Physics 2425-A2
Physics for Engineers I
Fall, 2009
Instructor: Lianxi
Ma Email: lianxi.ma@blinn.edu
Office: G203 Tel: (979) 209-7419 (w/ voicemail)
Office
Hours: 45 min.
before class or as long as my door is open.
(Or
by appointment)
Course Web site: http://www.blinn.edu/brazos/natscience/lma
Classroom Locations and Meeting Times: Monday and Wednesday
|
Lecture |
Lab |
|
Room
G213 4:15
pm – 5:30 pm |
Room
G233 5:40
pm – 6:55 pm |
Course
Description:
A
course primarily designed for students majoring in engineering and physical
sciences. Topics covered include classical mechanics, heat and waves.
Prerequisite:
MATH
2413 or continuing enrollment therein.
Core
Curriculum Course:
This
is a course in the 42-hour Core Curriculum of Blinn College. Students will
develop proficiency in appropriate intellectual competencies, exemplary educational
objectives and general perspectives. The URL of the
Course
Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon
completing this course, students should have a grasp of the concepts listed
below and be able to solve problems using calculus and knowledge of these
concepts. Lecture and laboratory work
will focus on the following learning outcomes:
·
Solve problems in 1D and 2D
kinematics.
·
Use vectors in solving physics
problems.
·
Apply Newton’s laws of motion to
problems involving the one- and two-dimensional linear dynamics of particles.
·
Utilize the definitions of work and
potential energy, the work-energy theorem and the principle of conservation of
energy in solving physics problems.
·
Apply Newton’s laws to systems of
particles and use the principle of conservation of linear momentum.
·
For rotations of a rigid body about a
fixed axis, use the equations of kinematics, calculate moments of inertia and
apply energy considerations.
·
Apply the equations of rotational
dynamics, including the principle of conservation of angular momentum.
·
Utilize principles such as Newton’s
law of universal gravitation, conservation of energy or Kepler’s laws to solve
problems in gravitation.
·
Solve problems involving oscillations
and waves.
·
Solve problems involving temperature,
including temperature scales, thermal expansion and the ideal gas law.
·
Apply the concepts of specific heat and
latent heat to problem solving.
·
Apply the first and second laws of
thermodynamics.
Overall
objectives for the course include the following:
·
The student will maintain grade of D (60%) for completion of the
course. This grade will include both
lecture and laboratory components.
·
The student will develop improved
problem-solving skills.
·
The student will develop an enhanced
appreciation for the integration of physics and math and improved skill in
interpreting the physical meaning of mathematical equations which occur
naturally in the course.
Laboratory
work will be chosen to reinforce the above lecture topics. The student will
demonstrate in the laboratory an understanding of the experiment through
writing a report that analyzes the data and interprets the results.
Textbooks
and other materials:
Students
with physical or learning disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (Room 157, Science Bldg.) to receive accommodation on exams
and assignments. The Office of Disability Services will provide the
student with an accommodation letter specifying the accommodations that are to
be provided to the student. The student must present this letter to the
instructor in order to receive accommodation. Accommodation is not
retroactive.
Class
Policies
Attendance
There
are three forms of excused absence officially designated by Blinn College: (1) observance of religious holy days: The student should notify his/her
instructor(s) not later than the 15th day of the semester concerning the
specific date(s) that the student will be absent for any religious holy day(s);
(2) representing Blinn College at an official institutional function and (3)
official involvement in a high school activity for “dual-credit” students. Other excuses will be considered and may be
considered excused, at the instructor’s discretion, with documentation. Missing lecture or lab counts as one
absence. If a student misses both
lecture and lab periods for a given day, this counts as only one absence.
For
a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday class, two weeks represents four
classes. Four or more unexcused absences spread throughout the semester
will result in the student being administratively withdrawn from class.
Student E-mails
Students
are assigned an e-mail address that must be checked regularly for official
Blinn communications and course information. The address is of the
form: Firstname.LastnameLast2digitsBlinnID@buc.blinn.edu.
Information about accessing this account can be found at: www.blinn.edu/acadtech/studentemail/.
Dropping
If
a student chooses to drop the course, it is that student’s responsibility to
complete a drop order at the Office of Enrollment Services. Failure to do so
could result in a grade of F in the course.
Make-up work
Students
will not be permitted to make up missed work except in extremely rare
circumstances. Before any make-ups are
permitted, students must provide the instructor with appropriate
documentation. Permission to make up
work will be granted solely at the discretion of the instructor.
Laboratory Work
Except
for a few circumstances, you will have only one lab period in which to work on
the laboratory experiments. Additional
class time for working on these experiments will be given solely at the
discretion of the instructor. This means
that when you are working through the experiments, you should focus on making
sure you have made all the required measurements and have recorded all the
required data. Only after this is
completed should you spend class time working through calculations called for
in the experiment. If you do not
complete the calculations in class, I expect you complete them outside of
class.
You
may hand in labs at any time up until the time I begin grading them. However,
once I start grading them, I will not accept any additional labs.
Eating and Drinking
Eating
and drinking are not allowed during class or laboratory work.
Classroom
Civility
Members
of the
If
a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the
student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with
the instructor. It is the student’s
responsibility to arrange for this conference.
Mobile Phones
All mobile phones must be turned off at
all times while in the classroom or lab.
Scholastic Dishonesty
Description of Course Content and Tentative Class Schedule:
The course will cover Chapters 1-20 in the
text. The tentative dates for the exams
are as follows:
|
Exam |
Date (tentative) |
|
1, chaps 1 - 5 |
9/16,
Wednesday |
|
2, chaps 6 - 9 |
10/14, Wednesday |
|
3, chaps 10 - 15 |
11/16, Monday |
|
Final Exam and Post-test |
Monday, 12/14, 3:15 – 5:15pm, G213 |
Criteria for Grading: There will be three major exams, a cumulative
final exam, in-class assignments, labs, and online homework.
The grading system of
A = 90 – 100
B = 80 – 89 Above Average
C = 70 – 79 Average
D = 60 – 69 Passing
F = < 60 Failing
*from
Board Policy Manual EGA(LOCAL), issued
Important dates to remember:
11/20/09: Last day to
drop with “W”
12/10/09: Last day of
class
12/11/09: Final exams
begin
12/17/09: Final
grades due at 5:00 PM