PHY 2060 Enriched Physics 1 — Spring 2008
| Class Meetings | Tuesday and Thursday, periods 4 and 5, in 1002 NPB |
| Instructor | Prof. Kevin Ingersent, 2162 NPB (392-8748, ingersent@ufl.edu) |
| Office Hours | Mon & Fri 10:30–noon; Mon & Tue 2:00-4:00 p.m.; or by appointment |
| Web Page | www.phys.ufl.edu/~kevin/teaching/2060/ |
| Required Text | Physics, Volume 1, R. Resnick, D. Halliday, and K. S. Krane (5th ed., Wiley, 2001) |
Summary: This is the first course in the Enriched Physics sequence PHY 2060–2061 for students with prior preparation in physics who wish to acquire a deeper understanding of the subject. The enriched sequence covers similar material to the Physics With Calculus sequence PHY 2048–2049, but treats basic topics at a faster pace, incorporates more advanced material, and places greater emphasis on instilling conceptual understanding and on developing the ability to solve more challenging problems. PHY 2060 treats concepts in classical mechanics, including kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, oscillations, and special relativity. Special relativity is introduced early in the course and treated in some depth.
Aim: On completion of this course, you should have a sound understanding of key concepts in classical mechanics and special relativity, and be able to apply this understanding to analyze, and make quantitative predictions about, the physics of unfamiliar situations. The course should also improve your problem-solving skills.
Prerequisites: PHY 2060 is not designed to be a first course in physics.
- You should have studied physics at high-school level. Completion of an AP course is helpful but not essential. However, if you have had no physics in high school, you will be at a significant disadvantage.
- You need to be proficient at algebra, at geometry and trigonometry (see page A-20 of the text), and at performing elementary vector operations (see Sec. 2-2 of the text).
- You should have successfully completed MAC 2311 Calculus 1 or equivalent, and have taken or be currently be enrolled in MAC 2312 Calculus 2. The course will make extensive use of differentiation, and at several points during the semester you will be expected to complete problems involving integration. The section "Derivatives and Integrals" on page A-21 of the text contains a useful summary of the calculus results that you will need.
If you are in doubt as to whether you should take PHY 2060 or one of the alternatives (such as PHY 2048), please consult the instructor as soon as possible.
Text: You will need access to the course text to supplement the lectures, to complete reading assignments and as a source of practice problems. It is essential that you use the Fifth Edition of Physics, because earlier editions are substantially different.
Class Meetings: Classes will begin at 10:40 a.m. and will likely end around 12:15 p.m. Normally, each class will combine both a lecture presentation and a discussion session (i.e., problem-solving with active student participation).
Homework: Most weeks you will have a homework assignment, which will be distributed, submitted, and graded online via the CAPA Web system. Assignments will normally become available after class on Tuesday and be due by 7:00 p.m. the following Tuesday.
Although the homework is graded, it is intended as much as a learning tool as a means of assessment:
- You can access CAPA as many times as you like during the time each assignment is open.
- During any CAPA session, you can attempt as many of the questions as you like.
- On each attempt, CAPA tells you whether your answers are correct.
- You are allowed up to a total of 10 attempts at each question.
- You are permitted to collaborate with others students on the homework.
- You may seek guidance on homework problems from the instructor.
Information about the procedures for logging on to the CAPA system and completing assignments can be found by following the Homework link from the course Web page.
Exams: There will be four exams (see "Schedule" below): three mid-terms held during regularly scheduled classes and a comprehensive final. The exams will emphasize application of physical concepts to solve problems rather than recalling memorized facts or reproducing standard results. The understanding and skills necessary for success on the exams will be developed by steady work over the entire semester, not by last-minute cramming. You will be allowed to use formula sheets and a calculator, but no other aids.
Graded exams will be returned in class or during office hours. Exam solutions will be distributed in class and posted online.
Grades: The maximum possible total score on the homework assignments will be scaled to 100. Each of the four exams will also carry a maximum possible score of 100. However, your lowest mid-term score will be dropped.
Letter grades will be assigned on the basis of the overall course score out of 400. It is likely that a score above 320 will earn an A, 300 a B+, 280 a B, 260 a C+ and 240 a C. These numbers are offered only as guides; more detailed information will be provided after each mid-term, and a firm grade scale will be announced before the final exam.
Attendance Policy: Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended. Even if you miss a lecture, you are responsible for staying informed of any announcements made in class. (Many announcements will also be posted on the Web, and may be accessed by following the Announcements link from the course Web page.)
Any unexcused absence from an exam will result in a score of zero for that exam. An absence will be excused only if it meets the criteria laid out in the University's attendance policies and if the student provides written documentation from an appropriate professional. Whenever possible, the instructor should be informed of any absence before the day of the exam.
Your first absence from a mid-term, whether excused or unexcused, will be counted as your dropped exam. It is still important to inform the instructor as soon as possible of any circumstances that may excuse the absence, so as to to preserve the possibility of your taking a make-up should you end up missing a second exam.
If you have two excused absences from mid-terms, a make-up may be arranged. At the instructor's discretion, this make-up may cover material tested on either one or both of the exams that were missed. Students with excused absences from all three mid-terms and/or an excused absence from the final will likely receive an incomplete in the course.
How to Succeed in PHY 2060: You should attend class to learn about the basic concepts and how to apply them in solving problems. The material presented may seem familiar at the start of the semester, but the pace is quite fast and very few students will have a thorough understanding of all the topics covered. Arrive on time for class, since announcements will generally be made at the start of each lecture.
