PHYS 21: University Physics I

Fall Semester 2015

Class Information
Meeting Place:

111 Monroe Hall

Meeting Time:

Mon Weds 8:30am 10:30 pm

Credit:

4 credit hours

Pre-requisite:
Co-requisite:

basic calculus (MATH 31 or equivalent)

more basic calculus (MATH 32 or equivalent)

Required Materials:

Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics

(3rd edition) by Knight
with Mastering Physics and Student Workbook
published by Pearson (Addison-Wesley)

Course Website:

http://blackboard.gwu.edu

Homework Website:

MasteringPhysics link in BlackBoard

Instructor:

Prof. Xiangyun Qiu (xqiu@gwu.edu 202-994-6537)

SEH B2200 (lab) SEH 6510 (office)
Mon, Thu 2:00-3:30pm @ SEH B2200

Help Hours:
Teaching Assistant:
Office:

Fri 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Chris Culver (chrisculver@email.gwu.edu)

Obinna Irondi (obinna_o@gwmail.gwu.edu)
Justin Landay (justinlanday@gmail.com)

Laboratory/Recitation
This section of PHYS 21 is conducted in a collaborative mode of instruction (SCALEUP),
where students work together in groups on all classroom activities. The lecture and lab
components of the course are fully integrated, so there is no separate lab or recitation for
this section.

PHYS 21 Course Description

Introduction
Physics 21 is the first of a three-part calculus-based University Physics sequence intended for
those who major in science and engineering. Physics 21 focuses on Classical Newtonian
Mechanics, Fluids, and Thermal Physics; Physics 22 covers Waves, Electromagnetism, and
Optics; Physics 23 deals with Modern Physics (Relativity and Quantum Physics).

Course Objectives
to help students develop analytical, graphical, and reasoning skills
to help students understand the fundamental concepts of physics
to enable students to apply these concepts qualitatively as well as quantitatively;
that is, to solve problems in their fields of study
to help students integrate the Calculus concepts from their Math requirements with
the science applications for which they were developed
Textbook
The required textbook for the course is Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern
Physics (3rd edition) by Knight. We will cover chapters 1-13 and 1519 this semester.
Course Administration
We will use the Blackboard website http://blackboard.gwu.edu which you can access using
the userID and password of your GW email account. I do not generally use paper handoutsall important information, lab instructions, lecture notes and quiz solutions will be available
for download in BlackBoard. The website also contains news and announcements, the
course syllabus, and other useful information. Bookmark it and check it often.
Mathematics Background
Basic knowledge of simple differential and integral calculus, together with algebra,
geometry, and trigonometry, is needed for this course. Therefore, a passing grade in Math
31 and co-registration in Math 32 (or the equivalents) are required and a facility with these
mathematical techniques is fully expected. If you do not meet these criteria, you will not
be allowed to take this course. If you are in doubt about this requirement, please talk with
the instructor on the first day of class.
Warning: If your grade in Math 31 was lower than C, you have extra review work to do.
See Appendix A of your textbook for a brief outline of such a mathematics review, at the
level of understanding expected for this class. You should do this review the first week of
the semester and get help with any material that gives you difficulty.
Classroom Activities
We will follow the class schedule provided in the course calendar which is posted in
Blackboard. The nature of the collaborative section is such that it is critically important that
you come to class prepared to work on the material each day. This is why you need to
read the chapter before class. This preparation will be encouraged through Warmup
Clicker Quizzes that will be done in the first 5-10 minutes of every class (Monday and
Wednesday). These are part of your grade, so please be on time to class! To make sure you
are prepared, online Warmup practice exercises will be available before each class period
(not graded). After you have read the textbook for a given class, we will spend our class
time supplementing the ideas in the textbook and applying them to well-defined problems
that you will have to think about in class, which will help deepen your understanding of the
basic underlying physics concepts. Our in-class activities will include written worksheets,
computer simulations and hands-on lab experiments.

