1. What is this course all about?

Brock calendar entry: Kinematics, Newton's laws and their applications to equilibrium and dynamics; special relativity.

Overview

Mechanics is about motion, which is fundamental in physics, and this course provides an introduction to understanding motion. Mechanics can be separated into two aspects, kinematics (the mathematical description of motion) and dynamics (which explains the detailed causes of motion, and quantifies their effects). Newtonian mechanics is an extremely successful theory for describing and explaining many phenomena in our every-day experience. Using Newtonian mechanics, we have been able to construct bridges, towers, homes, tall buildings, machines, and so on, and they work beautifully as expected. Airplanes, trains, cars, and even spacecraft all work well, and arrive at planned destinations, in accord with Newtonian mechanics.

However, understanding the inner workings of electronic devices (such as computers, smart phones, etc.), lasers, solar cells, the interiors of molecules, atoms, and atomic nuclei, energy production in the sun and stars, and all manner of other exotic phenomena, requires a deeper understanding of mechanics that only became known in the 20th century: quantum mechanics. Broadly speaking, Newtonian mechanics is an excellent theory for the macroscopic world, and quantum mechanics is essential for understanding the microscopic world. (However, this is an oversimplification, because lasers and smart phones are macroscopic, but I hope you get the idea.)

For objects that travel relatively slowly, such as baseballs, humans, and rocketships, Newtonian mechanics provides an excellent description. For objects that travel extremely fast, at a significant fraction of the speed of light, another theory of mechanics is necessary for an adequate description and explanation: relativistic mechanics (the special theory of relativity).

We'll provide a very brief introduction to relativity in this course, but for a proper introduction to relativity, and for quantum mechanics and its applications, you'll have to stick around for second-year physics and beyond.

If you wish to go further in physics, or in any of the sciences that depend on physics (and which don't?), work hard now to provide yourself with a solid foundation, and you'll be able to take your studies as far as you wish.

What do I need to bring into the course?

This course is suitable for students with a high school science background. High school calculus or physics are not required, but good skills in elementary algebra, geometry, and trigonometry at the high-school level are necessary; this course is quantitative in nature. A good scientific calculator is essential.

Textbooks

The textbook is Physics, 9th edition, by Cutnell and Johnson, Wiley, 2012. There are a number of different versions of the textbook, some of which are listed in the following table. Which version to use is up to you; all of them are fine. There are also online resources available with the textbook, some of which may be very useful to you, which can be accessed by including WileyPLUS in your purchase.

Format	Price	Description	How to Purchase
USED hardcover textbook	18.75	Hardcover textbook (purchase WileyPLUS card separately)	Brock campus bookstore
NEW hardcover textbook + WileyPLUS	148.20	Hardcover textbook packaged with WileyPLUS card	Brock campus bookstore
Binder-ready version + WileyPLUS	148.20	Three-hole punched loose-leaf paper packaged with WileyPLUS card	Brock campus bookstore
WileyPLUS card	92.50	WileyPLUS card, which gives online access to the ebook good for one year and other publisher online resources	Brock campus bookstore

There is also a student solution manual available, which provides terse but complete solutions to about 600 problems from the textbook (all the ones labelled SSM). If you would like to buy this, do so at your favourite bookseller, as we didn't order it for our campus bookstore.

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is a serious offence. The principle of academic integrity, particularly of doing one’s own work, documenting properly (including use of quotation marks, appropriate paraphrasing and referencing/citation), collaborating appropriately, and avoiding misrepresentation, is a core principle in university study. Students should consult Section VII, “Academic Misconduct”, in the “Academic Regulations and University Policies” entry in the Undergraduate Calendar, available here, to view a fuller description of prohibited actions, and the procedures and penalties.

2. Lectures, Tutorials, Homework, and Labs

Instructor: S. D'Agostino

Lectures: MTRF 12:00 – 12:50 in Room TH 247

Tutorials: Check your schedule for your classroom and time

Tutorials begin the week of Monday 14 September, 2015 . There are many tutorial sections, and all students must be registered for one. Each tutorial has no more than 18 students, guaranteeing individual attention from the TA acting as the tutorial leader.

The purpose of the tutorial is to provide a supportive environment where you can work together on physics problems, and clear up any conceptual problems you might have. Your TA will help you by answering any questions you have and providing hints and guidance in solving problems and in learning the material.

Show up! Don't make the mistake of thinking you can blow off a problem-solving session, and that you'll do the work by yourself "later." Many a student has learned the hard way that "later" rarely comes. Consistent work is vital for success, and many students every year fool themselves into thinking they understand the subject because they think they are following along in lecture. The true test of understanding is whether you can solve physics problems, and think through the subject, on your own. Showing up to tutorial is very helpful, because normal people like you and me need time to learn physics, and make many mistakes along the way. Make all your mistakes in tutorial, where there is a friendly TA to help you overcome them, and where there are friendly classmates that are willing to work together with you. Working together, helping each other, and putting in the necessary time and effort will lead you to success.

