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Physics I [Phys 161] Spring 2005
Assignment #1 Reading, Vocabulary & Objectives
A. Availability and Due Dates
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Assignment #1 is available Tuesday, January 11, 2005. The target date for its successful completion is Friday, January 21, 2005. In any event, all Mandatory Homework problems from Assignment #1 must be successfully completed and turned in by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 1, 2005. If this requirement is not met, the student will not be allowed to take Exam 1, to be given in class on Friday, February 4, 2005. |
B. Reading
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As preparation for completing the problems in Assignment #1, read Chapters 1 and 2 in Knight. |
C. Vocabulary
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As part of Assignment #1, the following vocabulary words must be understood and memorized: |
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Displacement, Position, Distance, Mole, Atomic Number, Mass Number, Atomic Mass Unit (amu), Translation, Translational Motion, Free Fall, Freely Falling Body, Coordinate System, Operational Definition, Average Speed, Instantaneous Speed, Average Velocity, Instantaneous Velocity, Average Acceleration, Instantaneous Acceleration, Mechanics, Kinematics, Scalar, Vector, Unit Vector, Magnitude, Resultant, Uniform Motion, Dimensional Analysis, Average Acceleration, Instantaneous Acceleration, and Dynamics. |
D. Objectives
After completing Assignment #1, the student should
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Know the definitions of those quantities listed in the vocabulary section above. |
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Have memorized the value of Avogadro's number (NA). |
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Have memorized the conversion factors allowing conversion between inches and centimeters, feet and miles, and kilometers and miles. The student should also know that 1 cubic centimeter is the same as 1 milliliter, and that 1 milliliter of water at standard temperature and pressure is defined to have mass 1 gram. |
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Understand the concept of a "mole" of items. From this understanding and knowledge of Avogadro's number, the student should be able to determine the mass of one Atomic Mass Unit (amu). |
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Have fluency with algebra, plane geometry, and trigonometry. |
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Be comfortable taking derivatives of functions containing simple powers. |
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Understand the concept of a vector, and be able to contrast it with a scalar. |
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Be able to construct and interpret geometric representations of vectors. The student should also be able to combine vectors by adding or subtracting them graphically. |
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Be familiar with the SI system of units, and know the SI units in which mass, length, time, position, displacement, velocity, speed, acceleration, density, volume, and area are measured. |
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Be able to use dimensional analysis in problem solving. |
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Know the prefix, symbol, and value of all metric prefixes from femto- to Tera- |
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Understand what is meant by significant figures, and be able to carry the correct number of significant figures when adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. |
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Understand what is meant by the phrase Classical Mechanics, and understand that it is but a convenient limiting case of a more correct, underlying theory. The student should be able to describe situations in which the description given by Classical Mechanics would not be in accord with experiment, and should have a quantitative idea of the size of the errors introduced by using Classical Mechanics to describe the macroscopic world. |
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Understand the atomic model of matter in detail. |
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Understand the quark model of matter in general. Specifically, the student should know which common particles are believed to be composed of quarks, and should understand some of the properties that quarks possess. |
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Be comfortable with linear kinematics in one dimension. It should be possible for the student to communicate this comfort both algebraically and graphically. |
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Be able to use the knowledge embodied in the objectives above to make intelligent order of magnitude estimates of quantities too difficult to calculate explicitly. |
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