| Name | Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Madeleine Msall (Lecturer) | 303 Searles (x3818) | mmsall@bowdoin.edu |
| Yuk Tung Liu (Lecturer) | 320 Searles (x4167) | yliu2@bowdoin.edu |
| Gary Miers (MF Lab Instructor) | 125 Searles | gmiers@bowdoin.edu |
| Ken Dennison (TW Lab Instructor) | 125 Searles | kdenniso@bowdoin.edu |
| Elise Weaver (Th Lab Instructor) | 302 Searles | eweaver@bowdoin.edu |
| Dominica Lord-Wood (Physics Department Coordinator) | 319 Searles (x3308) | dlord@bowdoin.edu |
Two sections:
| Instructor | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Madeleine Msall | MWF 8:30am - 9:25am | Searles 315 |
| Yuk Tung Liu | MWF 9:30am - 10:25am |
Five sections:
| Instructor | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Miers | M 1:00pm - 3:55pm | Searles 323 |
| Ken Dennison | T 1:00pm - 3:55pm | |
| Ken Dennison | W 1:00pm - 3:55pm | |
| Elise Weaver | Th 1:00pm - 3:55pm | |
| Gary Miers | F 1:00pm - 3:55pm |
Msall: Tuesday 4:00-5:00 and by appointment
Liu: Monday 4:15-5:15 and by appointment
There is homework due every time Physics 103 meets. The problem sets are designed to give steady practice in the application of physics concepts. Steady practice really makes a difference. Students who conscientiously work on all the physics homework do much better on the course examinations and learn physics more effectively.
Students are encouraged to work together on understanding the physics of the problems assigned and to discuss their work freely. The solutions you hand in, however, must be your own work. Your homework should reflect your understanding of the material in the sense that if you were given a quiz with the same problems you could independently approach them in the same way. To hand in a word-for-word, equation-for-equation copy of someone else's homework as your own work is a violation of the Bowdoin honor system with grave consequences. Any use of internet resources must include full citation. The submission of internet solutions as your own work will bring you before the Judicial Board.
Completed problem sets should be deposited in the homework box before class begins. Late assignments should be given directly to the instructor. Late assignments placed in the homework box will not receive any credit. Problems should be done on 8×11 paper. Ragged-edged pages torn from spiral notebooks are not acceptable. Please trim the edges so the papers are easy to handle. Assignments should include your name, class section (i.e., Physics 103 Msall or Liu) and the due date in the upper right hand corner.
Solutions will be read by a grader or by the instructor. Please explain your problem solving procedure in words; equations alone are not sufficient. How you tackle a problem is more important than obtaining the correct numerical answer. If you are confused about some aspect of the problem, identify that aspect. If you make any assumptions, state them. Hand in as much as you can accomplish on each problem. Again, the thought process is more important than the final answer, so even unfinished problems are worth handing in. Graded problems will be returned to the homework boxes.
Tutoring sessions are held throughout the semester on Sunday and Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 in Searles Room 313. The tutor sessions encourage group work. Trained upper level physics tutors will coach you on the process of solving physics problems. On most Thursday nights you can work with other Physics 103 students (a chance to practice your independence in problem solving) in the same space.
The tutors will also offer a skills workshop to help you review calculus. The skills workshop will start promptly at 7 pm in Searles 313, with a short quiz to test your current understanding of Calculus. This optional workshop will be scheduled during the week of October 15th. Attendance at the workshop will earn bonus points on the midterm.
This course includes weekly laboratory work. Labs will begin the week of September 3 in Room 323 Searles Science. Students are expected to do all laboratory work on the regular assigned day, unless arrangements are made with the lab instructors in advance. A single incomplete lab will result in a full letter-grade penalty to the course grade. Two incomplete labs will result in course failure.
A midterm examination covering Unit C will be held on Tuesday, Oct 23rd at 7 pm. Attendance conflicts for this evening exam should be worked out with the instructor well in advance. Those students unable to take the exam at the evening time because of a conflict with a regularly scheduled class meeting (including concert band rehearsal) are automatically permitted to reschedule the exam. Students with other types of conflict will be permitted to reschedule at the instructor’s discretion.
