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Classical Physics

Physics 140, Fall 2004

Professor Sullivan

Email: sullivan@kenyon.edu
Office: Hayes 206
Phone: x5830
Office Hours: MWF 11:10AM - 12N,
                      Th: 4:10PM - 6:00PM
 
 
This lecture course is the first in a three-semester, calculus-based, introduction to physics. Topics include the kinematics and dynamics of particles and solid objects, work and energy, linear and angular momentum, gravitational, electrostatic, and magnetic forces, oscillations and waves, and direct current circuits. The two, semester-long courses that follow this are PHYS 145 - Modern Physics and PHYS 240 - Fields and Spacetime. A co-requisite for this class is either (for first-year students) PHYS 110 - First Year Seminar or (for upperclass students) PHYS 141 - Introduction to Experimental Physics.  In addition, you must either have already taken, or placed out of, or (more commonly) be taking concurrently, MATH 111 - Calculus A.

  The textbook for the course is "University Physics" by Young and Freedman. This is the first year that we have used this text, so your feedback will be very welcome. I know that the textbook is expensive, though comparable to other such texts. It is also likely (though not certain) that it will be used in one of the follow on classes in our introductory sequence. If you continue in your study of physics, you will find the book a useful reference for years to come. So the high price is amortized somewhat. The textbook will be a source of reading material to augment my lectures and will be the primary source of homework problems.

 My grading scale is absolute, that is, there is a fixed relationship between percentage scores on homework and tests and your grade. A consequence of this is that you are not in competition with other members of the class. In fact, I encourage you to form study groups and work with others on homework and as you study for exams. Your peers can teach you a great deal and you can deepen your own understanding when you teach others. But there is a limit to cooperation. Anything you turn in to me must reflect your own work and understanding. You cannot just copy another's words and derivations even if they are the result of group effort. A surefire way to avoid trouble is to prepare the material that you do turn in alone and without notes from your group study session. Simply turning in the results of others work is unhelpful (homework is not that big a percentage of the final grade and you don't identify problem areas before an exam where it will have a big impact on your grade) and also constitutes plagiarism and is subject to sanctions by the Academic Infractions Board. If this is unclear, please be sure to ask me about it.

  There are four components of your final grade: weekly homework (10%) and four, equally-weighted, two-hour midterms (each worth 22.5%). We will have to hold three of these exams in the evening so that you have two hours available. These exams will be held on Wednesday, September 29th, Wednesday, October 27th, and Wednesday, December 1st, all at 7:30PM. The last midterm will be held at the time scheduled by the Registrar for our final exam, namely Saturday, December 18th at 9:30AM. Let me know by the end of class on September 6th if you have a conflict with any of these exam dates.  Attendance at lectures is not a factor in the final grade, however, good attendance is highly recommended and you are responsible for all material presented in class.

 There will be weekly homework problems due each Friday at the beginning of class. On the preceding Thursday evening there will be a "help session" led by an upperclass physics major. Do not be fooled by the small weight given the homework in the final grade. In physics, homework is to tests like practice is to games in sports. You don't get much credit for practices, but you can't expect to do well in games if you haven't practiced. When you do turn in homework, don't just give a list of equations and the calculation of the answer. Explain your reasoning in words using complete sentences. Doing this will both increase your understanding and give you practice in science writing. Homework is a chance to get feedback on the learning process. Close the feedback loop by going over returned homework and getting help on weaknesses that have been identified.

Late homework will be accepted up to one week after they are due, but with a penalty to encourage you not to get behind. If your homework is turned in between the start of class on the day it is due and the time that I transfer the papers to the grader, the penalty will be 10%.  If handed in after that time, but before the beginning of class one week later, the penalty will be 20% and will be graded when convenient for the grader.

 I want to do everything that I can so that everyone is able to fully participate in class and has a successful experience in physics. Please contact me immediately if there is anything preventing your free and open participation in class. Additionally, if you have a learning disability and need accommodation, I encourage you to contact me, but you also need to contact Erin Salva (Coordinator of Disability Services, x5453, salvae@kenyon.edu) well in a advance of any need for accommodation to determine appropriate and effective accommodation.

 I also believe that each of you own a piece of me for the price of your tuition and I enjoy getting to know all of you a little better. Please do not hesitate to take advantage of my office hours (MWF immediately after class and TTh 4:10-6PM). If you have a conflict during all of my office hours please contact me to arrange an appointment. Or just drop by my office in Hayes 206. I spend a lot of time in the department and if my door is open, I will be happy to talk to you.


