PHYSICS 2211 A - INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS I (Kulp)
Archived Announcements
Dec 7
Please fill out a Course/Instructor Opinion Survey, available through the CETL website at http://www.cetl.gatech.edu/services/cios/access.htm. Your feedback and thoughtful input are very much appreciated.
Quiz 5 results are available online through the Course Standing page. Solutions are now posted and are available through the Solutions page.
Class on Dec 8 will consist of a brief presentation on how to organize your thoughts and study for the final exam. This will be followed by a diagnostic test which is intended to measure how your understanding of mechanics has evolved through your experience this semester.
The diagnostic test is very similar to what you can expect for Part I of the final exam and will be good practice. This test will also be used to impart a bit of extra credit to your course grade, so please take it seriously.
For practice on the problem-solving questions in Part II, this previous final may be helpful. Please note that Part II of the final will only be 12 problems, unlike the 18 problems found on the sample exam.
Dec 4
About the final exam: The final exam will consist of two parts. All questions will be in a multiple-choice format.
Part I will be 26 (primarily qualitative) questions on Newtonian analysis and conservation laws (Chapters 1 - 11). There will be no formula sheet for this part of the exam, and the papers will be collected after 50 minutes.
Part II of the final exam will be 12 (quantitative) problem-solving questions selected to represent the entire curriculum for the course (Chapters 1 - 14). This part will have an attached formula sheet and table of rotational moments of inertia for your use during the exam. You will have the remaining time in the exam period (~120 minutes) to complete this portion of the exam. If you complete Part I early, that addtitional time may be used on Part II.
A few astute class members asked me why all the papers returned in class today were from Quiz 4. The answer to that is a typographical error. For those who took the quiz on Wednesday, the form number should be 851 through 854 - this will be the first sign that you have Quiz 5 in your hands. For those who took it early (on Monday), your quiz papers are still marked with form numbers 841-844. The best way to check is to see if the questions on the paper you picked up are related to gravity and oscillations. My regrets for missing the typos.
Nov 24
Instructions and the formula sheet for Quiz 5 are available from the Quiz Rules page. Please read over the quiz rules before coming to the quiz next week.
As a reminder, the four students taking the advanced form of Quiz 5 should be at N113 at 8:55 AM on Monday morning, 27 November.
Nov 20
Dr. Murray will ask you to use the PRS on Wednesday. Please come to class prepared.
On Monday, Nov 27, a select few of you will take an advanced form of Quiz 5. Those of us in the classroom will review your questions about physics.
PRS credit for the day will be based (0 or 1) upon emailing me prior to class with a question (or questions) you would like to discuss in the classroom. This can be a question about the material in the text, a problem from the textbook or workbook, or a question about physics in general. I will make a selection from these questions for discussion.
Nov 17
In response to a question about problem 14.34, I have posted some notes on the discussion board. Please note that you will need to do some work for your calculator on this problem. Solutions to 14.34 and 14.40 are now posted on the solutions page.
Nov 9
As a reminder, Quiz #5 is scheduled for Wednesday, 29 November. Due to scheduling conflicts in other classes for that day, I offered an alternative quiz date (the original date) of Monday, 27 November. As of today, I have a record of only one student accepting that offer. If you have a scheduling conflict for Wednesday, email me before 13 November. Requests after that date may not be honored.
Results for Quiz #4 are now posted. Follow the Course Standing link for your score and the class distribution. Solutions to the Quiz problems are available through the Solutions page. Quiz papers will be returned Friday morning in class.
To help gain perspective on these results, please consult the histogram of total quiz points so far:
Nov 6
The instructions and formula sheet for Quiz 4 are available through the Quiz Rules page. Please review the quiz procedures before coming to class on Wednesday.
A file containing all the PRS questions from classes 24 - 32 is now linked through the class notes page.
Nov 3
Assignment 31: Power is delayed until Friday morning. However, sections 11.7-11.9 will still be covered on Quiz 4. We'll cover the important bits and discuss your questions in class on Monday.