Also, make sure to remember your tutorial number as you'll need to write it on all of your tests.

TAs will be taking attendance at each tutorial. If you attend a tutorial, and work on physics throughout the tutorial, your score on the following week's test will be multiplied by 1; if you don't attend a tutorial, or attend but don't work on physics, then your score on the following week's test will be multiplied by zero.

Homework

Weekly homework assignments are submitted online, via the textbook publisher's online homework system, WileyPLUS. Access WileyPLUS by logging on to our course's Sakai page, and then clicking on the "Assignment" tab in the menu on the left. The first time you do this, you will be prompted for your credentials to prove that you have actually purchased access to WileyPLUS. Each subsequent time that you do this, you will be taken straight to the homework assignment without having to input your credentials.

Always access your homework assignments (and your online e-text) through Sakai.

Doing homework regularly, and in the right way, is essential for understanding physics. Daily work is our mantra. For more information on how to do homework effectively, and why it's important, see ***.

Some students do their homework dishonestly, by simply "googling" the answers. Typically they end up with very high homework scores, but end up failing the final exam, and therefore they fail the course. There are no shortcuts, and no magic formulas for success. It's very simple: Daily, consistent, honest work leads you to success.

Labs take place in Room MC H200, during alternate weeks, starting the week of 21 September 2015. The Lab Manual is available for printing from the course homepage. Be sure to read the Lab Outline before attending your first lab. Frank Benko (B210A, [email protected]) is the senior lab demonstrator, and should be contacted for all details.

An integral part of the labs is the use of computer-based data acquisition; you may wish to consult https://www.physics.brocku.ca/physica/ in advance. Under the "Get data" menu selection, select "demo" and click "go"; the demo mode allows you to try the tools without being in the lab.

To prepare for each lab, carefully read the relevant part of the lab manual before you attend lab. To make sure that you are well-prepared for your lab, you must score 100% on the pre-lab questions (there is a link to the questions in the left margin of this web page) before you attend lab; otherwise, you won't be allowed to perform your laboratory experiment.

Your lab report is submitted online via Sakai, and turnitin.com is used to check for plagiarism ; go to Sakai and read the instructions at the course front page for all the detailson performing experiments and submitting lab reports. The due date for submitting your lab report is near midnight six days after you perform the experiment. For example, if you perform your experiment on Thursday, then your lab report is due at 11:55 pm on the following Wednesday. Late submissions (either of the written lab report, or the turnitin.com submissions) automatically generate a zero grade for that lab; i.e. a 100% penalty. If you have a valid medical or compassionate excuse, contact the lab instructor as soon as possible.

3. Sources of help

Office hours: S. D'Agostino MC E219, MR 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, and T 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, or by appointment (during these times, my office doubles as the PHYSICS HELP DESK)

Falling behind in a mathematics or science course leads to extreme difficulties, particularly in a compressed course such as this one. Don't allow yourself to fall behind. Consistent, daily work will help you to succeed in the course.

I encourage you to visit my office whenever you would like to discuss physics. Don't wait until the last moment; make sure you clear up anything that is unclear as soon as possible, as this will make your studies more effective and you will go further in less time.

If you can't come by during my office hours, send me an email message at [email protected] and we shall set up a suitable time to meet. My telephone number, in case of emergency, is 905-688-5550 extension 5785.

Online electronic documentation

This course description, some lecture notes, and some study aids are available online via the Web server of the Physics Department, https://www.physics.brocku.ca/ (follow the links to Courses ---> 1P21/1P91).

4. Topics to be studied

As time permits, some topics not listed below may be added, while some other topics may not be discussed during lectures and tutorial sessions. The outline below is only an approximation.

