PHYS 1010 6.0 Physics

College Physics, Nicholas J. Giordano, with EnhancedWebAssign, 2 volumes, with clickers included. 2nd ed. (small changes from 1st ed.)

Addendum: Mathematics chapters to upgrade from algebra-based to calculus-based physics: Math.

All incoming students will be best off buying the entire package bundle (about $200 in the bookstore, less 5% at the alternate bookstore UniText across main campus entrance at 4699 Keele St). The package contains a code for webassign, and it contains a clicker in addition to the textbook itself. If you own Giordano (1st edition), and a clicker, you can just buy the Webassign on-line. This should include on-line access to the textbook.

Clickers. These are called officially PRS, info about how to register them: Clicker Webpage. You must register the clicker code under your name, otherwise you won't get credit.

Unregistered clickers: Your clicker has an id (a hexadecimal number on the back). If you do not register it in the York student record system, it will work in class, but your name won't be associated with it, so you can't score points.

Check your clicker score in Webassign a few hours after each class!

Laboratories: for each experiment from the Laboratory Manual must be completed BEFORE the lab. The webpage link for the Laboratories is Lab Webpages. Labs start in the week of Sept ?. Detailed info: LabInfo.pdf The PHYS 1010/1410/1420 labs are located in Bethune 102 B,C (basement). The Lab manual is available in the bookstore (no longer in the Physics office!).

Interesting for students of PHAS, COSC, CHEM, ENG, MATH:

Maple 15 software (special student deal for PHYS1010 students at www.maplesoft.com, promotion code: AP73926); some mathematics concepts will be explained using this symbolic computing and graphing software in class; Maple worksheets will be posted; It is also possible to purchase a Student License directly from York. Previous versions, e.g., Maple 12, 13, 14 are also OK.

Direct link: Link for PHYS1010 deal

Class Time

MWF 12:30 in Lassonde B (formerly CSE B)

Mega-Tutorial (held by the course director!)

Thursdays in Vari Hall B at 1:30

The tutorial will start on Thursday, Sept 13. Attendance/preparation may be checked with clicker questions, problems done in tutorials will not be discussed during office hours, but there will be some postings of material covered. Problem solving is learned in tutorials and while working on your own and/or in groups (not in class)! Tests/exam evaluate you mostly on problem-solving skills. Pre-reading and class attendance is a pre-requisite to understand the concepts. Do some exercises (textbook before the end-of-chapter problems and/or workbook) then you can proceed to solve 'real' problems! If you don't pre-read [each time], and don't come to class [every single one!], and don't practice for tutorials, then your chances of doing well in this course are NIL. This warning is based on student feedback from last year's course.

Special dates: none so far.

Course transfer ?

Please note that this course is for physical science majors and engineers. Life science students (biology, kinesiology, psychology) should be taking PHYS1420. That course, as well as 1410 which is the course for everybody else, are also calculus-based and qualify as pre-med requirements. Note that all regular 1010 students (physics, engineering, space science) do have high-school prerequisites (calulus, physics, vectors), and that you will be competing in this cohort. Make up your mind ASAP is you wound up registering in the 'wrong' course. The labs are mostly shared by the three courses, but 1010 does 11 of them rather than 10. The textbook requirements are DIFFERENT for 1010, 1410 vs 1420! 1010 is the 'toughest' of the courses, it will go more in depth than the other two. Go to the right course from the first class on! All three courses are equally full this year at the beginning of classes. 1410 and 1420 give more weight to the labs (grade booster). In 1010 we are using an 'easy' textbook, because pre-reading (enforced by clicker questions) is essential for me. Our textbook focuses on conceptual understanding, not just on applying some formula that fell out of the blue.

Pre-requisites.

Note that all physics courses (1010, 1410, 1420) formally have grade 12 physics as a prerequisite. Students without this should take PHYS1510 4.0 before taking any of the three, especially students who want more than just a pass. Note that PHYS1010 being the course for majors and engineers (for whom grade 12 physics is an admission prerequisite) has a wide majority of participants with prior training in physics problem solving. Do not try to take this course without a solid background in grade-12 maths (especially Calculus). Most students in this course take much more than MATH1505 at the same time, and have a substantial grade 12 math background. I will not enforce pre-requisites, but you are at your own risk if you don't have them.

General Advice:

If you do not do well on the class tests: there can be various reasons for this. Come to see me in office hours in my office (PSE 229). Come right after the first result below your expectations. Do not delay, no magic happens on its own.

On-line assignments (Enhanced WebAssign) 10%

Laboratory 10%

Class Participation by Clickers (5% for participation, 5% for scoring - both pro-rated; 3 classes or tutorials per term can be missed w/o penalty; no sick notes, etc.) = 10%

Class Tests (3 tests per term, no make-ups, but value transfer (in case religious observance or medical condition warrants it); each test worth 5%). No December mid-term. 30%

Final Exam: 40%

September 28, 2012 (Friday)

October 26, 2012 (Friday)

November 30, 2012 (Friday)

February 1, 2013 (Friday)

March 1, 2013 (Friday)

April 5, 2013 (Friday)

Too sick to write the test ? Two things are required: (i) notify me by email or by phonemessage BEFORE the start of the test; (ii) get me a doctor's note within a week.

WebAssign: http://www.webassign.com/ Our 2012/2013 course-id for sign-in is: yorku.ca 0603 1819

Very important: you sign into webassign, and enter your family name for user (exactly as in the York student record system!), and your York Id number (without spaces). The course id given above allows you to sign into our class. I will use the gradebook feature in webassign to communicate your clicker and test scores. If you mess up the student number or the family name, it won't work, and you may lose credit as a result. Do not forget your password for webassign. This registration with a private website is in addition to registering your clicker in the york system.

For the first two weeks you can sign into webassign WITHOUT having purchased a code. You need to connect to the class using the above course id. To stay in the webassign course beyond 2 weeks you'll need to use a code (proof of purchase) from your textbook package. Students not buying the package can buy the code online.

Course Director: http://www.yorku.ca/marko/