Nov 1
Continuing technical difficulties plague the MasteringPhysics site. Homeworks due this week are now all due on Friday morning. Many of you have submitted the work due on Monday and Wednesday already. If you have not, please note that the deadline for those assignments (27 and 28) will not be extended past Friday morning, even if there are problems with the website late Thursday night.
After class update from technical support:
Due to an unexpected technical problem, MasteringPhysics has recently experienced intermittent interruptions in service. To ensure that the issue is fully resolved, we are scheduling a maintenance period on 2 November 2006 between 3-8 AM EST.
Oct 31
I have been assured that the MasteringPhysics site is up and running without difficulties. However, if you encounter difficulties submitting solutions, please contact technical support through this form.
Oct 30
Due to problems with the MasteringPhysics website, the deadline for Asssignment 28: Springs is extended until Wednesday morning.
The class notes from today are posted. At the request of several students, this is the first set of notes which includes PRS questions discussed in class.
Oct 25
Due to problems with the MasteringPhysics website, the deadline for Asssignment 25: Explosions and Inelastic Collisions is extended until Friday morning.
Class will meet next on Monday, 30 October. Unclaimed quiz papers are sorted in the "mailboxes" in the lecture hall. Please pick up your paper at your earliest convenience. When reviewing your answers to the multiple-choice section, the circled answer is the one which corresponds to your answer on the scantron sheet, which is not necessarily the correct answer. Please see the posted solutions or course standing information for the correct answers.
Oct 24
Results for Quiz #3 are now posted. Follow the Course Standing link for your score and the class distribution. Solutions to the Quiz problems are available through the Solutions page. I will have your Quiz papers for you to pick up before or after class tomorrow.
Oct 22
The instructions and formula sheet for Quiz 3 are posted for your reference. Please read through the quiz rules again to refresh your memory, and come to the quiz with an acceptable calculator.
Oct 20
The discussion board is back online. I encourage all of you to use this as an "online study group," by posting questions and answering each other. Additionally, Mauricio and I will monitor the board and provide feedback in as timely a manner as possible.
Oct 11
Pending confirmation of proctors, Quiz #5 will be held on Wednesday, 29 November. After moving this Quiz and reviewing the course progress, I have made a few other changes: please refer to the updated course schedule. Two changes of note involve Quizzes #4 and #5:
| Date | Test | ||
| Wed | Nov | 8 | Quiz 4 (chap 9 - 11) |
| Wed | Nov | 29 | Quiz 5 (chap 12 & 14) |
If you have a conflict with either of these changes, email me as soon as possible to make alternative arrangements.
Oct 8
In response to inquiries about changing the date of Quiz 5 (the Monday after Thanksgiving break), the class may have an opportunity to vote (via PRS) on Monday, October 9 to change the date of this quiz. If adopted, the alternate date for Quiz 5 would be Wednesday, 22 November. This is the Wednesday just before Thanksgiving. Because many students have already made travel arrangements, the decision to change the date must be unanimous.
Oct 5
A reminder about the remaining quizzes: for the rest of the semester, quizzes will be held on Monday mornings. The final exam will be held during Period 15 on Friday 15 Dec. Please refer to the online course schedule for more details, but here is brief listing of test dates:
| Date | Test | Notes | ||
| Mon | Oct | 23 | Quiz 3 (chap 6 - 8) | A week after fall break |
| Mon | Nov | 6 | Quiz 4 (chap 9 - 11) | |
| Mon | Nov | 27 | Quiz 5 (chap 12 & 14) | Right after Thanksgiving break |
| Fri | Dec | 15 | Final Exam(chap 1 - 14) | 2:50 PM - 5:40 PM |
Sep 29
A note about your returned quizzes: the circled letter for each multiple-choice question indicates your response as indicated on the scan sheet. The circle does not indicate the correct value. Please compare your circled choice with the quiz solutions.
The class results from Quiz 2 (in red) and overall quiz results (blue) are indicated in the histogram below. Individual results, as well as progress reports (based solely upon quiz scores to date) are now available through the course standing link. The quiz, with solutions, is available through the solutions link.
