PDF version of this syllabus
line_col_animated_color.gif

   seal

College Physics A     Fall 2008 
(PHY 2053C) Department of Physics, Florida State University
line_col_animated_color.gif
                                                             
rgyr
Course Leader/Lecturer:       Dr. David M. Lind      Office: 405 Keen    Phone: 644-1576         lind@martech.fsu.edu
Recit. Instructor,CAPA czar: Dr. Per Arne Rikvold   Office: 412 Keen    Phone: 644-6814/6011   rikvold@scs.fsu.edu
Recit. Instructor, Lab czar:    Dr. Peng Xiong             Office: 409 Keen    Phone: 644-5849            xiong@martech.fsu.edu
Recitation Instructor,                 Dr. Aferdita Ishmaku   Office: 318 Keen    Phone: 644-6476              dita@martech.fsu.edu
Recitation Instructor,             Dr. Younjung Jo            Office: 318 Keen    Phone: 644-6476           jo@mail.magnet.fsu.edu
                      Click on the email address to send email, or click on name to go to faculty member's website.
line_col_animated_color.gif

Syllabus:                             
Welcome:
       We're happy to have you with us this semester. Our goal is to give you the opportunity to gain an understanding of the basic concepts of physics. We (your instructors) are ''Physics True Believers'' -- we believe that every science is built around physics, and that a deep understanding of physics makes you a better scientist, clinician, or teacher. We are hoping to share some of our enthusiasm with you this semester!
Textbook:
This course uses the Textbook:  Douglas C. Giancoli, "Physics", 6th edition, Prentice-Hall
       ISBN 0-13-060620-0 (hardcover, both semesters)
       or ISBN 0-13-035256-X (paperback, covers this term only)

Class Meetings:
Each student is registered for four class meetings.

  • Two large lectures: Monday, and Wednesday,  in 101 Richards Building (UPL) from 10:10am to 11:00pm, or from 12:20pm to 1:10pm
  • One recitation session: Friday for 50minutes, starting at one of the following times: 8:00am, 9:05am, 10:10am, 11:15am or 12:20 pm, depending on the section you have registered for.
  • One laboratory session: one day per week for 3hours, can be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, depending on laboratory section that you are registered for, all in 107, 109, 110, or 112 Richards Building (UPL). 
giancoli6cover_mid.jpg
    Notice that the registration process for this class requires that every student must be registered seperately
    both for a recitation section
and a lab section
to be properly registered for in this course.

      The Monday and Wednesday lectures will primarily be used to present new course concepts, along with experimental demonstrations, and discussion of problem solving tools and examples.  Lecture highlights will be posted on the course web page. These highlights will indicate the exact topic areas covered during lecture and which textbook sections they were drawn from.  However, these highlights do not contain all the information and explanations which will be presented during the lectures. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to attend the lectures, since it is a demonstrated fact that there is a strong correlation between lecture attendance and student performance. To underline this statement, you can earn bonus points by attending these and the Friday lectures.

      The Friday lecture class will be a ''recitation style'' session, during which the focus will be on working through assigned problems (either from the lonCAPA homework sets or from the recommended textbook problems), and focusing on problem solving skills. You will be expected to participate in class discussions, solving problems on the board and turning in solved problems in these recitiation classes -- and 3% of your overall grade will come from your class participation and the problem solutions that you hand in there.  These sessions will also be particularly valuable, since the exams will consist of problems very similar to those that will be discussed in the Friday recitation sessions.

Recitation Sessions:                                                                                          
 Section
    Day  
    Time              
    Room  
 instructor 
               
Section
    Day   
    Time                
   Room   
instructor 
1
Friday 8:00-8:50am 105UPL Dr. Y.Jo
7
Friday 11:15am-12:05pm 114UPL Dr. P.Xiong
2
Friday 9:05-9:55am 105UPL Dr. Y.Jo
8
Friday 12:20am-1:10pm 109UPL Dr. P.Rikvold
3
Friday 10:10-11:00am 105UPL Dr. Y.Jo
9
Friday 12:20-1:10pm 110UPL Dr. A.Ishmaku
4
Friday 11:15am-12:05pm 105UPL Dr. P.Rikvold
10
Friday  8:00-8:50pm 114UPL Dr. P.Rikvold
5
Friday 9:05-9:55am 114UPL Dr. P.Xiong
11
Friday
10:10-11:00am 110UPL
Dr. A.Ishmaku
6 Friday 10:10-11:00am 114UPL Dr. P.Xiong
12
Friday 11:15am-12:05pm 110UPL Dr. A.Ishmaku

