Physics 11: Elementary
Spring 2012 Course Syllabus
Instructor Information
Name: Carlos E. Figueroa
Email: carlos.figueroa@cabrillo.edu
Website: cabrillo.edu/~cfigueroa/
Office Hours: see website
Office Location: 829A
Phone: 831.479.6520 & 768.7971 (home)
Course Information
Title: Elementary Physics
Sections: 73318, 73821
Prerequistes: MATH 4, or MATH 2 and MATH 3 or equivalent knowledge
Meetings: Lecture (Rm 825), 12:40 - 2:00 pm, MW; Labs (Rm 830), 11:10-12:30 pm or12:40 - 2:00 pm, TTh;
PLC (Rm 835) to TBA
Textbook
Textbook: College Physics: A Strategic Approach (all editiions are accepted), Knight, Jones & Field
Laboratory Manual: Posted online at www.cabrillo.edu/~cfigueroa/11/11_labs.
Learner Outcomes
1. Analyze and solve problems using the concepts, equations and methods of physics in both independent and collaborative settings.
2. Investigate physical phenomena experimentally using appropriate equipment and methods, and make valid comparisons with theoretical predictions.
3. Clearly communicate results of scientific inquiries in both oral and written form.
Problem Sets, Quizzes, Exams & PLC Activities
Problem Sets: Problem sets must follow the required format and are due generally every Monday at the beginning of lecture. Full credit is given for work that is (i) complete, (ii) correct, and (iii) clearly presented. Problems will be graded using this rubic. I encourage you to work on problems in groups--but you must write up your own solutions individually.
Quizzes: Quizzes are designed to check your understanding of a single topic/problem set. They are taken (generally) every Tuesday after the problem set has been collected. Quizzes are closed book and closed notes, except for a predetermined set of equations from the instructor.
Exams & Final Exam: There will be one Midterm exam and a final exam. Each exam will cover material from the lectures, problem sets and quizzes. Exams are closed book, but you will be provided with an “Equation Sheet” for each exam. A written excuse or prior notification must be provided if an exam is missed.
PLC Activities: The drop-in PLC (Physics/Engr Learning Community, room 835) will be open every weekday, with PLC tutors who can help you work on your required PLC activities. This course requires 1.1 hours per week of arranged hours to be fulfilled in Room 835. It is the students' responsibility to record their attendance and they should do so by signing in each time they attend the lab. The instructor will collect these hours periodically. Arranged hours are class time and all students are expected to meet this number of hours per week to fulfill the requirements of this course. I encourage you to find 1-3 other students with a similar schedule and work together on your activities at the same time each week. When you complete a PLC activity, show your work to any tutor or instructor and be prepared to answer questions about it. When they are satisfied that you have completed and understood the activity, they will initial the signoff sheet and you are done. PLCs are due each week (initialed on sign-off sheet) by 3:00 pm, Thursday.
TBA (To Be Arranged) Hours or PLC Activities: The drop-in PLC (Physics/Engr Learning
Community, room 835) will be open every weekday, with PLC tutors who
can help you work on your required PLC activities. Engr 15 requires 1 hour and 5 minutes per week of arranged hours to be fulfilled in Room 835. It is the students' responsibility to record their attendance by signing in each time they attend the PLC. The instructor will collect these hours periodically. These hours are required, tracked, and the assignments graded. Arranged hours are class time and all students are expected to meet this number of hours per week to fulfill the requirements of this course. PLCs are due each week (initialed on sign-off sheet) by 3:00 pm, Thursday. The PLC policies and p procedures are
1.
TBA hours (i.e. PLC assignments) must be worked on cooperatively in small groups of 2 – 4 students.
2.
PLC exercises and experiments must be completed and signed off between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm during the times that an instructor is available. The times are posted online (see PLC schedule) and in the PLC.
3. Students must sign in on the log-in computer when they enter the PLC and sign out when they leave.
All PLC exercises and experiments are posted on the Physics 4C web site at: www.cabrillo.edu/~cfigueroa/11/11_plc. The weekly schedule of topics for TBA assignments is listed below.
| Due Dates | PLC Activities |
| 02.09.12 | PLC 1: Significant Figures |
| 02.16.12 | PLC 2: One-dimensional Motion Applets |
| 02.23.12 | PLC 3: Freefall Motion |
| 02.30.12 | PLC 4: Projectile Motion Applets |
| 03.08.12 | PLC 5: Force & Motion Diagrams |
| 03.15.12 | PLC 6: Newton's 2nd Law & Equilibrium |
| 03.22.12 | PLC 7: Impulse & Momentum Applets |
| 03.29.12 | PLC 8: Energy Bar Diagrams |
04.05.12 |
PLC 9: Practice Problems |
| 04.19.12 | PLC 10: Fluids |
| 04.17.12 | PLC 11: Pendulum |
| 05.03.12 | PLC 12: Waves |
| 05.10.12 | PLC 13: Refraction & Lenses |
| 05.17.12 | PLC 14: Electric Charge |
| 05.24.12 | PLC 15: TBA |
Laboratories: Active participation and attendance in lab is mandatory. If two labs are missed you will be dropped automatically from the course. Weekly lab reports are due each week on Tuesday at the beginning of lab that includes the experimental procedures, data organized into tables or graphs, calculations/results and an interpretation and discussion of the experiment (see laboratory grading rubric).
Grading Polcy
The course grade is based on the following weighted percentages:
| Class Participation | 05% |
| Problem Sets | 10% |
| PLC Activities | 10% |
| Lab Reports | 15% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| 100% |