Syllabus for Phys 124, Particles and Waves Fall 2013

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Syllabus for Phys 124, Particles and Waves Fall 2013"

Paul Bradford
5 years ago
Views:

1 Syllabus for Phys 124, Particles and Waves Fall 2013 Instructor: Craig Heinke Phone: (780) Office: CCIS Office hours: M am, Th 10:30-11:30 am. I will also be happy to meet you at other times; me to arrange an appointment, or talk to me briefly after class. Additional support exists, see below. Course room and time: CCIS 1-430, MWF 10:00-10:50 AM. Course webpage: eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/portal (eclass). Please check the eclass webpage regularly for important announcements. Undergraduate lab (UGL) webpage: Course Description: This course is an algebra-based introduction to physics, covering the motion of matter and of waves. We will study how to mathematically model the universe, discussing topics like Newton s laws, energy, momentum, gravity, waves, and a taste of quantum physics. Prerequisites: Physics 20 and Pure Mathematics 30 or Mathematics Physics 30 is strongly recommended. Note: Credit may be obtained only for one of PHYS 124, 144, EN PH 131 or SCI 100. If one wishes to proceed to PHYS 146 after taking PHYS 124, one should achieve a minimum grade of B- in PHYS 124. Required Textbooks: Physics, Custom 2nd Edition, by James S. Walker (in bookstore). Either the Custom 2nd Edition (sold in the bookstore), the (First) Custom Edition, or the Fourth Edition (from which the Custom Editions are taken) will be fine. Mastering Physics, which is packaged with Physics for new textbooks. Students not wishing to purchase the textbook will need to obtain a stand-alone registration code, available in the bookstore or online. An iclicker, available in bookstore. Lab manual, available for downloading from the UGL website or the class website. Structure of Course: This is not a straightforward lecture course. Physics involves more than just memorization, so I will ask you to participate actively in your learning throughout the course. Before each class, I will ask you to read relevant chapters from the text, and to complete a reading quiz on the material weekly. During class, I will explain (and 1 of 9

2 demonstrate) various topics, and will ask you to answer questions using your iclicker, and to discuss questions with your neighbours. You are responsible for reading the assigned chapters, which include material that will not be covered in class but may be on exams. Marking Scheme: Homework (see schedule at bottom): 7% Clicker participation: 3% Final Exam (expected Dec. 11, 9am): 45% Midterm 1 (on Oct. 7): 15% Midterm 2 (on Nov. 4): 15% Labs & tutorials 15%* Minimum of 50% in lab is required to pass the course. Lab/tutorial material will be included in written class exams. Final exam schedules are set by the Registrar. Grades are calculated from the scores of each component, averaged using the weights specified in this course syllabus. This overall mark is then used to assign course grades. Grade boundaries will be decided based on a combination of historical student performances and the instructor s expectations and judgment. Where possible, natural grade boundaries will be used. The absolute percentage scores to secure a particular grade will vary from year to year because it is not possible to write exams with consistently identical difficulty levels. The course average will be 2.62, or B-; this is required by the department. Homework will be done through Mastering Physics, at Late homework will not be accepted; the due date is 11:59 pm of the due date indicated on the schedule. I expect students who add the class during the drop/add period to have been attending class and doing homework, so joining the class late is not an excuse for missing homework. The lowest homework grade will be dropped from your mark. This policy is designed to cover the majority of problems that lead students to ask for an excusal from a homework assignment. Note that homework will include reading questions about material not yet covered in class. On-line homework is a component of this course and is provided by a third-party company. Please be aware that this company will be storing assessment information that may be associated with you. If you have any concerns about this, please contact me. Clicker Participation counts as part of your grade, and is a key component of your learning. To register your iclicker, go to iclicker.com, or send me the ID of your remote and your student ID number and name (this must be done by the last day of classes to earn credit). Up to six unexcused missed classes will be forgiven. 2 of 9

