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Physics 214
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Summer 2003
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| Professor | Ricky J. Sethi |
| rickys @ sethi.org | |
| HomePage | This page! (http://www.sethi.org/classes/phys214/) |
| Phone | 909-868-4031 |
| Office Hours | By appointment in the Adjunct Office |
Catalog Description
This course will provide an understanding of how the scientific method uses laws, principles, and mathematical representations to explain everyday physical phenomena such as linear and rotational motion, forces in one dimension, work/energy/power, simple machines, basic field principles (electrical and magnetic), and fundamental concepts of matter, heat, sound, and light.
| Pre-requisite | Math 148 or 149 |
| Credit hours | Physics 214 is 5 hours. |
| Meetings | Wednesday 9a.m. - 12p.m., Friday 8 - 10a.m. |
Texts and Materials
Required:
- Inquiry Into Physics, 4th edition by Ostdiek, et. al.
Recommended:
- The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick
- The Einstein Paradox And Other Science Mysteries Solved by Sherlock Holmes by Colin Bruce
- The Feynman Lectures by Richard P. Feynman
Suggested:
- University Physics, Volume 1 by Kenneth E. Jesse and published by HBJ College Outline Series has tons of solved problems that can really help you get a handle on the homework/quizzes.
Attendance Policy
Each student is required to attend every lecture and laboratory in which he or she is enrolled. A swipe-card terminal in each classroom is used to record attendance electronically. Students are responsible for arriving before class begins, sliding their identification card through the wall-mounted reader, and remaining for the duration of the course meeting. Students who are absent for two or more days must contact their assigned Academic Coordinator for advisement. Students who miss more than five (5) consecutive days of school are in violation of the DeVry attendance policy and will be dismissed.
Examination Make-Up Policy
Since responsible behaviour -- including daily class attendance -- is expected of all DeVry students, absence from a scheduled examination is considered to be an extremely serious matter. It is school policy that no faculty member shall be required to schedule a make-up examination unless the student presents a statement from a licensed physician stating that he or she was physically unable to attend school on the day of the exam. The faculty member may schedule a make-up for other equally serious reasons, provided that arrangements are made prior to the date of the exam. An individual faculty member may also schedule a make-up exam if, in his or her opinion, a situation exists that does not fall under the provisions of this policy yet merits special consideration.
Course Grading Standards
A final letter grade is to be awarded to each enrolled student in accordance with the 4.00 grading system shown below.
| Letter Grade | Percent of Total Points | Grade Points |
| A | 90 - 100% | 4.00 |
| B | 80 - 89% | 3.00 |
| C | 70 - 79% | 2.00 |
| D | 60 - 69% | 1.00 |
| F | Below 60% | 0.00 |
Academic Integrity Policy
Ideas and learning form the core of the academic community. In all centers of education, learning is valued and honoured. No learning community can thrive if its members counterfeit their achievement and seek to establish an unfair advantage over their fellow students. The academic standards at DeVry are based on a pursuit of knowledge and assume a high level of integrity in every one of its members. When this trust is violated, the academic community suffers injury and must act to ensure that its standards remain meaningful. The vehicle for this action is the Academic Integrity Policy outlined in the Student Handbook.
The Academic Integrity Policy is designed to foster a fair and impartial set of standards upon which academic dishonesty will be judged. All students are required to read, understand, and adhere to these standards, which define and specify the following mandatory sanctions for such dishonest acts as copying, plagiarism, lying, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of records, bribery, and misrepresentation for the purpose of enhancing one's academic standing:
- The first recorded offense will result in the student receiving zero credit for the entire paper, exam, quiz, lab, homework assignment, or other graded activity in which the incident of academic dishonesty occurred. No partial credit may be given. Where the incident involved a graded assignment normally subject to a "drop" option, the student may not exercise that option.
- The second recorded offense will result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course in which the second offese occurs. The second offense need not be in the same course, program, or term as the first offense to invoke this sanction.
- The third recorded offense will result in the student being permanently expelled from the DeVry system. Again, the third offense need not be in the same course, program, or term as either the first or second offense to invoke the sanction.