Warmup Quizzes (in class, graded) and Warmup Practice (online, not graded)
At the beginning of each class you will have a short series of clicker questions on the
reading. The questions will mostly be conceptual in nature. To make sure you are prepared,
there will be Warmup Practice Exercises available online. These are intended to provide a
context and framework for your reading and to offer a preview of what will be the important
points that we will be covering in class. Turning Point clickers should be obtained at
the GW Bookstore and registered through BlackBoard (Click Tools on the course
page, and then click Turning Technologies Registration Tool).
Homework
We will have weekly homework assignments, handled through the Mastering Physics online
system which is tied to the textbook. This system will give you immediate feedback as to
whether or not your answer is correct and hints if it is not correct. You will have up to 10
tries for most problems. Most of the homework problems are taken from the end-of-chapter
problems, which are both numerical and conceptual. Note that the homework problems tend
to be complex and time consuming. Approximately 10 problems will be required for full
credit in each assignment. Additional problems can be completed for extra credit. Feel free
to discuss the problems with other students; however, you are responsible for submitting
your own answers. Since the homework answers can be submitted at any time while the set
is active, from any location where you have Internet access, no extensions can be granted
for any reason.
Warning: Since the homework system allows multiple attempts, it doesn't really simulate
exam conditions where you are given only one chance. Try to minimize the number of tries
that you use.
Exams
There will be 3 closed-book exams for this course; two during the semester and one during
the final exam period. Each exam will be two hours in length. The first two exams will be
administered during class time (see outline). Each exam will consist of multiple-choice
problems (some conceptual, some numerical). Some bonus points will be built into the
exams as extra credit. The numerical values of all useful fundamental constants will be
provided on each of the exams. In addition, a formula sheet will accompany each exam
which will list every formula that appears in all the relevant chapter summaries from the
textbook.
Weekly Friday Quiz
Our Friday class time is only 1 hour (compared to 2 hours for Mon and Weds) and it will be
used for two purposes: (1) quiz on the weeks activities and/or (2) finishing or enhancing
material from the week. The quiz will be a short (15-30 minute) exercise, no more than 2
problems. The quiz days are indicated in the course calendar.
ConcepTests
These are short exercises used during class, designed to help you practice specific physics
concepts. A question will be posed related to the material covered, with multiple-choice
answers. Usually a little math is needed, mostly the application of the physics concepts.
These tests will help us gauge how well the class is grasping a concept and will be graded.

You will respond to these conceptual questions using your Turning Point clickers that
should be obtained at the GW Bookstore and registered through BlackBoard.
In the first round answering each question, you should take about a minute to think about
the problem by yourself. You will receive 1 point if you respond in the first round regardless
of whether you are correct or wrong. In case of substantial disagreements in the responses,
there will be a second round. In the second round, you will discuss your answer with your
group to see if you agree. If you do not, then the right person should try to convince the
wrong person of the correct answer. After another minute of discussion, you will indicate
your final answers. The main point of these exercises is to think about the concept (by
yourself, initially) and to engage in the discussion with your group
it is not to arrive at
the correct answer at any cost! It is important that you participate actively in the
ConcepTests, without hesitation for being right or wrong. You may find that you will learn
more from your mistakes! For the second round (if there is), you will receive 3 points for
being correct and 1 point if otherwise.
Group Work
Almost all of your in-class work will be conducted in groups of 3. There is heavy emphasis
on the group dynamics in this course, and therefore it is very important that all groups
function well as a team. At the start of the semester, each group will draw up a group
contract outlining the effort that is expected of each group member and any other terms
and conditions of their team. Any issues or problems within the group will initially be
handled by the means explained in the group contract. Lab experiments performed in class
will require detailed lab reports which will be done by the group as a whole.
If for any reason, you are experiencing difficulties in your group, you should bring this to
the attention of the instructor. The smooth operation of the group work is central to our
collaborative effort.
Groups will be reconfigured at least once during the semester.
Students Responsibility
Your attitude toward the course should be one of self-responsibility. You will get out of
the course exactly as much as you put in to it. Your responsibilities include:
Come to every class and participate actively in all of the collaborative work.
Consult Appendix A of the textbook to acquire the mathematical skills (algebra,
vectors, and calculus) needed for the course.
Read the textbook carefully and gain a reasonable familiarity with the days material
before you come to class. Come with questions in mind!
Work on the homework problems early and finish them on time.
Check the course website regularly for updates and course information.
Participate fully in all of the classroom activities (we said this already, but it is
important enough to mention twice!).
If there is something you feel was not fully explained in class- don't leave! Stay and
tell me your concerns.
If you find that you are struggling with the coursework, seek assistance early so that you
won't fall behind for even just one week.