3 Laboratory work, via weekly labs, is required to pass this course. The schedule will be posted at ; labs start on Monday Sept. 16. Missed labs have to be made up during the term. Under extenuating circumstances (medical, family crisis, etc.), a student may be offered an excused absence from the labs. A maximum of two excused absences are allowed. The student must fill out an excused absence form (available in UGL shop room L2-069) and hand it to the TA. if the form is not filled out promptly (within a week of the missed lab), a grade of 0 will be assigned to the missed lab. Midterms will be held on Oct. 7 and Nov. 4 in class. The Final Exam date and location is set by the Registrar; I expect it to be on Dec. 11, at 9 am. It is your responsibility to be at the correct location at the right time for each exam. All exams cover all preceding material, though the second midterm will focus on material since the first midterm. (More exam details on pages 3 and 4 below.) Course Exam Policies Exams are closed book. Bring an approved calculator (see below), a pencil, a photo ID (e.g. OneCard), and one formula sheet. A suggested formula sheet will be provided to you one week before each exam, you may add to it or write your own sheet instead (both sides okay). Exams are multiple choice; multiple versions of the exam are likely to be circulating. You must give your name, student ID, and the exam version on your ScanTron to receive credit. If you must miss a midterm (e.g. due to illness), you may apply for a deferral of the midterm weight to the final exam, by making a Statutory Declaration (available from the Student Services office, CCIS). If you must miss the final, apply to your Faculty office within 48 hours of the missed final with a Statutory Declaration, to request to be allowed to take a deferred final exam. Deferred final exams will be Sat., Jan. 25, 9am noon, in CCIS L Deferral of exams is a privilege and not a right. Past exams (without answers) are available at the exam registry. If you are registered with SSDS, it is your responsibility to provide me with a Letter of Introduction, and to comply with SSDS deadlines and regulations, available at or the SSDS office. Academic Integrity: From the University Calendar: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts 3 of 9

4 and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offenses. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive at minimum a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. Any offense will be reported to the Senior Associate Dean of Science who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. How does academic integrity apply to the different components of this class? Collaboration on homework and labs can increase learning, so we encourage it. Graded work, however, should represent your understanding of the material, and should be written up separately. Details: Homework: You may work together to complete the homework, but must enter your own answers into the homework system. Reading quizzes: These should be done on your own. Clicker questions: I intend you to collaborate on these questions; discussion of these questions will be a key element of our class experience. To supply answers for credit, you must be in class with your own clicker. If I or any of my TAs catch someone with multiple clickers, we may take them all for that class and submit an academic dishonesty report for everyone involved. Lab: You will have a lab partner with whom you are expected to collaborate. Your answers on lab writeups should be your own, not a direct copy of your partner s. Midterms & Exams: You must work entirely by yourself with no access to course materials, besides the formula sheet that you may prepare as you like. You are expected to have photo ID available on request. A calculator may be used, provided it is not a programmable or graphing calculator. Bringing an illegal calculator to an exam may be considered an attempt to cheat. We suggest TI-30X IIS, TI-30X IIB, TI-30XS MultiView, HP 10S, HP 30S, CA- SIO FX-115MS Plus, CASIO FX-115ES Plus, Sharp EL-520V or EL-520VB as good choices. Using one of these, or any calculator with a Faculty of Engineering gold calculator sticker on it, will ensure no problems. Cellphones, ipods, laptops, or any other devices with remote communication capabilities are not permitted in exams, and their possession will be considered an attempt to cheat. 4 of 9