It will likely benefit you to read the textbook in advance to acquaint yourself with the material to be covered in class. This is particularly true if your prior preparation is a little weak, because the lectures will cover the introductory material (e.g., motion in one dimension) quite quickly.
You should work all the homework assignments, which form an essential part of the course. With all the opportunities to achieve a high score (see "Homework" above), you should look to the homework to establish a strong foundation for your overall course score (see "Grades" above). In past semesters, students who achieved an "A" grade in the course typically scored at least 95% on the homework.
Problem-solving 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. If you find that you are struggling with the homework, or if you want to improve your performance on the exams, you should practice additional problems beyond the assigned homework. Your grade in this course will be based solely on your success at solving problems during homework assignments and exams, so there will be a direct payoff for your effort.
The best source of practice problems is the text, which has sets of Exercises and Problems at the end of each chapter. Exercises are similar in difficulty to most of the CAPA homework questions and to the more straight-forward exam questions. Problems are usually more challenging, and are closer in character to the harder exam problems. Brief answers are provided to odd-numbered Exercises and Problems, so you can check your solutions.
You will learn most if you try each problem on your own first. If you get stuck, talk the problem over with a friend, consult the instructor, or check the solution (if one is available). 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 basically somebody who has made all possible mistakes in the past and has learned how to avoid repeating most of them!
If you are encountering difficulties with PHY 2060, don't wait to seek help. The course content is largely cumulative, so if you fall behind it will be hard to catch up. You are encouraged to consult with the instructor in person or via e-mail. When using e-mail, please make any physics questions as specific as possible, and recognize that it may be some time before you get a reply (especially outside normal business hours). Discussion of complex matters is usually best conducted face to face, either immediately after class or during office hours. If your schedule prevents you from attending office hours, feel free to contact the instructor to set up an appointment at a more convenient time.
Outside Help Services: The Teaching Center in Broward Hall (tel. 392-2010) offers a range of free services, including individual tutoring in physics. The Physics Department (tel. 392-0521) maintains a list of for-fee tutors.
Accommodations: Students requesting classroom accommodations must first register with the Disabilities Resources Center, 0001 Reid Hall. The Disabilities Resources Center will provide documentation to the student, who must then deliver this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodations.
Academic Honesty: All University of Florida students are required to abide by the University's Academic Honesty Guidelines and by the Honor Code, which reads as follows:
We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."
Cheating, plagiarism, or other violations of the Academic Honesty Guidelines will not be tolerated and will be pursued through the University's adjudication procedures.
Schedule: The schedule below lists the topics planned for each lecture, cross-referenced to the text, as well as the date of each exam. This schedule is likely to evolve. It is your responsibility to be aware of any changes announced in class. (Many announcements will also be posted on the Web.)
| Jan 8 | First class: Motion in one dimension (Secs. 2-3 to 2-6) |
| Jan 10 | Force and Newton's laws (Secs. 3-2 to 3-8) |
| Jan 15 | Reference frames and relative motion (Secs 3-2, 4-6), projectile motion (Secs. 4-1, 4.3) |
| Jan 17 | Projectile motion (Secs. 4-3 and 4.4), uniform circular motion (Sec. 4-5) |
| Jan 22 | Uniform circular motion (Sec. 4-5), the postulates of special relativity (Sec. 20-2) |
| Jan 24 | Time dilation and length contraction (Sec. 20-3) |
| Jan 29 | The Lorentz transformation (Secs. 20-4 to 20-7) |
| Jan 31 | Spacetime |
| Feb 5 | Tension, normal forces and friction frictional forces (Secs. 5-2, 5-3) |
| Feb 7 | Mid-Term Exam 1: 10:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in 1002 NPB |
| Feb 12 | Uniform circular motion (Sec. 5-4), linear momentum and impulse (Secs. 6-2, 6-3) |
| Feb 14 | Conservation of momentum, one-dimensional collisions (Secs. 6-4, 6-5) |
| Feb 19 | Relativistic momentum, many-particle systems (Secs. 20-8, 7-3, 7-4) |
| Feb 21 | Many-particle systems (Secs. 7-5, 7-6) |
| Feb 26 | Rotational kinematics (Secs. 8.1 to 8.6) |
| Feb 28 | Torque and rotational inertia (Secs. 9.1 to 9.4) |
| Mar 4 | Rotational dynamics (Secs. 9.5 to 9.8) |
| Mar 6 | Mid-Term Exam 2: 10:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in 1002 NPB |
| Mar 11,13 | No Class (Spring Break) |
| Mar 18 | Conservation of angular momentum (Secs. 10.1 to 10.5) |
| Mar 20 | Work, energy and power (Secs. 11-1 to 11-3), work done by a variable force (Sec. 11-4) |
| Mar 25 | The work-energy theorem (Secs. 11-6 to 11-8) |
| Mar 27 | Potential energy (Secs. 12-1 to 12-5) |
| Apr 1 | Conservation of energy (Secs. 13-1 to 13-5). Relativistic energy (Sec 20-9) |
| Apr 3 | Gravitation (Secs. 14-2 to 14-7) |
| Apr 8 | Pressure and density, Archimedes' principle (Secs. 15-2 to 15-4) |
| Apr 10 | Mid-Term Exam 3: 10:40 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in 1002 NPB |
| Apr 15 | Fluid flow, Bernoulli's equation (Secs. 16-1 to 16-4) |
| Apr 17 | Simple harmonic oscillations (Secs. 17-1 to 17-4) |
| Apr 22 | Last class: Real oscillators (Secs. 17-5, 17-7 and 17-8) |
| May 1 | Final Exam: 8:00–10:00 p.m. in 1002 NPB |