• Chapter 1: Introduction and Mathematical Concepts
• significant figures
• scientific notation
• units; converting from one unit to another unit
• trigonometry
• introduction to vectors; components of a vector
• operations with vectors
• Chapter 2: Kinematics in One Dimension
• kinematics vocabulary; position and displacement, speed and velocity, acceleration
• position-time graphs; velocity
• position-time graphs and velocity-time graphs
• uniform motion
• instantaneous velocity and average velocity
• acceleration; acceleration-time graphs
• acceleration due to gravity
• kinematics equations for motion with constant acceleration
• free fall
• Chapter 3: Kinematics in Two Dimensions
• coördinate systems
• kinematics in two dimensions
• projectile motion
• relative motion
• Chapter 4: Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion
• dynamics; the concept of a force
• Newton's first law of motion
• Newton's second law of motion
• free-body diagrams
• Newton's third law of motion
• types of forces
• gravitational forces
• normal forces
• static and kinetic frictional forces
• tension forces
• equilibrium applications of Newton's laws of motion
• non-equilibrium applications of Newton's laws of motion
• Chapter 5: Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion
• uniform circular motion
• centripetal acceleration
• centripetal forces
• banked curves
• satellites in circular orbits
• apparent weighlessness and artificial gravity
• motion in a vertical circle
• Chapter 6: Work and Energy (OMIT 6.9 Work done by a Variable Force)
• work done by a constant force
• the work-energy theorem and kinetic energy
• gravitational potential energy
• conservative and nonconservative forces
• the principle of conservation of mechanical energy
• nonconservative forces and the work-energy theorem
• power
• other forms of energy; the principle of conservation of energy
• work done by a variable force
• Chapter 7: Impulse and Momentum
• the impulse-momentum theorem
• the principle of conservation of linear momentum
• collisions in one dimension
• collisions in two dimensions
• centre of mass
• Chapter 8: Rotational Kinematics (OMIT 8.7 The Vector Nature of Angular Variables)
• rotational motion and angular displacement
• angular velocity and angular acceleration
• equations of rotational kinematics for constant angular acceleration
• angular variables and tangential variables
• centripetal acceleration and tangential acceleration
• rolling motion
• the vector nature of angular variables
• Chapter 9: Rotational Dynamics
• the action of forces and torques on rigid bodies
• rigid bodies in equilibrium
• centre of gravity
• the analogue of Newton's second law for rotational motion about a fixed axis
• rotational work and energy
• angular momentum
• the principle of conservation of angular momentum
• Chapter 10: Simple Harmonic Motion and Elasticity (OMIT 10.7 and 10.8 on elasticity)
• ideal springs and simple harmonic motion
• simple harmonic motion and the reference circle
• energy and simple harmonic motion
• the simple pendulum
• damped harmonic motion
• driven harmonic motion and resonance
• Chapter 28: Special Relativity (OMIT Chapter 28)
• events and inertial reference frames
• Galilean relativity
• the Michelson-Morley experiment
• the postulates of special relativity
• time dilation
• length contraction
• relativistic momentum
• relativistic energy; E = mc²
• velocity addition

5. Course Schedule

Note that Chapter 1 of the textbook will be covered throughout the course, as each topic is needed.

Week	Dates	Lectures	Tutorial	Test	Test Dates
0	9 Sept.–11 Sept.	Math Review	No Tutorial	No Test
1	14 Sept.–18 Sept.	Ch 2	Math Review	No Test
2	21 Sept.–25 Sept.	Ch 3	Ch 2	Math	Tues. 22 Sept.
3	28 Sept.–2 Oct.	Ch 4 (Part A)	Ch 3	Ch 2	Tues. 29 Sept.
4	5 Oct.–9 Oct.	Ch 4 (Part B)	Ch 4A	Ch 3	Tues. 6 Oct.
	12 Oct.–16 Oct.	Reading Week	No classes	No Test
5	19 Oct.–23 Oct.	Ch 5	Ch 4B	Ch 4A	Tues. 20 Oct.
6	26 Oct.–30 Oct.	Ch 6	Ch 5	Ch 4B	Tues. 27 Oct.
7	2 Nov.–6 Nov.	Ch 7	Ch 6	Ch 5	Tues. 3 Nov.
8	9 Nov.–13 Nov.	Ch 8	Ch 7	Ch 6	Tues. 10 Nov.
9	16 Nov.–20 Nov.	Ch 9	Ch 8	Ch 7	Tues. 17 Nov.
10	23 Nov.–27 Nov.	Ch 10	Ch 9	Ch 8	Tues. 24 Nov.
11	30 Nov.–4 Dec.	Ch 28	Ch 10	Ch 9	Tues. 1 Dec.
12	7 Dec.–8 Dec.	Review	No Tutorial	Ch 10	Tues. 8 Dec.

Test locations

Tests are written during the regular lecture time-slot on Tuesdays, according to the schedule above. Make sure that there is at least one empty seat between you and other students sitting in your row.

• If you are enrolled in PHYS 1P21, write your tests in Room TH 247, the regular lecture room.
• If you are enrolled in PHYS 1P91, write your tests in DHOWES.

