Physics 4A, General Physics With Calculus: Opening your mind to  the fundamentals.

NVALEXANDER: n.alexander.igc @gmail.com
Mechanics

Course Description, Schedule of Topics

Instructor: N.V. Alexander (aka drn)
OFFICE HOURS 

TEXTBOOK YOUNG AND FREEDMAN, "University Physics " 13th Ed with Mastering Physics access card.  
FINAL  EXAM
MONDAY DECEMBER 17; NOON -3 PM OR 1- 4 PM
LECTURES Will generally follow the text. Try to scope the assigned material before you come to class. Please ask questions in class or during my office hours. I'll be honest.  This course does get hectic. I strongly recommend you form study groups; explore the wealth of resources I've tried to provide.  Check yourself before you wreck yourself !
EMAIL Click here  and subscribe to the class email list for updates, reminders, corrections, discussion of the course material and more! Please fill in your own info in the boxes provided.
HOMEWORK
Homework will be assigned in the form of weekly quizzes based on problems in the text book .Use the Discussion Forum later when I set it up via Moodle to get discussions on problems; rap with your classmates and me. Discussions of the quizzes also will be posted on this web site with links provided in the schedule of  topics section below. Until these quiz discussions are actually posted, the links will be dead. The problems are mission critical. You must  learn the material so you can move to the next level !  Quizzes will be collected and graded and could account for 18 percent of your course grade.  To get credit for these assignments you must follow these guidelines:
1. Don't use paper torn from a spiral notebook.
2. Staple pages together.
3. Fold the pages. Put your name, date, and quiz number on first and back page.
EXAMS Tentative dates for three or more midterm exams will be announced. Sample exams will  be posted. You shouldn't
collab. with your friends during  exams. Please  work independently; be original. Line for line, you should shine on your own work. A seating chart may be adminstered. Click Here for sec 01 and sec 02 chart. Don't worry. One or more pages of your own handwritten notes aka cheat sheets are allowed. Please do not use pages xeroxed from the book or downloaded from the quiz hints or solutions. (You may use two or more pages during the final exam.) Do not bring scratch paper to the exams. The only things you need are a pencil or pen, eraser, and your alert mind. Before the test begins, please put all other things on the floor. Avoid  staying up all night crammin'; stay on top of it.. Get your rest,  and you will be blessed (for optimal performance). Any disputes on grading must be resolved within one or two days after the exam is returned. No make-up exams are allowed.. You must take the final exam on the date and time that it is scheduled.
LABORATORY Laboratory Room: 1714. PHYSICS LAB FORMATS.
Laboratory Schedule: The tentative dates of the lab experiments will be given in class. All experiments assigned are required. If you do not complete them all your total course grade will be dropped by one grade point or more. Your lab report is generally due a week after the experiment at the next lab session. Read the manual or handout before coming to the lab. If you miss an experiment for unavoidable reasons, make arrangements to make it up as soon as possible. Some lab reports will require using the spreadsheet program Excel. See these links:
L1, L2, and L3   for exercises on Excel.  I will provide in-class tutorials on using the software, if requested, and I have ordered a short reference book on Excel that you may wish to buy. You may also get access to Computer Science lab by talking to me. The computers in the school library and Tutorials Center are also available.

GRADING POLICY Grades in the course will be based on a total score consisting approximately of the following percentages: Laboratory: 18  Quizzes: 18 Midterm exams: 40  Final exam: 24  Letter grades:90-100  A; 80-89 =  B;  63-79 = C; 50-62 = D

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
Physics 4A---Fall 2012!

Week   

Chapter  

   Topic( NOTES)

1  

1, 4

   PHYSICS AS SCIENCE/NEWTON'S
  FIRST LAW

2     

   1D MOTION

3      

3    

   1D, 2D MOTION   

4   

4    

   1D, 2D MOTION

5      

   2D MOTION, Newton's Laws I

6      

6     

  NEWTON'S LAWS II, CIRCULAR
  MOTION, WORK/KINETIC ENERGY

7      

  CIRCULAR  DYNAMICS/POTENTIAL
  ENERGY

8      

   WORK/CONSERVATION OF ENERGY

9    

8    

   ENERGY/MOMENTUM

10     

8  

  Conservation of momentum

11     

  Rotational motion

12     

10

  Rotations/Torque

13     

10/11

   Torque/Statics

14     

12   

  Statics/fluids

15     

13  

  Universal Gravitation

16     

14

  Periodic Motion

17     

***

  Review

T1 |T2|T3|Sample Final|finalSP05