FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Department of Physics

Schedule for Physics with Calculus I – Spring, 2009

Instructor: Dr. Richard A. Bone

Below are the chapter-sections from "University Physics", 12th edition by Young & Freedman to be covered during this course. (If you already have a different calculus-based book, you are not required to buy Young and Freedman. However you will need to order "Mastering Physics" (~$40). See below.)  In order to get the most out of this course, read the relevant sections for the classroom session you have just attended and upgrade and clarify your lecture notes accordingly. Gaining conceptual understanding of physics is of the utmost importance.

Homework We will be using the Web-based homework system, "Mastering Physics", that is included with your purchase of Young and Freedman. You will need to register by going to www.masteringphysics.com and selecting Young/Freedman's University Physics, 12/e. (If you are using a different book, you will need to purchase Mastering Physics which you can do via the same website  During registration, you must enter the course ID, which is MPBONE18. Further details will be given in the first class, and/or in an update of this Schedule.

Assistance Individual assistance with any aspect of this course will be available during my office hours which, generally, will be Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm. I will be in my office (CP 213) or my lab (CP 276). Solutions to problems will be posted on my website – www.fiu.edu/~bone/  (user name and password will be provided in class). There is also a problem-solving class, PHZ 2102, which accompanies PHY 2048. It is scheduled on Tuesday, 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. or Wednesday, 1:00 to 1:50 p.m.

This is a 4 credit course. You should therefore schedule at least 8 hours per week for homework and self-study outside the classroom.

The final exam will contain 2 sections, one covering coursework since EXAM 2, the other on earlier material. The relative weighting of the 3 exams and homework will be as follows:

HOMEWORK - 12%, ASSESMENT TEST 2 - 2%, EXAMS 1 and 2 - 25% each, FINAL EXAM - 36%

Your overall score will be converted to a letter grade according to the following approximate scheme: >85% = A, A-; 75-84% = B+, B, B-; 58-74% = C+, C

Make-up exams and/or incompletes will only be given in extreme cases involving serious medical problems, death in family, etc, not because your car breaks down, or you are not prepared for the exam, or you have a work/vacation conflict. Written verification will be required. Any make-up exams will be scheduled for after the final, assuming you get passing grades on the other exams.

 

Student Learning Outcome The successful student will be one who has developed a strong, conceptual understanding of the classical mechanics and thermodynamics described in the reading assignments below. A strong conceptual understanding is gained through regular class attendance, questioning your instructor in class and during office hours, and paying particular attention to homework. Confidence that you have a deep understanding of physics is achieved through homework problem-solving. Always work from first principles. There are so few of these principles that there's not much to memorize. If you find yourself simply hunting for an equation that contains the variables in the problem, you will likely fail the exams. The successful student will be one who, confronted with an original problem, is able to apply the basic laws of physics in order to find a solution.  

 

Date

Week

Reading assignments

Jan 5

1

1-1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9; 2-1

Jan 7

 

Assessment test 1

Jan 9

 

 

Jan 12

2

2-2,3,4,5; 3-1,2

Jan 14

 

 

Jan 16

 

 

Jan 21

3

3-3,4; 4-1

Jan 23

 

 

Jan 26

4

4-2,3,4,5,6

Jan 28

 

 

Jan 30

 

 

Feb 2

5

Exam 1 (Tentatively covering 1-1 through 4-6)

Feb 4

 

5-1,2,3,4

Feb 6

 

 

Feb 9

6

6-1,2,3,4; 7-1,2

Feb 11

 

 

Feb 13

 

 

Feb 16

7

7-3; 8-1,2,3,4,5

Feb 18

 

 

Feb 20

 

 

Feb 23

8

9-1,2,3,4,5,6

Feb 25

 

 

Feb 27

 

 Feb 27 is deadline for DR/WI

Mar 2

9

10-1,2,3,4,5,6

Mar 4

 

 

Mar 6

 

 

Mar 9

10

Exam 2 (Tentatively covering 5-1 through 10-6)

Mar 11

 

12-1; 13-1,2,3,4,5

Mar 13

 

    

Mar 23

11

15-1,2,3; 17-1,2,3,5                                       

Mar 25

 

 

Mar 27

 

 

Mar 30

12

18-1,2,3,4; 19-1,2,3,4

Apr 1

 

 

Apr 3

 

 

Apr 6

13

19-5,6,7,8;20-1,2

Apr 8

 

 

Apr 10

 

 

Apr 13

14

20-4,5,6,7

Apr 15

 

 

Apr 17

 

Assessment test 2

Apr 20

 

12:00 to 2:00 pm FINAL EXAM (~ 2/3 of exam tentatively covering 12-1 through 20-7. ~ 1/3 of exam on earlier material)