http://cosmo.nyu.edu/hogg/gp1/
This syllabus is for NYU CAS Physics course PHYS-UA 11 in the Fall 2011 semester.
| name | contact | office | office hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Prof David W. Hogg | ude.uyn@ggoh.divad | Meyer 501 | Wed 15:30–17:30 |
| laboratory | Andres Cardenas | ude.uyn@sanedrac.serdna | Meyer 941 | Mon 14:00–15:00 |
| Gabriel Chaves | ude.uyn@922cdg | Meyer 639A | Thu 15:00–16:00 Fri 15:00–16:00 | |
| Phil Frankel | ude.uyn@832fmp | Meyer 639A | Mon 19:00–20:00 | |
| Ian K. Harnarine | ude.uyn@hknai | Meyer 639A | Wed 16:00–17:00 | |
| Evgeny Kamenetskiy | ude.uyn@4kee | Meyer 227 | call x8-3614 or x8-7658 | |
| Ricardo Neves | ude.uyn@sevenr | Meyer 220 | Wed 15:00–16:00 | |
| Daniele Pinna | ude.uyn@annip.eleinad | Meyer 639 | Mon 17:00-18:00 | |
| Mike Salvati | ude.uyn@itavlas.ekim | Meyer 228 | by appointment | |
| Qiushi Wang | ude.uyn@gnaw.ihsuiq | Meyer 923 | Tue 12:30–13:30 | |
| Vincent Xiaobo Xu | ude.uyn@752xx | Meyer 639 | Thu 18:00–19:00 | |
| admin. | William LePage | +1.212.998.7704 | Meyer 424 |
There are several aims of this course, not limited to
The scope of the course is set by a finite set of problems. This set of problems is the union of all the problems seen or discussed in lecture, all the problems seen or discussed in the laboratory component of the course, and the set of problems given in the weekly problem sets.
All exam questions on all of the midterm exams and on the final exam will refer only to problems from this extremely limited set of problems. Exam problems will be repeats of problems seen before, with only minor changes or transformations.
There is no assigned textbook for the lecture component of the course. Any calculus-based mechanics textbook published in the last ten years would provide an acceptable reference work. In particular, the book Matter and Interactions Volume 1 by Chabay and Sherwood (any edition) is an excellent reference, and so is University Physics Volume 1 by Young and Freedman (also any edition). Once again, the scope is set by the finite set of problems, not by any textbook.
Calculus, trigonometry, and algebra will all be involved. If you are rusty, brush up.
Grades will be based on a total score generated with these percentages:
| percentage | comments | |
|---|---|---|
| laboratory reports | 20 | lowest lab grade is dropped |
| term exam 1 | 15 | |
| term exam 2 | 15 | |
| term exam 3 | 15 | |
| final exam | 35 | cumulative |
| total | 100 |
Grades will be assigned in one-to-one correspondence with the total score according to the following percentage ranges:
| total score greater than: | 90 | 86 | 82 | 72 | 68 | 64 | 54 | 40 | percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| final grade at least: | A | A− | B+ | B | B− | C+ | C | D |
For the laboratory component of this course, you will need the General Physics I laboratory manual. There are laboratory sessions for most weeks of the semester, and for each one you will be required to hand in a laboratory report, which will be graded. Your laboratory instructor will explain what is expected in a good laboratory report.
Laboratory reports are due at the start of the laboratory session immediately following the session in which the experiment is performed. A late reports is penalized by reducing the maximum possible grade by 50 percentage points if it comes in within a week of the deadline; it is graded zero after that.
Absences from laboratories will be excused only for medical reasons with a doctor's note. No other excuses will be accepted. It is not possible to perform a laboratory experiment in advance of the scheduled laboratory time or after it. Laboratory experiments missed or reports not turned in for any reason will be graded zero unless there is a properly documented medical excuse. Importantly, if you miss or get a grade of zero on more than two laboratory experiments for any reason (medical or otherwise), you will not receive a passing grade for the course; the best grade you can receive in this situation is "Incomplete". You can only complete this incomplete by retaking the entire lab sequence (not just the labs you missed) in a subsequent semester.
