Schedule -- Dreyfus

Notes:

  • This schedule is subject to change.
  • RECITATIONS/LABS BEGIN FEBRUARY 2
  • For the Reading Assignments, you need to ask a question online in Webassign on 1-3 of the assigned readings. These are generally due at 9 PM the previous night and worth about 1 participation point per reading. Yes, they add up.
  • Some slides will be posted in Adobe pdf format on Canvas after (never before!) the class takes place. Note that these slides only represent a skeleton of the presentation and will rarely include solutions to problems and questions posed, derivations, or representations of class discussions. If you miss a class, these notes do not suffice to fill you in on what happened! Be sure to check with someone who actually attended!
  • SNOW UPDATE: Because of the snow days, starting in week 4, the "lab/recitation week" will now run from Wednesday to the following Tuesday, and there will be lab/recitation on May 11 and 12.
  • SNOW UPDATE 2:  Starting in week 6, the "recitation week" continues to run from Wednesday to the following Tuesday, but the "lab week" is now one full week later than what it says here (running from Monday to Thursday).
Date Class Reading Content Quiz

Week 1

 No Recitation No Lab
T 1/27 1

1. Introduction to the class
1.1 The disciplines: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Math
1.1.1 Science as making models
1.1.4 What Physics can do for Biologists
1.2 Thinking about Thinking and Knowing
1.2.1 The nature of scientific knowledge

Why are you here?  
Th 1/29 2

2. Modeling with mathematics
2.1 Using math in science
2.1.1 How math in science is different from math in math
2.1.2 Measurement
2.1.3 Dimensions and units
2.1.3.1 Complex dimensions and dimensional analysis
2.1.3.2 Changing units
2.1.4 Estimation 
2.1.4.1 Useful numbers

Modeling, dimensions  

Week 2

 Recitation: How big is a worm Lab 0: Survey and Intro
T 2/3 3 I-1 Interlude 1: The Main Question: How do things move?
3 Kinematics: Where and When?
3.1.1 Coordinates
3.1.2 Vectors
3.1.3 Time
3.1.4 Kinematics Graphs
Coordinates and vectors Quiz 1
Th 2/5 4

2.2.5 Values, change, and rates of change
2.2.5.1 Derivatives
2.2.5.1.1 What is a derivative, anyway?

3.2 Kinematic Variables
3.2.1 Velocity
3.2.1.1 Average velocity
3.2.1.2 Instantaneous velocity
3.2.1.3 Calculating with average velocity

 Rates of change & velocity  

Week 3

 Recitation: Cat and Antelope Lab 1: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
T 2/10 5 3.2.2 Acceleration
3.2.2.1 Average acceleration
3.2.2.2 Instantaneous acceleration
3.2.2.3 Calculating with constant acceleration
 Acceleration Quiz 2
Th 2/12 6 4.1.1 Physical content of Newton's Laws
4.1.1.1 Object egotism
4.1.1.2 Inertia
4.1.1.3 Interactions
4.1.1.4 Superposition
4.1.1.5 Mass
4.1.1.6 Reciprocity


4.1.2 Formulation of Newton's Laws as foothold principles
4.1.2.1 Quantifying impulse and force
4.1.2.2 Newton's 0th Law
4.1.2.2.1 Free-body diagrams
4.1.2.2.2 System Schema Introduction

Intro to Newton's Laws  

Week 4

 Recitation:Thinking about forces for objects and systems Lab 1: Quantifying motion from Images and Videos
T 2/17 7

4.1.2.3 Newton's 1st law
4.1.2.4 Newton's 2nd law
4.1.2.4.1 Reading the content in Newton's 2nd law 
4.1.2.4.2 Newton 2 as a stepping rule
4.1.2.4.2.1 Newton 2 on a spreadsheet

Newton 1 and 2
SNOW DAY		 Quiz 3
SNOW DAY
Th 2/19 8 4.1.2.5 Newton's 3rd law 
4.1.2.5.1 Using system schemas for Newton's 3rd law
4.2 Kinds of Forces
4.2.1 Springs 
4.2.1.1 Realistic springs
4.2.1.2 Normal forces
4.2.1.2.1 A simple model of solid matter
 Newton 1 and 2
Newton 3		 Quiz 3

Week 5

 Recitation: The spring constant of DNA Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
T 2/24 9

4.2.1.3 Tension forces
4.2.2 Resistive forces
4.2.2.1 Friction

Tension and friction Quiz 4
Th 2/26 10 4.2.2.2 Viscosity
4.2.2.3 Drag

Viscosity and drag
SNOW DAY

  

