PHY 2060 Accelerated Physics, Spring 2002
(Honors Physics I)
Section 5183

Homework assignments will be distributed and graded via the world wide web, with new assignments available Tuesday morning and due at 11:00pm the following Monday evening. In addition there will be occasional, short assignments, which will be handed out in one class meeting and due at the start of the subsequent meeting. Collaboration on homework is encouraged.

This course has weekly homework, three tests in class during the semester, and a final exam. Each is worth 100 points; I will add your [homework score, two highest tests and final exam] to the higher of [the final exam or lowest test]. If you miss a test, for any reason, it counts as zero. Out of the maximum of 500 points, a score above 440 is an A, above 420 is a B, above 390 is a C. This grading scale may be relaxed during the semester; it will not be made more difficult. There are no make-up exams or tests for any reason.  The final exam must be taken when scheduled.

Calculators are not allowed and not needed during the tests or final exam.

Class attendance is required for this course, and all students are responsible for announcements made at the beginning of each class. This is a small class; discussion and class participation are actively encouraged.

Dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated; cheating during a test will result in failing this course.

This weekly schedule gives test dates and an approximate schedule for course reading. Homework is due every Monday night at 11:00pm.  The previous week's answers and the next assignment are available Tuesday mornings on the web .
 

Jan 7     Chapter 1, Vectors, constant velocity.

Jan 14   Chapters 2-3, Motion in one dimension, Force and Newton's Laws.

Jan 21   Chapter 4, Motion in Two and three dimensions, projectile and circular motion.

Jan 28   Chapter 5, Applications of Newton's Laws.

Feb 4     Test 1 on Tuesday, February 5.  Chapter 11, Work and kinetic energy.

Feb 11   Chapter 6-7, Momentum, systems of particles.

Feb 18   Chapters 7-8, Systems of particles, collisions, Rotational kinematics.

Feb 25   Chapters 9-10, Rotational dynamics and Angular momentum.

Mar 4     Spring break

Mar 11   Test 2 on Thursday,  March 14.  Chapter  11, Angular momentum and Statics.

Mar 18   Chapters 12-13, Potential energy, conservation of energy.

Mar 25   Chapter 14, Gravitation.

Apr 1     Chapter 17, Oscillations, harmonic motion.

Apr 8     Test 3 on Tuesday April 9.   Chapter 21, Relativity.

Apr 15   Chapter 21 Relativity.

Apr 22   Last class meeting, April 23:  Unofficial, course review April 25.

May 2    Final Exam; Exam group  2E;1002 NPB; 5:30pm-7:30pm; Thursday, May 2.
 
 

How to Do Well in Accelerated Physics

• Attend class. The lectures may be confusing and you may sleep through class, but by attending you will at least learn what subjects I think are important. You can concentrate on these subjects during your reading. By some unfortunate set of circumstances if you do miss class, do not ask me later if I said anything important --- all that I say is important. Instead, ask a classmate; she or he is likely to give an honest answer, and you won't offend me.

• Do the assigned homework. This is the drudge part of physics, but it is absolutely necessary. We will learn grand ideas and see their wondrous applications in class. But, your understanding is only superficial unless you can apply these same grand ideas to completely new circumstances---in course work, this is usually done with homework problems. Do not be surprised if the homework is frustrating at times; solving one challenging problem makes the next much easier. And homework problems often appear on tests. Doing all of the homework correctly is the easiest way to improve your grade.  Not doing homework is the easiest way to lower your grade.

 
• Be on time for class. Announcements are generally made at the beginning of each lecture. And you are responsible for learning of these whether you attend class or not.

 
• Do the assigned reading before I cover the material in class. This is surprisingly helpful! You will be amazed at how much clearer my lectures are if you have already read the material. There are many examples done in the textbook that are not discussed in class. And examples from the book often appear on tests.

 
• I do not discuss course mechanics on the telephone or outside of my scheduled office hours. Please do not call me for information about the test schedule, grading policy, or the cut-off for a certain grade. However, I am always happy to discuss physics on the telephone (but, it is not easy), and I politely answer questions about grades and the mechanics of the course before, during and after lectures and during my office hours.