College Physics I

PHYS 2001-001

Summer Semester 2015

SYLLABUS

Instructor:

Instructor: Lindsay Owens E-mail: owensly@mail.uc.edu

Program: Educational Studies, Ph.D. Office: 511 Teachers College

Class Times: M,W,R 8:00am-9:00am Location: 301 Braunstein

Recitations Times T 8:00am-9:00am Office Hours MW 10:30am-Noon

Course Description: Want to Know About The World You Live In?

Physics is crucial to understanding the world around us, the world inside us, and the world beyond us. It

is the most basic and historic fundamental science. It encompasses everything from the really large

(universe) to the really small (subatomic particles) and serves as the foundation for all other physical and

natural sciences and all forms of engineering. It challenges our imaginations with concepts like force and

energy, and it leads to great discoveries, like computers and lasers, that lead to technologies which change

our lives such as lasik eye corrective surgery.

In this course you will understand different how linear motion is modeled with kinematics, forces,

momentum, and energy. Rotational motion is modeled with forces, torques, and angular momentum.

This class will skim along the surface of the voodoo black magic that is fluid dynamics. Lastly, the laws

of thermodynamics will be explored in terms of the energy and work paralleling with kinematics. Despite

the plethora of topics in this course, every piece of content can be related to other content in the course.

In our exploration of physics, your mathematics skills will be refined, your critical thinking skills honed,

and your problem solving abilities enhanced (man, that sounds cheesy). You will be able to apply

physical theory to real world problems and work together in groups to solve especially challenging

problems. Because physics is foundational for all other sciences and engineering fields, the content and

skills acquired in this course will serve you in your future courses throughout your program.

Co/Prerequisites: MATH 1061 (Calculus I) or equivalent

Recitation: Recitations begin the first week of class. Attendance is required and participation is

expected of every student. Recitation activities will account for 15% of the student’s final grade and at

least 25% of exam questions will cover material discussed in recitation.

Laboratory: Labs begin the first week of class. Lab is its own separate course and is not required as part

of PHYS 2001. Material covered in lab will be supplemental to material covered in lecture, but is not

required for success in this course.

Student Learning Outcomes and Methods of Assessment

Knowledge of Fundamental Physics Laws: Students will be able to understand and apply kinematics,

Newton’s Laws, energy and momentum to solve problems of motion. In addition, students will

understand and apply the laws of energy conservation and momentum conservation to solve collision

problems. Students will be able to analyze a system in static equilibrium. Lastly, students will be able to

understand and apply the laws of thermodynamics.

These outcomes will be assessed by in-class group work, homework assignments, quizzes, and exams.

Problem Solving Skills: This course will help students develop

critical thinking by solving complex problems with the help of step-

by-step methods from the textbook. You will be able to apply

physical theory to real world problems and work together in groups

to solve especially challenging problems.

These outcomes will be assessed by in-class group work, homework assignments, quizzes, and exams.

Communication skills and the ability of keeping a scientific notebook: Students will be encouraged to

engage in respectful and meaningful in-class or online discussions (e.g., on Blackboard). Students will

have to follow and take notes during all lectures, which reinforces the concept of keeping a scientific

journal. Students will learn that good note taking incorporates many important skills such as organizing,

listening, thinking about the course material, and making decisions.

These outcomes will be assessed by in-class group work, online discussions, quizzes, and exams.

Textbooks and Study Aids

Texts: Physics or Scientists and Engineers, 9th ed. By Serway and Jewett. ISBN 978-1133947271

Clickers and JiTT: Turningpoint Personal Response Clickers will be used frequently during lecture.

They are listed on the bookstore website as “Response Card RF – LCD”. Clickers will be used for

general polling as well as to practice physics concepts during class. While attendance in lecture is not

mandatory, students who correctly answer at least 50% of the clicker questions over course of the entire

semester will receive 3 bonus points towards their overall final exam in the course (oh, that’s cool).

Amount of Study: An average student will need to spend approximately 8 hours per week outside of

class reading, working problems, and preparing for class activities (wait, what? 8 hours?). Reading the

text includes making note of content, concepts, and noting when certain “special” equations are useful.

(Yeah, but 8 hours?) Remember, physics is tough, especially if you have not had exposure to it before.

Practice is an excellent way to make sure you are understanding the material, and practice takes time.

Course Assessments

Collaborative Group Work: Special problems, discussions, or worksheets will be completed in groups

predominantly in class. Collaborative groups can be between 2-3 people (3 is preferred) and every

student within the group will receive the same grade on the CGP.