Help Resources
In addition to normal classroom activities:
A tutoring service is provided by SPS (Society of Physics Students). Details will be
announced later. You may also hire advanced undergraduates or graduate students
as personal tutors.
Any student who feels that an accommodation may be needed based on the impact of a
disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. Please also
contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite
242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional
information, refer to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/.
Excused Absences
All requests to have an absence excused must be substantiated with documentation. Valid
excuses include personal illness, family emergency, or religious holiday. Examples of invalid
excuses are vacation trips, concerts or shows, extensions of Spring Break, or departure
from campus before the Final Exam date.
There will be no makeup exams or quizzes. If there is an issue for an upcoming exam,
it is up to you to discuss any potential absence with the instructor in advance of the exam.
Last-minute requests will not be accommodated.
Academic Dishonesty
Any acts of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to the GW Code of Academic
Integrity. Cheating compromises the integrity of our course and is unfair to those students
who earn their grade through honest hard work. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding
cheating.

PHYS 21 Grading Policy

In order to foster cooperation and collaboration among all of you, the course will be graded on
an absolute scale (no curve). This means that helping your fellow student does not in any
way jeopardize your own grade, and in fact, is likely to help you, since explaining things to
others will help you understand things better yourself. Moreover, there will be various group
incentives during the semester, and so it is also in your best interest to maximize the effort
and performance of your group.
The grading system used in this course is a tried and proven measure of the effort you put into
the course AND your understanding of the physics. The detailed scale is:
94.0
90.0
86.0
82.0
78.0
74.0
70.0
66.0

102.0
93.99
89.99
85.99
81.99
77.99
73.99
69.99

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C-

62.0
58.0
54.0
< 54.0

65.99
61.99
57.99

D+
D
DF

There are several components in the course, designed to maximize your learning and to
assess that learning. Each component has its own weight in the overall grading scheme.
The breakdown of these components is given below:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Homework
Lab Reports
Weekly Quizzes
In-class Warmups
In-class Conceptests
Total

15%
15%
20%
15%
10%
10%
10%
5%
100%

Note that the exams and quizzes count for 50% of your total grade and the combination of
in-class and at-home aspects of the course count for the other 40% of your total grade.
This means that you have a great deal of control over your own grade. If you make the
effort to earn the non-exam points, you will build a safety net for yourself in the event that
you stumble in the exams.
Exams: The exams are closed-book, although constants and formula sheets will be
provided. Each mid-term exam is two hours long see the course schedule for the dates.
Each exam will have some additional extra credit. No makeup exams will be given so
you should be sure to avoid missing any exams.
Homework: Homework assignments are your opportunity to work with and learn the
material. You are encouraged to work with each other on assignments but be honest with
yourself about how much you are helping or relying on your fellow students. On average,
there will be one homework assignment due each week. You are required to earn a certain
number of points in order to receive full credit. Additional points will be available to you for
extra credit. The extra credit points you earn will be applied only to the homework portion
of your grade and may not take you over 100% in that component.
Hint: Do not wait until the day the homework assignment is due to get started on it!!
Work on it steadily, bit by bit, throughout the week. This will help your understanding and
will relieve time pressure as the due date approaches!
Note that solving the problems on your own, or (to a lesser extent) with a group WITHOUT
looking up solutions online has been correlated to measurably better success at exams.
Warmups: These conceptual exercises will be done at the start of each class on Mondays
and Wednesdays using TurningPoint clickers. A preparatory Mastering Physics exercise will
be available before every class period. You must bring your clicker with you to every
class your responses for that day cannot be recorded without it. The Warmup

preparation exercise for a given class will close 30 minutes before the start of that class.
There will be no Warmup during the Friday classes, because you have a quiz on that day.
Laboratory: Lab instructions will be available in BlackBoard before lab activities. It is your
responsibility to familiarize yourself with the activity requirements and bring the instructions
with you to class. A lab report is required for each lab by each group, due one week after
the data-taking for that experiment has been completed. Your individual responsibilities for
the lab work should be clear based on your group contract. More information will be
provided when we discuss this in class.
Weekly Quizzes: A short quiz consisting of no more than two problems will be given at
the start of each Friday class. No makeup quizzes are given, so you must arrive to class on
time in order to take the quiz.
ConcepTests: While we will be working extensively on concepts throughout our group
work, some of your responses to conceptual questions (ConcepTests) will be recorded using
the Turning Point keypads so that we can see how the class is processing problems. You
must bring your keypad with you to every class your responses for that day cannot be
recorded without it.
Note: you are responsible for using your keypad and ONLY your keypad (and no one elses
keypad). Any occasion in which someone uses another students keypad will be considered
an overt violation of the GW Code of Academic Integrity by both parties and will be dealt
with accordingly.
F Triggers: You will automatically fail the course if you miss the activities specified in any
of the following categories:
1 or more of the 3 exams
3 or more of the homework sets
2 or more of the lab experiments
These triggers are independent of anything else you do in the course.

