Physics 1120 Syllabus, Fa'04. Profs. Steven Pollock and Mike
Dubson
Lectures: MWF 10 A.M (Section 100) or 12 A.M (sect. 200) in Duane G-1B20
Recitations: Tuesdays in Duane basement rooms; see your schedule!
Steve's office: Duane F-419 (in the physics tower, fourth floor)
Office hrs: MWF after lectures (behind stage), also M 2-3, W 2-3 in Help Room (G2B87) or by app't.
Phone (303) 492-2495
e-mail Steven.Pollock@colorado.edu
Mike's office: Duane F-1033 (in the physics tower, 10th floor)
Office hrs: To be announced. in Help Room (G2B87) or by app't. Administrative office hours: To be announced.
Phone (303) 492-4938
e-mail dubson@spot.colorado.edu
Web page www.colorado.edu/physics/phys1120 You're there...(check in often!)
Learning Goals:
Phys1120 is the 2nd semester of introductory physics. We emphasize conceptual
understanding and problem solving skills. We cover electricity, circuits,
magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light, and optics: the foundations of our
modern technological society. Our goals are for you to continue developing
knowledge and intuition about how the world works, to learn to approach,
solve, and understand physics problems on both qualitative and quantitative
levels, to relate classroom physics to the real world you live in, and to
develop a deeper appreciation of the scientific method.
Most of the material we will cover this semester involves discoveries no
more than 150 years old. (Of course, even the ancients knew some things
about magnetism and light). We are so comfortable with technologies like
television and computers, that it is easy to forget just how recent these
developments are: some of you may have relatives old enough to remember the
days before radio (the first licensed broadcast station opened in 1920). We
live radically more convenient and perhaps longer and more enjoyable lives
due to the revolution in electric-based technology. Modern health-care,
industrial, and home tools are almost entirely based upon the existence of
electrical power and electronic circuitry.
By the end of this course,
you should have a base of knowledge that will allow you to
better understand how many modern electronic instruments work.
(Click here for more details on our learning goals)
Pre/Corequisites:
Calc II (MATH 2300/APPM 1360) must be taken at least in parallel. You
should have a strong working knowledge of algebra, trig, Calc I, and
Phys1110. Phys 1140 lab is highly recommended (corequisite) Enthusiasm,
curiosity, and an open mind will also be helpful!
The required textbooks
" Fundamentals
of Physics (part III/IV)", Halliday, Resnick, and Walker. ("HRW", 6th ed). This is the standard college
physics text, with lots of verbal explanations and detailed worked out
examples. If you bought I/II last semester, you only need to get III/IV now
(cheaper than the full text) If you don't have parts I/II, it's
your decision - we won't assign reading or homework from it, but it's a
useful reference. (There will be some copies on reserve in the Duane
Math/Physics Library, one floor above the lecture hall)
"Tutorials in Introductory Physics", McDermott. This 2-volume set is required for use in our recitations. (You must bring the tutorial books every Tuesday, you'll be working out of them!)
"Clickers", All students in 1120 need to purchase an H-ITT clicker at the bookstore. These will be used in every lecture, and some clicker responses will count towards your grade.
READ ASSIGNED CHAPTERS BEFORE WE COVER THEM IN CLASS and go to lecture knowing what you understand and don't understand so that you can ask questions while we're still on the topic. The purpose of lecture is to clarify your understanding, to help you make sense of the material. If you don't read in advance, lectures will be much less useful to you. (Imagine going to a class on Shakespeare without doing the readings - the prof is not going to read the plays for you!) I will assume you have done the required readings in advance! We'll cover roughly one chapter/week, starting with Ch. 22.
LON-CAPA (an internet based homework system: Computer Assisted Physics Assignments ) You will receive a weekly printed personalized homework assignment. Each student's assignment is slightly different. You log onto LON-CAPA via the web to "hand in" your answers. Work out your solutions on paper before you log on. The advantage is that you will have instant feedback on how well you are doing and will have opportunities to change wrong answers without penalty. New homework assignments will appear online and in the Phys 1120 homework bins in the basement. Homework will be due Thurs nights (well, technically, Fri at 8 AM) (Late hw’s will not be accepted by CAPA.)
Collaboration: This
course encourages collaborative teamwork, a skill that is an essential feature
of science, and valued by most employers. Scientists and engineers work in groups as well as
alone. Social interactions are critical to their success! Most good ideas grow
out of discussions with colleagues. As you study together, help your partners
to get over confusions, ask each other questions, and critique your hw and
tutorial write-ups. Teach each other. You can learn a great deal
by teaching.