Laboratory Experiments:
       The purpose of the laboratory sessions is to gain hands-on experience with laboratory apparatus, to develop skills in performing experiments, to learn methods for analyzing scientific data and to relate the physics concepts covered in lectures with real experimental situations. Each student must complete a lab report, following the format prescribed by the lab instructor, before leaving the lab session for each experiment.  Lab manuals can be downloaded from the course web site, at http://www.physics.fsu.edu/ courses/ Fall08/phy2053c/ labs/labs.htm  Laboratory classes will meet based on the schedule listed above:  If you have any problems with your lab section or related to missed labs, please contact the Lab Czar for this course, Prof. Peng Xiong.

line-anim
Laboratory Sections:                                                                                         
 Section
     Day    
    Time            
   Room 
Instructor  

Section
     Day      
    Time            
  Room 
Instructor  
1
Tuesday 12:30-3:30pm 107UPL **(AI)
              
9
Thursday 3:45-6:45pm 109UPL **(**)
2
Tuesday 1:30-4:30pm 109UPL **(AI)
10
Thursday 7:00-10:00pm 107UPL **(YJ)
3
Tuesday 3:45-6:45pm 107UPL **(AI)
11
Monday 1:30-4:30pm 112UPL **(PX)
4
Tuesday 4:45-7:45pm 109UPL **(YJ)
12
Wednesday 1:30-4:30pm 112UPL **(PR)
5
Tuesday 7:00-10:00pm 107UPL **(YJ)                              
13
Monday 3:45-6:45pm 110UPL **(PX)
6
Thursday 12:30-3:30pm 107UPL **(DL)
14
Wednesday 3:45-6:45pm 110UPL **(PR)
7
Thursday 12:30-3:30pm 109UPL **(DL)
15
Tuesday 7:00-10:00pm 110UPL **(PX)
8
Thursday
3:45-6:45pm
107UPL
**(DL)
16
Wednesday
7:00-10:00pm 110UPL **(PR)

Calculation of the Course Grades
:
      A student will have completed the course and will be eligible for a grade greater than ''F'' only if the student does the following: The final course grade will be calculated using the grades from the 7 bi-weekly mini-exams, the laboratory reports, the CAPA homework sets, and the final examination. Your final grade will be calculated according to the following weighting:
                CAPA/Homework sets       Laboratory Reports         Seven Mini-Exams         Final Examination
                      17% + 3% = 20%                       15%                              45%                              20%
Notice that the homework is split into two parts. 17% is earned through solving and turning in (on-line) homwork problems through the lonCAPA system, and 3% is earned by a combination of in-class participation in your recitation sections, and solving and turning in to your recitation instructors problems that you have been assigned from the end-of-chapter problems.
 
Bonus points:
       A system of bonus points will be implemented, which allows each student the opportunity to have two extra percentage points (2%) added to his/her final accumulated course grade. Two methods will be available to receive credit toward bonus points: (1) class participation through answering questions using the personal response system (PRS), or other other participation as determined by the instructor;  and (2) preparedness checks through handing in a written summary at the beginning of Monday lectures of the topics and chapters covered that week. Details of exactly how the bonus point system will work will be outlined during a lecture.  [Each student is responsible for bringing his or her own functioning, registered, PRS transmitter to class every day, and using it to answer the requested problems. You cannot earn those points without it.  Written summaries will only be accepted at the beginning of class on the first day that the lecture meets each week, and must be one full page, hand-written, for each chapter to be discussed that week.]

      Your final grade will be based on your total score in the four areas listed above (plus extra credit). The total course average will be converted into a letter grade, using the table shown  below.

