PHYSICS 2211 M & N-INTRO. PHYSICS (Modern Matter & Interactions version)

Course Policies

Overview of the course:

Physics 2211 is the first course in a two-semester sequence of introductory calculus-based physics courses for engineering and science students. This Matter & Interactions version of the course deals with the nature of matter and its interactions. The variety of phenomena that we will be able to explain and understand is very wide, from the orbit of a planet to the speed of sound in a solid.

The main goal of this course is to have you engage in a process central to science: the attempt to model a broad range of physical phenomena using a small set of powerful fundamental principles.

The specific focus is on learning how to explain the nature of matter and its interactions in terms of a small set of physical laws that govern all mechanical interactions, and in terms of the atomic structure of matter. Topics include:

types of matter and types of interactions

using the momentum principle to predict future motion

an atomic model of solids

energy conservation including relativistic energy

energy in macroscopic systems including thermal energy

energy quantization

multiparticle systems and the point-particle system

collisions including relativistic particle collisions

angular momentum and quantized angular momentum

entropy and statistical mechanics

The course is designed in such a way as to make these contemporary science topics accessible to introductory-level students.

Objectives

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

Apply a small set of fundamental physical principles to a wide variety of physical situations.

Use these principles to explain a wide variety of physical phenomena, including at a microscopic level.

Use these principles to predict the behavior of a variety of physical systems.

Create a 3D, animated computer model of a physical situation.

Textbook

The textbook is Matter & Interactions, Vol. I, 2nd Edition: Modern Mechanics by R.Chabay & B. Sherwood (John Wiley & Sons 2007), and is available new at the bookstore. We will cover most of the topics in this volume. See the table of contents at the front of the book (which also includes the contents of Volume II).

Textbooks purchased at the bookstore are bundled with an access code to the WebAssign online homework system that will be used in this class.

Using the textbook
The course schedule lists the reading assignment associated with each lecture. Keep up with the reading; don't let it fall behind. For maximum benefit, you should read the book actively, not just passively. This means you should:

Read the assigned textbook sections thoughtfully.

Do the "stop and think" activities marked by "?" in the text.

Work the in-line "exercises".

Identify the most important concept in this section of the textbook.

Identify concepts or reasoning that were not clear to you in the reading.

After studying the textbook sections, work through the WebAssign homework questions to check your understanding.

Important: It will usually take you much longer to complete the WebAssign work if you do not first read the textbook sections and do the exercises in the textbook, because you won't be properly prepared and will find yourself floundering around, trying one answer after another.

If you devote a modest amount of daily time to working through assigned sections of the book, you will be in a position to attack the homework problems efficiently, based on a clear understanding of the fundamental physical principles that underlie the analysis of all the homework problems. You will also be well prepared for exams, which test your understanding of fundamental principles rather than your ability to plug numbers into secondary special-case formulas.

Note that at the end of each chapter, just after the summary page, one or more large problems are worked out in detail.

Lectures

Lectures meet in Howey Lecture Room 2. Lectures are extremely important in this class, because they give you the opportunity to ask questions and clear up confusions. Furthermore, you will be able to gauge your understanding of new material in lectures through a series of short, polling type questions. Responses to these questions will be collected through an infrared Personal Response System (PRS). In order to participate in this response system, each student will be required to purchase a PRS transmitter from the bookstore. Each transmitter is hard-wired with a unique ID code, which will be used by the system to identify each student's input.

Because research and experience has shown that students' performance in intro physics courses is strongly correlated to their attendance in lectures, lecture attendance in this class will count towards a small percentage of your final grade. Attendance will be monitored with the PRS system.

To find out how to register your PRS transmitter, see "PRS Registration."

Bring your textbook and a scientific calculator to class everyday.

Labs

Labs meet once per week for 3 hours in Boggs B46, starting the first week of class. There will be no exemptions from 2211-M and 2211-N labs.

Your work in each lab period will count toward your final grade. i.e., you DO NOT receive a lab grade as a separate part of the course. . In lab you will typically work in groups of two or three students on any of the following three kinds of activities:

Experiments, involving measurement and analysis of data according to fundamental principles. Sometimes you will be asked to design and carry out an experiment to determine something that we do not already know.