Strategy
- Laboratory demonstrations in Physics 214 will complement the lecture topics. Emphasis will be on the key concepts so that as many topics as consistent with good, basic understanding can be discussed. It is strongly recommended that students scan the experiment procedure prior to the Laboratory class (please refer to the class website for more timely information before each lab).
- Concepts will be covered by problems and demonstrations in class followed with problems and lab follow-ups given as homework. Homework answers are provided on assignment completion. Often, students will present their solutions for class discussion.
- Quizzes will be given with problems almost identical to previous homework assignments.
- There will be a midterm exam in week 8 covering topics discussed through week 7. The final exam in week 15 will cover all topics.
- A term project is required and will consist of a student developed report including references about a real world application of one of the concepts covered in the course. A presentation (5 minute oral) will be required. Use of the Internet and Library for information is recommended. Please see the secton on the Final Project below.
- All projects can be done in collaboration with your team (although individual reports are required).
- Finally, one last tip: physics sentences should be read slowly, carefully, & repeatedly. If it doesn't make sense the first time around, just relax and go back and re-read that section or sentence. If it still doesn't make sense, skip it and finish the chapter and then come back to it later. This course is about learning the major concepts of physics and, as such, it is very comprehensive. I hope you won't let the scope of the course discourage you from sticking with it and gleaning the true beauty of the world you inhabit as revealed through physics.
Chapter Reading Memos
Subject matter is covered pretty much in the sequence presented in the required textbook. It is therefore recommended that you scan the chapters prior to the scheduled lectures to become familiar with new terms that will be introduced. In order to facilitate this, every reading assignment, will have a required reading memo due the meeting day following the meeting day it was assigned.
The idea is to have you write down questions and other "instantaneous gut reactions" as you do each reading assignment in the text. It is very important that you create these memos as you read, and on the first pass through the material. They must not be edited or "cleaned up" afterward, and they should not be just outlines or notes. In other words, your reading memos should not simply be a summary/rehashing of the chapter; instead, they should reflect your questions, observations, and insights.
What is the purpose of these reading memos? First, it shows me that you've done the reading. In addition, it encourages active reading (reading scientific tomes is a very different experience from reading a novel or other leisure book where you can passively scan the pages). And, even more importantly, it gives me insight into what you're learning, and, more significantly, what I might need to concentrate more on in lecture. Lastly, they give me a student's perspective on the material and often point out common misconceptions or exceptional insights.
So why should you do them? Well, if all that insight and learning wasn't sufficient motivation, it might help to know that your reading memos will contribute significantly towards your participation grade (see grading policy below). In addition, I'll be using at least one question from your reading memos on the weekly quizzes.
Format of the reading memo: nothing terribly elaborate. Just have a sheet of paper handy as you read the text and jot down your notes. As long as they're legible, I'll be happy. They don't have to be any specific length; I'm just looking for your first impressions and questions you might have. As far as the grading is concerned, I'll basically just be checking off if you're doing them or not. So if you hand one in, you'll get the credit for it. But I'll also be reading them so if you want to impress me, come up with some great memos/questions! Finally, if you're more comfortable jotting them on your computer, feel free to email them to me.
Homeworks, Quizzes, and Groups, oh my!
There will be weekly homework assigned starting Week 1. However, none of the homework needs to actually be turned in. So why do the homework at all? If learning the material isn't sufficient motivation, then the fact that the weekly quizzes (starting Week 2) will essentially be homework problems might provide some additional impetus to do the homework. In fact, all exams will rely heavily on the homework problems.
Starting Week 2, there will be a weekly (open book) quiz in class based almost entirely on the suggested homework and the reading memos. You will also have the option of either using the homework or the quiz to determine your weekly quiz grade up to three (3) times during the semester (note: you must hand in the HW before the quiz starts and then only the higher of the two grades will count for that week). Either way, the homework/quiz combo counts for about 1/2 of your grade (please see the Grading Policy below). Keeping up with the reading and doing the homework is probably the best way to learn physics.
But the third, and final, ingredient necessary to truly master physics is group learning. Unlike classes in which doing homework together is discouraged, I would actually like to encourage you to collaborate with your colleagues on the suggested homework sets. In fact, we'll be forming groups of about 3 starting in Week 1 and you'll even have the option of doing your projects together as a group (although everyone will have to turn in a separate report and part of your grade will be based on your group's anonymous evaluation of you (and your contribution) to ensure no one person does all the work for the group). All real science is a truly collaborative enterprise and I hope you'll take full advantage of your peers in this regard.
