LECTURES: Mon., Wed., Fri., 6^o (12:50PM-1:40PM--Section 3667) in NPB 1001.

TEXTBOOK: Technical Physics by F. Bueche and D. Wallach (4th ed. Wiley 1994).

INSTRUCTOR:

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, 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. Further, you should pay special attention to the examples discussed during the lectures. These usually are closely related to many of the problems that appear on exams. 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 are encouraged to work diligently at the homework assignments, which -- although they are not collected or graded -- can help you to improve your ability to solve problems.

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 on your success at solving problems on the 3 midterm exams and the final exam, 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 focused strongly on the examples discussed in class, the material in the textbook, as well as the homework problems.

Try to put "twists" on the examples discussed in class by reformulating each example in a way that switches around the unknown and known quantities. Also, try some homework problems on your own first. Consult your notes or the textbook for statements of basic principle or fundamental equations. 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 put together by the Society of Physics Students (NPB 2229) and will be available for purchase at Target Copy. SPS uses the proceeds to fund its acitvities. 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 usually be posted on the WEB PAGE. Old and new exams will also be posted on the 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 3 midterm exams and a comprehensive final, each in multiple-choice format. Your best 2 out of 3 midterm scores will be used in computing your final total score.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.

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 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, and which equations should be used, 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: Your best 2 midterm scores will each count for 30% of your overall exam score for the course. (If you miss one of the midterms, then, of course, the remaining 2 will be used to compute your score.) 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:

In addition to the scores associated with the scheduled exams (the sum of which has a maximum of 100), you will be able to obtain up to 3 extra points, based on your performance involving the Student Response System that the Department has adopted. You are required to purchase a responder that is used to record your answers to designated questions posed in class. (The responder can later be re-sold.) On particular days chosen at random, a question will be posed and you will be given typically 1-3 minutes to choose the correct answer from the displayed multiple-choice list. The question may involve any relevant topic, such as material covered the previous lecture, material you should have read in advance, a demonstration performed in class, etc. You will receive a cumulative average Response System score of 0-3 points, based on performance, which will be added to your total exam score at the end of the semester. In determining this average score, your 3 lowest quiz scores will be dropped, and the average of the remaining quizzes will be used. For each quiz itself, 3 points will be given for a correct answer, 1 point for an incorrect answer, and 0 points for no response at all.

MAKE-UPS: No make-up exams will be offered, since only 2 of your midterms will be used in computing your score.

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. Also, the help services listed below will be available.

A Supplemental Instruction Program will be conducted by an advanced student. The Program will focus on improvement of study skills and thought processes involved in solving physics problems.
Meeting Times and Places for Program: To Be Determined.





The Student Teaching Center in Broward Hall (Tel. 392-2010) offers a range of services, including individual tutoring in physics.