If you are re-taking only the laboratory part of this course, you must contact both Prof Hogg and Mr LePage at the beginning of the semester to notify them of this situation, and you must be properly registered for the laboratory session you attend.
Your laboratory instructor will be responsible for grading your laboratory reports and for providing to Prof Hogg a laboratory grade for each student. Your instructor will construct your total laboratory grade from all but your worst (lowest-score) laboratory. If you have missed a laboratory for a properly documented medical reason, that laboratory will be pro-rated out of the total score. (If you have missed more than two for any reason, including medical, you will not pass the course; see above.) If we find that there are large and statistically significant differences in the grading policies or outcomes of different laboratory instructors, Prof Hogg will make adjustments in the interest of fairness.
For safety reasons, you are not permitted to attend a laboratory session for which you are not registered, even if it is led by the same instructor as your proper session. Laboratory reports based on attendance in wrong laboratory sessions will be given scores of zero.
A small number of problems are assigned each week to work on as you wish (see the table below). These problem sets are not to be handed in, but it is strongly recommended that you work on the problems, because they comprise part of the scope of the course.
Please feel free to discuss problem set questions with other students. Working together can be very educational and helpful; it is also more fun; it is encouraged! Of course it is also the case that you will not learn the material and not perform well on the exams if you have not struggled individually with the problems, so seek a balance.
The problem sets provide very valuable concrete example problems around which you can seek help and advice from your peers and from the tutoring and help resources we provide. Solutions to the problems will not be provided; these problem sets will be evaluated by your performance on the term exams.
The Department and University provide tremendous resources for this class; you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not use them:
Each of these resources has the important property that you get much more out of them if you come with a specific question ready in advance.
But above all, your best resource is your fellow students. Form a study group (ideally with students of comparable ability) and work together on the lecture material, on relevant reading, and on the problem sets. Choose a regular time and meet. Multiple lines of research show that students who make use of peer support learn better and perform better on the exams. They also have more fun.
There will be three Term Examinations during the term and a Final Exam at the end, on dates given in the schedule below. The exams will take place in the lecture room. The scope of each exam will be made clear in lecture, but in brief, the Term Exams will concentrate on the material in the previous few weeks, and the Final Exam will cover the entire semester's content.
The exams will be open notes. Any written or printed documents are permitted in the exam room. On the other hand, electronic devices that can connect to a mobile-phone network or internet are forbidden. Furthermore, you do not need a calculator, so no electronic devices will be permitted at all.
Each exam question will be a small modification of a problem you have seen before, in lecture, in a laboratory, or on a problem set, with small changes or shortened to a sub-part of the problem. The idea is that good performance on the exams will demonstrate that you really have understood the work that has been assigned and discussed throughout the semester.
Missed exams will be graded zero unless there is a properly documented medical excuse. If there is a properly documented medical excuse for a missed term exam, it will be pro-rated out of the total score. No special arrangements will be made and no excuses will be granted for travel conflicts, no matter what. If you have a non-medical emergency that prevents you from making an examination, you will have to speak with a Dean of your College, not with the faculty in this course.
The exams are absolutely mandatory. If you miss or do not take
or do not hand in the Final Exam for any reason (medical or
otherwise), or if you miss or do not take or do not hand in more
than one of the Term Exams for any reason (medical or otherwise),
you will not receive a passing grade for the course; the best grade
you can receive in this situation is Incomplete
. You can only
complete this incomplete by retaking the entire exam complement
(not just the exams you missed) in a subsequent semester.
If you are re-taking only the exam part of this course, you must contact both Prof Hogg and Mr LePage at the beginning of the semester to notify them of this situation.
