PHYS:1200:0001 (029:006:001)

Physics of Everyday ExperiencE

Textbook: None required (all course material is provided online)

            This course is designed for students who need to satisfy a GE requirement in Physical Science, for students who need a 3 credit elective, or any student who would like to learn something about how the physical world works. This is a 3 credit hour course with NO lab. There are no prerequisites beyond ordinary high school algebra and geometry. If you were admitted to the UI, then you have already satisfied these requirements. The course focusses largely on concepts, but it does have a quantitative component. Physics cannot be presented with words only, it must deal with numbers and simple formulas showing how concepts are related. Don't shy away from this course because you feel that you "can't do math". Maybe you just have not had much practice lately, or maybe your high school preparation wasn't as good as it should have been - but don't let that stop you. The math skills needed for this course are really minimal, and if you are a bit rusty, this may be the last chance you'll ever have to learn some useful skills. The assignment for the first lecture is a review of basic math.

The course meets three times a week for 50 minute lectures in LR1 VAN. All of the lecture presentations are on PowerPoint which are posted on the class webpage at least the day before each class. The presentations are self-contained so that no additional textbooks are required. In addition to the PowerPoint slides, a major component of the course is the many lecture demonstrations that are performed in each class. The demos are designed to allow you to see the phenomena that is being discussed. In many cases, you will find that the demos illustrate situations that you are already familiar with (but didn't realize) from everyday experience. Although the PP slides may contain illustrations of the demos, you really need to see them in person to get the full effect. Most students find that the demos are not only informative but entertaining as well. They can also be quite exciting and noisy!

Learning physics requires participation in the form of working homework exercises. A set of review questions and exercises (with answers) for each lecture will be posted on the class webpage. These are provided for you to gain experience in the quantitative aspects of the course. On each exam, roughly 2/3 of the questions will be conceptual in nature and 1/3 quantitative (requiring a numerical answer). Since the exercises are provided to help you to learn the course material, they are not collected and graded -- working the exercises is entirely your responsibility.

Course Exams and Grades: There will be 2, 50 minute midterm exams and a final exam, for a total of 100 points (each midterm = 25 points, and the final exam is worth 50 points). The exams are NOT cumulative and cover only the material since the last exam. Typically, about 15% of students receive grades in the A range, about 35 % receive grades in the B range, 40% in the C range, and less than 10% D's. It is not easy to get an F in the class. If you take all the exams, it is nearly impossible to fail the course.  A few students may fail because they miss an exam for some reason, and never tell me. 

If you are thinking about taking the course and have questions, please email me.