PHYS 1101 - General Physics I

(PBS)

Fall, summer. 4 credits.

Forbidden Overlap: Students may receive credit for only one course in the following group:EAS 1600, PHYS 1101, PHYS 1112, PHYS 1116, PHYS 2207.
Prerequisite: three years high school mathematics, including trigonometry. Enrollment may be limited, freshmen are excluded. General introductory physics often taken by students in disciplines such as Biology or Chemistry. Similar in content to PHYS 2207. Summer Session: Eight-week, six-week, or first four weeks only for those doing PHYS 1102 in the second four weeks.

A. Giambattista; summer, G. Case.

PHYS 1101 and PHYS 1102 emphasize quantitative and conceptual understanding of the topics and tools of introductory physics developed without use of calculus. The course offers individualized instruction. There are no scheduled lectures, discussion sections, or labs. Instruction occurs via one-on-one tutoring in the learning center, open Mon-Fri afternoons, Mon-Thurs evenings, and Sundays in fall and spring; Mon-Fri 9am-2pm in summer. Students learn through completing assigned readings, problems, and laboratory exercises and through individualized tutoring. Additionally, videotaped lectures, sample tests, overview sessions, and on-line tutorials are provided. The course format provides flexibility, but in some ways is more demanding than a course with a traditional format. Success requires discipline and well-developed study habits. Students without high school physics can succeed, but should allow extra time. Evaluation includes an oral notebook check and a written test for each unit; these must be completed within a flexible set of deadlines. Major topics for PHYS 1101: kinematics, forces and dynamics, momentum, energy, fluid mechanics, waves and sound, thermal physics, kinetic theory, and thermodynamics. At the level of College Physics vol. 1, 4th ed., by Giambattista, Richardson, and Richardson.