     A   
     A-  
     B+  
     B   
     B-   
     C+  
     C    
     C-   
     D    
     F    
100--91.0
90.9--88.0
87.9--85.0
84.9--79.0
78.9-76.0
75.9--73.0
72.9--67.0
66.9--64.0
63.9--55.0
below 54.9

CAPA Homework Sets and Recommended Textbook Problems:
       Completing the weekly CAPA problem set and attempting and becoming competent in doing the recommended textbook questions and problems listed for each week in the syllabus are the best ways to prepare for the mini-exams and the final exam. The CAPA problem set will be available early Monday morning and must be completed and turned in online at http://loncapa.fsu.edu/ by the required deadline (usually the Tuesday night/Wednesday morning of the following week, at 1:00am) to recieve credit.  The recommended textbook questions and problems will not be turned in for grading, but they are a useful resource for completing the CAPA assignments and emphasizing the physics subjects we consider important. Solutions for these selected homework problems will be posted online (in Blackboard) before each equivalent CAPA set is due.
        In addition... you will be required to work out completely, showing your method of solution, one or two of the problems (either CAPA or end-of-chapter) and hand them in to your recitation instructor in class each Friday.  You may also be asked to work these problems out on the board in the recitation class, as part of class participation in the recitation sections.
       The examination problems will be based on the subjects covered in both the CAPA and the textbook problem sets.  Remember to try the ''Blank Paper Test'' in your examination preparation: try to solve the problems yourself first without looking at the solutions; if you need to use the solutions for help (which many times you might), go back and try the same problems again afterward without looking at the solution during your work to see if you have learned how to do them on your own. Memorizing a sequence of steps of a particular solution will not help you, since the goal of this course is to teach you the physics concepts and how to apply them in different situations, not simply to memorized poorly understood recipes for plugging in equations. The CAPA problems, the textbook questions and problems, and strategies for problem solving will be discussed during each Friday's recitation lecture.

Final Examination:
       The final exam is a university mandated Block-exam, will be held on Wednesday, December 10 at 10:00am-12:00noon, and because of the sizeof our class, the test will be given in a room which is not our usual lecture hall. You must come to class the last week of the term (or check the on-line lecture notes), to confirm the place for the final exam.  This exam is a university block exam and must be taken at the time listed, no exceptions.

Bi-weekly Mini-Exams:
       Preparing for the seven biweekly mini-exams has the most important impact on your final grade, since they account for 45 % of the available points (See table "Calculation of the Course grade'').  Below are a few rules and common questions about the exams: Resources for Students:
      We want you all to do well in this course. Several resources are available to help you toward this goal:  Course Information and CAPA on the World-Wide-Web:
     
The class web page is an extremely useful source of information for this course.  You can get most of the web content via the Physics Department homepage at http://www.physics.fsu.edu/ and clicking on the Undergrads icon, then clicking on Physics Courses web pages link, then choosing PHY2053c from the menu of courses.  This syllabus, a link to the CAPA web pages, the laboratory manual, and other information related to this course can be found there.  Links to some of the course materials (some announcements, PRS clicker registration, old exam and CAPA problem solutions, textbook problem solutions, and your course grades, etc.) can be found on the Web via the Blackboard homepage at http://campus.fsu.edu/. You need a garnet user account to access the Blackboard system.  It is a good idea to check the open class web page at least once a week.  In order to read many of the files on the web pages, you will need to have an Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download the software free of charge from the Adobe web site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
       In order to attempt CAPA assignments, you also must have access to the web. There are numerous computer labs on campus and in the libraries. The Physics Department also has a number of computers that may be used for CAPA (e.g. in every classroom in UPL, and in our tutorial room, 211UPL, on the seventh floor of the Keen building). If you have any difficulties locating a computer, please contact any one of your instructors. there is a CAPA web page at http://loncapa1.fsu.edu, which contains useful information, and the log-in site for that system. You need your acns.garnet user name and password to log on-to CAPA. If you have any problems with your CAPA-login, or related to how the CAPA system works, please contact the CAPA Czar for this course, Prof. Rikvold.

