Course Information

Physics 2048-Physics with Calculus 1

Fall 2011

Dr. Brian Raue

General

Our technologically dependent world requires an understanding of the processes that led us here. Learning the basic concepts and ideas of scientific fields, such as physics, provides contact with not just those fields but with how science is done.  In this course students study the scientific method through the examination of the foundational theories of physics.  Students apply scientific principles and theoris to problem solving, evaluation scientific statements, and incoporate new information within the context of what is already known.

This is the first semester of a two-semester introductory physics course. The topics for this semester include basic kinetics, waves, and thermodynamics.  It is assumed that you have some knowledge of introductory calculus and good working knowledge of  algebra and trigonometry.


Your best  bet for doing well in this course is to attend all of the lectures and do all of the assigned homework. Reading the text will provide a different perspective on the topics covered in the lectures.  Don’t expect to do well by putting off the homework and cramming for tests.  The only way to learn physics is to keep on top of the subject and by practicing  your problem-solving skills.  Don’t get behind—if you are having trouble with the material get help immediately.  The material builds on itself and getting behind early will make it very difficult to catch up. 

 

Textbook
"University Physics"  13th ed. by Young, Freedman and Ford, a student study guide and a student solutions manual for this text is also available.
 

Instructor     

Dr. Brian Raue
Office: CP 217                                                     

Office Hours: MW 10-12:00, T 11-12:00 and 1:30-3:00, Th 11-12:00.                

Phone: 305-348-3958

E-mail: baraue@fiu.edu


Lectures
MW 9:00-9:50, F 9:00-10:40 in OE 134

Exams

There will be four midterm exams.  The exam schedule is given below.  The exams are closed book but a formula sheet will be provided for you.  Calculators will be necessary.  There are no makeup exams unless there was an extreme emergency or if you have contracted me prior to the test with a legitimate reason for missing it.  The material covered in each exam is subject to change.

--Exam 1: Friday September 23 (chapters 1-5) , 16% of grade

--Exam 2: Friday October 21 (chapters 6-12), 16% of grade

--Exam 3: Friday November 11 (chapters 13, 15, & 16), 16% of grade
--Exam 4: Wednesday November 30 (chapters 14, 17-20), 10% of grade

--Fina Exam: Friday December 9 7:30-9:30, 24% of grade

Homework (Link to assignments and schedule.)
There will be 10-20 homework problems assigned per chapter.  We will be using the publisher's web-based system for turning in and grading the homework.  In general, these problems will be taken from the text but will have different numbers to plug in for each student. The homework will count for 18% of your grade for the course. Solutions to assigned problems will be posted on the web after the due date.
Doing the homework is a critical part of doing well in this course!  I cannot stress this enough. The homework is directly relevant to the exams (you will see problems on the exams which look a lot like the homework). If you don’t do well on the homework you won’t do well on the exams.  The only way to learn the material is to polish your skills with doing lots of problems.  Doing the odd-numbered problems that are not assigned will also help. 

 

Here are some tips for getting the best possible homework (and course) grade.

--Do your homework on time.  Late homework can be submitted up to 1 day late but for only half credit.

--Attempt to solve all problems.

--Work the problems out in detail on paper before submitting answers via the web.

--Be careful with significant figures and units.


Class Participation will not only help you and your classmates learn better but can also earn you bonus points on the homework.  During class, I will hand out chips for class participation.  White chips are worth one HW point, blue chips are worth two HW points, and red chips are worth three HW points.  At the end of class, simply turn in the chips and log the points.  These will be added to your HW total at the end of the term.


Grades
A letter grade will be assigned only at the end of the semester but we will attempt to give you an idea approximately where you are throughout the semester. The grading system is based roughly on the following scale although we reserve the right to “curve” as we see fit:


 A: 89-100% A-: 86-88%
B+: 83-85% B: 75-82% B-:72-84%
C+: 69-71% C: 58-68% C- grades are generally not given
D+: 55-57%
 D: 44-54%
 D- grades are rarely given


Academic Integrity
Cheating is considered a very serious offense and all offenders will be dealt with harshly.  The minimum penalty for cheating on an exam will be a zero on the exam with the possibility of automatic failure for the course or a recommendation of expulsion from the university. All students should be familiar with the FIU Student Code of Conduct.