PHYSICS 101: Introductory Physics I

Sections 6, 7 Fall 2011

 

 

Lecture:  Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Location: Rita Hollings Science Center, room 125 

Time: MWF 10:00 am - 10:50 am

 

 

Instructor: Dr. George Chartas

Office: 129 RHSC

Office hours: MWF 11:00 am - noon

Phone: (843) 953-3609

Email: chartasg@cofc.edu

 

 

A preliminary outline of the course can be found at the SCHEDULE website. Some of this material is subject to change and this site will be constantly up-dated so please check it before each class.

 

 

 

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Syllabus

Required materials:

The textbook for the course is Physics (4th Edition), Volume 1, by James S. Walker, Addison-Wesley (PEARSON).  The textbook sold at the bookstore is bundled with WebAssign and a study guide and sells for $152.75. We will not be using WebAssign for the course so you may also choose to purchase the book elsewhere without the WebAssign option.  You will also need a scientific calculator capable of computing exponential functions.

 

Course Objectives:

One of the main goals of this class is to reveal to you the underlying laws of physics that explain the various physical phenomena in our Universe.  Introductory physics 1 will focus on the laws that describe the motion of objects, kinetic and potential energy, the conservation of energy, linear and rotational dynamics, Gravity, the properties of waves and sound, and the properties of fluids. The course concludes with a brief introduction to thermodynamics.

In addition to learning the laws of physics, students in this class will be provided with the skills necessary to solve quantitative problem.

I recommend that you review the material before it is presented in class. This will help you to better understand the concepts and enjoy the class. I expect your active participation in the class.

 

Midterm Exams Homework and Quizzes:

There will be 3 midterm exams over the semester. The worst score of the three may be dropped. Homework will be assigned after each chapter and I expect it to be turned in by the assigned due date listed on the schedule web site. Several quizzes will be given during lectures. The quizzes will be based on material already presented in lectures. There will be a final exam that will cover most of the material presented in the lectures.

 

 

Grades

 

Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

 

Homework

10%

Quizzes

15%

Participation

10%

Midterms

40%

Final

25%

 

Your number grade will be converted into a letter grade as follows.

 

 

>85%

A

80-84%

A-

76-80%

B+

72-76%

B

68-72%

B-

64-68%

C+

60-64%

C

56-60%

C-

52-56%

D+

48-52%

D

44-48%

D-

<44%

F

 

 

Special Needs

If you have any special needs or disabilities that might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course, please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become aware of them.

Class Policies:

Cellular technology:  Please respect your classmates and keep your cellular devices off.

Cheating:

Violations of the College of Charleston Honor Code (including cheating or attempted cheating) will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs for adjudication. Examples of cheating include copying test or quiz answers, using cellular technology to communicate information during a test or quiz, copying homework answers verbatim from an external source.