Physics 231: General Physics I

(4 Credits) 

Instructor:

Maria Womack

Office:

Wick 309 (320-308-4171)

Email

MariaWomack@gmail.com

Lecture:

9:30-10:45 in MS 124 Tues and Thurs

Laboratories:

Section 7: 9:00 to 10:50  (Wed) in MS 305

Section 8: 11:00 to 12:50  (Wed) in MS 305

Office Hours:

Mon 10-10:15, Tues 11-11:50, Thurs 11-11:50, 2-2:50 and by appt.

website:

http://web.stcloudstate.edu/Mwomack/classes/phys231/

Physics 231 is the first in a two-semester sequence of algebra-based physics intended primarily for students majoring in fields other than physics. Students will be introduced to scientific methods of problem solving and critical thinking through study of vector algebra, kinematics and dynamics, force, circular motion, momentum and energy conservation, mechanical and thermal properties of matter, heat and thermodynamics.  

Prerequisite:

Math 072 or High School Algebra


Notes for  Thurs Dec 1 - Review before class

 

Materials Required:

  1. The Textbook: Physics, sixth edition, volume 1, by Cutnell and Johnson
  2. A basic calculator with square roots and scientific (exponential) notation.
  3. Access to the Internet, since all assignments are posted online.

 

Homework:

There are 12 homework assignments due to be turned in throughout the semester. Only one question (chosen at random) will be graded from each assignment.   Assignments will require written answers and diagrams. I will post homework questions assigned online and in class on Thursdays and it will usually due on Thursdays at the beginning of class. Your homework grade will be based on the best ten assignment grades.

 

Laboratory:

Laboratory write-ups are due at the end of the lab period. No write-up will be accepted for a laboratory that you did not attend. Laboratories cannot be made up.  Your lowest lab grade will be dropped from the lab average. You are required to pass the lab component to the class in order to receive credit for the entire course.  Labs will be done in pairs, but each partner must turn in her or his own copy of the work.

 

Exams:

Study Guides for all exams will be posted online at least one week in advance. Exams will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions and some questions similar to the homework, in which you fully work out a physics problem. The exam must be turned in by the end of the lab period. Anyone who misses one of the exams with an excused absence will take an oral makeup exam at my convenience. All Exams are closed book.  All equations necessary for the exam will be provided for you on an equation sheet. The final examination will be 40% Ch. 12-15, 60% comprehensive.

 

Grades:

Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the exams, homework problems and laboratory work. The weight of each component in determining the final grade is Homework: 10%, Labs: 20%, 3 exams: 45%, Final Exam: 25%. Your letter grade will be determined based on the percentage of the total points you have been awarded.  Grades will be determined using this guideline: A = 88-100%, A-=85-87%, B+=82-84%, B=78-81%, B-=75-77%, C+=72-74%, C=65-71%, D=50-64%, F=below 50%.

 

Provisional Class Schedule and Topics Outline

(each week consists of 2 Classes and 1 Lab Period unless noted)

Week #

Week

of...

Tuesday

wednesday

(LAB/EXAM)

thursday

1

Sep 5

 
 Lab 1: Intro to Excel/Basic Statistics

Ch. 1.1-1.9, units, Trig, vectors

2

Sep 12

Ch. 2.1-2.5, displacement, velocity, acceleration

Lab 2: Vector Addition of Forces

Ch. 2.6-2.8,Ch. 3.1-2, equations of kinematics in 1 and 2 dimensions, free fall

3

Sep 19

Ch. 3.3-3.5, Ch. 4.1-4.2, Projectile motion, Force, mass.

Lab 3: Free Fall

Ch. 4.3-4.5 Newton’s 2nd and 3rd laws

4

Sep 26

Ch. 4.7-4.9 Gravitational force, Normal force

Lab 4: Projectile Motion

Ch. 4.10-4.13, tension, equilibrium and nonequilibrium cases

5

Oct 3

Ch. 5.1-5.2, uniform circular motion, centripetal accel.

Exam 1

Ch. 1-4

Ch. 5.3-5.4, Ch. 6.1-6.2, centripetal force, banked curves, kinetic energy

6

Oct 10

Ch. 6.3-6.7, potential energy, conservation of energy

Lab 5: Newton’s 2nd Law: airtracks

Ch. 6.10, Ch. 7.1-7.2, impulse, conservation of linear momentum

7

Oct 17

Ch. 7.3-7.5, collisions in one and two dimension

Lab 6: Uniform circular motion

Ch. 7.6, Ch. 8.1-8.2 Angular displacement, velocity and acceleration

8

Oct 24

Ch. 8.3-8.5, Equations of Rotational Kinematics

Exam 2

Ch. 5-7

Ch. 8.6-8.8, Ch. 9.1-9.2 Rolling motion, vector nature of angular variables, torques

9

Oct 31

Ch. 9.3-9.5 Moment of inertia, rotational work and energy

 Lab 7: Ballistic Pendulum

Ch. 9.6-9.7

Angular momentum

10

Nov 7

Ch. 10.1, 10.7-10.8, simple harmonic motion, elastic deformation

Lab 8: Conservation of Energy

Ch. 11.1-11.5, density, pressure, Pascal’s principle

11

Nov 14

Ch. 11.6-11.10, Archimedes’ principle, eqn of continuity, Bernoulli

Lab 9: Moment of Inertia

Ch. 12.1-12.5 Temperature, thermal expansion

12

Nov 21

Ch. 12.6-12.8, Ch. 13.1-13.2, heat, internal energy, heat capacity

Exam 3

Ch. 8-11

No classes, Thanksgiving

13

Nov 28

Ch. 13.3-13.5, Ch. 14.1-14.2, Heat transfer, Avogadro’s No., Ideal Gas Law

Lab 10: Absolute Zero

Ch. 14.3, 14.5, 15.1-15.3 Kinetic theory of gases, 1st Law of thermodynamics

14

Dec 5

Ch. 15.4-15.8, 2nd Law of thermodynamics, heat engines

Lab 11: tbd

Ch. 15.9-15.10 Carnot engines, heat pumps

15

Dec 12

Ch. 15.11-15.13 Entropy, 3rd Law of thermodynamics

 

 


 

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