<Theoretical Rant Here>
Unlike elephants, people forget. We forget everything from
buying the ketchup on our trip to the market to the exact formulation
of the time-dependent form of Schroedinger's equation (which, for the
curious, as well as the sadistic, is
ih/2π ∂ψ/∂t = Hψ = (T + V)ψ =
(-h2/8π2m) ∇2ψ + Vψ
). This is, inevitably, your fate as well. Whatever you
don't use, you will forget. This is why doctors have a
continuing education requirement and programmers have doctors (or at
least the M-x doctor within Emacs). Given this enormous attrition
rate for knowledge, the purpose of any course, to my mind, is to
provide you with a toolset or a way of thinking or approaching a
problem which, due to its genericity, will be utilized on an almost
daily basis on a variety of topics. Of course, you'll be learning
this new mental toolset within the context of this course... so the
real purpose of this course isn't to have you memorize a bunch of
random facts. No, you'll remember whatever facts you might need in
your future endeavours just fine as you'll be using them on a daily
basis. What you should learn from this course is a way of
thinking and problem-solving... and learn it well enough to apply it
to a variety of other scenarios and especially to this particular
subject. So if the need ever arises for you to refresh your memory
(perhaps for the first time) in this subject again, although all the
words will, once again, seem like foreign gibberish, you'll have
acquired a mindset that lends itself readily to rapid comprehension of
the material and you'll find that the subject, once obtuse and
impossible to comprehend, readily bends to your understanding (as long
as you put in the requisite time and effort). THIS is the real
goal of any learning.
</Theoretical Rant Here>
In this class, we'll emphasize the practical, problem-solving approach instead of just concentrating on the theoretical side (which, being a theoretician, is my natural inclination). The BEST way to learn a subject is to actually DO it (insert your favourite quote to the effect here). And so, the most important part of your learning experience will be all the homework problems you solve every week in your groups or on your own. Doing problems really is the only way to truly learn physics and this will be greatly emphasized in this course.
Final Project Notes
The final project for lecture consists of a 5-10 page report that will culminate in an oral presentation (which should be about 15 minutes). The length of the project can vary depending on whether it's more quantitative (e.g., if you solve a physics problem or have a lot of equations or do a lab then it can be closer to the 5 page length) or qualitative (i.e., more descriptive; e.g., if you write a biography or do a history or conduct a game, it should be closer to the 10 page length).
The project can be about absolutely any topic that interests you. In fact, I'd like to encourage you to do the project on something that does interest you! It's very open-ended... in the past, groups have conducted game shows for their final project (e.g., Jeoparady, Street Smarts, and even Charades!), done various biographies and histories of famous physicists, done web animations and presentations, done an experiment or lab in class, etc. Basically, if you can't find something in physics that interests you, find a way to relate whatever interests you to physics (or, at the very least, to science). If you'd like some ideas on topics or experiments, try sites like http://www.madsci.org/, which have tons of links and resources for just such projects.
Finally, the project will probably be due (at the latest!) by Week 12, followed by the actual presentations in Weeks 13 & 14. There will be a quiz based on the presentations themselves so I'd encourage you to show up for your colleagues' presentations not only as a courtesy to them and to show support for your peers, but also as preparation for the final quiz (which will be based exclusively on the presentations). That quiz (and only that quiz) will also be open notes so feel free to take notes and ask questions when you're listening to the presentations.
Expectations
My general policy in terms of grading is to aim, as in most graduate classes, for an average of about a B. This does not, however, mean that you can earn a high grade simply by doing nothing. What it does mean, though, is that as long as you show up for all the classes, do all the homework/quizzes/exams, and complete your projects on time, you won't ever have to worry about failing the class. So as long as you show up for all the classes and do the basic required work, everyone should at least pass the course.
Also, I do allow for some extra-credit throughout the semester which can be applied towards your midterm or final scores only (i.e., it is not applicable towards the project, hw/quiz, or participation scores). If anything strikes your fancy along the way, feel free to talk to me about doing some extra-credit on it. It'd be nice if you could somehow relate it to physics but it can be about anything that interests you. More on my specific expectations about the extra-credit, etc. later...
