Physics I covers the basics of force, acceleration, and energy using calculus. A series of laboratory activities is used in support of the material.

Lecture: The lecture meets three times a week as with any other normal course. You need to be present at the classroom meeting place in order to benefit from the lecture portion of the class, upon which 80% of the grade is based.

Lab: In addition to meeting three times a week (for a total of three hours), this course also has a lab component. On the course schedule, it says the lab is taught via "per sys instr". There is no specified lab time because the lab is run differently. You are expected to work in the lab three hours a week but the exact three hours is left open to each student. The lab will be open for 18-21 hours each week and you choose the hours you would like to work (keeping in mind that some hours will be more crowded than others). When you go to lab, you let the lab workers know which lab you will be doing. You then work at your own pace, moving from one activity to the next when you are ready. The only requirement is that the instructor must okay your progress at various points within an activity in order for you to move forward.

Instructor: Robert A. Cohen
Meeting Place: 118 Gessner

Send e-mail to course instructor (Robert Cohen)

Lecture Notes

1. Chapter 5

Objectives

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 13
13. Chapter 15

Links

• Mastering Physics
• General help (tutoring, explanations, simulations, etc.) can be found at The Physics Classroom
• Videos by ESPN on various physical concepts.
• Measurement
  • Metric Style Guide (from NIST)
• Vectors
  • In the Vector Simulator you can create two vectors and the simulator will automatically calculate the components and draw the vector sum. Add up the components as a check.
  • Vector Math allows you to draw two vectors and add or subtract them. To see the addition or subtraction, you must arrange the vectors head-to-tail for addition and tail-to-tail or head-to-head for subtraction. Add or subtract the components as a check.
  • Practice determining Components of vectors using sines and cosines. In this simulation, you need to choose whether sine or cosine is appropriate based upon the angle that is given and the requested component. This is from the Vectors portion of the Physics Illuminations Project.
• Relative Motion
  • Throwing a ball off the back of a truck (video)
  • Boat on a river (simulation)
• Collisions
  • Applet by B. Surendranath
  • Billiards (W. Bauer)
  • 2-D collision
  • Elastic and inelastic collisions (Walter Fendt)
• Simulations
  • Explanation of lift on an airplane wing
  • Simulations
  • Simulations from Giambattista
  • Applets by B. Surendranath Reddy (e.g., see the Simple Harmonic Motion applet and Forced and Damped Oscillations applet).
  • Flash animations by Tony Wayne.
  • Java Applets by Walter Fendt.
• PADs has interactive graphs and exercises.
• Ball on Track (with graphing) from U of Pennsylvania.
• Interactive Conceptual Tutoring (Automated Physics Tutor)
• One resource of applications of physics to biology is given here.
• Syllabi of physics courses elsewhere
• How Stuff Works
• Interesting questions
• Powers of 10 video.
• Context-Rich Problems

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