Weekly Homework: Weekly homework from the text and supplemental materials (available on

blackboard) will be assigned and due each Monday at Noon, except for week 1. Approximately half of

the textbook and supplemental homework problems will be graded for completeness and honest attempts

at problem solving. Approximately half of assigned problems grades will be in the amount of 60% for the

correct approach, 30% for organization and thought process, and 10% for overall correctness. Student’s

may turn in homework during Monday’s class or up until noon in my Dropbox. After 12pm, it is

considered late.

Late homework will be docked 10% of the original amount for each day (24 hour period) it is late and

will no longer be accepted for credit one week after the original due date.

Get out Jail Free Cards: at the beginning of each semester, students are provided with 1 card. If this

card is lost, damaged, or stolen, another will not be provided. This card may be “used” on any homework

assignment and gives a 1-week extension without any penalty. Simply write your name on the back of

the card, staple the card to the respective homework assignment and turn it in to either the Floral Dropbox

or in class up to 1 week after the original due date. This card may also be “sold” on the day of the final

exam back to me in exchange for 20 homework points on your lowest homework assignment.

Terms and Agreements: If the student has any late homework assignments (even if they chose not to use

the GoJF card) then the card may NOT be sold back on the day of the final.

Quizzes: In-class quizzes will be given six times throughout the semester, please see our course calendar

for the exact dates. The question format will include multiple choice, short answer, and/or problem

solving. The lowest quiz score of the semester will be dropped. No make-up quizzes will be available.

Two Midterm Exams: Two midterm exams covering material from class will be given after completion

of a unit of material.

Comprehensive Final Exam: A comprehensive final exam will be given during the last week of class

and cover all material learned in class and recitation.

Extra Credit: Especially challenging problems will be given occasionally on homework and will count

for 2 additional points of extra credit that will be applied to that respective homework set. Extra credit is

also “built in” to the final exam. In addition, there is extra credit associated with clicker questions (see

Clickers in this syllabus). Should you find yourself with a grader lower than what you had anticipated, do

NOT ask me for an extra assignment, extra problems, or any form of extra credit. These requests will be

ignored/declined.

Overall Grade Determination

In Class Group Work 15%

Weekly Homework 15%

Recitation 10%

Quizzes 10%

Midterm Exam 1 15%

Midterm Exam 2 15%

Final Exam 20%

Total 100%

Final Grade: Points for assessment components will be summed. Letter grades will be assigned using

the following scale. Final grades will be rounded out to 2 decimal places. Ex. 85.4593 rounds to 85.46

for a letter grade of B+. Ex. 83.5692 rounds to 83.57 for a letter grade of B.

A 93 - 100 A- 88 - 92

B+ 84 – 87 B 80 – 83 B- 76 - 79

C+ 72 – 75 C 68 – 71 C- 64 – 67

D+ 60 – 63 D 56 – 59 D- 50 – 55

F 0 - 49

Special Needs

Students Who Are Bored Because They’ve Had Physics Already: Physics 2001 is a big course and we

have students with a variety of backgrounds. I will do my best to take your knowledge of physics further

than what you may have had in high school and I will attempt to make class activities as interesting and

applicable to your majors as possible. If you need additional challenge in this course, I suggest helping

your fellow classmates. Having to explain a concept to someone else solidifies your knowledge of the

topic!

Students Who Find Themselves Overwhelmed By This Course: You are not alone. Come talk to me

in office hours, send me an email, or identify yourself in some way. There are techniques to deal with

this and I am more than willing to work with you. Word of advice, get help early. Most students do not

get their “wake-up call” until after the first exam. Please do not wait this long to get extra help if you feel

you are struggling.

Students Whose Primary Language Is Not English: Please let me know within the first 2-3 weeks of

the course if you are not able to understand any of the syllabus, course policies, lecture, the textbook, etc.

There are certain things we can do to assist you. Claiming to not understand a class

policy/announcement/assignment etc. will not excuse you from being held responsible for the

consequences of violating a policy or failing to do an assignment correctly.

Special Needs: If you have any special needs related to your participation in this course, including

identified visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, communication disorder, and/or

specific learning disability that may influence your performance in this course, you should meet with the

instructor to arrange for reasonable provisions to ensure an equitable opportunity to meet all the

requirements of this course. At the discretion of the instructor, some accommodations may require prior

approval by Disability Services.

Course Policies:

Technology-oriented Nature of the Course: This course is being conducted using Blackboard, an online

course management system; therefore, all students must have an e-mail address. If you do not have an e-

mail address, I will help you obtain one. Course documents will be posted on the course web site,

including this syllabus, notes, and documents, as well as links to information available on other sites.

