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PHY131H1F

Introduction to Physics I

Class 1

• Welcome - please make yourself comfortable!

• My name is Jason Harlow

• Today will be an introduction and

overview of this course and the

Physics Department at the University

of Toronto.

Today’s Outline

1. Essential Information for this

course

2. Physics at the University of

Toronto (including a visit from

our Undergraduate Chair)

3. Details about PHY131 this fall

4. Advice for how to do well

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1. Essential Information for this

course

PRACTICALS• This week (starting

TODAY for students in

Monday Practicals) there

will be Practicals.

• Practicals begin on time but will dismiss early this

week.

• You will be doing a pre-course diagnostic quiz and

survey, which is worth marks for your participation.

• Next week regular 2-hour Practicals begin.

• If you have already missed your Practical this week,

please email phy131@physics.utoronto.ca and we

will reschedule you for this week.

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Marking Scheme

Note that the maximum possible mark is 101%

above, but in the end every student will be held to

a maximum of 100%.

The Required Textbook

• The textbook is:

• Essential University Physics 3rd Edition

• by Richard Wolfson, Middlebury College

• ©2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Volume 1 will be used for

PHY131 this fall.

• Volume 2 will be used for

PHY132, which is offered

in the January-April “S”-

semester.

• The two-volume shrink-

wrapped set comes with

a free 1-year subscription

to MasteringPhysics.

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You also need

• An i-clicker remote.

• These will be used every class beginning

Wednesday, and must be registered on the

portal.utoronto.ca site for this course for marks.

• There is no lab manual or solutions manual for this

course; the textbook and an i-clicker are all you will

need to buy.

Who are we?

Course Professor

• Jason Harlow

• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca

B.Sc. University of Toronto 1993

Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University 2000

Course Coordinator

• Xingxing Xing

Practicals Coordinators

• Andrew Meyertholen

• Stephen Foster

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Course Administrative Assistant

• Ms. April Seeley

• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca

• Office: MP129

• Voice line: 416-946-0531

• Office hours: Mondays through Fridays 8:30am-1:00pm

and 2:30-3:50pm

My contact information

• Jason Harlow, teaching first half of course

• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca

• Office: MP121B

• /harlowphysics

• /phy131uoft (341 “likes” as of this morning)

• @jasonjbharlow

• Voice line (no texts): 416-946-4071

• Fall 2015 office hours: Tuesdays 10-11,

Thursdays 2-3, Fridays 11-12, starting tomorrow.

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Pre-Requisite for PHY131:

• MCV4U Calculus and Vectors or MHF4U Functions and

Calculus or course equivalent from another province,

country.

Co-Requisite for PHY131:

• To be able to do PHY131H1 a student must do (or have

done already) MAT135H1 or MAT137Y1 or MAT157Y1 or

course equivalent from another college/university.

2. Physics at the University of

Toronto

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What is Physics?

• “Physics is the natural science that involves

the study of matter and its motion through

space and time, along with related concepts

such as energy and force.

• More broadly, physics is the general analysis

of nature, conducted in order to understand

how the universe behaves.”

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics

http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/

• 55 Researching Faculty

• 6 Teaching Faculty

• 2 Librarians

• 20 Technologists and

Information Technology

Specialists

• 20 Administrators

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“Welcome” from the Undergraduate

Chair of Physics

• Sabine Stanley

• Ph.D. in Geophysics, Harvard

University (2004)

• B.Sc. Honors in Astronomy &

Physics. University of Toronto

(1999)

• Professor Stanley’s research

involves understanding planetary

interior processes and evolution.

What Can Physics Do For You?

• Physics training will provide you with critical thinking,

problem solving and quantitative skills

• You can apply these skills to be successful & happy in

many careers

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Physics POSts

• Physics Specialist• rigorous training in full spectrum of core physics areas

• preparing you for graduate school in physics

• Physics Major • more flexible, good companion to a second major in a complimentary

area (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Math, Computer Science)

• Biological Physics Specialist• physical principles that organize complex biological systems

• preparing you for graduate school in biophysics

• “Streams”: Advanced Physics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Physiolog

• Other Combined Specialist POSTs • Physics & Philosophy, Geophysics, Astronomy & Physics, Chemical

Physics, Mathematics & Physics, ( Also the Physics Minor)

Questions About Courses, Programs,

…?

• If you have any questions about physics courses, programs,

other physics related stuff, feel free to contact me.

• EMAIL: ugchair@physics.utoronto.ca

• OFFICE: MP328

• You can also talk to the Undergraduate Coordinator Teresa

Baptista by contacting ugcoord@physics.utoronto.ca

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Atmospheric Physics Research at U of T

How do nano-motors transport

molecules into, out of, and within

cells?

Biological Physics Research at U of T

How do simple creatures like C. elegans

make decisions?

What is the physics behind RNA folding,

molecular motors and DNA replication?

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The Large

Hadron

Collider

[Photo courtesy of http://erinjanus.com/the-time-machine-the-most-complicated-thing-created-by-humans/ ]

[image from http://www.universetoday.com/17905/large-hadron-collider-worst-case-scenario/ ]

Higgs Boson

discovered July 4, 2012

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson ]

What Does Taking PHY131/132

Get You?• Lots of fun!

