PHYS 161
Physics I

Physics I covers the basics of force, acceleration, and energy using calculus. A series of laboratory activities is used in support of the material.

Instructor: Robert A. Cohen
Meeting Place: 117/220 Gessner

Send e-mail to course instructor (Robert Cohen)

Due Dates

Date DueTypeDescription
Jan 21Activity WriteupWhat is the volume of room 117?
Jan 26Activity WriteupWhat percentage of cars are speeding on Normal Street?
Jan 28RegisterObtain access to MasteringPhysics
TutorialIntroduction to MasteringPhysics
Jan 31Tutorial 1ANotation (chapter 1)
Activity WriteupWhat is the relationship between the period and length of a pendulum?
Email QuestionChapter 1
Feb 2Tutorial 1BMotion Diagrams (chapter 1)
Feb 4Problems 1Notation and Motion (CQ 1.4, P1.23, P1.10, P1.18)
Feb 7Activity WriteupDoes a cart rolling on an inclined ramp experience an acceleration equal to ± g sin θ
Tutorial 2AGraphing Motion (chapter 2)
Feb 9Problems 2AGraphing Position, Velocity and Acceleration (P2.1, P2.10, P2.26)
StudyQuiz #2 (measurements, graphing, chapter 1 and the graphing portion of chapter 2)
Feb 11Tutorial 2BKinematic Equations (chapter 2)
Email QuestionChapter 2
Feb 14Problems 2BEquations for 1-D Motion (P2.15, P2.21, P2.4, P2.43, P2.55, P2.13, P2.17, P2.53, P2.51)
Feb 16Tutorial 3AAdding and subtracting vectors via components
Tutorial 3BUsing trigonometry with vectors
Email QuestionChapter 3
Feb 18Problems 3Vectors (P3.13, P3.17, P3.18, P3.5, P3.26, P3.27, P3.32)
Tutorial 4AProjectile Motion
Feb 21Tutorial 4BRelative Motion
Email QuestionChapter 4
Feb 23Problems 4Two-D Motion (P4.11, P4.12, P4.13, P4.18, P4.56, P4.5, P4.50)
StudyQuiz #3 (chapters 3 and 4, along with equations portion of chapter 2)
Feb 28Activity WriteupDoes the time to fall depend upon an object's horizontal motion?
Tutorial 5AForces
Mar 2Activity WriteupIs the net force zero on a stationary object?
Activity WriteupIs the net force zero on an object moving at constant velocity?
Tutorial 5BForce and motion
Email QuestionChapter 5
Mar 4Activity WriteupIs the net force exerted on the object equal to its mass times its acceleration (while the net force is acting)?
Problems 5Force and motion (P5.20, P5.46, P5.35)
Tutorial 6AApplying N2L
Mar 14Email QuestionChapter 6
Tutorial 6BApplying N2L with friction
Mar 16StudyQuiz #4 (chapters 5 and 6)
Problems 6Dynamics in 1-D (CQ6.4, CQ6.5, P6.11, P6.39, P6.6, P6.48, P6.4, P6.42)
Mar 21Tutorial 7Multiple Objects
Email QuestionChapter 7
Mar 23Problems 7Multiple Objects (P7.7, P7.14, P7.23, P7.28, P7.33, P7.38, P7.39)
Activity WriteupWhat is the acceleration of the Atwood's Machine? (Excel file; this will download correctly in Firefox but not Internet Explorer; if you cannot open this, email me)
Mar 25Email QuestionChapter 8
Mar 28Activity WriteupWhat is the acceleration of a conical pendulum? or What is the acceleration of a pendulum at the bottom of its swing?
Tutorial 8Circular Motion
Mar 30Problems 8Circular Motion (P8.6, P8.28, P8.33, P8.41, P8.8, P8.63, P8.31)
StudyQuiz #5 (chapters 7 and 8)
Apr 1No assignments
Apr 4Activity WriteupIs momentum conserved during a collision?
Tutorials 9AConservation of momentum
Email QuestionChapter 9
Apr 6Problems 9Momentum (P9.1, P9.20, P9.38, P9.57, P9.14, P9.17, P9.24, P9.42, P9.13)
Tutorials 9BMomentum in 2-D
Apr 8Tutorials 10AMomentum, kinetic energy, springs and power
Tutorials 10BMaking predictions with energy
Email QuestionChapter 10
Apr 11Problems 10Energy (P10.1, P10.2, P10.25, P10.11, P10.17, P10.21, P10.34, P10.27, P10.43, P10.56)
Apr 13Tutorials 11AWork
Tutorials 11BWork, gravity and power
Email QuestionChapter 11
Apr 15Problems 11Work (P11.7, P11.33, P11.17, P11.25, P11.55, P11.9, P11.29, P13.15, P13.35)
StudyQuiz #6 (chapters 9, 10, 11 and 13)
Apr 18No assignments
Apr 20Tutorials 12ARotation and Torque
Activity WriteupIs the net torque zero on a balanced meter stick?
Apr 22Tutorials 12BRotational Dynamics
Email QuestionChapter 12
Apr 25Problems 12Rotation (P12.21, P12.22, P12.9, P12.48, P12.29, P12.55, P12.30, P12.71)
Activity WriteupIs energy conserved for a ball rolling down a track?
Apr 27Tutorials 14Simple Harmonic Motion
Email QuestionChapter 14
Apr 29Problems 14SHM (P14.2, P14.11, P14.5, P14.18, P14.21, P14.61, P14.3, P14.10)
StudyQuiz #7 (chapters 12 and 14)

Lecture Notes

  1. Review for Quiz 2 (PowerPoint)
  2. Review for Quiz 3 (PDF)
  3. Introduction to Chapter 8 (PDF)

Objectives

  1. Chapter 1
  2. Chapter 2
  3. Chapter 3
  4. Chapter 4
  5. Chapter 5
  6. Chapter 6
  7. Chapter 7
  8. Chapter 8
  9. Chapter 9
  10. Chapter 10
  11. Chapter 11
  12. Chapter 13
  13. Chapter 15

Links

Last updated: April, 2011

This page maintained by:

rcohen@po-box.esu.edu