Summer, 2008
5/19-7/29
127 TL
MW 4:00 - 5:15 PM
TR 2:00 - 4:00 PM
What it means really to understand an equation -- that is, in more than in a strictly mathematical sense -- was described by Dirac. He said: "I understand what an equation means if I have a way of figuring out the characteristics of its solution without actually solving it." So if we have a way of knowing what should happen in given circumstances without actually solving the equations, then we "understand" the equations, as applied to those circumstances. A physical understanding is a completely unmathematical, imprecise, and inexact thing, but absolutely necessary for a physicist.
-- Richard Feynman, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, 1963
About Me
Steve Carabello
Office: TL 126
Email: sac130@psu.edu
Phone: 948-6622
Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 10:00-11:30 AM
Grading:
4 in-class tests 10% each Comprehensive final 20% Labs 20% Quizzes and Homework (combined) 20%
Grades will be determined by the standard cutoffs: 90% for an A, 80% for a B, etc. Plus and minus grades will be assigned as refinements of this scale. At the instructor's option, the grade cutoffs may be shifted slightly in favor of students near the borderline. This determination will be made at the end of the semester, once all grades are in.Labs:
Understanding the importance of experiments, and being able to communicate these ideas to others, are essential skills to acquire in this course. As a result, labs must be made up when missed. Any student who fails to turn in three or more lab reports will automatically receive a failing grade for the course.
Lab reports are due at the beginning of class one week after the completion of the experiment. Labs turned in late will receive an escalating late penalty, except in case of emergency or with prior permission.
Further essential details about the lab reports are provided in a separate handout, in the "Course Handouts" folder on ANGEL.Required Materials:
Textbook:
- Fundamentals of Physics, 8th Edition, by Halliday, Resnick, & Walker
Calculator:
- A pocket calculator capable of using scientific notation, evaluating trig. functions, and working in degrees or radians. As a student, I always preferred the simplest scientific calculator I could get, but you may choose to use the same calculator as you use in other classes.
Attendance Policy:
Although the attendance in itself is not a component of your grade, you are required to be in class for quizzes and exams, to turn in homework, and to turn in and perform labs. Make-up quizzes and exams are typically allowed only in the event of illness or injury, family emergencies, university approved curricular and extracurricular activities, and religious holidays. If you are unable to attend class, you must inform me as soon as is reasonable. Please contact me about other unusual circumstances. More details about the quizzes, labs, and exams may be found later in this syllabus.Academic Integrity Statement:
- As described in http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/ and The Penn State Principles, academic integrity is the basic guiding principle for all academic activity at Penn State University, allowing the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. We expect that each student will practice integrity in regard to all academic assignments and will not tolerate or engage in acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception.
- What is cheating? A separate handout explaining what is, and isn't, considered cheating, is posted in the "course handouts" folder on ANGEL. The basic premise is this: your grade must reflect how well you understand physics. If what you turn in makes it difficult or impossible to determine how well you understand physics, then it is cheating. If you are ever unsure of what is or is not permitted, please contact the instructor.
- What is done about it? To protect the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and the worth of work completed by others, we will record and report to the College's Office of Academic Affairs all instances of academic dishonesty. Additionally, anyone found cheating during a quiz or exam will receive a zero on that item. Anyone copying any portion of a lab report from an uncited or invalid source will receive a zero for that report. Any additional instances of cheating on any part of the course will result in an automatic F for the course.
- Why is this important? Scientists and engineers need to work in groups as well as alone. As a result, you are strongly encouraged to form study groups, discuss assignments and labs, etc. However, everything that is turned in for a grade must be your own work, to reflect your own level of understanding. That is why any deceptive copying from any source (including the internet, other students, the textbook, work from previous semesters, etc.) is not permitted on work you turn in (this includes lab reports).
Note to Students with Disabilities:
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for modifications or reasonable accommodations in this course, contact the Disability Services Coordinator in the Student Assistance Center (W117).
General:
4 in-class tests 10% each Comprehensive final 20% Labs 20% Quizzes and Homework (combined) 20%
Notice that the above grading method means that one quiz point is not equal to one lab point which is not equal to one exam point.
Grades will be determined by the standard cutoffs: 90% for an A, 80% for a B, etc. Plus and minus grades will be assigned as refinements of this scale. At the instructors option, the grade cutoffs may be shifted slightly in favor of students near the borderline. This determination will be made at the end of the semester, once all grades are in.
On all graded items, you must show all of your work, and use units in all steps. Otherwise, your score will be reduced.Exams:
Each of the 4 tests and the final exam will be administered in class, on the days listed in the Tentative Course Schedule on ANGEL. Failure to take an exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam (except in case of emergency or with prior approval).
