The main goals of this course are to demonstrate how the Universe works and to teach you scientific methodology. General Physics I is a problem-solving course, that is, the measure of a student's progress is demonstrated by the ability to solve problems using algebra and trigonometry, and not just to quote facts, laws and formulas. Your homework will be designed to help you develop these skills and the exams will test you on them. It is assumed that you have a reasonable working knowledge of algebra and trigonometry at a high school level. Doing physics means doing story problems using mathematics! You are expected to have (and know how to use) a good scientific calculator -- especially for exams.
Unlike the past few years, you will be required to attend class on campus in Brown Hall 370. The exception to this is if you have been tested positive with COVID-19, or you are sick from some other infection. Then you can watch the lecture via Zoom. You will not be required to wear masks in the classroom, however, I will require mask wearing if you get within 5 feet of me. This is due to the fact that your professor is immune-compromised due to the medications he is taking. Please, wear face masks if you plan to talk to me.
For providing information to keep the ETSU community safe and communicating
updates regarding policy changes, please visit the
ETSU COVID-19 Response
web site. It remains the best place to find updated information regarding
ETSU's protocols and safety measures dealing with COVID-19.
Course Syllabus for PHYS-2010-003, General Physics I.
The course notes presented below are separated into sections, approximately following the chapters in the textbook, with a few exceptions. I split Circular Motion and Gravitation into 2 separate sections where they are presented as a single chapter in the textbook. I also have a substantial amount of additional material in the Gravitation section than what appears in the textbook, since a thorough understanding of gravity is very helpful in understanding Newtonian mechanics. I also split the material in Chapter 10 into 2 separate sections: XII. Thermal Physics and XIII. Gas Laws and the Kinetic Theory of Gases.
Finally note that the textbook refers to "Chapters" as "Topics", however I
will refer to them as Chapters.
| I. | Introduction |
| II. | Mathematical Techniques |
| III. | Motion in 1 Dimension |
| IV. | Motion in 2 Dimensions |
| V. | Newton's Laws of Motion |
| VI. | Work and Energy |
| VII. | Linear Momentum and Collisions |
| VIII. | Circular Motion |
| IX. | Gravitation |
| X. | Rotational Equilibrium and Dynamics |
| XI. | Solids and Fluids |
| XII. | Thermal Physics |
| XIII. | Gas Laws and Kinetic Theory of Gases |
| XIV. | Thermodynamics |
Since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I have been streaming the lectures in "real-time" so that students can attend lecture in a remote (i.e., online) format and will be recording these lectures. However, as mentioned above, I expect all students to attend class on campus in Brown Hall 370 unless you are sick. Although this course is meeting on campus, I will be streaming and recording each lecture which will automatically be stored on D2L Course Website. So if you are sick, or have tested positive with the COVID-19 virus, you can view the streamed lectures, or watch the recording from home. Prior to each scheduled lecture, I will be posting a Zoom link on the course D2L course web page that you can use to access the synchronous lecture remotely. If you cannot make the `in-class' lecture, you are expected to attend each Zoom lecture in `real time' remotely! However, if you are forced to miss a lecture due to illness, or be late to a class, each lecture will be recorded and the link for that recording will be pasted on the D2L course web page.
To access the ETSU D2L web site, click on the following link: ,
then select the PHYS-2010-003 course link once you log in, to
get to the D2L Course Web Page.
There will be 4 homework sets assigned throughout the semester composed of two sections of questions. The first section will be problems posted on the textbook's WebAssign web site (see below for details on accessing this site). You will be given further information about WebAssign during the first week of class. These WebAssign problems will be graded and count as 10% of the course grade. The second section of problems will not be graded and will have solutions posted on the course web page. Try to do these problems by yourself before retrieving the solutions from the web page. Doing both sections of problems will be a big help in studying for the exams.
| Homework Assignments: | Problem Set 1 Solution Set 1 |
| Problem Set 2 Solution Set 2 | |
| Problem Set 3 Solution Set 3 | |
| Problem Set 4 Solution Set 4 |
Each Exam has a Review Sheet of topics and questions to prepare each
student for that Exam. These Review Sheets can be very helpful in
doing well on an Exam. In addition, I have posted past exams to help
you prepare, and to give you a sense of the format of the Exams.
| Exam Reviews: | Exam 1 Review |
| Exam 2 Review | |
| Exam 3 Review | |
| Exam 4 Review |
Over the years, I have had students in my courses who suffered with learning disabilities.
I always offer additional support for such students, such as one-on-one tutoring and
allowing additional time on the exams. However, in order to receive such additional
support, a student needs to officially register with the Office of Disability Services.
Once registered, this Office will provide paperwork to the affected student to give to
the instructor of the course.
Click here to go to Dr. Luttermoser's home page.
Click here to go to the Department of Physics and Astronomy
homepage.
Last modified: August 22, 2023 by D.G. Luttermoser