EASTFIELD COLLEGE
3737 Motley Drive
Mesquite, TX 75150
(972) 860 7140

PHYSICS PROGRAM GENERAL COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE NUMBER:                             PHYS2425

COURSE TITLE:                   General Physics

CREDIT HRS: 4                                    LECTURE HRS: 3                 LAB HRS: 3

INSTRUCTOR NAME AND OFFICE HOURS: ________________________________________

                E-mail: ________________________________________

CLASS TIMES: LEC__________________________; LAB _________________________

PREREQUISITE:  Credit or concurrent enrollment in Mathematics 2513.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed primarily for physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering majors.  The principles and applications of mechanics, wave motion, and sound are studied.  Emphasis is on fundamental concepts, problem-solving, notation and units.

TEXTBOOKS:                Fundamentals of Physics, sixth edition, Halliay, Resnick, and Walker

                                Physics Laboratory Experiments, fifth edition, Wilson

SUPPLIES: scientific calculator, scantron grading forms, metric ruler, protractor, graph paper

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Our first goal is to help students develop a conceptual understanding of physics principles.  Secondly, a strong reasoning ability, combined with a good conceptual understanding, is the legacy that we wish to leave our students.  Finally, we want to show students that physics principles come into play over and over again in their lives.  The SCANS skill building philosophy of establishing a foundation of basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities are addressed.  The mastery of five identified competencies: resource identification, interpersonal skills, information acquisition and use, systems understanding and use, and knowledge of current technology is necessary to complete the course requirements.

METHOD OF EVALUATION:

                50-75% Exams

                20-40% Laboratory Work/Reports
                10-20% Homework

                0-10% optional assignments (e.g. term paper, research report, independent studies)

GRADE INTERPRETATION:

A = Excellent, B = Good, C = Average, D = Poor, F = Failing, W = Withdrawn, I = Incomplete

CLASS ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratory meetings and are fully responsible for their attendance.  Students should consult with the instructor when an unavoidable absence due to an emergency or illness occurs.  Note: beepers and cellular phones must be silenced during lecture and laboratory attendance.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: for information regarding services for students with physical, mental, or learning disabilities, or information pertaining to the Americans with Disabilities Act and Postsecondary Education, call the Disability Services Office at (972) 860-8348 (voice or TDD), or email EFCDSO@DCCCCD.EDU

WITHDRAWL POLICY: To drop a class with a grade of “W” it is the students responsibility to follow the prescribed procedure as outlined in the college catalog. You must complete a drop/withdrawal request and return it to the Registrar’s Office by the semester deadline. The deadline for receiving a “W” is indicated on the academic calendar and the current class schedule.  If a student stops attending class and does not officially withdraw that student will receive a performance grade based on work completed and missed, usually a grade of “F”.

COURSE CONTENT:

Week 1

                Lecture: Measurement and Motion Along a Straight Line
                Laboratory:  Introduction to laboratory procedure and mathematics review

Week 2

                Lecture:  Vectors and Motion in Two Dimensions
                Laboratory: Experimental Uncertainty (Error) and Data Analysis

Week 3

                Lecture: Motion in Two and Three Dimensions
                Laboratory: Uniformly Accelerated Motion

Week 4

                Lecture: Force and Motion
                Laboratory: Exam

Week 5

                Lecture: Kinetic Energy and Work
                Laboratory: The Addition and Resolution of Vectors: The Force Table

Week 6

                Lecture: Work and Potential Energy
                Laboratory: Friction

Week 7

                Lecture: Systems of Particles and Collisions
                Laboratory: Exam

Week 8

                Lecture: Collisions and Rotation
                Laboratory: Conservation of Linear Momentum

Week 9

                Lecture: Rotation, Rolling, Torque, and Angular Momentum
                Laboratory: Centripetal Force

Week 10

                Lecture: Gravitation and Oscillations
                Laboratory: Exam

Week 11

                Lecture: Oscillations and Waves
                Laboratory: Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion

Week 12

                Lecture: Waves
                Laboratory: Standing Waves in a String

Week 13

                Lecture:  Temperature, Heat, and the First Law of Thermodynamics
                Laboratory: Exam

Week 14

                Lecture: The Kinetic Theory of Gases
                Laboratory: Specific Heats of Metals

Week 15

                Lecture: Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
                Laboratory: open

Week 16

                Final Exam Week