University of Pittsburgh

Times | People | Course | Requirements | Book | Assignments | Labs | Notes | Rules | Tests | Grades | Resources

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Times

People

Course description

Content

This is a four credit-hour, calculus-based physics course for students majoring in science or engineering. This course covers basic mechanics and some modern physics. The variety of phenomena we will be able to explain and understand is very wide, from the orbit of a planet to the speed of sound in a solid. We emphasize the fact that there are only a small number of fundamental principles that underlie the behavior of matter and that using these powerful principles, models can be constructed to explain a wide variety of physical phenomena.

For a daily assignments, please see WebAssign.

Philosophy

 

We will provide you with the opportunity to acquire a good physical understanding of the course material. As stated in the general objectives for SCALE-UP physics, this course places significant emphasis on qualitative physical reasoning as a complement to the mathematical quantitative aspects. Students from previous semesters taking the equivalent course at other institutions have made suggestions to help you succeed.

By the end of this semester, you will be able to:

Apply a small set of fundamental physical principles to a wide variety of physical situations.
Use these principles to explain a wide variety of physical phenomena, including at a microscopic level.
Use these principles to predict the behavior of a variety of physical systems.
Model complicated physical systems by making approximations and idealizations in order to be able to apply fundamental principles.
Create a 3D, animated computer model of a physical situation.

Approach

 

The course will emphasize rigorous problem-solving in physics using interactive instruction, educational software, computer applications important for science and engineering students, and cooperative learning.

Each class meeting will require students to be responsive, to think, and to perform hands-on tasks. (Get a good night's sleep before coming to class!) Key concepts of new material will often be discussed in short lectures. You are responsible for all the readings outlined in the calendar, regardless of whether it is discussed in class. A wide variety of activities and measurements will be interspersed with classroom discussion.

Collaborative Work

 

Scientists and engineers work in groups as well as alone. Social interactions are critical to their success. Most good ideas grow out of discussions with colleagues. This course encourages collaborative teamwork, a skill that is valued by most employers. As you study together, help your partners get over confusions, ask each other questions, and critique your group homework and lab write-ups. Teach each other! You will learn a great deal by teaching.

While collaboration is the rule in technical work, evaluations of individuals also play an important role in science and engineering. Tests and final exam are to be done without help from others.

 

Requirements

Prerequisite

 

Passing grade in first semester of calculus based introduction to physics course. Finished with or coregistered in the second semester of calculus is required. The math needed is a good knowledge of algebra and a basic knowledge of derivatives, which can be obtained from a semester of calculus. It is useful to have had a high school physics course, but it is not required. No prior experience with computer programming is required. We will teach you everything you need to know for the computer modeling that is a component of the course.

Attendance and study requirements

 

Class meets 5 hours per week. Attendance is required. In addition to the 5 hours of class per week, you are expected to spend about 8 hours studying outside class. If you typically spend much less than 8 hours of outside study, you are unlikely to be able to learn the material. If you typically spend much more than 12 hours of outside study, you should consult with the instructor about ways to study more efficiently.

It is important to keep up with the class. Each new concept introduced in this course builds on earlier ones, so mastering key ideas is critical. If you get behind, seek help right away! Talk to your teammates, the TA, or the instructor. Everyone wants you to succeed, but it is up to you to take advantage of the assistance that is available.

Bring the textbook and a scientific calculator to class every day. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed.

Be a full participant during the in-class activities. You'll be amazed how familiar the quiz and exam questions will be if you do this!

 

Textbook

Textbook study

 

Review the calendar carefully to see which textbook sections to study and what topics are being discussed during the upcoming week. Read the assigned textbook sections thoughtfully, before they are covered in class.

Do the “"stop and think" activities marked by "?" in the text. Identify the most important concept in this section of the textbook.

Get help with any concepts or reasoning that was not clear to you from the reading. After studying the textbook sections, work through the WebAssign questions to check your understanding.

It will usually take you much longer to complete the WebAssign work if you do not first read the textbook sections and do the exercises in the textbook, because you won't be properly prepared and will find yourself floundering around, trying one answer after another.

Assignments

Readings

 

You are responsible for reading the textbook and working assigned problems. You may be assigned homework problems on material that has not been covered in class. You should start homework early and get help if needed before they are due. Check the calendar regularly for a detailed schedule.

Homework

Individual homework will be submitted via the WebAssign system. Assignments will usually consist of 3-5 exercises from the text book. You are allowed a limited number of submissions. You should work each assignment on separate paper (different from the web assignment page) showing how you solved the problem.

WebAssign will tell you if your numerical answers are correct, but homework solutions will not be posted. Your task is to make certain to find out how to solve the problems by getting help before they are due or asking about them in class.