All exams will be given closed book. However, you may use an equation sheet listing the equations and constants necessary for completing the exam. Your choices are:The reason for this policy: as a student, there were classes in which we were allowed to write our own equation sheets. I always found the process of writing them to be a very useful studying tool: it helped me organize my thoughts, I knew exactly where everything was on the sheet, and if I found an equation I wasn't sure of how to use, I made sure to study those types of problems. So, I encourage everyone to write your own. But some people run out of time, or are unsure of what to include, so I do offer one of my own.
- Write your own equation sheet. If you choose to create your own sheet of equations and constants, it must be on one side of one 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper, entirely hand-written by you. Aside from these conditions, there are no restrictions on the content you may include on the equation sheet.
- Use an equation sheet available in the classroom with each exam. A copy of this sheet is available on ANGEL. (Updates may need to be made for this semester; these will be announced in class and/or via email.)
You may find it helpful to use this sheet in doing homework problems, to become familiar with the equations as they will appear with the exams.Quizzes and Homework:
An average of over once a week, you will take a quiz. These will be given in class, after addressing any questions students have about the recent material. If you arrive late or leave early, the time you have to take the quiz may be reduced (possibly to zero).
Around once a week, you will also have a homework assignment to be turned in. These are different from the homework assignments listed on the "Homework" page on ANGEL. Instead, they will be announced in class, and will typically involve one or two problems.
The "Homework" page on ANGEL lists problems that you must study as we work our way through the chapter: quizzes and exams will typically cover material similar to questions and problems listed in the homework. In many cases, quiz problems will be very similar to these "homework" problems, but they will not be collected. There is no substitute for working problems. Those problems listed as "minimum" are given that way for a reason: in my experience, it is not possible to understand the necessary material without trying at least these problems. I expect that everyone should work more than these, for any topics you don't immediately understand.
The lowest two quiz/homework grades for the semester will be dropped when calculating your quiz/homework score. Each quiz/homework will be graded on a scale of 1-10 (unless announced otherwise), with occasional extra credit problems. Quizzes will typically take about 10 minutes.
Except in unusual circumstances, or with prior approval, make-up quizzes are not allowed. The two dropped quiz scores are intended to account for most unforeseen circumstances, as well as the occasional bad day.
The quizzes have several purposes. First, to motivate students to study the material as it is introduced (rather than trying to "cram" before an exam, which makes it far harder to learn). Second, to give you a sense of the sorts of questions and problems that may appear on exams, in an exam-like format. (Of course, what is possible on a 10-minute quiz is much more limited than what is possible in a 2-hour exam). Most of the points for the course are from exams, so it pays to be as prepared as possible. Finally, it gives me, the instructor, feedback about which topics are being understood and which are not, in a format that is possible to assess for a large number of students. Additional feedback is always welcome.Labs:
Understanding the importance of experiments, and being able to communicate these ideas to others, are essential skills to acquire in this course. As a result, labs must be made up when missed. Any student who fails to turn in three or more lab reports will automatically receive a failing grade for the course.
Lab reports are due at the beginning of class one week after the completion of the experiment. Labs turned in late will receive an escalating late penalty, except in case of emergency or with prior permission.
Further essential details about the lab reports are provided in a separate handout, in the "Course Handouts" folder on ANGEL.
Course Topics:
Topics to be covered in this course include (time permitting): Units, measurement, 1-dimentional motion, vectors, 2- and 3-dimensional motion, Newton's laws, energy, momentum, rotational motion, equilibrium, gravitation, and periodic motion.
The Blue Book catalog description for this course is available at: http://www.psu.edu/bulletins/bluebook/long/phys/211.htmObjectives:
Through teaching this course, we at Penn State Harrisburg seek to prepare you with the knowledge and practical skills required to achieve success in an industrial career, continuing education, graduate studies, and the pursuit of advanced credentials. Through this course, you should be able to:
- understand and apply concepts studied in the course topics listed above
- complete assignments in a timely manner
- conduct and interpret experiments, through your work in the labs
- demonstrate familiarity with the various measuring tools we use in the labs
- work with a partner to complete experiments efficiently
- write clearly understood lab reports
Prerequisites:
The co-requisite for this course is MATH 140.
In teaching this course, I will assume that all students have taken or are taking the co-requisite. If not, then you should contact me as soon as possible to discuss the situation. In the past, most students who had not taken or are not taking MATH 140 have struggled with this course.Computer Use:
Email and the Web have proven to be very effective tools for this course. Therefore, I will assume a general comfort with the use of the Internet. If for whatever reason you prefer not to use it, please let me know so that we may arrange other methods for sharing information. For example, I have occasionally sent an e-mail to all students in the class (e.g. rescheduling after closing campus due to weather). If you do not regularly check email, please consider doing so, or else contact me stating your preference to be called instead.