However, the instructor will monitor and block inappropriate posts, comments, and discussion board

threads. Please note that anything posted on the course web site can be viewed by anyone enrolled in this

course. The site also includes record keeping features, such as a course calendar and a grade book. The

grade book feature permits an individual to see his/her grades, but not the grades of other students

enrolled in the course.

Lecture Attendance: Students who do not attend all lectures will find themselves at a severe

disadvantage, and their grades will be probably be adversely affected. Students are responsible to for

obtaining any missed announcements as a result of being late/leaving early/not attending.

Travel During The Semester: I should not have to say this, but past incidents have

required me to put this in writing. It is extremely unwise to schedule vacations during the

semester. If you are gone for vacation, it is your responsibility to keep up on all

lecture activities and homework assignments. You will NOT be

given any extensions, you will not be permitted to make up any

quizzes, or any exams missed, including the final exam. All exams can only be taken before

you leave (pending approval from the instructor).

Cellular phones: Cell phones should not ring during class. Please do not text during class. Cell phones

are NOT permitted to be out during an exam for any reason. Under NO circumstances may a cell

phone be used as a calculator on an exam. If a cell phone is out during an exam, it will be constituted as

cheating and you will be dismissed from the exam and receive a grade of zero for the exam. I encourage

you to bring spare batteries or even a spare calculator.

Grade Disputes: If a student notices that a mistake has been made in scoring an assignment or

assessment they have 1 week from day the graded document was returned to the class to bring the matter

to the attention of the instructor. Please fill out a Re-grade Form (available on blackboard), and follow

the directions on the form. Grade corrections requested more than 1 week from the return date or which

are not in the appropriate format will be ignored/denied.

Exam Policies

Calculator: A scientific calculator (4 function plus trig functions) all you really need, but you can use a

TI-83 or TI-84. However, no equation solver calculators (TI-89’s) may be used. Under NO

circumstances may a cell phone be used as a calculator on an exam. If a cell phone is out during an

exam, it will be constituted as cheating and you will be dismissed from the exam and receive a grade of

zero for the exam. I encourage you to bring spare batteries or even a spare calculator.

Equation Sheet: You are permitted an equation sheet on which you may write

formulas, units, etc. You may NOT have: worked out examples, copies of book

figures, graphs, motion diagrams, drawn out free body diagrams, etc. You will turn in

your equation sheet with your test. If you have any questions about what exactly is/is

not allowed on your equation sheet, feel free to ask.

Exam 1: one side of a standard 9x11 sheet of paper

Exam 2: both sides of a standard 9x11 sheet of paper

Final Exam: both sides of a standard 9x11 sheet of paper

Missed Exam Policy: If you know you are going to miss an exam you must let me know as far in

advance as possible and we must make arrangements as soon as possible. Failing to let me know in

advance of a foreseeable absence during an exam will result in a student not being granted a make-up

exam.

If you are unable to make it the day of the exam the following documentation is needed in order to request

a make-up exam from me:

Copy of doctor/hospital/UC Clinic visitation form (in case of illness or injury)

Copy of funeral program

Copy of police report (in case of car wreck or other unforeseen circumstance)

Letter from Coach about athletic events

Copy of Nobel Acceptance speech

Obviously, we do not want the first 3 to happen to anyone. If you have not made prior arrangements

with me and you miss the exam for any reason other than those mentioned above (or another equally

reasonable excuse) you will not be given a make-up exam.

University Policies

Academic Integrity: The University Rules, including the Student Code of Conduct, and other

documented policies of the department, college, and university related to academic integrity will be

enforced. Any violation of these regulations, including acts of plagiarism or cheating, will be dealt with

on an individual basis according to the severity of the misconduct. A link to the student code of conduct

is attached:

(http://www.uc.edu/conduct/Code_of_Conduct.html)

Bearcat Bond: "As a member of the University of Cincinnati, I will uphold the principles for a Just

Community and the values of respect, responsibility, and inclusiveness. I will promote the highest levels

of personal and academic honesty and aspire continuously to better myself, the Bearcat community, and

the world" *endorsed by Faculty Senate, GSGA, and Student Government Spring 2012

Incompletes: The instructor will not assign the grade of “I” (Incomplete) unless the student has at least a

“C-“ average in the class. The instructor and students who received an “I’ will agree upon the

requirements and timeline of course completion. An “I” will automatically be converted to a “F” one

calendar year after the “I” was assigned. Students cannot graduate with an “I” on their academic record.

*The contents of this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced in class and through blackboard.*