View lectures on videotapes using VCR at home, at school, or in groups at a friend's home. I advise you to follow the course schedule and view three lectures per week ( Mon., Wed., and Fri.). Exams and homework delivered through WebAssign. This course is adapted from Professor Bloomfield's popular undergraduate course at phys 105.
How Things Work: the Physics of Everyday Life by Louis A. Bloomfield, 2nd Edition, ISBN 0-471-38151-9. You may order it from the UVa. Bookstore 434-924-1073 or online from Amazon.com. Additional material present in the 1st edition , but not in the 2nd edition can be found on the web at http://HowThingsWork.virginia.edu/instructors.html
This is a graduate credit distant-learning physics course with emphasis on How Things Work with regard to objects dealing with motion, mechanics, liquids, heat, gases, and sound. This course includes Newton's laws of motion and applications . Specifically, the course includes the concepts for understanding ice skating, curving baseballs, frisbees, roller coasters, water, pressure, vacuum, airplanes, rockets, fire, woodstoves, clocks, and more. The course is intended for in-service science teachers where they can use this knowledge in the classroom to show their students the relevance of science in their lives. The level is suitable for K6-K12 teacher with a minimum knowledge of mathematics. This course can be used for re-certification, endorsement credit, and can be used in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters of Arts in Physics Education degree at UVa.
WebAssign is a web-based homework and exam delivery, collection, grading, and recording service available to teachers and students. You will be given a user number and ID for you to log on to the system. Once you are logged on you have access to your homework assignments and/ or exams, etc. You may also ask any questions using WebAssign. You will submit your answers to any homework or exam using WebAssign. As a example, you may visit the WebAssign site by typing http://www.webassign.net/ and type in "demo" for username, institution, and password. We recommend that you use Internet Explorer or Netscape version 4.0 or later with a 28.8 Kbps modem or better. You will be given your own username and password after signing up for the course.
You are welcome to email questions at any time via WebAssign. An electronic chat room will also be available to communicate with your classmates. (Chat room is not up yet)
You must contact me before homework or an exam is due if you can not make it on time. Excuses are permitted only for illness, family illness, or death, religious holidays. Work not turned in or tests not taken will receive a zero (0 pts), far worse than a failing grade.
You will be sent 40 Lecture/Demonstrations on 5 videotapes in HMS format for home viewing on your VCR. You may keep the tapes at the end of the course and use them in your classroom or even loan them to substitute teachers, however, you may not copy the video tapes under any circumstances.
Your course numerical grade is determined by summing your scores on the problem sets and the exams (weighted by the factors mentioned previously). Of course, each of the three grades in parenthesis is normalized to a 100. Course Numerical Grade = (Sum of 4 Problem Sets Grade) x 0.25 + (Sum of Exam1 & 2 Grades) x 0.30 +(Exam 3 grade x .15 + (Final Exam Grade) x 0.30
Call 434-982-5313 to register through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Deadline for Fall 2002 registration is October 4, 2002. Tution rate for in-state Educator including technology and materials fee is $470. For out-of-state Educator it is $806. These rates are subject to change.