This is the first semester of a three-semester, calculus-based physics sequence. The following semesters are PS 160 - Physics II for Engineers, and PS 250 - Physics III for Engineers. We will cover Vectors and scalar quantities, geometrical optics, kinematics, Newton's Laws of Motion, work, work-energy, conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, center of mass and its motion. Corequisite: MA 241
Text:
Principles of Physics, 3rd edition,
by Serway and Jewett.
Chapters 1, 25, 26, 2 - 8
See the syllabus
for more detailed information.
Homework assignments
& solutions.
A115 - Section 04
A101 - Section 2E
Review for Exam #4
Start Chapter 8 by Monday Nov 18
OLD NEWS
Start Chapter 7
by Monday Nov 11
Start Chapter 6
by Friday Nov 1
Exam #3 - Wednesday
October 30
Review
for Exam #3
Read Chapter 5 by
Monday Oct 21
Work lots of
problems using free-body diagrams!!!
Read Chapter 4 by
Monday Oct 14
Read Chapter 3 by
Friday Oct 4
Exam #2 - Monday
October 7
Review
for Exam #2
Read Chapter 2 by
Friday Sep 27
Read Chapter 26
by Friday Sep 20
Read Chapter 25
by Friday Sep 13
The first exam
is on Monday!!!!!!
Practice
problems for Exam 1
WELCOME!
History
of Optics
History
of fiber optics
Basics
of Space Flight
Gravity
& Mechanics
Hyatt
Regency Walkway Collapse
more
Information about tribology (friction)
can be found at Robert
Carpick's web site.
| Exam # | Day | Date | Chapters |
| 1 | Mon | Sep 9 | 1, App. B |
| 2 | Mon | Oct 7 | 25, 26, 2 |
| 3 | Wed | Oct 30 | 3, 4, 5 |
| 4 | Mon | Dec 2 | 6, 7, 8 |
Listening to lectures is not enough. All processes of learning are somehow connected to active participation, and the learning of physics is no exception. Therefore, it is imperative that you work diligently at your own desk. However, this does not mean that you should only work alone. I encourage you to form study groups and collaborate with your classmates.
On reserve at the Jack R. Hunt Library are the following items:
Lectures on Physics,
by Richard Feynman - a Nobel Prize winner deeply explains the why of physics.
Understanding
Physics, by Isaac Asimov - a great science fiction writer explains
physics.
Cartoon Guide
to Physics, by Huffman - physical principles in a visual format.
3000 Physics
Problems - lots and lots of practice quantitative problems.
Practice at problem solving is an important part of learning physics, especially for engineers. I suggest that you work as many problems as possible. I have assigned problems from each chapter, and I will post solutions to certain problems from the text. Problem solving techniques can be found here.