The reason for the extra-credit is I want to see everyone get the grade they are willing to work for. Some suggestions for extra-credit: create new/additional Concept Maps, watch science related shows (e.g., Standard Deviants, Bill Nye The Science Guy, Beakman's World, Newton's Apple, NOVA, etc.) and write a brief commentary/report on it, talk about an article in a science magazine like Discover or Scientific American, etc.
The Grading Policy
Grades will be assigned on a 100% scale but given scores will be based on a curve taking into account the overall performance of your class.
| HW/Quizzes | 50% | Given weekly; only top 8 counted |
| Project/Weekly Presentations | 15% | Due by week 13 |
| Midterm | 10% | 1 given in week 8 (open book) |
| Final | 15% | 1 given in week 15 (comprehensive; open book) |
| Participation | 10% | Reading Memos, Professionalism, Attendance, Involvement, Discussion, Questions, etc. |
The Tentative Schedule
This list is intended to act as a planning guide for students. The timing of the Final Exam is definitely in Week 15 and Homework/Quizzes are planned weekly. Timing of all activities will be continuously communicated in classes and/or via email.
Appendix A
Content and Grading of Lab Reports for Physics 214
Each lab report (describing that week's activity) will be worth 10% (10 points) of the final grade. The remaining 20% (20 points) will be based on the final formal lab report (15 points) and on the student's participation (5 points). Labs will usually be due by the following lecture meeting and there will be a deduction for labs turned in up to a week late.
The weekly class will consist mainly of "demonstration" experiments followed by student calculations from the results. Students should work in their assigned groups but open discussion and interaction is highly encouraged. Most importantly, all data should be collected in your notebook.
The purpose of these labs is to encourage you to think systematically when approaching a problem; to learn to organize and report data in an authoritative manner; and, finally, to give you intuition and insight into the physics you are learning from the lecture and the book.
As such, you don't need to copy or restate the objectives, equipment needed, references, or procedures that are already presented in the lab manual or handout. Only data, calculations, and any deviations from the proscribed procedures should be recorded. And any errors or false results should also be carefully documented ("wrong" results often give the most insight into science as long as you understand (and explain) why they were wrong).
Reporting all of the data collected in an appropriate table or worksheet is worth 50% (or 5 points) of each lab report. The additional 5 points will be based on the quality and effort put into the analysis and questions listed in the manual/handouts for each objective. In addition, you should make sure your lab reports are neat and easily legibile. If minor calculations are done, use a piece of scratch paper. The goal of each lab is to complete it during the two hour period and have it marked before you leave. If mistakes are made during analysis, etc., you can get a better mark by redoing the report and handing it in the following week.
Most importantly, make sure you truly understand the objective of each lab. Don't just take data blindly without knowing what you're recording or, even worse, why! Remember, what I'm really looking for is how much thinking you've done and how reliable your data collection and calculation is. All good experimental science depends on indisputable data, systematic thinking, and innovative insights. That is the skillset you should develop in these labs.
Contents of a Lab Report
- Question -- What is the purpose of the lab? Should be a clear statement of the objective of the experiment and what you're trying to investigate.
- Hypothesis -- Your hypothesis, or guess, for each portion of the experiment. It's basically what you expect/your guess for the answers to the questions raised in the first part.
- Summary of Procedure -- Should be a simple summary of each portion of the lab. Don't regurgitate the contents of the lab manual; describe, briefly, what you did (or are going to do). Be sure to especially note any deviation from the lab procedure or innovations/changes you implemented.
- Results & Calculations -- Detailed account of any pertinent computation. Clear statement of the result of your hypothesis, along with all the data, calculations, etc. Note: be sure to record all data directly in your laboratory notebook (i.e., don't write anything down on any handouts or other scraps of paper). Description of data collected, problems encountered while collecting it, limitations, etc. Use tons of tables, charts, graphs, etc.
- Observations & Conclusion -- This is the most important part of your lab report. Your observations should include anything interesting, any insights gained, etc. Look with a keen eye for the details and record what you note. The conclusion should also contain an explanation of the experiment's accomplishments/failures, description of how data collected relates to the objective, and statement of further work needed.