Week 6

 Recitation: Motion of a paramecium Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
T 3/3 11 4.2.3 Gravitational forces
4.2.3.1 Flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.1.1 Free-fall in flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.3 The gravitational field 		Viscosity and drag
Gravity		 Quiz 5
Th 3/5 12 MIDTERM 1 (on lectures 1-10)
SNOW DAY

Week 7

 Recitation: Electrostatic force and Hydrogen bonds Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 3/10 13 MIDTERM 1 (rescheduled)
Th 3/12 14

4.2.4 Electric forces
4.2.4.1 Charge and the structure of matter
4.2.4.2 Polarization

3.1.2.1 Adding Vectors
3.1.2.1.1 Example: vector addition
3.1.2.1.2 Example: vector subtraction

4.2.4.3 Coulomb's law 
4.2.4.3.1 Coulomb's law -- vector character
4.2.4.3.2 Reading the content in Coulomb's law

 Go over midterm / Electric forces  

Week 8

 Recitation: Electrophoresis Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 3/24 15

4.2.4.4 The Electric field 

4.3 Coherent vs. random motion
4.3.1 Linear momentum
4.3.1.1 Restating Newton's 2nd law: momentum
4.3.1.2 Momentum conservation

Electric field
Momentum		 Quiz 6
Th 3/26 16

4.3.2 The role of randomness: Biological implications
4.3.3 Diffusion and random walks
4.3.3.1 Fick's law
3.1.2.3 The gradient: a vector derivative

 Random motion and diffusion

Week 9

 Recitation: Diffusion in cells Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 3/31 17

5. Macro models of matter
5.1.1 Density-solids
5.1.2 Young's modulus
5.1.6 Soft matter
5.1.6.1 Mechanical properties of cells

 Solids Quiz 7
Th 4/2 18

5.2 Fluids
5.2.1 Pressure

I-2: Interlude 2: The Micro to Macro Connection

7.1 Kinetic theory: the ideal gas law

Fluids and kinetic theory  

Week 10

 Recitation: Gas properties and pressure Lab 4: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
T 4/7 19

5.2.2 Archimedes' Principle
5.2.3 Buoyancy

5.2.5.2.1 Surface tension
 Buoyancy and surface tension Quiz 8
Th 4/9 20 5.2.6 Fluid flow
5.2.6.1 Quantifying fluid flow
5.2.6.2 The continuity equation
5.2.6.3 Internal flow -- the HP equation

 Fluid flow

Week 11

 Recitation: Fluid flow Lab 4: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
T 4/14 21 6. Energy: The Quantity of Motion
6.1 Kinetic energy and the work-energy theorem
6.1.1 Reading the content in the Work-Energy theorem		 Work and energy Quiz 9
Th 4/16 22 MIDTERM 2 (cumulative, focusing on lectures 11-20)

Week 12

 Recitation: Energy skate park Lab 5: Motion and Work in living systems
T 4/21 23 6.2 Energy of place -- potential energy
6.2.1 Gravitational potential energy
6.2.2 Spring potential energy
6.2.3 Electric potential energy		 Potential energy  
Th 4/23 24 6.3 The conservation of mechanical energy
6.3.1 Interpreting mechanical energy graphs
6.3.2 Mechanical energy loss -- thermal energy

6.3.3 Forces from potential energy

 Go over midterm / Conservation of energy  

Week 13

 Recitation: Protein stability Lab 5: Motion and Work in living systems
T 4/28 25 6.4.1 Energy at the sub-molecular level
6.4.2 Atomic and Molecular forces
6.4.2.1 Interatomic forces
6.4.2.2 Chemical bonding		 Chemical energy Quiz 10
Th 4/30 26 5.3 Heat and temperature
5.3.2 Thermal properties of matter
5.3.2.1 Thermal energy and specific heat
5.3.2.2 Heat capacity
5.3.2.3 Heat transfer

Heat and temperature

  

Week 14

  Recitation: Temperature regulation  Lab: Makeup Lab and survey
T 5/5 27 7. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
7.2 The 1st law of thermodynamics		 The 1st law of thermodynamics Quiz 11
Th 5/7 28 7.3 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
7.3.1 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: A Probabilistic Law
7.3.2 Implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics 		The 2nd law of thermodynamics  

Week 15
T 5/12 29 No reading Review  

Final Exam

 Saturday, May 16, 4-6 pm