PHYS 1110 Syllabus

To view a detailed schedule for PHYS 1110 view this link.

Course Description

Welcome to PHYS 1110 - General Physics 1! This is the first semester of a calculus-based introduction to physics intended for natural science and engineering majors. The physics department offers a separate algebra-based sequence (starting with PHYS 2010) that is intended for life science majors, including premed students. The department also offers a separate sequence (starting with PHYS 1115) that is intended for physics, engineering physics, astronomy, and astrophysics majors. Co-requisite: enrolled in a calculus 1 course, APPM 1350 or equivalent. Pre-requisites: knowledge of algebra and trigonometry. No previous knowledge of physics is assumed. College level logic, enthusiasm, and curiosity will be helpful!

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Analyze physical systems (accelerating cars, satellite orbits, bridges, etc.) using two paradigms: Newton's laws and conservation laws.
2. Explain the effects of forces qualitatively.
3. Perform calculations resulting in predictions for physical systems.

Lecture and Tutorial Information

Each student in PHYS 1110 is enrolled in one (and only one) of the following lecture sections. You must attend the section you are registered for.

Each student is also enrolled in a tutorial section on either Wednesday or Thursday. The tutorials are held in the basement of Duane, rooms G2B60 through G2B66. A detailed tutorial schedule can be found here. Tutorials are facilitated by one graduate teaching assistant and one undergraduate learning assistant. You must attend the section you are registered for.

Class attendance is very important. If you miss a class, you are responsible for understanding the material you missed; we encourage you to ask a trustworthy classmate for help. Video lecture capture is available for the 12pm and 3 pm sections via the link on the left side of Canvas.

You are expected to read the textbook sections indicated on the schedule on Canvas before coming to class. If you complete the reading, you will be able to maximize the effectiveness of attendance.

Required materials

• Essential University Physics, Vol. 1, 4th edition, by Wolfson
• Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Custom CU edition, by McDermott and Shaffer
• Access to the online homework on MasteringPhysics
• Access to the online prelecture videos on FlipItPhysics
• An iClicker that is registered on myCUinfo

Note: The bookstore is selling a bundle including the tutorial books and an access code for MasteringPhysics that comes with online access to the textbook. This is the cheapest way to obtain all required materials.

Note: The bookstore is selling physical copies of the Wolfson textbook, if you would prefer to also have one.

Note: As an additional supplement, Mike Dubson's chapter notes can be found here.

Grading

Note: If your clicker average is higher than your regular exam average, then we will replace 2% of your regular exam score with your clicker score.

Your final letter grade will be assigned according to:

Note: These grade cuts may be lowered (made easier) but they will not be raised (made harder). In the past, the average grade for this course has been C+/B- and it will likely be the same this semester, unless there is evidence that this year's students are unusual.

Exams

There will be three regular exams during the semester along with a comprehensive final exam. All exams will count toward your final grade. Please check the following exam schedule and note that if you have any personal conflicts (such as a family vacation) you will need to take PHYS 1110 another semester. No make-up exams will be given under any circumstance.

We will be happy to work with students that have official conflicts, such as CU athletic obligations. Simply contact Dr. B with at least one week of advance notice. Additionally, if you have an emergency that makes it impossible for you to take an exam during the scheduled exam period, please contact Dr. B as soon as possible. In such rare circumstances, an exam can be excused and replaced with the average of a student's other exams. Note: missing the final, or more than one regular exam, for ANY reason will necessitate retaking PHYS 1110.

All exams will be multiple choice and graded via bubble sheet. You will also hand in your exam booklet and shown work on the booklet must match your bubble sheet. Calculators and one sheet (front and back) of handwritten notes are allowed, but cell phones, wireless devices, and textbooks are not.

Note: The following policy will be applied uniformly to all students. All work that you do on an exam must be shown on the exam booklet itself, not on your formula sheet. If you show no work on questions that clearly require an involved calculation, or your answers do not correspond to your work shown, then we reserve the right to not accept those answers. You must not only select the correct answers, but you must convince us that you know how to get the correct answers. We will not accept the claim that “I guessed correctly on the questions.” All cases of suspected cheating will be sent to the Honor Council.

Tutorials

Each week you will attend a recitation section called a "Tutorial". You will work in small groups to answer conceptual questions (from the "blue book") about class material. Each section is lead by one teaching assistant (TA, a graduate student) and one learning assistant (LA, an undergraduate). Look here for section information.

Tutorials are active learning environments in which the TA and LA act as a guide on the side rather than a sage on a stage. You will not be told how to solve problems, but will rather work with your peers to discover ideas and techniques on your own. We use this curriculum because there is clear data indicating that students learn more in the Tutorials than in more traditional recitations. Because we do not want students to rush through the tutorial, we require that you stay for the entire 50-minute period. You are not required to finish the "blue book" activity in class, and it will not be graded.