If you arrive late for any exam, you will not be given extra time. If you fail to obey any of the instructions given to you by course staff before, during, or after any exam, your exam may be graded zero or you may be subject to academic honesty proceedings.
audio recordings: While you are not forbidden from making audio recordings during class, you must not post, publish, or share them with others, not even in small sound bites. This is because the classroom setting is a private setting in which everyone should feel free to speak plainly and without regrets. Failure to obey this rule will be considered an act of academic dishonesty.
disabilities: If you have an arrangement with the Center for Students with Disabilities, you must present the relevant forms to Mr LePage one week in advance of each of the exams.
academic honesty: By University and
Departmental policy, the lightest punishment we are permitted to give
for academic dishonesty is a grade of F
in the course and a
disciplinary action by the College. Academic dishonesty includes (in
addition to the usual kinds of cheating) misrepresenting matters of
material importance to the instructors.
feedback: Please ask questions during lectures and recitations. If there is something you don't understand, many other students are having the same trouble, guaranteed. If there is some aspect of the pace, content, or structure of the course you don't like, or any other feedback you would like to give, please let Prof Hogg know as soon as possible. If you wait until course evaluation forms are handed out at the end of the semester, you will have benefited next year's class at the expense of your own!
legalese: We apologize for the legal tone of this syllabus. The subject of physics is great fun; operating an enormous class can be exasperating. All of the staff of this course will do everything we can to make this class interesting and enjoyable for everyone. Physics isn't just fun for Prof Hogg; it is his profession and his calling.
The following table is subject to change; please check back here frequently.
| start of week | lecture subjects | laboratory | problem set | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 05 | dimesional analysis, estimation, air resistance Tues: The mass of the Earth Thurs: Falling bucket |
no laboratories this week | ps 01 | |||
| Sep 12 | kinematics, falling objects, acceleration and velocity Tues: Thrown stone Thurs: One-dimensional trajectory |
Motion 1 | ps 02 | |||
| Sep 19 | gravity and contact forces, planes and strings Tues: Blocks on planes Thurs: Atwoods machine |
Motion 2 | ps 03 | |||
| Sep 26 | relationships of kinematics and dynamics Tues: Banking airplane Thurs: More banking airplane; book smackdown |
Equilibrium of a Particle | ps 04 | |||
| Oct 03 | pseudo-forces, roller coaster Tues: Term Exam 1 in Lecture on Oct 04 Thurs: The swinging coffee cup |
Newton's Second Law | ps 05 | |||
| Oct 10 | energy and energy consumption Tues: no lecture on Oct 11 Thurs: The ski jump |
no laboratories this week | ps 06 | |||
| Oct 17 | energy and momentum, conservation laws, center of mass Tues: More ski jump; the bullet in block Thurs: Elastic collision |
Centripetal Force | ps 07 | |||
| Oct 24 | torques and statics, stress, mechanical advantage Tues: Block on a light table Thurs: Cantilevers, hanging sign |
Conservation of Energy | ps 08 | |||
| Oct 31 | stress and strain, elastic materials Tues: guitar string Thurs: Term Exam 2 in Lecture on Nov 03 |
Collisions in One Dimension | no ps | |||
| Nov 07 | harmonic motion, oscillation, elasticity Tues: guitar string continued Thurs: harmonic oscillators |
Ballistic Pendulum | ps 09 | |||
| Nov 14 | waves, sound Tues: waves on a string Thurs: standing waves |
Work–Energy | ps 10 | |||
| Nov 21 | fluids, hydrostatics Tues: fluid pressure Thurs: no lecture on Nov 24 |
no laboratories this week | no ps | |||
| Nov 28 | buoyancy, fluid flow Tues: balloon in the bus Thurs: buoyancy, conservative flow |
Oscillations of a String | ps 11 | |||
| Dec 05 | fluid flow Tues: water spout Thurs: Term Exam 3 in Lecture on Dec 08 |
Resonance Tube | no ps | |||
| Dec 12 | biophysics, cells Tues: droplet of water Thurs: exam review |
no laboratories this week | ps 12 | |||
| The Final Exam will be on Dec 23 at 12:00 noon in Tisch UC-50. | ||||||
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