I encourage everyone to thoroughly explore the ANGEL page (http://cms.psu.edu/) for this course: it contains information that will be quite useful to you throughout the course. For example, the page will include: all homework assignments, handouts for labs, a course schedule (listing chapters, labs, and exams), a list of links to other useful Web sites, contact information for your classmates; etc. Also, if you have not already done so, I encourage you to fill out your ANGEL profile, so that I and other students may have a bit more information about you.
Help with ANGEL and other technologies is available via email at helpdesk@psu.edu, a toll-free help desk number (888-778-4010), and online help (the "Help" link on ANGEL).
As with all computer and lab equipment throughout campus, you should treat the equipment for this course with respect. Dropped and rolled objects, strong magnets, and other such items may cause damage to the computers and lab equipment. We plan to use much of this equipment for many years; make sure you leave it in a condition as good as you found it.
About Physics:
One of the primary goals of physics is to build mental models of why things work the way they do. This allows us to make reasonable predictions about what should happen in unfamiliar situations (rather than simply testing every possibility), and gives us some confidence that we know what's really going on behind the scenes. Of course, the first step in this process usually involves understanding what actually happens in certain situations. To do this, we perform experiments. Once we have some results, we can make educated guesses about why things went the way they did. With this guess, we can make some predictions, which leads to more experiments, which may lead to changes in theory. Mathematical models can be elegant and interesting, but if they do not correspond to what we observe in the real world, we need to be clear on that point.
There are many people who had a profound impact on how the study of physics evolved. In our physics courses, we will usually do little beyond mentioning their names. If you are interested in learning more, please let me know: I'd be happy to point out some very good resources.
Because physics deals with the way things work, the lessons learned can be applied to almost any field that involves the physical world. So, if you want to understand why things break when stressed in certain ways, a knowledge of forces and torques is useful. If you want to understand why atoms bond together they way they do, a knowledge of quantum mechanics is useful. If you want to understand how an MRI machine works, a knowledge of electromagnetism and nuclear physics is useful.
In my own professional career, my background in physics has proven useful even when working in unrelated fields. The study of physics engenders an attention to detail (by careful recording of relevant facts) that is helpful in such things as technical writing, software debugging, technical support, and managing a business.
Of course, it is one thing to understand what's going on. However, that knowledge is not useful unless you can communicate it in a way that others can understand. Fortunately, the language of mathematics is universal, and can be understood by anyone with a similar mathematical background. That is one reason why physics courses involve so much problem solving: with these methods, you can demonstrate what you know. But often, there are situations where the method you used to measure the numbers is as important as how you analyze them. Therefore, writing clear lab reports is essential: it must be clear exactly what you did, in what order, and why.
Entire books have been written about the subject of physics, and so I could go on much longer. Hopefully, this is sufficient to give you an idea of what you should expect from me, and what I expect of you.Links:
- Latest Employment Data for Physicists and Related Scientists Provided by the American Institute of Physics, answers the question, "What do people with physics degrees do?" See also Careers Using Physics, and APS Careers in Physics
Common Mistakes:
Enough students have made the following mistakes that it seemed useful to warn against them here:
- Become as familiar as possible with algebra. The single most common mistake I've seen is forgetting to include a minus sign at some stage in the calculation. Close behind that are errors in dealing with fractions (especially fractions of fractions). The more comfortable you are with algebraic manipulations, the less likely you are to make these errors.
- When interpreting word problems, take a step-by-step approach. Often, students do not see that they are being given essential information in the description of the problem (rather than just the numbers). Also, some students have read the problem wrong, or written down something that is not true. An easy way to keep track of the information, and to picture the problem (so that you can get a feel for what makes sense), is to draw a diagram for the problem, labeling every variable for which you have a value.
- When reading a problem, make sure you understand what you are being asked to find. Sometimes, a problem may be phrased strangely. Make sure you list the information given and what you are trying to find in terms of their traditional variable names, to avoid this confusion.
- Make sure you know what sorts of units are associated with what types of variables. For example, we often use m to represent mass; it typically has units of kg for kilograms. However, when you see m as a unit, it means meters, which is a unit of distance (x, y, z, d, or s).