Week
Weekly Topics
Week 1 Chaps. 1 and 2
08/31

Introduction; Concepts of motion;

Position, velocity, acceleration;
1D kinematics; Free fall

Monday

Wednesday
Chaps. 1 and 2

Friday
FCI

Chaps. 1 and 2
Start Chap. 3

Week 2 Chaps. 3 and 4

09/07

Vectors; Components; Vector algebra;

2D kinematics

Chaps. 3 and 4

Quiz 1

Chaps. 4 and 5

Quiz 2

No Class

Week 3 Chaps. 4 and 5

09/14

Projectile motion; Circular motion;

Dynamics and forces; Newtons 2nd
Law (and Newtons 1st Law);
Free-body diagrams

Chap. 4

Lab 1 (inclined
plane)

Week 4 Chaps. 6 and 7

09/21

Equilibrium; Applications of
Newtons 2nd Law; Mass and weight;
Friction; Newtons 3rd Law

Chap. (5) and 6

Chap. 7

Quiz 3
Lab 1 Report Due

Week 5 Chaps. 8 and 9

09/28

Dynamics in 2D; Uniform circular

motion; Circular orbits; Fictitious
forces; Momentum and impulse;
Conservation of momentum

Week 6 Chap. 9
10/05

More momentum; Inelastic collisions;

Momentum in 2D; Kinetic and
potential energy; Restoring forces;

Chaps. 8

10/12

Quiz 4

Lab 2 (centripetal
force)
chapter 9 and 10

Chapter 10

Quiz 5
Lab 2 Report Due

Week 7 Chap. 10

Hookes Law; Elastic collisions;

Work and kinetic energy; Force and
potential energy

Chaps. 8 and 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chaps. 11

Quiz 6

EXAM #1
(Chaps. 1-8)

Week 8 Chaps. 10 and 11

10/19

Restoring forces; Hookes Law;

Elastic collisions; Work and kinetic
energy; Force and potential energy;
Conservation of energy; Power;
Rotational motion and energy

Chapter 11

Lab 3 (Momentum
conservation)

Week 9 Chaps. 13 and 12

10/26

Gravitational potential energy;

Newton's Law of Gravity

Chapter 13

Chap. 13

Quiz 7
Lab 3 Report Due

Week 10 Chap. 12
11/02

Moment of inertia; Torque;

Rotational dynamics;

Chaps. 12

Chap. 12

Quiz 8

03/30
Chap. 12

04/01
Chap. 15

04/03
Quiz 9

Chap. 15

EXAM #2

Static equilibrium; Angular

momentum;

Week 11 Chap. 12
11/09

Static equilibrium; Angular

momentum;

Week 12 Chaps. 15 and 16

11/16

Fluids, Pressure, Bouyancy,

Archimedes Principle; Fluid
dynamics; Bernoullis Principle

Chapter 15

(Chaps. 9-13)

(FCI)

No class

No class

States of matter; Temperature;

Phase changes;

Week 13 Chaps. 16 and 17

11/23

Calorimetry and specific heat;

Heat transfer mechanisms; Ideal gas
law; Work in ideal gas processes;
Heat; First law of thermodynamics;

Week 14 Chaps. 17 and 18

11/30

Macroscopic/microscopic connection;
Molecular motion; Equipartition thm;
Irreversible processes; Entropy;
Second law of thermodynamics

Week 15 Chap. 19
12/07
Finals
Week

Chapter 16
Lab 4 (buoyancy)

Chaps. 17

Chaps. 17,18

Lab 5 (thermal
equilibrium)

Heat engines; Refrigerators;

Efficiency; Carnot cycle

Chap. 19

Final Exams

EXAM #3

Lab 4 report due

Chap. 19
Lab 5 Report Due

inclusive)

Quiz 11

(All

NO class