5 Help: Helpful resources, for this course or life in general. What/Who Helps With Contact Me Physics See top of syllabus Lab TAs Physics labs During your lab Tutorial Room Physics homework CCIS L2-181 (see their posted hours) Student Success Centre Learning, writing, etc SUB, SSDS Help with disabilities SUB, Peer Support Services Someone to talk to SUB, or call HELP Financial Aid Info Centre Financial help 1-80 SUB, Learning Objectives: Below is a list of everything I expect you to know how to do by the end of Phys 124; thus, these are the things I will test you on, perhaps in combination, in qualitative or quantitative problems. 1) Quantitatively test hypotheses using numerical data. 2) Convert between different units for measuring the same quantity. 3) Perform calculations using the correct number of significant digits from the information given in a problem. 4) Understand the relationships between position, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. 5) Compute velocity and/or acceleration, using appropriate equations for constant acceleration. 6) Understand and sketch graphs of position, velocity, or acceleration vs. time. 7) Apply the constant-acceleration equations to solve multi-phase problems, where the acceleration changes 1 or 2 times. 8) Add and subtract vectors, and multiply vectors by scalars. 9) Resolve vectors into their components along coordinate axes. 10) Use vector forms of the equations relating position, velocity, and acceleration. 11) Understand the motion of objects in uniform gravity (e.g. to compute the motion of projectiles). 12) Explain what a force is and how it affects the motion of objects. 13) Explain Newton s laws of motion. 14) Identify inertial reference frames in which Newton s laws can be applied. 15) Identify force-pairs and the objects on which they act. 16) Draw and label a diagram of all real, external forces acting on a body in an inertial reference frame. 17) Figure out the direction and magnitude of the net force on a body experiencing forces from different directions, and identify equilibrium states. 5 of 9

6 18) Solve for the motion of objects under multiple forces. 19) Relate the mass and weight of objects on Earth and elsewhere. 20) Determine normal forces acting on a body from surfaces with which it is in contact. 21) Analyze motion of bodies subject to friction. 22) Analyze systems of objects with linear restoring forces (e.g., springs). 23) Analyze the motion of a body moving in a circular path. 24) Understand work, and determine the work done by a constant force on an object during its motion. 25) Apply the work-energy theorem to the kinetic energy, and use this to determine changes in speed, or forces required to change speed in a given distance. 26) Contrast potential and kinetic energy. 27) Explain the meaning of a conservative force, and be able to distinguish conservative from non-conservative forces. 28) Analyze problems involving path-dependent non-conservative forces, and/or path-independent conservative forces. 29) Trace changes in energy through different forms under the law of conservation of energy. 30) Calculate work done by a conservative force, using the associated potential energy. 31) Relate impulse, linear momentum, and the average force acting on an object. 32) Use conservation of momentum and energy to calculate how particles behave during collisions. 33) Contrast elastic, inelastic, completely inelastic, and impossible collisions. 34) Understand the rotational kinematic variables θ, ω, and α and their relations to linear kinematic variables. 35) Apply equations of rotational kinematics to solve problems involving constant angular acceleration. 36) Decompose acceleration into tangential and radial/centripetal components. 37) Relate rotational kinetic energy and moment of inertia, and solve problems involving them. 38) Apply conservation of mechanical energy to solve problems involving bodies that roll without slipping. 39) Relate torque to the moment of inertia and angular acceleration, and compute problems relating them. 40) Solve problems in static equilibrium to compute forces, torques, or positions where forces are applied. 41) Solve problems involving pulleys to determine accelerations, tensions, or other forces. 42) Calculate the angular momentum of a particle with respect to an arbitrary point, or a rotating rigid body. 43) Understand how to use angular momentum conservation, and apply it to solve problems 6 of 9

