PHYS 20474-065 - Physics I with Lab: Mechanics                                       Fall 2023

 

Lectures: TR 3:30-4:50 PM CT @ SWR 357

 

Instructor: Dr. Yuri M. Strzhemechny

Office: SWR 373

Phone: 817-257-5793

Email: Y.Strzhemechny@tcu.edu

Web: http://personal.tcu.edu/ystrzhemechn/

Office Hours: SWR 373/https://tcu.zoom.us/j/368852310; TR 1:00–2:00 PM and by appointment

 

 

Required textbook: “Essential University Physics”, Vol. 1, 4th Edition, by Richard Wolfson, Pearson, ISBN-13: 978-0134988559, ISBN-10: 0134988558

 

Lab instructions: Will be distributed via the Internet. Further information will be provided in your Laboratory Syllabi.

 

Course Description: This is part one of a two-semester calculus-based physics course. We will cover material dealing with classical mechanics and thermodynamics.

 

Grading: The course grades will be determined as follows:

 

A: 100 – 90 pts., B: 89.9 – 80 pts., C: 79.9 – 70 pts., D: 69.9 – 55 pts., F: 54.9 and below.

 

Weekly quizzes: 20 %

Test 1: 15 %

Test 2: 15 %

Test 3: 15 %

Final Exam: 15 %

Labs: 20 %

 

Weekly quizzes consisting of a few problems (very similar to the homework problems) will be given every Thursday from 3:30 to 3:40 pm and will include material covered during the previous week(s). The quizzes grade will be determined as the average of all the quiz grades but one, with the lowest grade dropped. Three midterm tests will be administered. Final exam will be cumulative. The tests will contain multiple choices, conceptual questions and problems. No electronic devices, graphing calculators, or cell phones on the tests, please. Make-up tests will be provided to students having an Official University Absence. Students with valid reasons for missed tests (e.g., doctor's note) will have to contact me regarding make-up tests as early as possible.  Lab is an integral part of the course and the lab grade counts for 20% of the final grade.  This grade will be determined as an average of all the lab grades but one (9 out of 10), with the lowest grade dropped.  The students must attend and complete at least 9 (out of 10) experiments.  If a student completes less than 9 experiments, the lab points will still count toward the average course grade, but the letter grade will be reduced by one letter for each missing lab (more details – in your Laboratory Syllabi.).  Homework: It is crucial for you to learn how to apply conceptual knowledge for problem solving.  The textbook provides excellent guidelines for you to acquire this skill.  You are strongly encouraged to go through the solutions of the sample problems.  In addition, for each chapter, I will supply a number of recommended problems for your homework.  It is in your best interest to solve those problems in a timely manner for several reasons. First, it will provide additional training in self-education. Second, homework problems will be very similar to those given in the weekly quizzes. Third, homework problems will be related to those offered in the tests and the final.  I will not be grading your homework assignments but I will sure grade the quizzes and the tests. If you are having difficulty solving the homework problems you may want to contact me during my office hours, or perhaps get a tutor (for tutors available within the department, check our web page at http://www.phys.tcu.edu).

 

You will have an option of getting up to 5% of extra credit for an extracurricular research.  Such assignments will be given on request from a pool of topics on a lottery basis.

 

 

Academic Misconduct: I would like to remind you about policies and procedures regarding your rights as well as responsibilities that are published in the TCU Code of Student Conduct. You may have a paper copy but it is also available on line at https://deanofstudents.tcu.edu/student-handbook/code-of-student-conduct/. Specifically, I would like you to review sections dealing with academic misconduct, i.e. cheating, plagiarism, etc.

 

Disabilities statement: Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities.  Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 11.  Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-7486.

 

Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations.  Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator.  Guidelines for documentation may be found at https://www.tcu.edu/access-accommodation/connect.php

 

 

Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.