Syllabus for PHYS 1401
General Physics I
Summer 2012
Synonym #05175
Class Time:
TTh 6:00 – 7:50pm (LEC) RGC room 331
TTh 8:00 – 9:50pm (LAB) RGC room 326
Instructor: Ricardo C. Mastroleo, Ph.D.
Office Hours: TTh 5:30 – 6:00pm (or by appointment) at room 325.0
E-mail:
Text: Physics, 2nd Edition, by Giambattista, Richardson and Richardson (McGraw Hill Higher Education)
Course Overview:
From the ACC Catalogue: Study of principles and applications of concepts in mechanics, energy, heat, wave motion, and sound. PHYS 1401/1402 is the standard algebra-based physics sequence and may, in addition, serve as a prerequisite for the calculus-based PHYS 2425/2426 sequence for students who have not taken high school physics. Prerequisites: MATH 1314 or equivalent.
Instructional Methodology:
A substantial portion of the course will consist of lectures by the instructor to convey the basic principles of physics. Students will also discover the basic laws of physics in the laboratory, using a combination of hands-on experiments and computer simulations. The course will also involve demonstrating to students how the basic laws of physics can be used to solve problems, with an emphasis on situations students will encounter in their everyday lives.
Expectations and Roles:
Instructor: It is the instructor’s role to create a learning environment. This includes but is not limited to presenting material in lecture and laboratory formats, providing group activities, assigning homework, lab write-ups, and giving tests. Also the instructor’s role is to provide feedback on student work and tests.
Student: Learning is the student’s responsibility – not the instructor’s. You are expected to attend and actively participate in class regularly, complete your assignments on time, actively participate in and complete your lab assignments on time, be prepared for tests at the designated time, and seek and obtain any help that you need. In general, what you receive from any course and the grade you obtain will reflect the effort you put into the course.
Course Rationale:
This course is designed for students who are pursuing degrees in scientific and technical majors other than physics and engineering. It is intended to provide an overview of basic physics to assist these students in their further studies in science and technology. Because many if not most students will be using this course for transfer credit, the course will be taught at the University level.
Course Objectives:
We realize that most of our students will not be pursuing careers in physics. To that end, the following objectives apply to this course:
· Students will understand the basic principles of physics.
· Students will be able to communicate these principles clearly.
· Students will be able to use algebra and the laws of physics to solve simple problems.
· Students will be able to work together in collaborative groups to perform experiments, gather data, reach conclusions, and solve problems.
Grading System:
You grade will be determined as follows:
Tests 40%
Final 20%
Homework 15%
Laboratory 25%
Based on the following scale: A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F 0-59
Tests – Three tests will be given approximately every 3-4 weeks as shown in the course calendar. No make-up exams will be given. However, a student may replace their lowest test grade with their grade on the final exam.
You must earn a grade of “C” or better in the laboratory portion of the course as well as a grade of “C” or better in the lecture portion of the course in order to earn a grade of “C” or better in the course. If you do not earn a grade of “C” or better in both the lecture and the laboratory sections of the course, then your grade for the course will be a “D” unless due to your overall course average you have earned an “F” for the course.
Course Policies:
Attendance – Attendance is strongly advised and I expect you to attend class regularly. Each student must complete every lab.
Withdrawals and Incompletes – The instructor makes no commitment to withdraw a student who stops attending. If you decide to not complete the class at this time, you must withdraw yourself by the drop deadline August 11, 2012. Failure to do so will result in a failing grade which will not be changed. Incompletes are given only for exceptional circumstances and only to students who have completed the preponderance of the course work.
Scholastic Dishonesty – Standard ACC Policy: Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academia is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations and homework.
Academic Freedom – Students are free to disagree with instructors on matters of opinion or personal philosophy, and will incur no penalty from doing so. However, instructors will judge student work based upon its relation to the current state of mainstream scientific fact and theory.
Student Discipline – Matters of student discipline will be adjudicated by the instructor on a case-by-case basis, in conjunction with the Task Force Leader or Dean. Students will want to consult with the Office of Student Services or the Associate Dean at their campus on such matters.
Students with Disabilities – Standard ACC Policy: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.
Help – If you need help, get it. I hold office hours to help students and you should view me as a primary source of aid. Also, free walk-in tutoring is provided by the Learning Labs, and I highly recommend this service. You are encouraged to work on homework assignments with classmates. However, regardless of the source of help you receive you are responsible for your own work. If you copy someone else’s homework without doing it yourself, you will not understand the material and despite having a good homework grade will not do well in the course.
Homework – Homework will be assigned every week and will be due a week later. Up to three late assignments will be accepted from each student without penalty. After the third one no more late assignments will be accepted. A late homework will not be accepted more than one week late. Assignments not turned in or not accepted (due to lateness) will be given grade 0.
Laboratory – A major component of this course is the laboratory. You will perform laboratory exercises typically twice per week. Each will require a brief write-up which will be due at the end of that class period unless otherwise directed.
Laboratory Make-up – You may make up a total of three missed laboratory periods. To make-up a laboratory obtain a copy of the missed activity from the instructor and then schedule a time to make up the lab with the laboratory coordinator. You must make up a missed lab within two weeks or a grade of 0 will be assigned for that lab activity. Typically make-ups are held on Friday mornings.
Lab Groups – Students are free to choose their own lab groups. If a space is available a student may change a lab group. However, lab groups may not exceed four students without permission from the instructor. Instructor reserves the right to adjust lab groups if necessary.
Organization – Please keep your assignments so that any possible errors in my grading records can be rectified. It is a good idea to keep your homework in a loose leaf binder for reference.
Cell Phone – As a courtesy to your instructor and your classmates, please make sure that your cell phone is turned completely off before class. If you are expecting an urgent phone call, then please place the phone in a silent mode.
Privacy - To protect student privacy I will not give information about grades via email or phone.
Safety Statement:
“Health and safety are paramount values in science classrooms, laboratories and field activities. You are expected to learn, understand and comply with ACC environmental, health and safety procedures and agree to follow the ACC science safety policy. You are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be immediately dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities. Specific safety training will take place before most activities. If you are late and miss this training, you will not be able to participate in the activity. You can read the complete ACC science safety policy at: http://www2.austincc.edu/sci_safe/. ”
Tentative Course Outline / Calendar:
The calendar below displays the chapters to be discussed in each week. It also shows the dates of the tests with the respective chapters they will cover. The instructor reserves the right to adjust the calendar to meet the needs of the class.
Week / Chapter / Test05/29, 05/31 / 1,2
06/05, 06/07 / 3,4
06/12, 06/14 / 4 / (06/14) Test #1 (Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4)
06/19, 06/21 / 5,6
06/26, 06/28 / 7,8
07/03, 07/05 / 8 / (07/05) Test #2 (Ch.5, 6, 7, 8)
07/10, 07/12 / 9,10
07/17, 07/19 / 11, 12
07/24, 07/26 / 12 / (07/26) Test #3 (Ch. 9, 10, 11, 12)
07/31, 08/02 / 13,14
08/07, 08/09 / 15
08/14 / (08/14) Final Exam (Ch 1-15)
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