| PHY2004 | Applied Physics I | FALL 2003 |
LECTURES: Mon., Wed., Fri., 8o (3:00-3:50) and 9o (4:05-4:55) in NPB 1001.
TEXTBOOK: Technical Physics by F. Bueche and D. Wallach (4th ed. Wiley 1994).
INSTRUCTOR:
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AIM: This course will be a survey of basic physics and some of its practical applications to the world around us. Topics in mechanics, properties of materials, heat and vibratory motion will be covered. The principal goal will be to show how physical principles and scientific ways of thinking can be applied to many real-life situations. The problem-solving skills you pick up should prove useful in your own field of specialization. It is hoped that the course will help you become a more informed consumer of science and technology in general.
YOUR JOB: You should attend lectures to learn about the basic concepts and how to apply them in solving problems, and also to hear any special announcements. Feel free to attend the other lecture if miss your regularly scheduled lecture. Since there is a lot to be squeezed into just three hours of class per week, it is essential that you read the textbook concurrently with the lectures to deepen your understanding of physical principles. Finally, you should work diligently at the homework assignments, which -- although they are not collected or graded -- form a key part of the course.
PROBLEM-SOLVING: This provides a good measure of your understanding of basic principles by testing your ability to combine different physical concepts as they apply to unfamiliar situations -- something which is crucial if you are ever to apply physics to the world around you. Problem-solving is a skill that has to be developed, and everyone benefits from practice. Your grade in this course will be based solely on your success at solving problems on the mid-term and final exams, so there will be a direct payoff for your effort. You should be capable of earning an average or above average grade in the course if you have successfully worked through all the homework problems assigned.
Try each problem on your own first. Consult your notes or the textbook for statements of basic principle or fundamental equations, which you aren't expected to memorize, even for the exams. If you get stuck, talk the problem over with a friend, come see me, or -- in the case of an assigned homework problem -- look up the solution in the Solutions Manual. Whenever you need help to complete a problem it is essential, though, that you consolidate your new understanding by successfully doing another problem of the same type by yourself. Don't despair if you seem to make a lot of mistakes at the start. A successful physicist is just somebody who has made all the possible mistakes in the past and has learned how to avoid repeating most of them!
SOLUTIONS MANUAL: A solutions guide to selected homework problems and to old exam problems will be made available for purchase by the Society of Physics Students (NPB 2229). This guide is highly recommended, though it should be consulted only after considerable time has been spent attempting to do the homework problems. Old exams that you can download are posted on the course WEB PAGE. Students usually find these helpful in studying for the current exams. Solutions to exams will be available from University Copy Center a few days after each exam. The old and new exams (without solutions) will also be posted on this WEB PAGE.
HOMEWORK PROBLEMS
Chapter
1 3,11,17,22,23,31,34,35,37,39,43,44,47
2 5,7,17,23,27,30-32,35,37,44,50,52-54
3 2,5,10,18,22,25,27,30,31,36,38,39,43
4 3-5, 9,13,14,19,25,27,29
5 2,7,12,16,19,21,31,36,37,39,40,45
6 2,3,5,7,11,15,18,19,20,22,26,33
7 2,5,11,17,21,22,26,29,30,36,39
8 3,5,7,13,15,17,19-21,26,32,37,43
9 3,8,11,16,17,21,22,23,25,30,35,38
10 4,7,12,16,17,19,21,23,25,36,37
11 3,6,7,22,24,25,26,32,37,39,40,41,56
12 2,11,17,19,21,23,26,29,30,31,34,38
13 4,5,10,13,17,19,25,29,31,37
14 2,6,10,13,14,17,23,27,32,36,39
15 2,4,7,13,15,17,20,23,28
16 4-6,9,13,18,20,22,25,29
17 2,3,6,8,12,16,22,23,24
EXAMS: There will be two mid-term exams and a comprehensive final, each in multiple-choice format. You must bring photo ID (which will be checked) and No. 2 pencils (bring more than 1) to each exam. You may also bring a formula sheet, a calculator, and blank scratch paper, but no other materials.
MID-TERM EXAM DATES AND TIMES:
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, E2-E3 (8:20PM-10:20PM)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, E2-E3
The exams will emphasize physical reasoning rather than memorization of facts. This reasoning will be developed by steady work over the entire semester, not by last-minute cramming. During the later stages of your prepation for each exam, you may want to work through the corresponding sample exams which are posted at the course web site. You will find that a significant number of the questions are closely based on homework problems and the examples worked out in class. However, the exam questions are not grouped chapter-by-chapter, so you may need practice in identifying which principles are being tested in each problem.
Memorization of the way to solve a given problem is not the way to go. Rather, think about the equations that are needed to solve the problem, why those equations are needed, and how they are related to each other. In this connection, you should find it useful to divide all of the physical quantities that appear in a problem into those whose values are known and those unknown. You have to find a number of independent equations equal to the number of unknowns, and which, of course, contain all of the unknowns of the problem but no others. Then you can solve for the unknowns. It turns out that a certain type of memorization, namely, of all the important equations, is in fact useful here. Then you can quickly jot down equations until you find the right ones for a problem.
HONOR CODE: Students are neither to give or receive any unauthorized aid on any of the examinations (though they may work together on the homework problems).
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
GRADES: The first mid-term scores will each count 27% towards your overall score on the course, and the second mid-term 33%. The final exam will count for 40%.
Letter grades will be assigned by curving the overall total scores at the end of the semester. The following grade ranges are typical, but can vary somewhat from semester to semester:
| 80-100 A | 45-55 C |
| 73-80 B+ | 40-45 D+ |
| 65-73 B | 35-40 D |
| 55-65 C+ | 0-35 E |
MAKE-UPS: No make-up exams will be offered during the regular semester. In event of a documented conflict with another exam, a mid-term may be taken shortly before or after its scheduled time but this must be arranged prior to the exam. If you have a medical or urgent family reason for missing a mid-term, supported in writing by a qualified professional, you will be able to take a comprehensive make-up during the week prior to finals. Students without a valid excuse will receive a grade based on a score of zero for any exam they have missed.
HELP SERVICES: If you are encountering difficulties with the course, please come see me. If necessary, please contact me for an appointment at a convenient time,or just try to catch me in my office. In addition, beginning around the third week of classes, a Tutoring Lab will be staffed by undergraduate physics majors each weekday afternoon--details forthcoming; and the Student Teaching Center in Broward Hall (Tel. 392-2010) offers a range of services, including individual tutoring in physics.