Physics 180A - Syllabus PDF

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PHYSICS 180 A: Fundamentals

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Physics

Spring 2020 — Schedule # 22857 Course Information

Instructor S. Leduc / E-mail:

[email protected]

/ Office Hours and Location: TBA

Lectures MWF 12:00–12:50 PM, SHW-012 / First Lecture: Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Required Course Materials • Five narrow red

ParScore TEST FORMs — SCANTRON FORM No. F-289-PAR-L ®

®

[one form for each of the 4 tests plus one for the Final Exam; available at the Bookstore] • No. 2 pencil(s) [to complete the

SCANTRON

®

forms]

SDSU Blackboard

https://blackboard.sdsu.edu Announcements, Lecture Examples Sheets, Topic Sheets, and other class materials will be posted to SDSU

‘

’

Blackboard ( Bb ) for this course. Be sure to check it frequently! You are responsible for all Bb Announcements. Before each lecture, you should print a copy of the current Lecture Examples Sheet and bring it to lecture.

Tests

Learning the course material will be assessed by 4 in-class tests (and a Final Exam; see below). The Test

Dates are currently scheduled as follows: Test 1:

Monday, February 3

Test 3:

Wednesday, March 25

Test 2:

Wednesday, February 26

Test 4:

Wednesday, April 22

The questions on the tests will be similar to Lecture Examples Sheet and other Handout problems, but may also include questions on material that we’ve covered but which are not identical in format to these problems. All questions are multiple-choice (therefore, no ‘partial credit’ can be given), and NO calculators, notes, books, cell phones or other electronic devices (including smartwatches) are permitted during tests. You must use a proper red

ParScore TEST FORM ®

and a No. 2 pencil (not a pen!) to take each Test. There are NO makeup

tests, and a missed test will be given a score of zero. However, you may miss a test with no effect on your course grade, since your lowest test score will automatically be dropped; see the section entitled Grading below. (Alternate arrangements may be made but only in the most compelling and verifiable circumstances, such as an official SDSU-authorized event/activity with documentation or a medical emergency with a verified doctor’s note which must be presented to me no later than three days after your return to class. According to the University Policy File, students should notify the instructors of affected courses of planned absences for religious observances by the end of the second week of classes.)

Academic Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations

for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Student Ability Success Center at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact the Student Ability Success Center as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student Ability Success Center. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Homework

You should consider every problem in the Lecture Example Sheets or other Handouts as a

Homework problem. Although homework is not handed in or graded, it is essential that you solve and study these problems on your own; this is the best way to learn (and to prepare for the tests!).

Final Exam

The Final Exam will be given on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 from 10:30 AM–12:30 PM in the

usual lecture room, SHW-012. Check your exam/travel schedule now to make sure you will not have a conflict. Like the tests, the Final Exam will be multiple-choice, and you must use a proper red

ParScore TEST FORM ®

and a No. 2 pencil to take the Final. The Final Exam is comprehensive/cumulative, covering the entire course. The Final Exam cannot be dropped. page 1 of 2

Grading Grading Option 1: (Average of 3 best test scores) counts for 75%, Final Exam counts for 25% Grading Option 2: (Average of 3 best test scores) counts for 60%, Final Exam counts for 40% Both grading options will be automatically computed for each student. Whichever option gives the higher value will be the one used. Letter grades are then assigned based on the following ranges (note: for CR/NC students, a ‘grade’ of C or higher is required for CR):

≥ 85: A 50–54: C–

80–84: A–

75–79: B+

70–74: B

45–49: D+

40–44: D

35–39: D–

65–69: B–

60–64: C+

55–59: C

≤ 34: F

For example, if your four test scores are 72, 48, 66, 78, and your final exam score is 52, then Option 1 would give

1 3 (72

+ 66 + 78)

× 0.75 + (52 × 0.25) = 67, while Option 2 would give

1 3 (72

+ 66 + 78)

× 0.60 + (52 × 0.40)

= 64. Since Option 1 gives the higher value, it would be the one used, and the assigned grade (corresponding to 67) would be a B–.

Notes

Cell phones are NOT to be used in the classroom during lecture (or tests). The instructor reserves the right to make modifications to this syllabus. Changes will be announced in lecture and/or on Blackboard.

Add-Drop Deadline Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Course Content

Mechanics, wave motion, sound, fluids

Student Learning Objectives • To learn the fundamentals of vectors, quantities with magnitude and direction (and as distinguished from scalars, which are quantities without direction), and operations with vectors, such as addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication, resolving a vector into perpendicular components, and finding the magnitude of a vector (using the Pythagorean theorem if necessary) • To learn to use mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, and basic trigonometry) to analyze and manipulate physics/ mathematics formulas and to solve physics problems • To learn how to use proportions and inverse proportions to determine how changes in one quantity may affect the value of another quantity • To learn about the units in which physical quantities are expressed • To learn the kinematics concepts of displacement, velocity, and acceleration, and to apply the formulas connecting these quantities to the solution of kinematics problems, including two-dimensional projectile-motion problems • To learn the concept of force and how it is described by Newton’s Laws • To learn how to draw force diagrams and apply Newton’s Laws (particularly the Second Law) to problems that involve forces including gravity, tension, normal force, and/or static and kinetic friction, including problems involving inclined planes and pulleys • To learn circular motion and the concepts of centripetal acceleration and centripetal force • To learn Newton’s Law of Gravitation and how it can be used to analyze circular orbits of planets and satellites • To learn the concepts of work, power, kinetic energy, and gravitational potential energy, and learn how to apply the work–energy theorem and Conservation of Mechanical Energy • To learn the concepts of linear momentum and impulse, and apply Conservation of Linear Momentum to solve problems involving collisions, and the impulse–momentum theorem to analyze problems involving impulsive forces • To learn the concept of torque and to study rotational motion • To learn Hooke’s law for springs and the concept of simple harmonic motion (SHM) and the characteristics of frequency and period; also, to learn about elastic potential energy and how Conservation of Mechanical Energy may be applied to SHM • To learn about transverse wave motion and wave properties such as wave speed, frequency, and period; to learn about wave interference and to analyze standing waves, including features such as nodes and antinodes • To learn about (longitudinal) sound waves, and to describe sound waves in terms of intensity and sound level in decibels; to learn about the Doppler Effect and how to apply the Doppler Effect formula to various motions involving the source and detector of sound waves • To learn about fluid statics, including the concepts of density, specific gravity, buoyancy, and pressure page 2 of 2...