7 involving multiple bodies. 44) Use Newton s Law of Gravity to determine the gravitational force (magnitude and direction) on a mass due to other masses. 45) Calculate the gravitational potential energy of a system, and use energy conservation to calculate escape velocities and unknown speeds or positions of objects (e.g. rockets). 46) Relate the position, velocity, and acceleration of an object in simple harmonic motion (SHM). 47) Sketch a graph of displacement, velocity and/or acceleration of a SHM system, and determine amplitude, period and frequency of motion from the graph. 48) Calculate kinetic and potential energies of an SHM system given a graph of a kinematical quantity, or derive properties of an SHM system given an energy diagram. 49) Calculate the properties of SHM for a physical system, such as a spring. 50) Understand the properties of traveling waves, and determine amplitude, wavelength and frequency from an appropriate graph or wavefunction. 51) Apply relations between wavelength, frequency, and velocity for any wave, and between speed, tension, and mass density for a traveling mechanical wave. 52) Understand the superposition principle for waves, and determine where interference maxima or minima will occur, or for what frequencies or wavelengths a particular point will feel constructive or destructive interference. 53) Understand the classification of the electromagnetic waves, and be able to compare properties of these waves in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. 54) Apply principles of interference and diffraction to waves through one or two slits to calculate the angles or positions where the intensity is zero or maximum, or to calculate the slit geometry or wavelength from a given pattern. 55) Describe and calculate patterns formed from a diffraction grating, and how they differ from one- or two-slit interference patterns. 56) Relate the various properties (energy, momentum, frequency, wavelength) of photons. 57) Understand the photoelectric effect, including the energetics of ejecting electrons from a metal (its work function), and the kinetic energy of the ejected electrons. 58) Calculate the change in wavelength of scattered X-rays, or the photon scattering angle, in Compton scattering given the other. 59) Apply conservation of momentum and/or conservation of energy to a Compton scattering problem to solve for kinematic quantities. 60) Describe the experimental evidence for light being a wave, and for light being a particle. 61) Calculate the de Broglie wavelength, or momentum, of a particle given the other, and apply this relation to related problems. 62) Calculate the mean and estimate the uncertainty of a measured quantity. 7 of 9

8 Class Date Topic Reading HW Lab 1 W, Sept. 4 Intro F, Sept. 6 Velocity, acceleration M, Sept. 9 Constant acceleration W, Sept. 11 Vectors F, Sept. 13 Projectile motion A 6 M, Sept. 16 Projectile motion W, Sept. 18 Newton s Laws F, Sept. 20 Weight, Normal Forces B 1 9 M, Sept. 23 Applying Newton W, Sept. 25 Circular Motion F, Sept. 27 Work 7.1 C 2 12 M, Sept. 30 Kinetic Energy W, Oct. 2 Potential Energy F, Oct. 4 Potential Energy D 3 15 M, Oct. 7 Midterm W, Oct. 9 Linear Momentum F, Oct. 11 Momentum, Impulse W, Oct. 16 Collisions E 19 F, Oct. 18 Rotational Kinematics M, Oct. 21 Rotational Kinematics W, Oct. 23 Rotational Kinematics F 5 22 F, Oct. 25 Torque M, Oct. 28 Torque 11.3, W, Oct. 30 Angular Momentum G 5 25 F, Nov. 1 Gravity M, Nov. 4 Midterm W, Nov. 6 Gravity F, Nov. 8 Oscillations W, Nov. 13 Springs H 30 F, Nov. 15 Waves M, Nov. 18 Sound, EM Waves a 14.4, W, Nov. 20 Interference I 7 33 F, Nov. 22 Interference M, Nov. 25 Diffraction 28.4, W, Nov. 27 Intro to Quantum 30.1 J 8 36 F, Nov. 29 Intro to Quantum M, Dec. 2 Intro to Quantum W, Dec. 4 To be determined K 8 of 9

9 Detailed schedule. Notes: a Section 25.3 will be available as a handout for those who have the First Custom Edition. This schedule may be altered; it will be updated on the eclass site with any changes noted there and in s to all registered students. Any typographical errors on this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced in class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus. 9 of 9

Physics 141 Course Information

Physics 141 Course Information General Physics I - Mechanics Spring 2008 Instructors: Office Hours: Textbook: Online Homework: Disclaimer: Nikos Varelas 2134 SES (312) 996-3415 varelas@uic.edu Charles