A final examination covering both Unit C and Unit N will be held on Friday, Dec 14th (9 am or 2 pm). Please note it on your calendars and inform anyone making travel plans for you that you must be present for the final exam.
There will be three scheduled in-class quizzes on Monday Oct 1, Monday Nov 19 and Wednesday Dec 5. The quiz on Dec 5 is a diagnostic test and will be less heavily weighted in the calculation of final grades than the preceding two quizzes. Pop quizzes may also occur.
The relative weights of course assignments in the determination of the final grade are:
| Problem sets | 15% |
| Laboratory | 20% |
| Quizzes | 15% |
| Midterm exam | 20% |
| Final exam | 30% |
Many students are understandably anxious about introductory physics — it's a challenging course. The best strategy is to work consistently in the course (lots of little homework and lab points add up to success) and to take advantage of the help available from your fellow students, your tutors and your instructors. The more you talk about Physics and actively participate in all the class activities, the better you'll do in the course. Even more important, active participation in Physics will make it easier to connect Physics to all your interests and enrich your life.
| Date | Topic | Reading | Lab |
|---|---|---|---|
| F 08-31 | Course introduction | No Lab | |
| M 09-03 | Interactions Vectors |
Chapter C1 Chapter C2 |
0. Vector Exercise |
| W 09-05 | |||
| F 09-07 | |||
| M 09-10 | Speed and momentum Center of mass |
Chapter C3 Chapter C4 |
1. Uncertainty in Measurement |
| W 09-12 | |||
| F 09-14 | |||
| M 09-17 | Momentum conservation Kinetic energy |
Chapter C5 Chapter C6 |
2. Measuring Movies |
| W 09-19 | |||
| F 09-21 | |||
| M 09-24 | Potential energy | Chapter C7 | 3. Friction |
| W 09-26 | Force and Energy | Chapter C8 | |
| F 09-28 | Review | ||
| M 10-01 | Quiz 1 | Lab Quiz #1 | |
| W 10-03 | Moment of inertia | Chapter C9 | |
| F 10-05 | Thermal energy | Chapter C10 | |
| Oct. 6-9 | Fall Break | ||
| W 10-10 | Potential energy diagrams Elastic and inelastic collisions Angular momentum |
Chapter 11.1, 11.2 Chapter C12 Chapter C13 |
No Lab |
| F 10-12 | |||
| M 10-15 | Angular momentum conservation Unit N introduction |
Chapter C14 Chapter N1 |
4. Two-dimensional Collision Analysis |
| W 10-17 | |||
| F 10-19 | |||
| M 10-22 | Midterm Review | 5. Moment of Inertia and Rotational Energy | |
| T 10-23 | Evening Midterm | ||
| W 10-24 | Acceleration | Chapter N2 | |
| F 10-26 | Newton's laws | Chapter N3 | |
| M 10-29 | The Reverse Kinematic Chain Linearly constrained motion |
Chapter N4 Chapter N6 |
6. Free Body Diagram Tutorial |
| W 10-31 | |||
| F 11-02 | |||
| M 11-05 | Coupled Objects Falling Objects Drag |
Chapter N7 Chapter N10 |
Lab Quiz #2 |
| W 11-07 | |||
| F 11-09 | |||
| M 11-12 | Circular coordinates Circular motion |
Chapter N8 | 7. Projectile Motion |
| W 11-14 | |||
| F 11-16 | |||
| M 11-19 | Quiz 2 | No Lab | |
| Nov. 21-25 | Thankgiving Break | ||
| M 11-26 | Magnetic Forces Simple harmonic motion |
Chapter E7 Chapter N11 |
8. Rotational Motion of Electrons |
| W 11-28 | |||
| F 11-30 | |||
| M 12-03 | Statics | Chapter N5 | 9. Simple Harmonic Motion |
| W 12-05 | Quiz 3 | ||
| F 12-07 | Review | ||
| Final Exam on Friday December 14, 2012 Msall: 9am, Liu: 2pm |
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