Sep 24
Please read the instruction and formula sheets for Quiz 2, paying particular attention to how to identify yourself on the scantron sheet. Also note that for the three short answer questions, you are expected to draw a free-body diagram for each question and show all your work.
Sep 22
Slides from today's class are available on the class notes page. This set includes the "lost" notes on air drag.
To address multiple questions concerning the lawmower problem on MasteringPhysics, Mauricio has prepared a solution available as a PDF on the solutions page.
Sep 16
The class results from Quiz 1 are indicated in the histogram below. Individual results are now available through the course standing link. The quiz, with solutions, is available through the solutions link.
Sep 13
Today is Quiz 1. Please double-check your room assignments and calculator status, sharpen your pencil, then come ready to solve a few problems.
| Room assignments | |
| A - L | L2 |
| M - R | S105 |
| S - Z | N113 |
Assignment 9: Vectors due date postponed until Friday, 15 September due to multiple incidents of login failures on MasteringPhysics.
Sep 8
A practice problem set is now available at the Mastering Physics site. All of the problems assigned in the Quiz 1 Practice Set are for individual practice and will not count towards the homework grade. Use the hints, test your understanding, and sharpen your wits.
Many questions about next week's quiz have focused on calculators. An incomplete list of acceptable and unacceptable calculators is available: please compare your calculator's features with the models on the list to see if your calculator may be used during a quiz or the final exam.
New to the website is a forum for discussion of class-related issues. The Discussion Board is meant to encourage conceptual questions about the course material, provide insight into problem-solving, and generally allow for more immediate interaction than waiting for office hours. Please be courteous and considerate in all postings.
Sep 5
Lecture slides are now posted on the class notes page after class. These are posted as Microsoft PowerPoint slide shows.
Sep 4
A new Solutions link has been posted. At present, solutions to Workbook problems for Chapters 1 - 3 are posted.
Aug 23
Today at 5:00 PM is the deadline to apply for a lab exemption. You must have previously taken PHYS 2211, completed the lab portion, and received a grade of D or better in the course. If this applies to you, read these instructions and email the appropriate information to permits@physics.gatech.edu.
Aug 22
The joint Physics Department/OMED Help Lab will start Mon. Aug. 28, 2006. The Lab hours will be Mon. - Thur.; 2:00 to 4:00 pm in N209. Two desk top computers are available in N209 for student log in (attendance) and Mastering Physics homework submission. The classroom now has a wireless hub to the Tech network.
Aug 21
As a reminder, the textbook required for PHYS 2211 is Volume 1 of Physics for scientists and engineers: A strategic approach by Knight. Volume 4 (which may be bundled with Vol. 1 in the bookstore) is the current text for PHYS 2212. The Student Workbook which accompanies the textbook is not required, but is highly recommended. The Workbook provdes qualitative exercises which are beneficial for checking your understanding of concepts before you attempt to work the assigned MasteringPhysics problems (or before you sit down to a Quiz).
Class notes are now accessible on the website as PDF files. Select the class title from the course schedule or follow the link in the sidebar.
Recitations and laboratories meet for the first time beginning the week of 28 August. Check your schedule to ensure you have both a recitation (1 hour) and a laboratory (2 hours) in your schedule for this class (not including students who are approved for lab exemptions - see the 19 August announcement).
Please note that the course schedule has changed. Space conflicts with another class mean that the first two tests each have been postponed by one class period.
We will use the Personal Response System (PRS) for class participation in this course. If you do not have a PRS transmitter from a previous course, please visit the bookstore and purchase one. Class participation credit will begin on the fourth class meeting on Monday, 28 August. Prior to this time, registered PRS responses will count as extra credit for class participation. You must register your PRS transmitter for this section; follow the instructions on the PRS Registration page.
Aug 19
Lab exemptions must be requested by Wednesday, 23 August 2006. Please read the appropriate material on the Academic Info page if you plan to ask for an exemption.
