Physics I

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Physics I

• PhysicsTHE science on which all others are based

2
What is Physics

• Etymologically, related to Greek physis
• Nature
• Change
• Same root word as in physician, physiology
• So Physics, like most natural sciences, is the
  description and prediction of changes in nature

3
Textbook definition

• Hecht Physics is the study of matter,
  interaction, and change
• Temporal classification
• Classical through the first two decades of 20th
  centurymechanics gen. relativity
• Modernthrough 1960s-quantum mechanics
• Contemporaryup through today-field theory

4
Tasks

• Physics has three main functional classifications
• Experimental
• Theoretical
• Your instructors thesis is in this area
• Computational
• Your instructors current interests are in this
  area

5
Physics is the easiest science to learn

• The technical vocabulary consists of ordinary
  words, e.g.
• Force
• Energy
• Momentum
• Unlike chemistry or biology physics deals with
  only a few things at once perhaps as many as
  three instead of 6 x 1024 or more

6
Physics is the easiest science to learn

• Physics and mathematics inextricably linked
• Use of mathematics simplifies the science of
  physics for those who are not innumerate
• Since physics is the fundamental science its
  concepts are reinforced in other disciplinesits
  ubiquitous

7
Your instructor has attitude

• Materialist
• Only matter/energy in the Universe
• Reductionist
• Systems of matter and energy can in principle be
  understood by breaking them into smaller and
  simpler groups

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Quick Tour of Textbook

• Front endpapers
• Paste-down
• Unit conversions, SI derived units,SI numeric
  prefixes
• http//physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/index.html
• http//physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/prefixes.html
• Free
• Mensuration and right triangle mathematics review
• Physical constants
• http//physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html

9
Quick Tour of Textbook

• Back endpapers
• Paste-down
• Periodic Table of the elements
• Update through element Z 116
• http//www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/
• Free
• Physical and astrophysical data
• The Greek alphabet

10
Quick Tour of Textbook

• Appendices
• A review of algebra
• B review of geometry
• C summary of right triangles
• D summary of Vectors
• E summary of dimensional analysis
• F Review of Calculus (calc-based class only)

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Quick Tour of Textbook

• Answers
• Answers to odd-numbered multiple-choice questions
• Answers to odd-numbered problems
• More complete solutions to problems with
  bold-faced numbers
• If problem number is italic, solution is in
  Student Solution Manual.

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Tour of Text

• Special Color Coding of problems
• Red Coordinated problems
• Triplets of very similar problems
• Lots of hints given in the first of the triplet
• Blue -- Progressive Problems
• Algebra/Trig book only
• Guided and heuristic problems and solutions.

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Quick Tour of Textbook

• End-of-Chapter stuff
• Review (good thing to read first too)
• Problems
• labeled by difficulty
• I trivial
• II reasonable but not trivial
• III relatively difficult
• bold-faced numbers solution in answer section
• Italicized numbers solution in student solution
  manual
• Red numbers are grouped problems, similar in
  solution method
• Blue numbers indicate guided solutions
• Discussion Questions
• Always good to look atWeekly WebCT assignments
  involve these
• Multiple-Choice questions-Some discussion in lab
  periods, some in Web-CT

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Inside the Chapters

• Pay particular attention to figures and figure
  captions
• Photographs often interesting
• Tables give good sense of orders of magnitude
• You should perform the Exploring Physics on Your
  Own experiments
• Write up in your lab book just as we do the
  in-class labs

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Assignment Procedures

• Homework problems from textbook are due the
  lecture period following the assignment.
• At the top of each submission, cite the date and
  assignment number
• Problem solutions
• Copy the problem in its entirety
• Explicitly perform each of the five steps listed
  on
• Page 17 of Alg/Trig
• Page 22 of Calculus

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WebCT assignments

• The assignment due dates are listed on each
  assignment-
• Discussion Question assignments should be
  submitted in accordance with the WebCT protocol
• Microsoft Word
• File name of submissions
• Your initials followed by DQAssign and number
• For example
• jsmDQAssign3
• Be sure to print your own copy for your portfolio

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WebCT Lab Assignments

• As in Discussion Question Assignments but
• File names should have form
• jsmLab23
• You may submit EXCEL files, etc. , for each
  on-line lab
• If you submit more than 1 per experiment please
• jsmLab23-1, or jsmLab23-2, etc.
• Be sure to print your own copies for your
  portfolio and/or to include in your lab book

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Midterm/Final on WebCT

• The midterm exam and final exam will be taken on
  WebCT and automatically graded.