While collaboration is the rule in technical work,
evaluations of individuals also play an important role in science and
engineering. Exams will be done without any help from others. For all
assignments, of course, the work you turn in
must in the end be your own: in your own words,
reflecting your own understanding.
Recitations/tutorials: This is a chance to work in a smaller setting with fellow students and trained teaching/learning assistants. Tutorials are designed to enhance your understanding of key principles dealt with in the class. You will hand in "tutorial homeworks", and work through worksheets in small groups at your own pace. It's more important for you to understand the material than to "cover" all the questions. You must take responsibility for your own learning! If you find yourself ahead of your partners, try to explain some physics to them. Explainers learn even more than listeners. Attendance at tutorials is mandatory. Remember to bring your workbook to tutorial every week!
Pretests: There will be a required "pretest" (usually online) every week due before tutorial (it will go online after Friday lecture at noon, and turn off automatically Tuesday morning at 8 AM) You get full credit for trying, your answer is not graded.
Participation: From time to time we will announce short "online participation questions", which count towards your grade. However, full credit is given merely for honest participation - we won't grade your answer, so you can be honest with us! (Occasionally in lectures, your work may also count directly towards your grade. In most of these cases, participation is still all that counts.)
The help room: You can meet TA staff in Duane G2B87 (enter through G2B90). We will try to keep it staffed 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. This is a great place to meet with other 1120 students to work together on homework and studying, and get some personalized assistance.
Grading and exams: Your course grade is determined by a combination of your performance on exams, CAPA and tutorial homework, in-class and online participation. (See here for more details.)
Exam 1: 7:30PM, Tues. Sep 14, in Math 100 or Muen E050 - to be assigned later), 15%
Exam 2: 7:30PM, Tues. Oct 12 , 15%
Exam 3: 7:30PM, Tues. Nov 9 15%
Final Exam: 4:30-7 PM, Tues Dec 14, (place, and more details soon), 15%
Homework (CAPA + long answer writeups [to be explained in class], combined) , 15%
Tutorials: Participation is 7% (coming from pretests and attendance) Tutorial hw is 15%: combined total is 22%
Participation: Announced in class (sometimes in lecture, sometimes online) combined total, 3%
Clickers: Most clicker questions (except when used as participation, see the line above) are extra credit: they REDUCE total exam weight by up to a max of 6%. See the grade info page for details!
Exams: There are no makeups. You may not miss any exam except for reasons beyond your control, approved by Prof. Dubson, which usually means a confirmed medical problem. (Not knowing which room your exam is in is not beyond your control) In the (unusual) case of an (at most, single) excused absence, your other exams will be used to compute an exam average. To pass 1120, you must take (or be excused from) all exams and the final.
You may bring a single sheet of 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper to exams, with your own handwritten notes. Calculators with scientific notation are allowed and sometimes needed.
Disabilities: Students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities, please let us know early in the semester (first two weeks) so that your academic needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671)
Honor Code: I trust every individual in this class to understand and follow the CU honor code . Please respect that trust! It's a large class, and I realize there may be some temptations - I'll do my best to make the class valuable and worthy of your honorable behaviour!
Being
"good" at physics problem solving comes from practice. CAPA problems
usually involve two steps: a decision about which principles and concepts of
physics apply, and then a determination of the answer (which usually involves a
calculation.) Tutorial homework concentrate even more on the principles and
concepts, and your ability to explain what you are doing. We encourage you to
talk about physics with your friends. The thing to talk about is not which
number to put where (the calculation is the easy part), but the reasoning that
helps you decide what to do with the numbers.
Any information in this
syllabus is as accurate as is possible at the time of writing. Future
announcements about changes of any kind will be made in class, and (usually)
posted on the web, and will take precedence over the original syllabus. You are responsible for what is said in class,
whether or not you are in attendance.
Finally, Some non-partisan politics:
New link from the CU library system to register online is right here!
I firmly believe that we can take individual actions that will make the
world we live in a better place. One obvious thing YOU can do is
vote . Here is a link to some information if
you haven't registered . I know it's so easy to blow this off, and
yet almost equally simple to register and vote. If everyone in this
class registered to vote, you could in principle have a non-trivial
impact on local issues, and in some realistic scenarios, could even tip
larger scales. The number of young people voting has gone down
over time, but it's YOUR life and YOUR future that are impacted. Take a
stand! Convince your friends to participate! I would never consider
suggesting which way you should vote - but WOULD ask that you use the
powers of critical thinking, reasoned argument, inference by evidence,
and basic logic you learn in physics and apply them to issues of
political significance. (Which means, among other things, don't just
listen to your parents, or one TV channel) Dig a little, think about
what matters, make rational and ethically sound decisions. Argue and
discuss, groupwork helps everywhere in life, not just in physics
class. And then vote, it's empowering!