University of Colorado at Boulder
Department of Physics

Physics 2010 Syllabus

Summer 2005
Session A
Tuesday, May 31 - Friday, July 1

 

Lecture

 All sections

7:30 a.m. - 9:05 a.m.

MTWRF

Duane G-1B20

(Mik Sawicki)

Recitation

Section R110

9:15 a.m. - 10:25 a.m.

 M W F

Duane G-2B60

(Brandon Peden)

Labs: 

Section L111 

10:00 a.m. -    noon

   T  R

Duane G-2B83

(Brandon Peden)

 

Section L112 

12:30 p.m. -  2:30 p.m.

   T  R

Duane G-2B83

(William Barbarow)

 

Section L113 

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

   M W

Duane G-2B83

(Amelia Bloom)

Recitation

Section R120

9:15 a.m. - 10:25 a.m.

 M W F

Duane G-2B21

(William Barbarow)

Labs: 

Section L121 

10:00 a.m. -    noon

   T  R

Duane G-2B83

(Brandon Peden)

 

Section L122 

12:30 p.m. -  2:30 p.m.

   T  R

Duane G-2B83

(William Barbarow)

 

Section L123 

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

   M W

Duane G-2B83

(Amelia Bloom)

Note:  You must attend the lab and recitation to which you are assigned. Students in labs L111, L112,L113 should attend recitation R110; those in labs L121, L122, L123 should attend recitation R120.

Lecturer: Dr. Mik Sawicki, office Duane F1035.
Phone: (303) 492-6714, or (303) 492-6952 (Main Physics Office, leave the message.)
E-mail: sawicki@colorado.edu
Office hours: Check the course web page for updated office hours.

Instructors (Recitations and Labs, see chart above):
Brandon Peden, email: Brandon.Peden@colorado.edu
William Barbarow, email: William.Barbarow@colorado.edu
Amelia Bloom, email: Amelia.Bloom@colorado.edu

Help available daily during instructors' office hours held in the physics help room behind the lab G-2B90. See the main course page for schedule.

Texts: “Physics” by D. C. Giancoli, 6-th edition (chapters 1 - 15).
“Physics 2010 Laboratory Notes”, available in CU bookstore, or on the web at http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys2010

Free Web site:  An interactive, free Web site provides you with a wealth of interactive activities and problem-solving practice for each chapter of Giancoli’s text. http://www.prenhall.com/giancoli

Material covered: This is a first semester of a two-semester survey sequence of introductory, algebra-based physics courses, PHYS 2010, 2020, intended for pre-meds, biology majors, and other non-engineering students. (Engineering majors, physics majors, and other desiring a calculus-based survey of physics should take the PHYS 1110, 1120, 1140 sequence.) PHYS 2010 covers classical mechanics, fluids, waves, and heat. PHYS 2020 covers electricity and magnetism, optics, and topics in modern physics including special relativity, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics.

Prerequisites: It is not necessary to have previously completed a high school physics course, but you should have a good working knowledge of algebra, geometry and trig. What you will need is a desire to learn and firm commitment to work long and hard.

IMPORTANT ADVICE: This is a standard 14 week class, squeezed into 4½ weeks short Summer session. The pace will be extremely fast. Every day will be a challenge, and you'll find yourself working nights and weekends to stay current.  All this is doable, but please, think long and hard if you really want to take this class during the Summer.

Exams are in room G-2B90 as follows:

 

Exam 1

 

  Thursday

  June 9

  10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

 

Exam 2

 

  Thursday

  June 16

  10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

 

Exam 3

 

 Thursday

  June 23

  10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

 

Final Exam

 

 Friday

  July 1

    8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Grades - Final grades in the course will be calculated according to the following scale:
     3 Exams @ 14% each:       42%
     Final Exam                         21%
     Homework                         15%
     Quizzes                                7%
     5 labs @ 3% each              15%

There will be no early or late exams given, and no make-up exams or quizzes. An excused absence for reasons of health or personal tragedy requires written documentation from a physician, family member etc. A missed lab may be made up the same week by attending another section, if you have a written excuse. To pass the course, you must complete at least 4 labs.

Laboratories: There are 5 labs, one a week, each lasting 2 hours. You must attend the lab to which you are assigned. You will need a lab notebook, the kind with a square grid (quadrille-ruled) on every page. You are to complete the lab write-up during the two-hour lab section and hand in your completed lab at the end of the session. To avoid unnecessary stress and risk of failing the lab, you should carefully read and study the lab instructions and plan your activities before coming to the lab. There are some pre-lab questions for each lab, the answers to which you must hand in, on a separate sheet, at the beginning of the lab period. If you know you will miss a lab, you can hand these in earlier, but never later.

Recitations: In recitation, you will discuss physics, sticky points from the lecture, homework problems, and take a lot of quizzes. The policies for grading quizzes will be announced by your recitation instructor.

Homework: Homework assignments will be based on the Computer Assisted Personalized Approach (CAPA) system. Homework printouts will be distributed in class. Pick your personal printout and look up the 4-digit code you are assigned for that homework set. Using a Web browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer), connect to the CAPA Homepage. You will be required to enter your Social Security or Student ID Number, and your personal 4-digit code. Each homework set will be made of several questions, problems or exercises. Using CAPA, you have several penalty-free possible tries for each problem. The CAPA system automatically rejects late homework.

Exams:  Exams will be closed book. You are allowed to bring a single 8.5” x 11” formula sheet to the  exam. You can write anything you want on the formula sheet (on both sides), but must write it by hand - no Xeroxing or typing allowed.

Other information: You should bring a calculator to every recitation, lab and exam. You will need a pen and a lab notebook for every lab. There will be no sharing of calculators during exams and quizzes.

Change of registration: Monday, June 6 is the last day to add or drop a course and receive a tuition adjustment. After that, you must petition the Dean, get the professor’s signature, chairman's signature, etc. It can be done, but what a headache!

May 21, 2005.