 Course Calendar - Last Updated 11/13/04
 Date:  Topic:  Reading
  Homework Due Today
8/30  Welcome, What is Physics? (pretty pictures Power Point)
 none
 
 9/1  Units and Dimensions
 1.1 - 1.6
 
 9/3  Linear and Rotational Kinematics I
 2.1-2.3, 9.1, 9.2
 HW#1 - 1.5, 1.10, 1.13, 1.14
9/6   Linear and Rotational Kinematics II  2.4-2.6,
 
9/8   Linear and Rotational Kinematics III,  Vectors  9.2, 9.3, 1.7-1.9
 
9/10
 Vectors and Kinematics I  3.1
 
9/13
 Vectors and Kinematics II
 3.2  HW #2 - Q2.3, Q2.4, Q2.9, 2.1, 2.9, 2.10, 2.12,  2.15, 2.22, 2.28, 2.44
9/15
 Projectile Motion  3.3
9/17
 Uniform Circular Motion  3.4, 9.3  HW#3 - 2.49, 2.69, 2.74, 2.76, 2.77, 2.80, 2.85, 2.87, 9.7, 9.10, 1.39, 1.47, 1.48
9/20
 Newton's Laws I  4.1, 4.2

9/22
 Newton's Laws II  4.3, 4.4

9/24
Newton's Laws III, Applying Newton's Laws I
 4.5, 4.6, 5.1
 HW#4 - Q3.1, 3.2, 3.7, 3.9, 3.12, 3.21, 3.29, 3.33, 3.34, 3.44, 3.68. 9.22, 9.25, 9.28
9/27
 Applying Newton's Laws II: Friction, Springs
 5.2, 5.3, 6.3

9/29
 First Midterm - 7:30-9:30PM Higley Auditorium - Office Hours 10:10-12:00N - solution


10/1
 Applying Newtons Laws III:  Dynamics of Circular Motion, Coulomb's Law
 5.4,  21.1, 21.3
 HW#5 - Q4.2, Q4.34, 4.9, 4.14, 4.33, 4.39, 4.43, 4.44
10/4
 Electric Force, Gravitational Force
 21.1, 21.3, 12.1

10/6
 Electric and Gravitational Fields
 21.4-21.6

10/8
 Work and Kinetic Energy
 6.1 - 6.2, 1.10
 HW #6 - 5.13, 5.14, 5.15, 5.18, 5.22, 5.24, 5.44, 5.49, 5.51, 5.55, 5.64, 5.84, 5.127, 6.29 a) only
10/11
 October Break!


10/13
 Work with varying forces, work as path integral
 6.3

10/15
 Potential energy, including electric and gravitational potential energy, and conservation of mechanical energy
 7.1-3, 12.3, 23.1
 HW #7 - Q21.15, 21.11, 21.14, 21.24, 21.32, 12.1, 12.10, 12.11
10/18
 Electric and gravitational potential, equipotentials
 23.2-23.4

10/20
 Momentum and impulse, conservation of momentum
  8.1, 8.2

10/22
 Collisions (elastic and inelastic),
  8.3, 8.4
 HW #8 - 12.17, 21.26, 21.45, 21.104, Q6.16, 6.2, 6.5, 6.11, 6.16, 6.29b), 6.32, 6.38, 6.65, 6.69
10/25
 Center of mass  8.5

10/27
 Second Midterm - 7:30-9:30PM Higley Auditorium - Office Hours 10:10-12N - solution


10/29
 Motion of the center of mass, rotational kinetic energy, moment of inertia
 8.5, 9.4
 HW#9 - Q7.15, 7.9, 7.12, 7.24, 7.27, 7.46, 7.63, 7.67, 12.24, 12.59, 23.3, 23.10, 23.16, 23.21
11/1
 Parallel axis theorem, calculation of I
 9.5, 9.6

11/3
 Torque and angular acceleration
 10.1, 10.2

11/5
 Combined rotational and angular motion, angular momentum
 10.3, 10.5
 HW#10 - 8.3, 8.10, 8.18, 8.30, 8.36, 8.43, 8.46, 8.73, 8.84, 8.96, 8.109
11/8
 Vector rotational dynamics
 10.5, 10.6

11/10
 Electric current
 25.1

11/12
 Resistance, resistivity, Ohm's Law
 25.2-25.3
 HW#11 - 9.37, 9.45, 9.55, 9.60, 9.79, 9.96, 10.3, 10.10, 10.19, 10.20, 10.22, 10.24, 10.70, 10.83
11/15
 Energy and power in electric circuits
 25.4, 25.5

11/17
 DC circuits
 26.1, 26.2

11/19
 Magnetic fields, forces on moving charges
 27.1-27.7
 HW#12 - 10.39, 10.41, 10.44, 10.47, 10.103 (careful of typo in part b), 25.3, 25.10, 25.11, 25.14, 25.16, 25.21, 25.54
11/22-26
 Thanksgiving Break!


11/29
  no class - Professor sick!
 

12/1
 Third Midterm - 7:30-9:30PM Higley Auditorium - Office Hours 10:10-12N - solution


12/3
 Sources of magnetic fields  28.3, 28.4, 28.7, 28.8  HW#13 - 25.35, 25.43, 25.50, 25.67, 25.79, 26.5, 26.10, 26.51, 26.69, 27.6, 27.15, 27.17, 27.33, 27.42
12/6
 Periodic motion - oscillations in time  13.1 - 13.3, 13.5
12/8
 Travelling waves - oscillations in time and space
 15.1 - 15.3

12/10
 Standing waves
 15.6 - 15.8

12/13
 Orbital motion - Kepler's Laws
 12.4, 12.5
 HW#14 - 28.12, 28.15, 28.17, 28.22, 28.48, 28.54, 13.12, 13.13, 13.19, 15.4, 15.6
12/18
 Final Midterm - 9:30-11:30AM Hayes 109