Computer modeling, involving constructing 3-D models of physical systems and their motion. This will involve the VPython programming language. The computer modeling activities are designed to deepen your understanding of the nature of the modeling process. Computer modeling is an important technique that is playing an increasingly critical role in all of engineering and science, parallel to theory and experiment. No previous programming experience is needed -- we will teach you the basic concepts needed.

Group problem solving, involving work on large, complex problems. These provide practice on the concepts and problem-solving skills necessary for success on tests. They also provide an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, an important skill for modern scientists and engineers.

You must attend the lab section for which you are registered in order to receive credit.

Homework

This class will use the WebAssign online homework system. A WebAssign homework assignment will be due every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. These assignments will consist of some in-line exercises from the textbook and a small number of problems from the end of the textbook chapter. Once a week the WebAssign assignment may include larger problems that may take an hour or more to solve. You are allowed a limited number of submissions. You should work each assignment on paper in detail before submitting your answers to WebAssign.

For information on how to get started in WebAssign, see "WebAssign Registration Info" at the left.

Computer modeling homework
Computer modeling assignments will usually started in lab, but there may be assignments you will need to complete outside of lab. Computer programs will be submitted for grading through WebAssign.

Computer programming is a powerful tool, but even the most skilled programmer sometimes gets waylaid by a computer problem that is very difficult to "debug." For that reason we make the following rule:

If you have worked seriously for an hour trying without success to debug a malfunctioning computer program, STOP! Get help from an instructor or from another student before continuing. We do not want you to spend hours and hours struggling with computer problems. We will make adjustments of deadlines when we work with you. However, you have the responsibility to start on an assignment early enough to be able to get help if necessary. Don't wait until 2 AM of the day the assignment is due!

Tests and exams

There will be four tests and a comprehensive final exam. Tests and exams are to be done without help from others. Cheating will be heavily penalized as a violation of the Georgia Tech Honor Code. All tests are closed book; relevant formulas and constants will provided when needed.  Tests during the semester will be held 6-7:30 pm on certain Mondays as indicated on the course schedule

Students who will be absent on test days due to participation in approved Institute activities must make alternative test-taking arrangements at least a week in advance. Students whose presence elsewhere is required by a court of law, or for whom accommodation for an absence is requested by the Office of the Dean of Students, must substitute their final exam grade for the grade of the missed quiz. Note that the Office of the Dean of Students will not make such a request for routine matters such as short-term illness, doctor appointments, wedding attendance … job interviews, and the like."

If you miss a test for a valid reason (i.e., you were too ill to take the test, had a serious family illness, etc.), then you must SUBMIT A WRITTEN STATEMENT from the Dean of Students or the Student Health Center, with supporting documentation, as to the cause of the absence to the instructor ON THE FIRST DAY YOU RETURN TO CLASS. If the reason is acceptable, your grade will be determined at the instructor’s discretion.

Grading policy

Final grades will be calculated according to the following:

	Weight
Four 50-min. in-class tests	48%
Laboratory	12%
Homework	12%
Class attendance	4%
Final Exam	24%
Total	100%

Test and exam grades are not expected to be curved.

Numerical ranges for final grades:

A	90%-100%
B	80%-89%
C	70%-79%
D	60%-69%
F	0-59%

Getting help

Instructor and TA office hours will be posted soon. Feel free to contact your instructor or TA by email to schedule an appointment if you cannot attend office hours.

The WebAssign homework system has an online message forum. You are encouraged to use this forum to discuss with your fellow classmates any problems you might have with homework assignments. Please restrict the use of the forum to homework or course related topics only (i.e. don't use it for chatting).

(Note: Because PHYS 2211-M & 2211-N is using a new curriculum different from the standard 2211 course, you will not be able to find tutors in the Office of Success Programs that can help you with this course.)

Academic Honesty

The policy on academic honesty as stated in the GIT Honor Code will be fully enforced during this course. In particular:

Collaboration on homework assignments and in-class activities is permitted and encouraged (unless your instructor explicitly indicates otherwise). However, students are NOT permitted to use a second WebAssign account (either their own or that of another student).

Collaboration is NOT permitted tests, quizzes, or the final exam.

Students are NOT permitted to use another student’s PRS transmitter in lecture.

Violations of these “Rules of Engagement” will be prosecuted as violations of the GIT Honor