PHYS P201 General Physics I Click to go to Calendar Click to go to Lab Schedule BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITIES (will be available later, keep checking here) The URL for this page is http://woodahl.physics.iupui.edu/PhysP201/ General Information - Spring Semester 2024 Optional reference textbooks for Woodahl PHYS-P201/202 (New and Used), click HERE Note: There is NO required textbook purchase. Course Description: This is the first semester of a two-semester introduction to physics intended for students preparing for careers in the sciences and health professions. Topics covered: Newton's mechanics, conservation laws, gravity, rotation, fluid motion, harmonic oscillators, kinetic theory of gases, and thermodynamics (5 credits). This course is not trivial -- possibly the most challenging you will encounter as an undergraduate. Typical memorization techniques (you might have used in other courses), will generally not be effective. Mastery is best achieved by working numerous problems (at a minimum, the assigned homework). Enrollment into this course requires you to have completed IU Indy (or IU Bloomington) MATH 15900 with at least a C. You must be sufficiently skilled in algebra and trigonometry. A background lacking in mathematics can be a significant reason for struggling in physics. MasteringPhysics Homeworks: We will be using
MasteringPhysics for homework, (there is also an
included electronic text). MasteringPhysics is accessible
in Canvas > Modules > MasteringPhysics.
There are no required
materials to be purchased at the Campus Bookstore for
this course. The MasteringPhysics (including the e-text)
are paid for through a course fee included with your
tuition. Lab Manual: You do not have to purchase an additional lab manual. Click on the "Lab Schedule" link at the top of this page, to access the labs.
Class Schedule:
Course Instructor: Woodahl, bwoodahl@iupui.edu Office Hours:
Monday 10 - 11 and Wednesday 1 - 2 in LD 021, Phone: 278-9244 If these are not convenient, contact me. Or
talk with me after class (but not BEFORE class). Other instructors are also available to see you in LD 021. Do
not use Canvas Messages to contact me (it may be a
week before I see it), use my direct email (checked daily) or phone
(leave message)
Recitation Instructor: Decca, rdecca@iupui.edu Laboratory Instructors: Kelley, kelleypa@iu.edu Gallagher, gpgallag@iu.edu Purcell, japurc@iu.edu Tutoring: For the latest
Physics Department free tutoring schedule, click here
(scroll to "Physics tutoring..."). Please try using
the physics tutors, they have significant experience
in solving the various homework problems.
Prerequisite: MATH 15900 (Algebra and Trigonometry). As noted above, students must have a working knowledge of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Course Goals for Phys P201:
Our goals are for you to learn the specific topics presented in the Calendar page (below).
That is, to understand these concepts as discussed in class/recitation and then also, use
these concepts to solve new and different problems.
There are also “big picture” goals in terms of abilities and attitudes. These are stated below,
in connection with the IUPUI Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success and the Indiana
State General Education Core. Indiana State General Education Core 1) Apply foundational knowledge and discipline‐specific concepts to address
issues or solve problems. IUPUI Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success 1) Problem Solver: 2) Innovator: 3) Communicator: Organization: Each week there is a 2 hour lecture, 2 hour lab, and 1.5 hour recitation. Derivations, physics content and concepts are presented in the lecture portion. Worked examples of problems are presented in the recitation. These problems are not the assigned MasteringPhysics problems. But the concepts in these problems will help you in understanding the MasterPhysics problems, as well as course content. Also, there will be graded activities during recitation (with no make-ups). Please do not miss any of the recitations. Important Note: Attendance during the on-campus labs is MANDATORY. Bring your calculator to all three: lecture, recitation, and lab. Finally, missed homework submittals (MasteringPhysics) will count as a zero (there are no extensions). Do not forget to submit homework in a timely manner.
Grading:
The components of the course are assigned the
following points:
There is a single grade for the course determined by your point total. To pass, per Department policy,
you must accumulate at least 250 exam points (50%). The 500 total exam points are not
always the simple sum of your exam scores (*).
Your net exam points are based upon the method of
derivatives which retains the "time information" of
a student's exam scores. The method of
derivatives awards a few additional points to
students that maintain a positive exam score
slope. In fact, a student can do relatively
poorly on the first exam, continue to improve on the
later exams and in the end obtain a score that
effectively adds up to 10 points (or more).
For a student that maintains roughly the same exam
scores throughout the semester, there is no
difference between the "simple sum" and the "method
of derivatives". For a student who has a
negative exam score slope, the simple sum is
employed.
In a nut-shell, the algorithm for the method of derivatives performs
the following: using the method of least
squares, a first-order (linear) equation is fitted
through the five exam scores (final exam is equal to
2 hourly exams), the fitted line is then evaluated
at the independent-variable of 3.3 (10% beyond the
median: Exam 3), that score (the dependent-variable
of the fit-line) is then multiplied by five and this
becomes the student's exam score total. As an
example, consider a student that scores a 50% on
Exam 1, 88% on Exam 2, 78% on Exam 3, and 171/200 on
the Final Exam. The conventional "simple sum"
exam score would be 387 points. But by the
method of derivatives, the net exam score is
397. Effectively, 10 points were added to the
student's point total because the student continued
to improve. Another more concrete example
involves a student that struggled on the
early exams: A few years ago I had a student score
the following: 19%, 44%, 97%, and 186/200 on the
final. The simple sum would have been 346
points, but by the method of derivatives, the
student obtained 376 exam points and ended up
earning a "B" in the course (128 on HMK and 187 on
Labs). The method of derivatives gives the student
who scores poorly on Exam 1, a chance to earn a
passing grade in the course. Lab-related questions or issues should be
addressed to your Lab Instructors.
Questions regarding MasteringPhysics homework
should first be addressed to the Physics
Tutors in the physics tutoring room (basement of
LD). If that proves unsuccessful or not helpful, then
please see either the
Recitation Instructor or Course Instructor.
Questions regarding your course standing, exam grades, lecture
material/concepts, etc. should be addressed to
the Course Instructor.
Questions regarding electroweak vacuum decay or blackhole
information paradox
should only be addressed to
the Course Instructor! 🙂
There are 8 unique labs. Some are off-campus and some are on-campus in LD 011.
Lab attendance is MANDATORY for the labs scheduled in LD 011!
One laboratory may be missed with
the accompanying loss of points (approx 25 out of 200). After that, for each
missed lab, the course grade will drop by
one letter! Lecture notes
will generally not be provided.
Attend lecture and recitation,
or ask a fellow classmate to provide you copies. NOTICE
(Read these instructions carefully!) Bonus points, earned after the
final exam, based upon discussions among instructor,
recitation instructors, and lab instructors, are
subjectively awarded to students who maintain good
rapport and strive to improve (all facets:
exams, homeworks, recitations, labs) throughout the duration of
the semester. Please don't slack off on homework or labs
near the end of the semester. The following letter grades are
guaranteed based on total points:
Poor performance in a course is not
considered grounds for a late withdrawal.
Info on University Policy Regarding
Sexual Harassment can be found
here. UPDATED: January 3, 2024 at 1:22 PM EST |
|