Wentworth Engineering Physics I, Fall 2015

Welcome to the course website for section 11399/11400 of Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Engineering Physics I, Fall 2015!

Course Information

Instructor: Dr. Marissa Vogt
E-mail: vogtm@wit.edu
Schedule:  Lectures Tuesdays & Thursdays 5-6:15 p.m., Dobbs Hall 306; lab Monday, 5-6:50 p.m., Ira Allen 201
Office hours: Tuesday 4-5 p.m., Thursday 6:15-7:15 p.m., and by appointment. Tuesday office hours will be held in Ira Allen 316 (if I am not there look for me in the Ira Allen forum on the ground floor). Thursday office hours will be held in Dobbs 306 immediately following class.
Textbook: Young and Freedman, “University Physics”, 14th edition (book listing at amazon.com)
Course website: all instructor-created course materials and updates will be posted on this website (https://sites.bu.edu/marissavogt/home/teaching/wentworth-physics-1250-fall-2015/)
Course syllabus: Physics310_EngPhys1_Fall2015_Syllabus_Vogt (PDF) – last updated 29 August 2015

Homework Assignments

Exams

News and Updates

  • 1 December 2015 – The final exam info sheet has been posted above
  • 30 November 2015 – The final exam review session will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Wentworth 207
  • 24 November 2015 – A couple of minor errors in practice midterm 3 solutions have been fixed
  • 21 November 2015 – Problem set 9 solutions and practice midterm 3 solutions have been posted
  • 20 November 2015 – Practice Midterm 3 and midterm 3 info sheet have been posted
  • 20 November 2015 – The final exam will be held on Thursday, December 3 at 5 p.m. in our usual classroom (Dobbs 306)
  • 11 November 2015 – Problem set 9 has been posted above
  • 2 November 2015 – Problem set 8 has been posted above
  • 24 October 2015 – Solutions to practice midterm 2 have now been posted
  • 22 October 2015 – The midterm 2 info sheet has been revised
  • 21 October 2015 – An information sheet about midterm 2 (topics covered, equations you need to memorize) is posted here
  • 21 October 2015 – Problem set 6 may be turned in during office hours after class on Thursday, Oct. 22
  • 18 October 2015 – Solutions to problem set 5 have now been posted.
  • 14 October 2015 – For homework 5, problem 3, you will need some numbers for the coefficients of static and kinetic friction. Please use μk (coefficient of kinetic friction) = 0.2 and μs (coefficient of static friction) = 0.6.
  • 6 October 2015 – Makeup midterm 1, which is optional, will be held after class on Tuesday, October 13. It will be finished by 7:45 p.m. The makeup midterm is not intended to be easier or harder than the first midterm, and you will still need to know the equations for position and velocity as a function of time under constant acceleration.
  • 6 October 2015 – A revised version of the problem set 3 solutions has been posted.
  • 28 September 2015 – Problem set 3 solutions are now posted.
  • 24 September 2015 – Practice Midterm 1 and its solutions have now been posted. You should take the practice midterm like you would the real midterm, using no calculators and without looking at your notes. You will need to know the equations for position and velocity as a function of time under constant acceleration.
  • 17 September 2015 – Problem set 1 solutions have now been posted above.
  • 16 September 2015 – The textbook (14th edition) is now available on permanent reserve at the library. You may pick it up at the circulation desk for in-library use during regular library hours.
  • 16 September 2015 – Problem set 2 is now posted above. This problem set and all future homeworks will be due at the beginning of class. If you have questions about the homework problems, we can discuss them after the class in which they are due, but you will have to turn your homework in, however incomplete, at the beginning of class. Please start the homework in advance of the due date so that you have time to ask questions. As a final reminder, your lab reports are due at the beginning of class tomorrow (Thursday).
  • 14 September 2015 – Please bring a calculator to today’s lab if you have one.
  • 13 September 2015 – Problem set 1 is due on Tuesday, September 15. Please turn it in during class or to Salma Hussain in Ira Allen 323 before 4:30 p.m. (If Salma is not in her office, just slide it under her door — make sure to write your name and my name on your homework.)
  • 8 September 2015 – Thursday office hours from now on will be held in the classroom, Dobbs Hall 306, unless otherwise noted.
  • 8 September 2015 – Facilitated Study Groups (FSGs) are available from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Ira Allen Forum. This is an opportunity to ask questions and go over problems with other instructors and students.
  • 20 August 2015 – Course syllabus and information has been posted. See you at the first lecture on September 3! (No lab on Monday, August 31, and no class on Tuesday, September 1)

Important Dates – Fall 2015

Online Physics Videos and Resources

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students should have a firm understanding of:

  • Physical problem solving – how to break down a complex problem into a simple question, how to perform sanity checks
  • Vectors – how do they differ from scalars, how to use them in calculations
  • 1, 2, and 3-D motion – how to apply equations to describe an object’s position, velocity, and acceleration as a function of time
  • Newton’s laws of motion – how to apply Newton’s laws to analyze the forces on an object at rest or in motion
  • Work and Energy – what it means for a force to do work on an object, the relationship between work and energy, when and how is energy conserved, and the difference between conservative and nonconservative forces
  • Momentum – when and how momentum is conserved, and how to apply conservation of momentum to the collision of two objects
  • Rotation and angular momentum – how does the rotation of an object compare to linear motion, how does the torque on a body affect its rotational motion
  • Orbital motion – how to apply Kepler’s laws to describe the orbital motion of planets and other bodies

This may seem like a lot to cover, but here’s the good news: if you’ve ever thrown a ball, ridden a bicycle, spun around in a swivel chair, played billiards or pool, gone sledding or skiing down a hill, played on a see-saw … (the list could go on forever!) you already have an instinctive feeling for most of these important concepts!