Natalia M. Dushkina Assistant Professor of Physics, Ph.D. |
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Millersville University Spring 2007 PHYSICS 103: ELEMENTS OF PHYSICS |
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Instructor: Dr. Natalia Dushkina
Physics is the most fundamental of all the basic sciences. A thorough knowledge of fundamental scientific ideas is a key step in learning to master whatever technical area you have chosen. Some of the following terms are among those that you will encounter most frequently in other disciplines: energy, force, velocity, temperature, heat, equilibrium, voltage, current, magnetic field, radiation, laser, lens and refraction. And Conceptual Physics is your best opportunity to arrive at a good understanding of these basic concepts. In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to read a newspaper or to listen to a television news report without encountering concepts from physics. How do you decide what information is reliable and where is the elusive boundary between science and pseudoscience? The study of physics has the potential to develop critical and analytical thinking, as well as to build skills and habits that are helpful when you come across such a situation. Physics is very much concerned with verifying the laws of nature. A good physics course emphasizes that data collected in the laboratory part of the course elucidates the basic concepts and their connections, discussed in lecture. Solving problems also play an essential role in adding concreteness to your knowledge of the basic ideas introduced in the lecture. Therefore, you are expected to work at home on selected questions and problems that are assigned to each lecture and will also be part of our learning strategy. It is essential that you attend every lecture and laboratory, and conscientiously prepare your assignments, in order to realize your potential as a good physics student. The goal of the course is to make you familiar with basic concepts of physics from mechanics, electricity and magnetism, light and modern physics. This course will concentrate on comprehension of concepts and will build the base for further understanding of the theoretical approaches, if computation follows.
The course includes basic notions and concepts from Mechanics, Properties of Matter, Thermodynamics, Sound, Electricity and Magnetism, Light and will finish with few lectures on Modern Physics figuring Atomic and Nuclear Physics, and Nuclear Fusion and Fission. Class meetings: The teaching-learning process will be based mainly on the principle of a discussion and group work, including elements of lecturing and problems solving, as well as occasional demonstrations. Therefore, you have to read the assigned chapter before every class meeting. Your readiness for class will be checked with one-minute paper of one conceptual question, and a correct and detailed written answer will bring you one point. There is also homework assigned to each chapter (see the course outline) that will be graded and a correct answer will bring you one point. You will receive also two points per chapter (total 60 points) when you work out the practice pages from “Practicing Physics” of P.G. Hewitt. The workbooks will be collected and checked on the day of each exam. There are seven intermediate exams (one hour each) and a comprehensive final (two hours). LABS: Lab will start with a brief introduction of the experiment and the lab goals. You will work in groups of three, as everybody should perform the experiment, process the data and write an individual report. Individual lab exercises and reports will not be graded but each must be completed and signed by your lab instructor. There is one midterm exam (one hour) in the lab section, and the lab will finish with a final exam of two hours. Twice (before and after the midterm lab exam) your lab notebooks will be collected and graded. Since you will be allowed to use your lab notebook during the lab exams, it is in your favor to write down well organized and detailed lab reports (see the provided suggestion for a lab report). Attendance to all lectures is highly recommended! Since Physics 103 is a lab course, you must pass lab in order to pass the course! One missed lab results in “incomplete” final grade! The rules of academic honesty will be followed during labs and exams. A makeup of the exams and a missed lab will be possible only in exceptional cases, such as student’s hospitalization or death in the family (student should provide an official document), and will be processed according to the official policy of Millersville University. Please, contact your instructor as soon as possible to arrange the eventual make-up. The final grades will be based on the following point totals:
No food and drinks are allowed in the classroom and laboratory room! Cell phones should be switched off during lectures, labs and exams. Please, leave the rooms neat after lecture and lab! Students with physical and learning disabilities will be provided with the special conditions described and requested in an official letter from the Department of Student Affairs. If you have questions or need help with homework and lecture material, do not hesitate to contact me or the Phys 103 tutor. My office hours are given at the top of this statement. I am here to help you achieve your goals in this course! Natalia Dushkina |
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