Syllabus

Textbook:
Serway and Jewett:  "Physics for Scientists and Engineers", 6th Edition, Vol. 1 (Thomson: Brooks/Cole, 2004)  
 

Lecture:  Monday 7-8:50 PM and Wednesday 7-7:50 PM,  room 1412, Physics building.
   

Introduction
Physics 161 a 3credit introductory calculas based course in physics. It is the first semester of a three semester sequence. It satisfies the physics requirement of the Engineering College. Pre- or co-requiste is MATH 141.
 

Course Description
The class meets Monday and Wednesday at 7 PM in room 1412 of the Physics Building.  This lecture hall is adjacent to one the best lecture demonstration facility in the world and we will make use of it extensively throughout the semester.  These demonstrations are an essential part of the course and missing even a single class will put you at a serious disadvantage. The purpose of this course is to describe the physical world in which we live, to explain the scientific basis of  our understanding of this world and to give you the tools for a quantitative understanding of motion.  In this course we will cover topics in mechanics; motion, work and energy, momentum, gravity. We will make use of integral and differential calculas and vectors.
   

Grading
The course grade will be determined by the following:
 

Homework	15%
Quizes	15%
First Hour Exam	20%
Second Hour Exam	20%
Final Exam	30%

Homework and Quizzes
There will be weekly homework assignments. It will be collected at the beginning of class on Wednesday.  There will be a short quiz each week based on the assigned homework.  Solutions to the homework will be posted outside the lecture hall and on the web. Homework is extremely important as it will help you clarify your understanding of the material, point out areas of weakness and help you prepare for the exams. It is extremely difficult to do well in this course without carefully doing the homework.

Mid Term Exams

There will be two 50 minute in class mid term exams: Weds., Feb 25 and Weds., April 14. These exams will have questions very similar to the homework and the quizzes. They each count 20% toward your course grade.

Laboratory
There is no laboratory in Physics 161.
 

Tutoring
The Physics Department has a free tutoring service, The Slawsky Clinic, rum by a group of retired senior physicists. It is located in Rooms 1208 & 1214 in the Physics building. The time reserved especially for PHYS161 are from 11-12 and 1-2. However, you can usually get help at any time they are open, from10 AM until 3 PM.