Physics 102 / 002

Physics 102 / 002, Fall 2009 (Regener Hall): M, W, 2:00 – 3.15 p.m.

Instructor Info: Prof Harjit S. Ahluwalia, T: 277-2941, F: 277-1520, e-mail: hsa@unm.edu.

I shall be your best friend for the semester! You may talk to me about anything that is bothering you and hindering your goals for this class.

Office: Rm 178 in Physics & Astronomy Bldg, 800 Yale Blvd NE (north of Lomas, east of Yale)

Office Hours: M/W 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 103/109; F 2 to 3:30 p.m., in Room 178

(my office in Physics & Astronomy Bldg); for other times please make an appointment.

Text Book: Conceptual Physics Fundamentals, Paul G. Hewett.

Homepage: http://panda.unm.edu/Courses/Ahluwalia/Phys102/index.html.

Homepage may be revised from time to time! Please consult it regularly for info on Homework/solutions, Class tests/exam, help/reviews, etc.

Expectations: You are in this class to experience the world of Physics. You are very welcome!

Physics is an empirical science learned by experience and verified by experiments in the laboratory. We shall cover most of the topics listed in the Syllabus but not with equal emphasis. Some concepts may be familiar to you because of your everyday living experience! Others are more abstract. My goal is to help you develop a ‘physical intuition’—a deeper understanding of the concepts. This requires a lot of hard work on your part (and mine). The following practices may enhance your learning experience this semester.

· Please switch off your cell phone for the duration of the class.

· Please sit in front rows B through K, so that we can hear each other.

· Come to the class on time and bring your book and a calculator with you, every time. Be prepared to do simple calculations in the class; they enhance your ability to do well on the tests.

· Some material in a Chapter may be left out and some material from outside the book may be added.

· Please do not to be absent from any class. I shall not take Roll Call, but absences have a strange way of being reflected in your test scores.

· The course may appear to you to be fast-paced. Please make sure you do not load yourself with an excessive number of credit hours (greater than 12 hrs).

· If you run into a difficulty with a particular concept, it is best to contact me ASAP if you are not able to resolve it with the TA or in a discussion amongst yourselves. An unresolved difficulty may keep hampering your subsequent learning experience. I encourage you to see me frequently. Please get into the habit of asking questions in the class or afterwards in my office hours.

· Please try very hard to build healthy study habits, if you don’t have them already. I recommend that you try to organize study groups with classmates, friends, relatives, etc, to get extra help anywhere you can.

· You should expect to put in at least 10 hours of physics study outside the class (individually or in groups) to get a decent grade (B-) in this course.

Classroom Policies: This is a large class! We shall observe the following rules, without exceptions.

· The best way to benefit from lectures is to read the material to be covered in a lecture beforehand to identify areas of difficulty so that you are particularly attentive when I cover that material in class. Then, read the material again when you go home to ensure that you have understood the concepts.

· There shall be one homework assignment per week due on Monday before the start of the class. The solutions shall be posted at the homepage. The exercises shall be graded: 0 (absent/irrelevant), 1 (average), 2 (excellent); numerical problems will be allotted specified points from 1 to 5.

· There shall be four 1-hour class tests and a 2-hour final examination, all on Wednesdays as indicated below. They shall consist of multiple-choice questions, simple calculations; some requiring written explanations. Each test/exam is worth 100 points.

· Tests/exam shall be closed book. You may bring ONE reference card (6 in x 4 in) to tests/exam with info that you may need. The card should be attached to the test answer book, at the back, before turning it in.

· Class tests shall cover limited material (Chapters) but Final Exam shall be comprehensive. Graded papers for final exam may be picked up at my office in the Physics & Astronomy building a week after the exam.

· Test solutions shall be posted in Case #3 in the hallway (where labs are) on the west wall (near south stairs), look for my picture.

· One class test with the lowest score shall be dropped for the final grade. Others shall be normalized to 60 %. Final Exam will count for 30 %, homework for 10 %; point scores shall be curved, with the median score (on a histogram) counted as B-.

· There shall be no make-up tests. Please do not miss any tests. I may drop a student for missing test or homework. There shall be no extra credits.

· Mr. M. Amin Rasoulof (rasoulof@unm.edu), a graduate student in Physics & Astronomy Dept, will be the grader for Homework, Class Tests and Exam.

Class Test Schedule: CT 1, Wed 9/23 (Ch 3 - 5); CT 2, Wed 10/14 (Ch 6, 8, 9); CT 3,

Wed 11/11 (Ch 10, 11, 14); CT 4, Wed 12/9 (Ch 13, 15, 16).

· Final Exam: Wed 12 /16, 3 to 5 p.m. in Regener Hall, Room 103, Ch. 1-11, 13-16.

Homework: Please write legibly and thoughtfully, using no more than ½ page for each exercise; draw a diagram to illustrate your answer where appropriate. Do not forget to put your name and UNM ID on the sheet.

Ch. 1. Ex: 3, 4; ……….due 31 August.

Ch. 3. Ex: 2, 11, 30; Prob: 8, 10; & Ch. 4. Ex: 3, 6, 41, 48; Prob: 7, 10, 12. .due 14 September.

Ch. 5. Ex: 14, 22, 23, 27, 56; Prob: 8, 12, 15………due 21 September.

Class Test 1: Wednesday, 23 September, Chapters: 3, 4, 5.

Ch. 6. Ex: 13, 27, 42; Prob: 6, 9………due 5 October.

Ch. 8. Ex: 15, 21, 35, 37; Prob: 4, 5 & Ch. 9. Ex: 5, 9, 13, 25; Prob: 2, 3, 6………due 12 October

Class Test 2: Wednesday, 14 October, Chapters: 6, 8, 9, and Appendix B, pp. 377-382.

Ch. 10. Ex: 2, 8, 25, 43, 47; Prob: 1, 14, 16 ………due 26 October

Ch. 11. Ex: 2, 20, 38, 43; Prob: 8 …………………due 2 November

Ch. 14. Ex: 3, 12, 23, 30, 48, 50; Prob: 1, 5 ………due 9 November

Class Test 3: Wednesday, 11 November, Chapters: 10, 11, 14

Ch. 13. Ex: 3, 5, 7, 11, 26; Prob: 1, 4, 8 ..................due 23 November
Ch. 15. Ex: 1, 10, 31, 34, 39; Prob: 1, 2, 4 ..............due 30 November
Ch. 16. Ex: 6, 10, 41; Prob: 2, 5, 7, 8 ......................due 7 December
Class Test 4: Wednesday, 2 December , Chapters: 13, 15, 16 & polaroids from Ch. 14

Homework Solutions:

Practice Sheets:

Extra Course Material :