 78%, B+ ≥ 82%, A- ≥ 85% and A ≥ 88%, A+ > 94%. Borderline cases will be determined by performance on the Final Review Exam.

Exams are multiple-choice. The regular hour exams are closed-book and no notes, but you may use a hand-held calculator with a cleared memory. For the 110-minute final exam, you may also prepare your own 8.5”x11” page of notes (both sides). It should be generated by you and either be handwritten or typed in italics or Courier font so that it is distinguishable from published text. Put your name in the upper-right corner and turn it in with the exam. The value of this sheet is more in its preparation than its possession.

No make-up exams are offered without prior approval which requires an email request from a faculty member or medical doctor. Instead, the lowest (or zero) score is automatically dropped, except for the final exam. In addition, one take-home lab is available to ensure that the required 13 can be completed.

Instructor: Greg Antonini Email: GregoryAntonini@boisestate.edu, Help sessions/ etc. Tuesday/Thursday 3:5-4:40 or by appointment

Pedagogy of PHYS 101 Introduction to Physics

(rev. 7/22/08)

This course is part of the University Core Curriculum that shares a common philosophy and addresses the same general goals.

Expected Learning Outcomes

	1.	Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Skills Nurture symbolic thought using basic algebra Think in terms of direct and inverse proportions Learn the scientific method and problem solving processes Learn to analyze and to generalize results while guided by demonstrated physical concepts Use dimensional analysis to check results

	2.	Communication Skills Read and assimilate technical writing Work effectively as a team member in small laboratory, discussion, and study groups

	3.	Cultural Perspective Realize how physics transcends cultural boundaries

	4.	Breadth of Knowledge and Intellectual Perspective Realize how physics is universally applicable and forms the basis of other sciences and engineering

Course objective is for the students to develop appreciation and familiarity with basic physics concepts which will give them a new perspective for critical and analytical thinking and lead to continued learning.

Methodology features hands-on laboratory exercises that show how nature really works and our measuring limitations. These exercises foster cooperative learning in small groups and feature written analysis. Individual textbook reading is scheduled according to the attached syllabus. Associated classroom activities include demonstrations, multi-media presentations, examples, and group discussions.

Course content emphasizes the subject matter with related vocabulary but places it in historical context by crediting the discoverers. Interdisciplinary examples are utilized to encourage socially responsible applications. Aesthetic and philosophical implications are addressed. The course covers a broad spectrum of classical and modern physics including motion, energy, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, optics, atoms, fission/fusion, and relativity. All of these topics lend understanding to the physical processes surrounding us and the technological worlds that we create, along with our related social responsibility.

Assessment of student attainment of the above outcomes and goals will be made through the written laboratory reports, classroom participation, and individualized multiple-choice exams.