PHYS E201 - Spring 2012


Office hours on April 18

12pm - 2pm



Final exam on April 26
  • Please bring a soft pencil (No. 2 or softer), a good eraser, and a non-programmable calculator. (Programmable calculators are not permitted.)
  • Upon arrival, you will receive a manila envelope containing a problem sheet, an answer sheet, an equation sheet, and scratch paper.
  • The first question requires you to write and "bubble in" your name, student ID number, and the exam code. It carries 5 points. Make sure to get those.
This is the first semester of General Physics, an introductory course on topics such as motion, forces, energy, and fluids. The prerequisites are MATH 115 or MATH 122. No physics background is required.

Instructor:
Matthias Schindler
PSC 403
(803) 777-6089
schindler@sc.edu

Class meeting times and location:
TTh 7:00pm – 8:15pm, PSC 006

Office hours:
Wednesday 1:00pm – 3:00pm and by appointment

Textbook:
"Contemporary College Physics" by Jones/Childers, Special Edition for USC (third edition)

Learning objectives:
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to identify the appropriate concepts to analyze situations involving physics.
  • Students will demonstrate the use of physical laws to solve quantitative problems.
  • Specific concepts that students will be expected to demonstrate facility with include but are not limited to: kinematics, force, energy, momentum conservation laws.
  • Students will apply these concepts to a wide range of phenomena that may include topics from: motion of objects in one and more dimensions, friction, collision, gravitation, fluids.
Final exam:
Thursday, April 26 7:45pm

Tests:
In addition to the final exam, there will be three one-hour tests:

Test 1:
 Thursday, Feb 2
Test 2:
 Thursday, Mar 1
Test 3:
 Thursday, Apr 5

Homework:
We will use the "LearningOnline Network with Computer Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA)" system to distribute and grade homework. Homework will be assigned approximately once a week and will be posted online at http://loncapa2.physics.sc.edu. Homework will be due on the date and time specified. You will receive instant feedback whether the answer you provided is correct and will in general have 10 attempts for each problem.

Getting started early on the homework problems will allow you to identify topics you might be having trouble with and to get assistance to master them. The test problems will be similar to the homework problems, so mastering the homework is a key to success in the course.

Note that sometimes the network can be slow. Deadlines will not be changed, so plan ahead. For more information see the links below.

The additional hour that appears on your schedule is a LON-CAPA tutoring session. The session meets in PSC 208. Attendance is not mandotory, but recommended. A professor is present during the assigned time to help you understand the physics behind your homework and to assist you with specific problem solving techniques.

Grading:

Hour tests: 54% total, homework 18%, final exam 28%

Grading scale:

A
 91–100%
B+
 81–90%
B
 71–80%
C+
 66–70%
C
 56–65%
D+
 46–55%
D
 36–45%
F
 < 36 %


Reading assignments:
The chapters covered in class are specified in the course calendar and should be read prior to the class period. The textbook is not a substitute for the lecture and vice versa. Learning and understanding physics requires an active approach, and working through examples and problems is an important component. If a solution is given, first try to solve the problem by yourself without looking at the solution. If you still have questions after comparing your work to the solution, read the text again and try to repeat the solution on your own.

Course Calendar:
Week of
 Chapter
 Topics
Jan 9
 2
 Introduction, Motion in One Dimension
Jan 16
 3
 Vectors, Motion in Two and More Dimensions
Jan 23
 4
 Force and Motion
Jan 30
 4
 Force and Motion/Review
Thursday, Feb 2: Test 1
Feb 6
 5
 Circular Motion and Gravity
Feb 13
 6
 Work and Energy
Feb 20
 7
 Momentum
Feb 27
 8

 Conservation Laws
Thursday, Mar 1: Test 2
Mar 5
Spring Break
Mar 12
 9
 Rotation
Mar 19
 9
 Torque and Angular Momentum
Mar 26
 10
 Fluids
Apr 2
 14
 Periodic Motion
Thursday, Apr 5: Test 3
Apr 9
 15
 Waves and Sound
Apr 16
Review
Apr 26
Final exam


Note that this is a tentative schedule and that it is subject to change depending on progress in class.

Policies and procedures:

Academic integrity: The policies governing academic integrity are clearly articulated by the University of South Carolina. Students should carefully review the policies outlined in the Honor Code. Instances of suspected violation will be reported. In particular, copying homework constitutes cheating and will be reported.

Classroom behavior: Please be respectful of others. In particular, cell phones and pagers have to be turned off or silenced during class. The ringing of cell phones is considered "disruptive behavior" by official College policy.

Missed exams: Makeup exams will only be permitted with the previous approval of the instructor for valid and documented reasons. Students who are absent without approval will be assigned a grade of F for the exam.


Links to additional information:
LON-CAPA instructions

LON-CAPA room schedule