Some Sensible Advice:
     
We want everyone to have fun doing well in this course. Unfortunately some people find doing physics rather difficult. Below are a few tips which might help out:  Take them seriously!!
CAPA-underground:
      We know that out there is the Capa-underground website, and we do not like it. It may or may not give you the right formula for our CAPA-problems, but since it cuts corners in your learning process, it very often keeps students from understanding what the problems even mean, and thus does real harm. One could say that this website is a conspiracy of good students who want to look even better by keeping the not-so-good students from really understanding the material. You will not have the CAPA-underground website during the exams, so do yourself a favor and work the problems yourself or in small groups! Do not fall into this trap and think you can pass this course on a perfect CAPA-score alone (look at our grading table).

Immanuel Kant (1784): Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity.
David Lind and Ingo Wiedenhoevor (2008): Do not use the CAPA-Underground!!

ADA statement:
      Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should register with, and provide documentation to, the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and bring a letter from SDRC to Dr. Lind indicating your needed academic accommodations. Please do this during the first week of class.

A Note about the Master Table:
      The following table outlines the week-by-week flow of the course, including the chapter covered, the laboratory project for the week, the mini-exam schedule and material covered. You will also see listed two sets of homework problems: (a) the CAPA sets, which must be done because it is part of your final course grade; and (b) the recommended textbook problems and questions, which do not need to be handed in. We have chosen the textbook problems to further emphasize the physics principles which are important. We have posted solutions to these problems on the Blackboard web for this class. They provide a useful resource to enhance your understanding of each weekly chapter, to help with the CAPA assignment, and to act as exam preparation material.

jrqqerfb

Physics 2053C Lecture Schedule and Class Notes:Fall 2008

Physics 2053C Lecture Schedule and Class Notes: Fall 2008
Date Lectures Reading and Homework Mini-Exams & CAPA
Laboratory

M Aug 25
Introduction to Course;Ch1:Units,
Coordinates systems           (notes)
Questions: Ch 1: 4,9
Problems: Ch 1: 1,3,7,12,15,18,22,28,29

No Lab
This Week
W Aug 27
Ch 2: Motion in 1-dimension,
Questions: Ch 2: 1,7,9,11,13
Problems:Ch2:3,8,16,19,27,28,35,42,47,59

race car
F Aug 29
discuss CAPA Set #1 & HW problems (Ch 2)

M Sept 1
No Class: Labor Day Holiday
No Lab This Week
(Labor day week)
W Sept 3

CAPA Set #1 due
Questions: Ch 3: 2,4,9,14
Problems: Ch 3: 4,7,10,20,24,31,61,63,68
Mini-Exam 1  (Pretest, also covers
ch 1-2,
and capa set1)
flying cow
F Sept 5
discuss CAPA Set #2 & HW problems (Ch 3)

M Sept 8

Ch.3: Motion in 2-dimensions
Questions: Ch 4: 1,3,9,17,19,20 
Problems: Ch 4: 4,8,17,19,37,52,70,76,88

Math Review: Algebra,
Geometry&Trigonometry
W Sept 10
CAPA Set #2 due


earth globe
F Sept 12
 discuss CAPA Set #3 & HW problems (Ch 4)  
M Sept 15
Ch.4: Newton’s Laws: Force&
Motion                                  (notes)


Expt I  Vectors
W Sept 17
CAPA Set #3 due
Questions: Ch 5: 2,5,13,19,20
Problems: Ch 5: 2,7,10,13,18,38,46,48
  Mini-Exam 2 (covers chs. 3,4,
and capa sets 2,3)
crash
F Sept 19
discuss CAPA Set #4 & HW problems (Ch 5)

M Sept 22
Ch5: Circular Motion, Gravity
Questions:Ch 6: 3,5,10,11,16,22
Problems:Ch6:1,4,15,22,23,36,40,43,48,67

Expt II
Newton's Laws
W Sept 24
Ch.6: Work & Energy
(notes)
CAPA Set #4 due


waterfall
F Sept 26
discuss CAPA Set #5 & HW problems (Ch 6)  
M Sept 29
Ch.6,7: Conservation Laws&
Linear Momentum              (notes)
Questions,Ch 7: 1,3,6,9,12
Problems,Ch 7: 3,4,6,10,15,24,35,41,71

Expt III
Circular Motion
W Oct 1

CAPA Sets #5 due

    Mini-Exam 3  (covers chs. 5,6,
and capa sets 4,5)
  
tennis
F Oct 3
discuss CAPA Set #6
& HW problems (Ch 7)

