Course Syllabus

PHYS 1010 Elementary Physics

Course Description

PHYS 1010 is a one semester elementary physics course with a co-requisite laboratory (PHYS 1015). This course is designed for non-science majors and fulfills the general education requirements in physical science. The fundamental principles of physics with emphasis on how a problem is approached and solved are central to the course. Topics include the scientific method, Newton's Laws, gravity, momentum, energy thermodynamics, waves, electricity, optics, nuclear physics and relativity. Students learn principles of physics, measurement and data analysis using observation, mathematical principles and the scientific method.

Justification

PHYS 1010 is a crucial offering in the Physical Science area of general education. Also, because it is a one semester course with a lab, it fills the physical science requirement for various major fields of study. Similar courses with the same number are offered at other Utah colleges and universities.

This course will strengthen student's understanding of the principles of physics and how it is applied and explained in everyday phenomena. This provides students the knowledge needed to speak intelligently about the physics principles that affect our everyday lives. It also helps students to use the scientific method to study and make scientifically based conclusions about topics that affect our world and our society. Students learn to dispel misunderstandings and explain very practical phenomena.

For the natural sciences, science is the systematic inquiry into natural phenomena, organizing and condensing those observations into testable models and hypotheses, theories or laws. The success and credibility of science is anchored in the willingness of scientists to:

1) expose their ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists which requires the complete and open exchange of data, procedures, and materials; and

2) abandon or modify accepted conclusions when confronted with more complete or reliable experimental evidence.
Adherence to these principles provides a mechanism for self-correction that is the foundation of the credibility of science. (Adapted from a statement by the Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society which was endorsed by the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers in 1999.)

This knowledge of the scientific method and the scientific attitude provides students a foundation upon which they can better navigate their future lives and careers when confronted with conflicts requiring evaluation and afford them resilience in their ability to grow and rethink their scientific understanding of the physical world around them.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. A primary purpose of this course is to give students a practical understanding of physics, and to show how physical scientists apply the scientific method and the scientific attitude to increase their knowledge about the natural world. Student concept mastery will be assessed on homework, at-home experiments, a project, quizzes, exams and/or final exam.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students ability to read and research effectively is foundational to the course. Students are required to read the textbook and research the application of physical phenomena as part of their learning of the material, including a research project assignment. The research project requires students to propose a hypothesis, perform an experiment to test the hypothesis, gather and analyze their data then present a written summary and conclusion of their experiment. Student ability to read, retrieve, evaluate, interpret, and deliver information will be evaluated on homework, at-home experiments and corresponding write-ups related to their findings, a project, quizzes, exams and/or final exam.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students are required to predict the outcomes of hypotheses, calculate experimental results, and compare experimental results with theoretical results as part of the course. In order to propose outcomes, conduct experiments, calculate experimental results, and report their findings, students must draw from multiple disciplines including math, a variety of disciplines within the study of physics, and writing. Student ability to draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems will be evaluated on homework, at-home experiments and corresponding write-ups related to their findings, a project, quizzes, exams and/or final exam.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students are required to predict outcomes for hypotheses, conduct experiments, calculate experimental results, and compare experimental results with theoretical results as part of the course. In order to best predict, measure and explain the results, students must reason analytically using measurements and data. Students must reason critically by learning to take precise measurements and understand how their results differ from theoretical results. Students must reason creatively by deciding how to approach problem solving using the concepts they have learned, data they have gathered and other supporting resources presented in the course. Student ability to reason will be evaluated on homework, at-home experiments and corresponding write-ups related to their findings, a project, quizzes, exams and/or final exam.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will be given opportunities in homework, at-home experiments and exam questions, quizzes, and/or writing assignments to use their newfound understanding of science in general and the principles of the specific scientific disciplines surveyed in the course to explain phenomena that they observe in the physical world. Students will be given opportunities in homework, at-home experiments and exam questions, quizzes, and/or writing assignments to use their newfound understanding of science in general and the principles of the specific scientific disciplines surveyed in the course to explain phenomena that they observe in the physical world.
2. Demonstrate understanding of forces in the physical world. Homework, at-home experiments, quiz, and exam questions will assess student comprehension of forces and relationships between forces in the different types of physical systems studied in each of the content areas of the course (physical forces, gravitational forces, electrical forces, magnetic forces, nuclear forces, etc.) and how forces that were initially learned in one content area (for example, magnetic forces) are applied in other content areas (for example, electro-magnetic generators to generate electrical power).
3. Discuss the flow of matter and energy through systems (in large and small scales). Homework, at-home experiments, quiz, and exam questions will assess student ability to explain how matter and/or energy move or change in the different types of physical systems studied in each of the content areas of the course. For example, how energy flows in thermal conduction, or how energy is conserved for a person riding on a rollercoaster.
4. Develop evidence-based arguments regarding the effect of human activity on the Earth. Using recent publications whenever possible, instructors will model this outcome by showing and explaining scientifically valid evidence of the consequences of human activities on the natural world. Students will be given opportunities to discuss and examine these examples and to generate appropriate conclusions from evidence provided to them in homework, at-home experiments, or exam questions. For example using thermodynamics to demonstrate solar radiation entering and exiting the earth's atmosphere, and how the greenhouse effect happens and how it is impacted by human activity on the Earth.
5. Describe how the Physical Sciences have shaped and been shaped by historical, ethical, and social contexts. Homework questions, at-home experiments and exam questions will be used to prompt student exploration of and probe student understanding of the historical development of significant theories/models in the principles of physics how the scientific method was applied to gradually advance the scientific understanding of the physics world around us. Individuals contributing to the advance of our understanding of the theories and laws of physics are presented as well as the social contexts of the scientific community at the time of their contributions, and how their contributions may have been marginalized based on social pressures at the time of their discoveries.
   

Course Content

Physics 1010 is a general education course that provides students an overview of the physics of everyday phenomena.Students will learn the scientific method and the scientific attitude first and foremost, which will prepare them to understand the history and developmental process of how we gained our current understanding of the physics of our world and universe. With that foundation, students will explore the various topics listed below, and understand the context of what is a hypothesis, what is a theory, and what is a law in the realm of physics. Physics laws and theories will be explained with the history of the principle, the relationships between the variables affecting the principle, and the mathematical equations that are used to explain those relationships. Student will demonstrate how to predict outcomes of various physics scenarios using those relationships and equations. Principles of physics will be demonstrated and compared using graphing of the data as well. As part of the classroom discussion of the material, there will be occasional exploration of how these physics principles are used by different cross sections of individuals and organizations in professional industries using the content.Students will be challenged in the classroom assignments and in the companion lab (PHYS 1015) assignments to demonstrate their knowledge of the physics principles being explored. In addition, students will respond to questions in the homework that explore the application of the principles of physics in real world scenarios, and help them explore and develop awareness of how our impact on the world and its inhabitants will affect various populations and global issues. Students will study the principles, relationships, equations and applications to everyday phenomena for nearly all of the following topics:• The scientific method and scientific attitude• Position, velocity and acceleration of an object• Free fall objects and projectiles• Newton's 3 laws and Universal Gravitation• Circular motion and planetary behavior• Kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy• Momentum and conservation of momentum• Torques and angular momentum• Fluid behavior• Temperature and heat• Laws of Thermodynamics• Electricity and magnetism• Electrical Circuits• Magnets and electromagnetism• Wave behavior• Light Waves and color• Light and image formation• The structure of the atom• The nucleus and nuclear energy• Special Relativity and General Relativity