Teacher: Dr. Richard Grant, Trexler 266, Phone#: 375-2430, Email

PHYSICS 201A

General Physics I

SPRING 2007

Teacher: Dr. Richard Grant, Trexler 266, Phone#: 375-2430, Email:

Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 10:00 – 11:50 a.m.

Thursday: 1:10 – 2:40 p.m.

Class Hours: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday & Friday, Trexler 362.

Text: Serway and Jewett; Principals of Physics, 4th ed., 2005 (Brooks Cole/Thomson)

Grading: Quizzes 10%, Homework 20%, Lab 15%, Tests 25%, Final Exam 30%.

Overview/Philosophy: This course is a calculus-based, rigorous introduction to motion, energy, momentum, rotational motion, relativity, gravity, and the hydrogen atom. Furthermore, there will be many applications to physical, real world problems. Although sometimes difficult, it is very important to THINK NOT MEMORIZE. If you approach this course from a memorization-regurgitation point of view, you will FAIL! You need to look at a physics problem, any physics problem, whether you’re familiar with the material or not, and through intelligent, logical reasoning, formulate a clear and concise path to follow to a solution (right or wrong!). Another goal for this class is to begin to understand THE BIG PICTURE. All areas of physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, quantum theory, etc.) should eventually be integrated into a working knowledge of the world around us. Once this happens, learning a new area of physics becomes a simple application of the foundation you’ve developed. It doesn’t seem like new material at all! To that end, it is very important to keep up with the material, to do the homework, and attend and participate in every class. To check your progress there will be homework assignments, quizzes, and three 1-hour tests. The final exam is comprehensive. The following schedule will remind you of the topics being covered, the text chapters for which you are responsible, and the timing of the tests and final exam.

Quizzes: Most classes will begin with a brief (5-minute) quiz on the daily reading assignment and/or a simple application of the concepts covered by the reading.

Homework: Weekly problem sets will be a mixture of end-of-chapter questions from your textbook and other sources. Most of these problems will require significant effort to solve and a rigorous application of the concepts covered. Don’t leave these until the night before they’re due.

MCSP Colloquium Series: The MCSP department offers a series of discussions that appeal to a broad range of interests related to these fields of study.These co-curricular sessions will engage the community to think about ongoing research, novel applications, and other issues that face our discipline. Members of this class are invited to be involved with all of these meetings; however participation in at least two of these sessions is mandatory. Within one week of attending a colloquium you must submit a one-page paper reflecting on the discussion. This should not simply be a regurgitation of the content, but rather a personal contemplation of the experience. These papers will be collected, read by me, and graded as a quiz.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class. Attendance is checked at each meeting. If a student is going to be absent from class, the instructor must be notified. If 3 classes are missed without prior notification, then I will assume you are not interested in completing the course and you will be dropped from the class (DF). Students are accountable for all work missed because of an absence.

Grading Scale: A : >93

A- : 90-92.9 C- : 70-72.9

B+ : 87-89.9 D+ : 67-69.9

B : 83-86.9 D : 63-66.9

B- : 80-82.9 D- : 60-62.9

C+ : 77-79.9 F : <60

C : 73-76.9

Make-up Tests: Make-up tests will not be given. If you miss a test, and have an official college excuse for that absence, then your final exam grade will count for the missed test.

Academic Integrity: The College academic integrity policies are vigorously enforced.