6. Grading Scheme

Component	PHYS 1P21	PHYS 1P91	Comments
Weekly Homework	18%	12%	Weekly homework is through WileyPLUS, accessed online via Sakai.
Weekly Tests	54%	40%	Each test may contain material discussed in earlier chapters. Each raw test score is multiplied by the previous week's tutorial attendance score (0 or 1).
Final Exam	28%	28%	TBA; you must pass the final exam (50% or more) to obtain a credit in the course.
Laboratory Work	—	20%	Both attending the lab and submitting a written report (200 to 400 words) is required to complete a lab; completing all labs is required to obtain a credit in the course. You must score 100% on pre-lab questions before the lab to be allowed to attend the lab.

In calculating your overall test scores, your best 9 scores out of the 11 tests will be considered. In this way, if you miss one or two tests because of illness, there is no need to obtain medical documentation. If you miss more than two tests, and you have a very good reason (documentation required), you will be excused from the missed tests with no academic penalty (i.e., you'll get a "no mark"). The weight of excused tests will be distributed proportionally to the other tests.

If you miss the final exam for a very good reason (documentation required), then you will need to write a make-up exam to get a credit in the course, unless your situation is truly extreme. Final exam periods tend to be extremely busy, so there is no guarantee that it will be possible to write a make-up exam soon after the scheduled final exam; therefore, do your very best to stay strong and healthy so that this will not be a concern for you.

If you fail to obtain at least 50% on the final exam, and therefore do not obtain a credit in the course (regardless of your calculated final grade), I am compelled to report a final grade for you that is no higher than 45, according to Registrar's Office policy. In this case, your reported final grade will be either your calculated final grade or 45, whichever is less. In this case, should you desire a credit in the course, you would have to repeat the course.

The last date for withdrawal from this course without academic penalty is Tuesday 10 November 2015.

7. Expectations/Responsibilities

Here is a summary of our expectations of you, which are your responsibilities. You are expected to:

• attend each scheduled lecture, tutorial, and laboratory session.
• do your work honestly.
• attend lectures having prepared in advance by reading relevant parts of the textbook, and having tried some of the homework problems. You are also expected to bring pencil and paper to lectures so that you are ready to work during the session.
• attend tutorials having prepared in advance by reading relevant parts of the textbook, and having tried some of the homework problems. You are also expected to bring pencil, paper, formula sheet, and textbook to tutorials so that you are ready to work during the session.
• attend labs having prepared in advance by reading relevant parts of the lab manual, and having completed the prelab problems.
• attend each test, with only a non-graphics calculator and writing instruments. Don't bring your formula sheet, as we'll give you one. Remember your student ID number AND your tutorial number, as you'll be writing them on your test paper.

To get the most out of the course, work on it a little bit every day. Daily work is key for placing your learning in long-term memory, where it will be readily available to help you to advance your knowledge in second year and beyond. (And, of course, having the course content in long-term memory will help you ace the final exam!)

To get the most out of your TAs, come to tutorial prepared. TAs are not expected to do your work for you, so if you show up to tutorial and ask TAs to tell you how to do a problem without having worked on it yourself first, the results will not be good. TAs are not magical miracle-workers, and just showing you how to do a problem if you haven't done any preparatory work is not likely to leave a useful impression on you. On the other hand, if you've tried a problem, thought hard about it, slept on it, tried it again another day, talked it over with your study partner, and are still stuck, then just the right words from your TA will have a magical effect on you.

So, come to tutorial with your work (partially completed is OK), and ask the TA about the places where you are stuck. Ask the TA about the conceptual problem that you've already thought about, and tell the TA what you think about it. Do this, and your results will be excellent.

In summary, the role of your TA is to help you and guide you through your difficulties, not to do your work for you.

The same applies to your course instructor; adopt the same attitude when you see the course instructor at the Physics Help Desk, and you will be very pleased with the results.

The same kind of advice applies to the laboratories as well. If you attend lab superbly well-prepared, then you will be extremely efficient, you will collect your data successfully, and you will even be able to complete some of your lab report in the lab. You will be especially efficient because you will be able to ask your lab demonstrators good questions while you are in the lab, and this will help you to complete your lab report efficiently.

Remember, it is impossible for your course instructor to effectively cover an entire chapter of the textbook in just three 50-minute lectures per week. It is absolutely impossible for your TA to effectively cover an entire chapter of the textbook in one 50-minute tutorial. It is your responsibility to learn the course material. The lectures and tutorial are there to guide you and assist you in learning the material, but remember whose responsibility it is to actually do the hard work of learning the course material. Showing up to lectures and tutorials is important, but is not nearly enough to succeed in the course; you must do additional work on your own, and ideally also with your study partner or study group, to really learn the course material well. So, for example, if you don't finish working through your tutorial worksheet during your tutorial session, it is your responsibility to finish it outside of tutorial. And make sure you understand that finishing a tutorial worksheet is still not enough to adequately prepare you for the following test; there are lots of other concepts and problems that you need to work on additionally if you wish to be well-prepared.