Physics 001: General Physics 1


Crn 81577, 82857, 81578, 80268
Howard University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Fall 2018 MWF 10:10am-11:00am

Home,Syllabus, Access Homework, Sample midterm ,Labs

Dr. Marcus Alfred
Thirkield Hall, room 202
202-806-6258
bisonphysics@yahoo.com
Office Hours: 9-10am, M,W,

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The topics we will cover include much of introductory kinematics, dynamics, and thermodynamics. The class will include lecture, discussion, and lab.

COURSE GOALS

Students should experience phenomena describing and/or motivating the laws of physics or physics models
Students will understand the motivation and quantification of the laws of physics
Students will master the construction of simple physics models from fundamental laws, standard techniques and standard methods
Students will understand physics as a science
Students will understand research process
Students will connect science class work to research on campus
Students will become aware of research opportunities
Students will connect the science & engineering work of African Americans to a broader African American cultural experience

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will define physics terms
Students will derive common physics expressions
Students will recognize common physics methods and techniques
Students will list example phenomena of physics concepts
Students will apply concepts to simple models
Students will construct simple theoretical models and potential experiments
Students will describe applications, phenomena, and models in terms of physics
Students will describe problems in terms of scientific method – obs, question, theory & model, experiment, pub)
Students will list African American HU researchers, topics, and potential internship choices
Students will attend several physics seminars
Students will participate in weekly peer questions
Students will attend weekly HU research lecture (10mins on Wednesdays)
Students will attend weekly ethics discussion in lecture

COURSE OUTLINE

The Nature of Science and Physics

Kinematics

2D Kinematics

Dynamics

Friction, Drag, and Elastic Forces

Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation

Work and Energy

Momentum

Statics and Torque

Temperature, Kinetic Theory, Gas Laws

Heat and Thermodynamics

Oscillations and Sound

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

Challenging questions
Short answer exercises
Conceptual peer to peer exercises
Guest Researcher seminars & mini-lectures
Demonstrations

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

Course prerequisite or corequisite: Basic Algebra

Attendance: Attendance is not mandatory but highly recommended. Many quiz and homework problems will be based on work and examples done in class.

Homework: Homework will be assigned each week on a Friday. It will be due the following Friday. Each assignment will be approximately 10 problems. Each homework assignment will be approximately 10 points. THERE IS NO LATE HOMEWORK!

Quizzes: There will be quizzes every Friday during the semester. Quizzes will be based on basic (plug in) and sample problems.

Exams: The midterm exam is worth 20% of your grade. The final exam is worth 30% of your grade. The midterm is on Friday, 10/12/18 in class. The final is on Wednesday, 12/5/18 from 2pm - 4pm in room 300. All exams are closed book and no electronic devices are allowed. Bring only a pen and pencil.

Grades: A student’s grades in the class are based on a composition of 20% quizzes, 20% homework, 20% labs, and 40% for the exams.

Labs: All labs are based on the lab syllabus for physics 001. Please see your lab instructor for details.

Cheating: Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Please refer to the Howard University Handbook (H - book) for university guidelines on cheating. No talking under any circumstances is permitted during an exam. If help is needed simply contact the instructor. In addition, only a pencil is required for all exams; notebooks, calculators, and scratch paper will not be needed.

Textbook: Your textbook for this class is available for free online! If you prefer, you can also get a print version at a very low cost.

Your book is available in web view and PDF for free. You can also choose to purchase on iBooks (it comes in two volumes) or get a print version via the campus bookstore or from OpenStax on Amazon.com.

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device. If you buy on Amazon, make sure you use the link on your book page on openstax.org so you get the official OpenStax print version. (Simple printouts sold by third parties on Amazon are not verifiable and not as high-quality.)

College Physics from OpenStax, Print ISBN 1938168003, Digital ISBN 1947172018, www.openstax.org/details/college-physics

General Policies: All lectures and recitations may be videotaped and NOT made available to the general public. Also, turn off your cell phones in recitation and labs. It is a distraction to your instructors and your fellow students.

Howard University is committed to providing an educational environment that is accessible to all students. In accordance with this commitment, students in need of accommodations due to a disability should contact the Office of the Dean for Special Student Services for verification and determination of reasonable accommodations as soon as possible after admission to the University, or at the beginning of each academic semester.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

WEEK 1: Welcome, Chap 1 & 2
WEEK 2: Chap 3
WEEK 3: Chap 4
WEEK 4: Chap 5
WEEK 5: Chap 6
WEEK 6: Chap 7
WEEK 7: Chap 8
WEEK 8: Chap 9
WEEK 9: Chap 10
WEEK 10: Chap 11 & 12
WEEK 11: Chap 13 & 14
WEEK 12: Chap 15
WEEK 13: Chap 16
WEEK 14: Chap 17