PH 106 – GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS – Spring 2008

MEETINGS: see schedule, room 227 / 329 Gallalee Hall

CREDIT: 4 Hrs

INSTRUCTORS:

Dr. Rainer Schad

 

 

Office: 131 Bevill

Office:  Gallalee Hall

 

e-mail: 
rschad@bama.ua.edu
tel: 348-2404

=> HelpDesk

 

office hrs:

by appointment

 

 

TEXT: Serway and Jewett, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. II, …, 5th, 6th, or 7th Ed. [not much difference, except in price]

PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisites: MATH 126 or MATH 146; and PH 101 or PH 105 or PH 125.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is an introductory calculus-based course in classical physics, including electricity, magnetism, and optics for students in science and engineering with lectures and laboratory.

Course Topics: Electricity and Magnetism, simple electric circuits, optics.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, you should have a basic introductory understanding of classical electricity on both a qualitative and quantitative level. You should be able to solve basic problems using mathematics through differential and integral calculus. You should then have the necessary background so that you can take modern physics.

The anticipated General Outcomes are:

·       Students will be able to recognize and explain the scientific method, and evaluate scientific information.

·       Students will be able to collaborate and perform effectively in team activities.

 

The anticipated Course-Specific Learning Outcomes are:

·       To have developed a solid conceptual understanding of electrical and magnetic forces

·       Be able to use the laws of physics to formulate a solution to a problem

·       Students are expected to understand the concepts of electric fields and electric potential, and to apply them to relevant problems.

·       Electric Circuits:

·       Students are expected to be able to analyze electric circuits

·       Students are expected to understand the concepts of magnetic fields and to apply them to relevant problems.

·       Students are expected to have competence in the area of ray optics and optical image formation.

 

COURSE APPROACH:  The course will emphasize fundamental concepts and problem-solving techniques in physics using interactive instruction, computer-based techniques, and cooperative learning. There will be no separate lab and lecture sections as is the case in the traditional physics course. The course will be team-taught by a faculty member and a graduate teaching assistant. During classes on Monday and Wednesday (two hours each) there will be a mix of short lectures and group activities. The group activities will include short lab experiments using the computer for data acquisition and analysis and other short ‘exercises’. The exercises will consist of real-world problems and computer simulations. The one-hour Friday class will be a ‘recitation’ devoted to problem solving.

PROBLEMS: Problems from the textbook are assigned weekly. The problem solutions must be submitted on the web using a web-based program called WEBASSIGN  (http://webassign.net/). WEBASSIGN can be accessed using Netscape, Internet Explorer or … and requires a student password (mailed to you). First-Time-Users will need for initial sign-up an access code which come with a newly bought book or can be purchased on the WebAssign webpage.
WEBASSIGN gives immediate feedback on the correctness of each problem, and students can resubmit problems if they are incorrect, up to a maximum of five attempts. The numbers in the problem are different for each student, but are not changed each time a problem is resubmitted. The first Friday recitation session will be devoted to explaining how to use WEBASSIGN. It is important to understand how to work a problem and not just to submit a correct answer. Students must keep a notebook of how they work each problem and be prepared to turn this in for spot grading as requested. Although students may collaborate when working problems, each student should keep a record of problem solutions (not just answers) and should submit their own answers – based on the particular numbers in their problems.
There is an excellent website associated with the textbook that can be used by students for assistance with working problems (http://www.pse6.com/), including practice problems and detailed solutions to selected problems.

GRADING: See breakdown of total grade components and their respective weight listed below.
 

Labs & Exercises**

15%

In-class clicker questions

10%

Homework Problems

10%

Recitation = Quizzes *

10%

Exam I

15%

Exam II

20% 

Final Exam

20%

** The 2 lowest grades will be dropped.
* The lowest grade will be dropped.

ATTENDANCE AND MAKEUP POLICY:  No makeup of in-class work or exams will be given. If you have a legitimate reason for missing a major exam, then you must inform me as soon as possible. If the reason is acceptable, then the final exam will count proportionately more.  As described above, the lowest grades on labs, in-class exercises, and recitation work will be dropped.This will allow a limited number of missed classes regardless of the reason for missing.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY: All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.