PHY302K: GENERAL PHYSICS I (Mechanics / Heat / Sound)

Fall 2015, TTh 9:30-11 AM, PAI 2.48

UNIQUE # 54890
 Online Homework: https://quest.cns.utexas.edu
Instructor: Prof. Keji Lai, [email protected], 475-9128, RLM 13.324
Office Hours: TTh 11 – noon at RLM 13.324. Other times by appointment – the instructor may
also be available on MWF 11-noon but please email before you come by.
TA: TBD
Discussion Sections: TBD
Office Hours: TBD
Extra Help: Extra TAs are available regularly for coaching on the 5th floor of RLM. Check the
bulletin board near the coaching tables for schedules. You may also get help at the Drop-In
Tutoring Center in JES A315A (http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc/support/drop-in).
Text: College Physics, 9th or 10th Edition, Volume 1 by Serway and Vuille (older editions are
fine too). See attached syllabus for schedule of lectures.
Overview: This is the first part of a non-calculus-based technical physics sequence for students
who need to fulfill a general physics requirement. The course covers mechanics of solids and
fluids, oscillations and waves, and heat and thermodynamics. This course carries the Quantitative
Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are
necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in
your adult and professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade
to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems.
Administrative Issues: Lisa Gentry, [email protected], Undergraduate Office, RLM
5.216, 471-8856
Course Pre- and Co-Requisites: High school trigonometry or Mathematics 305G; and credit or
registration for Physics 102M. Note that PHY 102M is a separate course and is a co-requisite of
this course unless you have already passed it. If you appear to have not met the requirements,
you will receive an email from Lisa Gentry on the 2nd class day and again on the 5th class day.
If the problem is not corrected by the 12th class day, you will be dropped from the class.
Drop Dates: The last day to drop the course for a possible refund is Friday Sept 11. Tuesday
Nov. 3 is the last day to drop the course with approval or change registration to or from a
pass/fail basis. For a complete academic calendar, please refer to the website
http://registrar.utexas.edu/calendars/15-16
QUEST system: This course makes use of the web-based Quest content delivery and homework
server system maintained by the College of Natural Sciences. This homework service will
require a $30 charge per student per class for its use, with no student being charged more than
$60 a semester. This goes toward the maintenance and operation of the resource. Please go to
http://quest.cns.utexas.edu to log in to the Quest system for this class. After the 12th day of class,
when you log into Quest you will be asked to pay via credit card on a secure payment site. Quest
provides mandatory instructional material for this course, just as is your textbook, etc. For
payment questions, email [email protected].
Pre-Class Reading and In-Class Clicker Quizzes: Before coming to class you are expected to
have read the relevant materials from the textbook for that day. During the lectures, interactive
quiz questions will be given to highlight the course materials. In order to participate, you will
need to purchase an i-Clicker and then register it by entering the serial number on the back of
your i-Clicker (include leading zeros) under “My Profile” in Quest. When you return to the
Quest menu and select this course, you will find your “Clicker Box #” in the information box. Be
sure to make note of your box number which will be displayed in the Clicker grid on the screen
in the classroom. If you try using your i-Clicker without registering on the Quest site, your serial
number will appear at the bottom of the Clicker grid and your response will not be recorded. See
https://getquest.cns.utexas.edu/documentation/student/assignments/iclicker. If you submit a
wrong answer, you still get 80% credit. We will begin to use the clickers on Tuesday September
8. The lowest 4 in-class quiz grades will be dropped. The drops are intended to compensate for
non-participation due to legitimate excuses as well as occasional clicker-related problems.
Homework: You will download the homework and submit your answers online at
https://quest.cns.utexas.edu. The homework assignments will be due at 11pm on the dates listed
in the next page. Solutions will be available online the next morning at 9am. There are 12
homework assignments and the lowest 2 grades will be dropped in calculation of the semester
grade. You may work together on the homework. You must, however, submit your own work for
credit. Read the students’ instructions at
https://getquest.cns.utexas.edu/documentation/student/assignments/online-homework.
Midterm Exams and Final Exam: There will be three midterm exams during class time on
September 22, October 22, and November 18. The lowest midterm grade will be dropped in
calculation of the course grade. No makeup exam will be given. If you miss a midterm exam, it
will be the one that will be dropped. The final exam is comprehensive and mandatory and will be
held from 9am to noon on Saturday December 12, as scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. No
early final exam will be given. The midterm exams and final exam will be closed book. A
formula sheet will be provided to you. Bring your own calculator for numerical calculations only
(no computer, i-Phone etc.). Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Grading: Course grades will be calculated based on the weighted sum of the following:
Homework 30%, In-Class Clicker Quizzes 10%, Midterm Exams 30%, and Final Exam 30%. A
historic cutoff scheme for the semester grade is as follows (scores are rounded to integer
numbers before assigning the letter grade, for example, 84.499 is rounded to 84 and 84.500 is
rounded to 85). A: >=90, A-: >=85, B+: >=80, B: >=75, B-: >=70, C+: >=65, C: >=60, C-: >=55,
D+: >= 50, D: >= 45, and D-: >=40. Below 40 is failing. The instructor reserves the right to
readjust the thresholds according to the class performance.
TA Discussion Sections: TA discussion sections are an integral part of this course. Attendance
is not required but strongly encouraged. During each session, the TA will reiterate the course
materials, work out examples similar to homework problems, or provide hints to solving
homework problems. The sessions will start as soon as the time and location are determined.
Special Accommodations: The University provides upon request appropriate academic
accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office
of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.
 Tentative Syllabus for Fall 2015

Class Day Date Chapters Subject HW due

1 TH Aug 27 1 Introduction HW1:
2 T Sept 1 2 1D Motion Sat, Sept 12
3 TH Sept 3 3 Vectors HW2:
4 T Sept 8 3 2D Motion Sat, Sept 12
5 TH Sept 10 4 Newton's Laws HW3:
6 T Sept 15 4 Applications of Newton’s Laws Sat, Sept 19
7 TH Sept 17 5 Work and Energy
HW4:
8 T Sept 22 Midterm Exam 1 (Ch. 1-4)
Sat, Sept 26
9 TH Sept 24 5 Conservation of Energy
10 T Sept 29 6 Momentum and Collisions HW5:
11 TH Oct 1 6 Momentum and Collisions Sat, Oct 3
12 T Oct 6 7 Rotational Motion HW6:
13 TH Oct 8 7 Gravity Sat, Oct 10
14 T Oct 13 8 Rotational Equilibrium and Dynamics HW7:
15 TH Oct 15 8 Rotational Equilibrium and Dynamics Sat, Oct 17
16 T Oct 20 9 Solids and Statics of Fluids
HW8:
17 TH Oct 22 Midterm Exam 2 (Ch. 5-8)
Sat, Oct 31
18 T Oct 27 9 Dynamics of Fluids
19 TH Oct 29 10 Temperature HW9:
20 T Nov 3 10 Ideal Gas Sat, Nov 7
21 TH Nov 5 11 Heat and Energy Transfer
HW10:
22 T Nov 10 12 First Law of Thermodynamics
Sat, Nov 14
23 TH Nov 12 12 Second Law of Thermodynamics
24 T Nov 17 Midterm Exam 3 (Ch. 9-12)
25 TH Nov 19 13 Simple Harmonic Motion HW11:
26 T Nov 24 13 Waves Mon, Nov 30
27 TH Nov 26 Thanksgiving Holiday
28 T Dec 1 14 Sound Wave HW12:
29 TH Dec 3 14 Wave Interference Sat, Dec 5
Final Exam (Ch. 1-14), 9 AM – Noon, Saturday December 12