Occasionally a homework assignment will be selected for hand grading. To receive full credit, you must prepare a valid written solution using a good problem-solving strategy. To facilitate this, you must have a homework journal, where each problem is worked out.

Written work must show labeled diagrams, defined variables, general physics equations, algebraic solution, numerical solution, units, and conclusion about why the problem was assigned. Each student must submit an original solution. If two papers are identical, each paper will receive half the maximum points given.

 

You may request an extension for a past due homework assignment, but there will be a penalty. Use the extension link in WebAssign to request one.

Group Work

You will be assigned to a group. Many class activities will require you to work together with your team. On each group work assignment, your group must designate a manager to organize the work and make certain everyone understands who is supposed to be doing what, a recorder to prepare the final solution, and a skeptic/checker, to verify the final solutions for correctness and to ensure that everyone in the group understands all the solutions.

These roles must rotate for every assignment.

You are welcome to work on WebAssignments with your team, but each team member should set up and solve the assignment individually. Then the team should get together to check results and resolve conflicts.

 

You are encouraged to study with your team as much as possible. Work together to prepare for tests and quizzes. If your team's average score on a test is 80% or better, each team member gets an extra 5 points added to their score for "teamsmanship."

 

Sample contracts for group members are available. If you are not satisfied with the way your group is working, first try to discuss it with your group members. If you cannot arrive at a satisfactory solution, then discuss this with your instructor. Groups will change periodically during the semester.

 

Laboratory

You will be offered hands-on, inquiry-based activities during the class period that allow you to uncover various aspects of a physics concept. Labs will vary in length and complexity. Some labs will require formal lab reports that should follow basic scientific report guidelines. (A good website with useful information is the LabWrite site.) Labs will be done in groups.

Lab reports must be a Word or similar document and submitted (by the group recorder) using WebAssign.

There will only be a few formal lab reports due during the semester. On the other had, there will be many in-class informal lab write-ups consisting of diagrams, formulas, tables, graphs, etc. that will become part of your class notes.

You must attend class during the day the lab is done in order to receive credit. If you have an excused absence, you may be able to reschedule a time to make up the lab. In any case the lab must be completed within a week of the original date.

To receive credit for the lab report, you must have an assigned role and contribute to the lab report. If a member of the group does not contribute to the report, that person's name must not appear on the lab report. (You may receive partial credit for a lab if you write it up on your own. Before this is done, you must have permission of the instructor.)

 

Notes

Rules

Interactive learning requires a number of resources. Classroom computers will be used for some of the activities. Because it is easy to get off track while doing activities, it is necessary to restrict access on the computers. The following rules will be enforced during class whether using a classroom computer or your own in 210 Thaw. Students who need to use a computer for any of these functions will be asked to use the lab next door or some other facility.

1. No Instant Messaging
2. No E-mail
3. No accessing non-class related URLs
4. No cell phones, except to take photos of whiteboards.
5. No food or drinks allowed in 210 Thaw at any time.

Tests

Quizzes

 

A quiz consists of a few short problem-solving and descriptive questions designed to take you 20 minutes or less, if you are prepared. These will be given most Fridays. The lowest quiz score will be dropped.

Tests

 

Tests consist of longer questions pertaining to the previously assigned material. If you have an excused absence, you will need to contact the instructor to make up the test. See the course calendar for the schedule. Note that if your team's average score on a test is 80% or better, each team member gets an extra 5 points added to their score for "teamsmanship."

Final exam

 

A comprehensive final exam will cover all of the course material.

 

Grade Requirements

Attendance is required. You will find that if you don't come to class you will very quickly get lost. Class time is used to extend your understanding beyond the content in the textbook. You will need to read before coming to class and arrive with questions ready to be asked.

All tests are given under Pitt's student academic integrity policy.

“Students in this course will be expected to comply with University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.”

You will be asked to certify that you have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test. Specifically, you understand your access to the Internet is limited to the test and the equation sheet only. You also must not discuss the content of the test until after the due date.

 

Resources

Free help is available at the Resource Room in 312 Thaw Hall. The Resource Room is open weekdays during posted hours. Many resources are also available at the Acedemic Resource Center.

Information about the University's policy on academic integrity is available. It is the teacher's understanding and expectation that a student's name on any test or assignment means that the student neither gave nor received unauthorized aid, either from an individual or via the Internet. If you are caught cheating, you will automatically fail the course.

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and the Disability Resources and Services no later than the 2nd week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Office is located in 216 William Pitt Union. Please visit the University's Disability Resources and Services Pages for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. Adam Leibovich

Office Hrs: W10:00-12:00 and by appointment

200K Allen Hall

624-3617

 

Damon Hanson

Office Hrs: T4:00-6:00 in 210 Thaw

522 Allen Hall
624-1826

 

Peer leader: Jana DuMond

Study session: H 7:00-8:00 in 210 Thaw