• PHY131/132 is an acceptable pre-requisite for all

second-year physics courses in case you decide to

switch and pursue a POST in physics

• This course will help prepare you for the physics portion

of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in case

you want to be a doctor some day

• Many health-science post-graduate programs require 2

semesters of lab-based physics

• Important knowledge and skills which will last a lifetime.

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3. Details about PHY131 This Fall

What to bring to lectures (suggestion)

• Please bring PCS:

• Paper and Pen or Pencil

• Clicker

• Smile

• Laptops and phones are not forbidden, but they are discouraged.

• I do not post my class slides before class because I want you to come with blank paper and write things you learn about, or find interesting.

• I will always post my complete lecture slides, including answers to clicker questions, after class to help you study (usually by the next morning).

“No laptops” Image from http://www.ftsenvironmental.com/products/axiom/

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Lectures: the rules

• Be seated and ready for class by 10 minutes after

the hour

• Do not make lots of noise during class or do stuff

which distracts your neighbours

• Be patient with me when I make mistakes, and also

to point out any mistakes I don’t notice right away

(YELL!!)

• I will stop talking on the hour, and I will exit the

room to clear the stage for the next professor.

• I will be available for questions and comments for

up to half-an-hour immediately after class in the

hallway outside this room.

Clickers…

• Every student should have their own i-clicker remote,

available from the campus bookstore.

• I use these clickers to involve students in the class, survey

the class, figure out what the majority of the class knows,

and promote discussion.

• To register your i-clicker remote, log on to the course web-

site at https://portal.utoronto.ca, click on the link to register

the remote, and enter the unique 8-character Remote ID

which is found on a sticker on the back of your remote, or

behind the battery.

• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking

in-class clicker questions every class.

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Clickers…

• For each lecture beginning with class 2, one participation

point is awarded for clicking any answer (right or wrong) for

half or more of the quizzes per lecture.

• The final Lecture Participation mark is based on the best 20

out of 23 scores, and is out of 20. Any student can miss or

fail to participate in up to three classes without penalty.

• If more than three classes must be missed for a valid

reason, please provide meor April Seeley with

documentation, medical or otherwise, and we will excuse

these absences.

• Note that it is against the rules to vote using a different

student’s clicker, or to ask another student to vote for you.

• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking

in-class clicker questions every class.

Clickers…

• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking

in-class clicker questions every class.

• Any iclicker

will work!

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Online Homework

• Online homework, worth marks, will be offered on the

MasteringPhysics web-site:

http://www.masteringphysics.com

• To register for MasteringPhysics you need an access code,

which comes for free when you purchase a new Wolfson

textbook at the U of T Bookstore or Discount Textbooks.

• Stand-alone accounts on MasteringPhysics are also

available for $50 at the bookstore for students who have

obtained used textbooks.

• To get started you will need the Course ID, which is:

Course ID: MPPHY131F15

• You will also need to enter your University of Toronto

Student Number (9 or 10 digits long), in order to receive your

marks.

Pre-Class Reading Quizzes

• Classes in this course involve a lot of discussion

and reflection, and they are much more effective if

every student already has some familiarity with the

chapters we will be discussing.

• In order to encourage reading ahead, before most

classes beginning with class 2 on Wednesday, you

will have to complete a short MasteringPhysics quiz

based on the reading for that day.

• There will also be an essay question for which you

can type additional questions, thoughts or

comments which I will read before class.

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Pre-Class Reading Quizzes

• The quiz is due by 8:00am on the day of each class,

so I actually suggest completing it the evening

before the class (ie tomorrow).

• Each quiz contains only 5 questions or fewer, all of

which should be quite easy if you have done the

reading and/or watched the pre-class video on

YouTube.

• There are 21 pre-class reading quizzes in the

course, and your mark will be determined based on

the best 20 of these.

• Pre-class quizzes which arrive late will receive a

mark of zero.

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PRE-CLASS VIDEOS• For the clicker questions to be useful, you must

do the reading before coming to class.

• Note that before every class I will post a 20-

minute YouTube video, going over the highlights

of the daily reading.

• If you really don’t want to read the book before

class, then please at least watch the pre-class

video on Youtube.

• Remember, all materials are posted on

https://portal.utoronto.ca . Please check it

often.

Problem Sets

• Problem Sets will be assigned weekly throughout the

semester on MasteringPhysics, starting with the first

problem set which is due Friday Sep.25 by 11:59pm.

• Students are encouraged to use all resources when thinking

about the problems and formulating answers.

• Final answers to problem sets should be prepared and

submitted by students individually.

• The late penalty for problem sets is 10% per day of lateness

reduction in mark.

• Check MasteringPhysics often: new assignments are posted

Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00am.

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Tests and Exam

• On Tuesday October 6 and Tuesday November 17, Midterm

Tests (each 80 minutes long) will be held in the evening,

from 6:10-7:30pm in rooms TBA.

• If you have a course-conflict you will be permitted to register

to write the alternate sitting, which is the same day from 4:40-

6:00pm.