- Some students use the equals sign "=" to indicate the next step of the problem. This is wrong. When you use an "=", that means that what's on the left side of it means exactly the same thing as what's on the right side of it. If that is not true, then it is wrong to use an equals sign. (To indicate the next step of a problem, I often use a double-arrow, similar to =>)
- Learn to read graphs, and when creating a graph, make sure it is actually useful. A good graph makes it easy to understand a lot of information at a glace; a bad graph is more confusing than raw numbers. Both axes should be labeled, with units. The scale across each axis should be consistant (that is, each inch corresponds to the same numerical difference). Note: it takes some work to make Microsoft Excel create a good graph, especially on the last point.
Links:
- Why is physics so difficult? A news story from New Scientist magazine, giving the results of a brain-scan study. People's brains cling to misconceptions about science: "Those who had never studied physics showed activity in a part of the brain associated with error processing when they watched the Newtonian [correct] model, implying they thought there was something wrong with what they were watching. But the naive [incorrect] model sparked activity in the [section] normally active when someone thinks about a theory accepted as correct. Students of physics showed the opposite patterns, though even they had some prefrontal activity when watching the naive model, indicating they were still attached to this false but intuitive notion."
- Bad Physics Recurring science misconceptions in K-6 textbooks, compiled by William J. Beaty. Unfortunately, many of these misconceptions appear in more advanced textbooks as well.
- Common Errors in College Math By Eric Schecter of Vanderbilt University. Many of these errors are also seen in physics.
- The Evil Tutor's Guide for How NOT to Produce Scientific Graphs and Figures. See especially the last item noted on the page http://www.psreporter.com/evil_040.html.
Active Learning:
As a university student, you are expected to take charge of your learning. Without your initiative, most things learned in a semester are quickly forgotten. It is not merely a case of sitting passively while receiving information from the instructor: if you are confused about something, ask. If you have an interesting comment, make it. If you are curious about a related topic, feel free to ask about it. Some of the most interesting and memorable teaching moments come through such digressions.
My job is to teach: to offer information and motivation in such a way as to make learning as efficient as possible for as much of the class as possible. Your job is to learn: to understand the important concepts, to learn how to learn, and to grasp problem-solving techniques. I am constantly refining my teaching process; if you have comments or suggestions, I want to hear them.
If you ever feel you are not learning something effectively, I encourage you to consult with other students, or visit me during my office hours. Without such contact, it is often hard to get back on the right track.Links:
- Resources for Engineering Educators A site from the University of Michigan containing some of the ideas I've tried to implement in this course.
Learning Advice:
Some general tips for studying from this course:
- All odd numbered problems have answers in the back of the textbook. If you are confused about any problem, it is often useful to try a similar one for which you have the answer.
- The student solutions manual has fully-worked out solutions for some problems. You may purchase it online, in the bookstore, or borrow a copy from me.
- You may stop by my office, call me, or email me with any questions about this course, including homework problems.
- For any lab analysis, quiz, or exam, set up the problem as far as you are able. The setup itself is worth partial credit, and gives some confidence that it's possible to solve the problem. If you still think you don't have enough information, then it's best to say something along the lines of: "I think I would use the equation: ... But I need to know this information:..." In addition to being worth more partial credit, this sort of statement also can make it easier to see where you're going wrong.
- Most students learn little from briefly scanning through the textbook. When taking the time to read the textbook, it is helpful to highlight, underline, or otherwise make notes in the text (for things that confuse you, to ask in class; or things you think will be helpful in solving problems). Also, you may find it helpful to jot down the ideas on a separate piece of paper: even if you don't refer to these notes again, the act of writing helps cement ideas in memory.
- Before an exam, do everything possible to minimize distractions during the exam. For example, you should: get plenty of sleep the night before, have several pens/pencils in case one doesn't work, make sure your calculator works (fresh batteries), etc.
- Most students score the best on exams if they first skim through the test, answering those problems they're certain of how to solve before moving on to the more challenging ones. Some students prefer working differently, so this may not apply to you.
- There's a lot of useful information on or linked from the ANGEL page for this course. You should look through it.
- I agree with Richard Feynman's comment in the introduction to The Feynman Lectures on Physics: "I think, however, that there isn't any solution to this problem of education other than to realize that the best teaching can be done only when there is a direct individual relationship between a student and a good teacher -- a situation in which the student discusses the ideas, thinks about the things, and talks about the things. It's impossible to learn very much by simply sitting in a lecture, or even by simply doing problems that are assigned. But in our modern times we have so many students to teach that we have to try to find some substitute for the ideal." I welcome students in my office hours, or other arranged times. The campus help center has also proven helpful to many students. Study groups also help, though they often require a greater time investment. However you do it, I strongly encourage you to seek out opportunities to discuss the topics from this course.