PHYSICS 231
FALL 1997

(http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/231/home.html)

Instructor: P. Q. Hung

Problem Session: Robert Watkins

Teaching Assistant: Jason G. Zeibel

Grader: Robert DiMarco

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 11am- 12pm, or by appointment, Rm 311B (Physics Building).

Textbooks: 1) Principles of Physics by Serway (Saunders College Publishing).
2) Tutorials in Introductory Physics by L. C. McDermott, Peter S. Shaffer and the Physics Education Group (Prentice Hall)

I) Aim of the course

This course is aimed toward an understanding of the physical world around us and the ability to solve problems related to that physical world. To achieve that aim, it is crucial that you acquire the following good habits: Read the assigned material before and right after each class; Try to understand the concepts and do not hesitate to ask questions; Attend all the classes and problem sessions; Try to solve as many problems, in particular the conceptual ones, as you could besides the ones assigned for the homeworks. It is recommended that you spend at least 6 hours per week on the course outside of class and the problem sessions.

In order to help you achieving the above aim, we have instated this year a new tutorial system to take place during the problem sessions. These tutorials will guide you through the reasoning necessary to construct concepts and to apply them in real-world situations. Every monday, at the beginning of the class, there will a (ungraded) pretest (aproximately 10 minutes each) designed to test your level of understanding. You are strongly advised to take these tests. Attendance of the tutorial sessions will count for 2% of your total grade. Attendance of the lectures is crucial for your understanding of the material.

II) Course coverage:

Chapters 1-8, 10-12, 15-17 (all sections except the optional ones). The topics are listed with their corresponding chapter numbers. They will be covered in the order listed below. The dates given below are approximate. We shall try to adhere as closely as possible to those dates. It is crucial that you read the material before coming to class.

1) Introduction and vectors (9/3-5)

2) Motion in one dimension (9/8-12)

3) Motion in two dimensions (9/15-19)

4) The Laws of motion (9/22-26)

5) More applications of Newton's Laws (9/29-10/3)

6) Work and Energy (10/6-10)

7) Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy (10/15-20)

8) Momentum and Collisions (10/22-27)

10) Rotational Motion (10/29-11/3)

11) Orbital Motions (11/5-10)

12) Oscillatory Motion (11/12-17)

16) Temperature and the Kinetic Theory of Gas (11/19-24)

17) Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics (12/1-5)

If time permits (i.e. if the above dates are correct), we will cover in addition:

15) Fluid mechanics (12/8-10)

The last day of class (12/12) will be reserved for a review session.

II) Homeworks:

There will be eight problems assigned every week (normally on mondays and due a week later), out of which two (not specified ahead of time) will be graded. Late homeworks will not be accepted. The HW assignments will be posted on the Web.

The homeworks count for 20% of the total grade.

III) Quizzes:

Four quizzes will be given during the problem sessions and they count for 8% of the total grade.

Attendance of the tutorial sessions will count for 2% of the total grade

IV) Examinations:

There will be two midterms and one final. Each midterm counts for 15% of the grade and the final counts for 40%.

No makeup exams or quizzes will be given. With a valid excuse before the exam or quiz, the remaining exams or quizzes will be appropriately averaged. Without a valid excuse given before the exam or quiz, the grade of the missed exam or quiz will be zero.

1st Midterm: Friday, October 17 (5:30pm-6:30pm, Rm 204)

2nd Midterm: Friday, November 14 (5:30pm-6:30pm, Rm 204)

Final: Monday, December 22 (9:00am- 12:00pm, Rm 204)