MWF 10:00 => 11:50 AM in Trailer PC1/PL1 (TR 514), Room 104. The tan trailer w/brown trim between Commumications blding. and Classroom Blding. 1

Content: This is a four credit-hour, calculus-based physics course that is required for all UCF students majoring in engineering computer science, and the physical sciences. This course looks at understanding how things move and covers basic kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotational motion and oscillations. The SCALE-UP (Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Physics) sections are experimental versions of the course.

Philosophy: We will provide you with the opportunity to acquire a good physical understanding of the course material. As stated in the general objectives for SCALE-UP physics, this course places significant emphasis on qualitative physical reasoning as a complement to the mathematical quantitative aspects. Students from previous semesters have made suggestions to help you succeed. (You'll have an opportunity to add to the list of ideas for future students.)

Approach: The course will emphasize rigorous problem-solving in physics using interactive instruction, educational software, computer applications important for science and engineering students, and cooperative learning. Class sections will require students to be responsive, to think, and to perform hands-on tasks. Key concepts of new material will be discussed in short lectures. Lab time will be interspersed with classroom discussion.

If you devote a modest amount of time each day to studying physics, you will be in a position to attack physics problems efficiently, based on a clear understanding of the fundamental physical principles that underlie all successful analyses.

Collaborative Work: Scientists and engineers work in groups as well as alone. Social interactions are critical to their success. Most good ideas grow out of discussions with colleagues. This course encourages collaborative teamwork, a skill that is valued by most employers. As you study together, help your partners to get over confusions, ask each other questions, and critique your group homework and lab write-ups. Teach each other! You can learn a great deal by teaching.

While collaboration is the rule in technical work, evaluations of individuals also play an important role in science and engineering. Quizzes, practicums, and exams are to be done without help from others.

R. Knight, Physics : A Contemporary Perspective, Vol. 1: Preliminary Ed., (Addison Wesley, 1997).
R. Knight, Physics : A Contemporary Perspective -- Student Workbook, Vol. 1: Preliminary Ed., (Addison Wesley, 1997).
A. Van Heuvelen, J.J. Braun, and C. Wozny, Study Guide ActivPhysics 1, Physics, 3rd Ed. (Addison Wesley, 1999).

You will also need to purchase WebAssign Access Code Card, but do not need Physics 2048 Laboratory Manual

Readings: You are responsible for reading the textbook and working assigned problems. The first Web Assignment of the week typically deals with the chapter to be discussed that week, so you should read the material before coming to class.

Homework: Most individual homework will be submitted via the WebAssign system. Assignments will usually consist of 3-5 exercises and are due by classtime, usually on Mondays and Fridays. You are allowed a limited number of submissions. To receive credit for your numerical solution submitted on WebAssign, you must be prepared to show a valid written solution using a good problem-solving strategy. (A handy worksheet is available.) These will be collected at random times throughout the semester. WebAssign will tell you if your numerical answers are correct, but homework solutions will not be posted. The burden is on you to make sure you find out how to solve the problems by getting help before they are due or asking about them in class. In addition, you will be asked to complete a paper and pencil worksheet each week, usually due on Wednesdays.

Group Work: On each group work assignment, your group must designate a manager to organize the work and make certain everyone understands who is supposed to be doing what, a recorder to prepare the final solution, and one or two skeptics/checkers, to check the final solutions for correctness and to verify that everyone in the group understands all the solutions. These roles must rotate for every assignment. Each team member should set up and solve problems individually, then the team should get together to check results and resolve conflicts. Sample contracts for group members are available. You may be asked to evaluate the teamsmanship of everyone in your group using a specially designed form.

Real-World Problems: To help make the connection between course concepts and the "real world," your group will work on complex problems that often involve making estimations and assumptions, researching on the web, and completing fairly complicated calculations. These will require the GOAL problem-solving technique we will be utilizing in class. You will have time to work on these problems in class on Wednesdays. Every Friday, a table will be randomly selected to present their solutions to the rest of the class. If your group is selected, the quality of your presentation (as determined by your classmates) will serve as your quiz grade for that week. It is also likely that one of these problems will appear on the following week’s quiz.

Laboratory: You will be offered hands-on, inquiry-based activities during the class period that allow you to uncover various aspects of a physics concept. Labs will vary in length and complexity. Some labs will require formal lab reports that should follow basic scientific report guidelines. A sample lab report and some tips for writing lab reports are available for reference. Labs will be done in groups.

Notes: You must keep concise lab notes for all in-class work. These notes may be collected at the end of class and graded randomly. Examples of good class notes are available. Tips from previous students on how to take good notes are worth reviewing.

Quizzes: A quiz consists of a few short problem-solving and descriptive questions (plus an occasional real-world problem from the week before) designed to take you 20 minutes or less, if you are prepared. These will be given most Fridays.

Tests: Tests consist of questions pertaining to the previously assigned material. You will receive a list of objectives for each test. A comprehensive final exam will cover all of the course material.

Grades will be assigned based on your overall, weighted class average using the weighting scheme presented below:

Weighting scheme

Break-points

If everyone in the class does well, grades are not curved downward. Everyone has a chance to get an A.
Note that there are no + or -- grades.

There usually is a "gray area" between two letter grades in the final distribution. Two people getting the same weighted average grade could get different letter grades, a C and B, for example. The higher grade depends on your attendance, your interactions in class, and whether your test and homework performance show improvement..

Resources: Free help is available from the physics TAs in the physics learning lab in MAP 418.