• There is no third sitting, and no make-up test.

Tests and Exam

• A 2-hour final examination, administered by the Faculty of

Arts & Science, will be held during the December

examination period: Dec.11-22, at a time announced by the

Faculty and announced by late October.

• During the term tests and final exam, you may bring one

handwritten (not typed), original (not photocopied) 8½ × 11

sheet, on both sides of which you can write anything you

wish.

• Only non-communicating calculators, with no infrared or

wireless communication capability, can be used at midterm

tests and at the final exam.

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Bonus Point for Over 65% Course

Evaluation Response Rate

• An essential component of our commitment to teaching

excellence is the regular evaluation of courses by students.

• For a two week period at the end of the semester you will be

allowed to follow a link that is sent to you by U of T and

evaluate PHY131H1F.

• It will only take 10 or 15 minutes to answer the questions and

enter your typed thoughts about the course.

• Your answers and thoughts are anonymous, but are very

important to me.

• I promise you that when the results become available to me

in January, I will read every comment and scrutinize the

responses to see if it can help me improve the course or my

teaching in the future.

Bonus Point for Over 65% Course

Evaluation Response Rate

• During the evaluation period, I will monitor the response rate

and advertise it during lectures.

• If, by the end of the course evaluation period, at least 65.0%

of the students enrolled in this course complete the course

evaluations, then every student in the course will have 1%

added to their final course mark.

• If fewer than 65.0% of students complete the course

evaluations, then no bonus point will be added for any

student.

• Online evaluations began 3 years ago. So far, no PHY131

class has reached 65.0% participation rate. (but it’s close)

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Piazza Discussion Board

• This is a fast way to get answers to your

questions, sometimes from other students

• It is optional, and it is free

• http://piazza.com/utoronto.ca/fall2015/phy131

4. Advice for how to do well

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Advice for this class:

Don’t plan to cram

• Physics involves only a few powerful concepts.

• Once you fully understand those concepts,

applying them to answer questions about a

physical situation or solve a problem is easy.

• However, full understanding of those concepts

takes some time.

• The data show that in Physics a last-minute cram is

not nearly as effective as working at a steady pace

each and every week.

• Keep up with your studies

Advice for this class:

Don’t skip material and ‘save it for later’

• Physics is like building a house: we first build a

basement, and then build the ground floor on the

basement, and then a 2nd floor on top of the ground

floor, etc.

• If the basement is not strong, then the ground floor

may fall down.

• Similarly, if the ground floor is poor the 2nd floor will

be too.

• Be sure to understand the previous concepts

before trying to learn the new ones.

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Advice for this class:

Work with friends

• A few years ago Harvard identified a large number

of characteristics and behaviours of their 1st year

students, and looked for correlations with academic

success.

• The only thing that they found that was a good

predictor of success was whether or not the student

was a participant in a study group with his/her

classmates.

• There is a large body of data that show that this is a

general rule, not just for Harvard students.

• Join or form a study group.

Advice for this class:

Understanding is not the same as

remembering

• Some students learned a survival strategy in their

high school Physics class of memorizing all the

equations.

• Then on the tests just find the right equation and

“plug and chug” to the answer.

• This strategy will not work for University-level

Physics.

• Don’t try to memorize your way through the

course.

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Advice for this class:

This is not a repeat of high school.• There are many sub-topics within physics: one is Classical

Mechanics.

• I learned about Newton’s laws in high school.

• I studied Classical Mechanics again in 1st year university (this

course).

• In 3rd year, I had another course called “Classical Mechanics”.

• In my 1st year of graduate school, when I started my PhD, one

of my courses was called “Classical Dynamics of Particles

and Systems”.

• Each course covered the same basic ideas but in much

greater depth and with more mathematical sophistication than

the previous course.

• Don’t think that you already know the material of the

course at an appropriate level.

More assorted Advice for this class:

• Take notes as you read the textbook. Reading a textbook is

not like reading a novel. Wolfson in particular is very dense;

there is a huge amount to learn from each page.

• Take notes in class. Stay active somehow; don’t just sit back

and listen.

• As you work through lots of practice problems, you will

develop your own strategy that tends to work. This may

involve drawing a diagram, writing down knowns/unknowns,

writing down key equations, breaking the problem into

multiple smaller problems, etc.

• Try not to plug in numbers until the end. Keep your equations

in algebraic form as you solve for what you’re looking for.

• Studying smart is better than studying lots. Think hard about

the problems you are doing and understand each one well.

• Stay healthy; get enough sleep every night.

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How to get more information

• The main way of keeping up with what’s going on in the course is the web-site at:

https://portal.utoronto.ca

• The Syllabus on the portal page for this course has all the rules for the course – PLEASE READ IT!

• Also, we will email you from time to time at your utoronto.ca email address

• The above forms of electronic communication are mandatory – please use them!

• Wednesday’s reading assignment is Chapter 1 of Wolfson.

• Please go on MasteringPhysics today or tomorrow and

complete the Chapter 1 Preclass Quiz!

• This is for marks!

• Don’t forget your clicker on Wednesday!