M Oct 6
Ch.7: Linear Momentum     
   (notes)
Questions: Ch 8: 2,4,10,13,15,16,22
Problems: Ch 8: 4,6,7,17,20,26,53,55,63

Expt IV
Computer Analysis
W Oct 8
Ch.8: Rotational Motion         (notes)
CAPA Sets #6 due


depthcharge
F Oct 10 discuss CAPA Set #7 & HW problems (Ch 8)  
M Oct 13
Ch.8,9: Rotational Motion,
Questions: Ch 9: 2,5,8,14
Problems: Ch 9: 3,4,6,11,19,20,27,31,34

Expt V
Linear Momentum
W Oct 15
CAPA Set #7 due

Mini-Exam 4  (covers chs. 7,8
and capa sets 6,7)
spinning_diver2
F Oct 17 discuss CAPA Set #8 & HW problems (Ch 9)

M Oct 20 Questions: Ch 13: 3,5,6,15,18,19
Problems: Ch 13: 1,7,26,29,31,38,39,46

Expt VI
Rigid Bodies, Torques
W Oct 22
Ch.13: Temperature&Kinetic
Theory                                  (notes)
CAPA Set #8 due
 
bubblingwater
F Oct 24
discuss CAPA Set #9 & HW problems (Ch 13)  
M Oct 27
Ch.13,14: Gases, Heat &
Calorimetry                          (notes)
Questions,Ch 14: 1,3,5,7,9,18,27
Problems,Ch 14: 4,6,15,17,22,25,35,37,44

Expt VII
Idea Gas Law
W Oct 29

CAPA Set #9 due

    Mini-Exam 5  (covers chs. 9,13
and capa sets 8,9)
fire
F Oct 31
discuss CAPA Set #10 & HW problems (Ch 14)

M Nov 3
Ch.14: Heat & Calorimetry
Questions,Ch 15: 3,4,1,17,20,
Problems,Ch 15: 1,4,8,9,21,23,58

Expt VIII
Specific Heat
W Nov 5
Ch.15: Laws of Thermodynamics
(notes)
CAPA Set #10 due


flames
F Nov 7
discuss CAPA Set#11 & HW problems (Ch 15)  

M Nov 10
Ch.10: Fluids -- Statics           
Questions,Ch 10: 2,4,7,12,16,18,23         
Problems,Ch10:2,4,8,17,20,22,33,43,44,63
    

No Lab This Week
(veteran's day week)
W Nov 12
CAPA Set #11 due

Mini-Exam 6  (covers chs. 14,15
and capa sets 10,11)

waterfall
F Nov 14
discuss CAPA Set #12 & HW problems (Ch 10)

M Nov 17 Ch.10: Fluids -- Dynamics     
Questions,Ch 11: 1,4,5,7,10,14
Problems,Ch 11: 3,7,9,16,21,26,29,31,55,57

Expt IX
Harmonic Motion
W Nov 21
Ch.11: Vibrations&Waves      (notes)
CAPA Set #12 due


drop
F Nov 21
discuss CAPA Set #13 & HW problems (Ch 11,12)

M Nov 24
Chs.11,12: Waves,&Sound   
Questions,Ch 12: 2,5,17
Problems,Ch 12: 3,29,37,53

No Lab This Week
(thanksgiving week)
W Nov 26 Preview: Relativity          
       (notes)


einstein_e=mc2
 F Nov 28 No Class: Thanksgiving falltrees
M Dec 1
Review for Final Exam            (notes)
CAPA Set #13 due


Expt X
Waves & Resonances
W Dec 3



Mini-Exam 7  (covers chs. 10,11,12,
and capa set 12,13)

piano
F Dec 5
Review for Final Exam
Review "Essential CAPA"
 


stopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsign stopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsign stopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsignstopsign
       Final Exam: Wednesday, December 10 at 10:00pm-12:00pm (university block exam); -- not our regular classroom!!  (probably one of the large lecture halls in HCB, but you must come to class during last week of term to get final location).
bilasbily

equation sheet for Final Exam (for review purposes, a copy of this will be provided at the Final Exam)
2008-8-26 by DML