Your TA will measure participation and you are required to attend the Tutorial section you are registered for. You will hand-write solutions to tutorial homework (from the "red book") and your TA will hand-grade this work. Tutorial homework is due at the start of your tutorial. We will drop your lowest tutorial participation and homework scores.

You are encouraged to work together on homework, but in the end, you are responsible for generating your own solutions and understanding.

MasteringPhysics

Weekly MasteringPhysics assignments will be due on Tuesday evenings at 11:59 pm. Credit is gradually reduced after the deadline and no credit is given after 8:00 am. We will drop your lowest MP score at the end of the semester. Some assignments may have extra credit questions, but your MP average will be capped at 102%.

At the start of your tutorial each week, you will repeat one of the MP questions as a short quiz. Your TA will grade this quiz and you must show your work for full credit.

To access MP, simply follow the link on the left side of the Canvas page. The first time you use the link, you will be asked to enter the access code that came with the bundle you purchased at the bookstore.

FlipItPhysics

Prelecture video assignments and corresponding Checkpoint assignments are due at 9:00 am on various days throughout the semester (see the calendar on Canvas). The 9:00 am deadline ensures the instructors have time to review responses before lecture. We will drop your lowest FlipIt score at the end of the semester.

To access FlipItPhysics, view the instructions provided at the link on the Canvas home page.

Clickers

Multiple choice clicker questions will be asked in every class period and you will respond using your iClicker. You may not share an iClicker with another student, even if they are in a different section. Follow this link to register your clicker. Each question will be worth 2 points: 1 point for participation and 1 point for getting the correct answer.

If your clicker average is higher than your regular exam average, we will replace 2% of your regular exam average with your clicker average. Note: this is NOT simple "addition" of 2% to your course average! If your clicker average is lower than your regular exam average, we will ignore your clicker scores. You must attend the section you are registered for in order to receive clicker points. Clicker points will start to "count" in the second week.

We will drop your lowest five days of clicker points at the end of the semester, no questions asked. Because of this policy, we will not accept excuses for missing class; a missed class simply counts as one of your five lowest days.

The physics helproom

The TAs, LAs, Dr. Bolton, Prof. Dubson, and Prof Regal will all hold regular office hours in the physics helproom, DUAN G2B90. The helproom is open M-F from 9-5. To learn when a particular person will be staffing the helproom, visit this link. However, you can come at any time, write your name on the board, and receive help. If you need to see your TA or professor privately, contact them directly to schedule a meeting in their office.

Keys to success

Reasons for taking this course are wide ranging. Take the time to think through why you are here. If you are an engineering major, the concepts covered in this course will form the foundation for many of the things you will learn in your engineering courses. If you are planning on medical school, this course will sharpen your critical thinking and problem solving skills. We believe that no matter what you plan on doing with your life, this class can help you get there. If you believe that succeeding in this course is worthwhile, it will be much easier to put in the necessary hard work.

The material in this class may be challenging to you, even if you took physics in high school. For most students, attending class and completing the homework will not be enough; you'll also need to spend significant time each week reading and studying the material. Aim for mastery of the concepts - you only understand something fully when you can explain it to someone else. Don't trick yourself into thinking that you understand a problem after simply watching an expert solve it. Physics is not a spectator sport!

Probably the single most important key to success in this course is reading the textbook. Read it early and often. Read it by yourself in an environment free from distraction, with a pen and paper handy to take notes and try out example problems.

Attend every lecture, and treat it as a job. You are not there to just watch a show. Turn off your phone and computer. Your desk should have a pen a paper and nothing else. Confer with your neighbor during clicker questions. Debate about the deep aspects of the questions.

Do NOT start homework before studying the textbook in depth. But, start your homework EARLY. If you wait until the due date and you get stuck, you won't have time to visit the helproom.

Don't get isolated; join a study group and go to the helproom.

Don't fall behind; you'll never catch up. By the way, what is the reading assignment for today again? Go read it right now!

The PHYS 1110 teaching staff is available by email, by appointment, and for drop-in visits in the helproom. We are not too busy to help you. We enjoy helping you. Asking for help is a normal part of learning and everyone does it. Come get help if you want it!

Disclaimer

This syllabus is accurate at the time of writing. Announcements about changes made in class and posted on Canvas take precedence over this syllabus. You are responsible for what is said in class, whether or not you are in attendance.

Disabilites, Behavior, Honor Code, Sexual Misconduct, and Religious Holidays

Please view policies at this link.

• Syllabus
• Schedule
• Textbook
• Lecture Notes

• MasteringPhysics
• FlipItPhysics
• Exams
• Useful Links