Post on 31-May-2020
transcript
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PHY131H1F
Introduction to Physics I
Class 1
• Welcome - please make yourself comfortable!
• My name is Jason Harlow
• Today will be an introduction and
overview of this course and the
Physics Department at the University
of Toronto.
Today’s Outline
1. Essential Information for this
course
2. Physics at the University of
Toronto (including a visit from
our Undergraduate Chair)
3. Details about PHY131 this fall
4. Advice for how to do well
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1. Essential Information for this
course
PRACTICALS• This week (starting
TODAY for students in
Monday Practicals) there
will be Practicals.
• Practicals begin on time but will dismiss early this
week.
• You will be doing a pre-course diagnostic quiz and
survey, which is worth marks for your participation.
• Next week regular 2-hour Practicals begin.
• If you have already missed your Practical this week,
please email phy131@physics.utoronto.ca and we
will reschedule you for this week.
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Marking Scheme
Note that the maximum possible mark is 101%
above, but in the end every student will be held to
a maximum of 100%.
The Required Textbook
• The textbook is:
• Essential University Physics 3rd Edition
• by Richard Wolfson, Middlebury College
• ©2016 by Pearson Education, Inc.
• Volume 1 will be used for
PHY131 this fall.
• Volume 2 will be used for
PHY132, which is offered
in the January-April “S”-
semester.
• The two-volume shrink-
wrapped set comes with
a free 1-year subscription
to MasteringPhysics.
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You also need
• An i-clicker remote.
• These will be used every class beginning
Wednesday, and must be registered on the
portal.utoronto.ca site for this course for marks.
• There is no lab manual or solutions manual for this
course; the textbook and an i-clicker are all you will
need to buy.
Who are we?
Course Professor
• Jason Harlow
• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca
B.Sc. University of Toronto 1993
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University 2000
Course Coordinator
• Xingxing Xing
Practicals Coordinators
• Andrew Meyertholen
• Stephen Foster
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Course Administrative Assistant
• Ms. April Seeley
• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca
• Office: MP129
• Voice line: 416-946-0531
• Office hours: Mondays through Fridays 8:30am-1:00pm
and 2:30-3:50pm
My contact information
• Jason Harlow, teaching first half of course
• phy131@physics.utoronto.ca
• Office: MP121B
• /harlowphysics
• /phy131uoft (341 “likes” as of this morning)
• @jasonjbharlow
• Voice line (no texts): 416-946-4071
• Fall 2015 office hours: Tuesdays 10-11,
Thursdays 2-3, Fridays 11-12, starting tomorrow.
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Pre-Requisite for PHY131:
• MCV4U Calculus and Vectors or MHF4U Functions and
Calculus or course equivalent from another province,
country.
Co-Requisite for PHY131:
• To be able to do PHY131H1 a student must do (or have
done already) MAT135H1 or MAT137Y1 or MAT157Y1 or
course equivalent from another college/university.
2. Physics at the University of
Toronto
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What is Physics?
• “Physics is the natural science that involves
the study of matter and its motion through
space and time, along with related concepts
such as energy and force.
• More broadly, physics is the general analysis
of nature, conducted in order to understand
how the universe behaves.”
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics
http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/
• 55 Researching Faculty
• 6 Teaching Faculty
• 2 Librarians
• 20 Technologists and
Information Technology
Specialists
• 20 Administrators
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“Welcome” from the Undergraduate
Chair of Physics
• Sabine Stanley
• Ph.D. in Geophysics, Harvard
University (2004)
• B.Sc. Honors in Astronomy &
Physics. University of Toronto
(1999)
• Professor Stanley’s research
involves understanding planetary
interior processes and evolution.
What Can Physics Do For You?
• Physics training will provide you with critical thinking,
problem solving and quantitative skills
• You can apply these skills to be successful & happy in
many careers
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Physics POSts
• Physics Specialist• rigorous training in full spectrum of core physics areas
• preparing you for graduate school in physics
• Physics Major • more flexible, good companion to a second major in a complimentary
area (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Math, Computer Science)
• Biological Physics Specialist• physical principles that organize complex biological systems
• preparing you for graduate school in biophysics
• “Streams”: Advanced Physics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Physiolog
• Other Combined Specialist POSTs • Physics & Philosophy, Geophysics, Astronomy & Physics, Chemical
Physics, Mathematics & Physics, ( Also the Physics Minor)
Questions About Courses, Programs,
…?
• If you have any questions about physics courses, programs,
other physics related stuff, feel free to contact me.
• EMAIL: ugchair@physics.utoronto.ca
• OFFICE: MP328
• You can also talk to the Undergraduate Coordinator Teresa
Baptista by contacting ugcoord@physics.utoronto.ca
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Atmospheric Physics Research at U of T
How do nano-motors transport
molecules into, out of, and within
cells?
Biological Physics Research at U of T
How do simple creatures like C. elegans
make decisions?
What is the physics behind RNA folding,
molecular motors and DNA replication?
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The Large
Hadron
Collider
[Photo courtesy of http://erinjanus.com/the-time-machine-the-most-complicated-thing-created-by-humans/ ]
[image from http://www.universetoday.com/17905/large-hadron-collider-worst-case-scenario/ ]
Higgs Boson
discovered July 4, 2012
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson ]
What Does Taking PHY131/132
Get You?• Lots of fun!
• PHY131/132 is an acceptable pre-requisite for all
second-year physics courses in case you decide to
switch and pursue a POST in physics
• This course will help prepare you for the physics portion
of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in case
you want to be a doctor some day
• Many health-science post-graduate programs require 2
semesters of lab-based physics
• Important knowledge and skills which will last a lifetime.
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3. Details about PHY131 This Fall
What to bring to lectures (suggestion)
• Please bring PCS:
• Paper and Pen or Pencil
• Clicker
• Smile
• Laptops and phones are not forbidden, but they are discouraged.
• I do not post my class slides before class because I want you to come with blank paper and write things you learn about, or find interesting.
• I will always post my complete lecture slides, including answers to clicker questions, after class to help you study (usually by the next morning).
“No laptops” Image from http://www.ftsenvironmental.com/products/axiom/
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Lectures: the rules
• Be seated and ready for class by 10 minutes after
the hour
• Do not make lots of noise during class or do stuff
which distracts your neighbours
• Be patient with me when I make mistakes, and also
to point out any mistakes I don’t notice right away
(YELL!!)
• I will stop talking on the hour, and I will exit the
room to clear the stage for the next professor.
• I will be available for questions and comments for
up to half-an-hour immediately after class in the
hallway outside this room.
Clickers…
• Every student should have their own i-clicker remote,
available from the campus bookstore.
• I use these clickers to involve students in the class, survey
the class, figure out what the majority of the class knows,
and promote discussion.
• To register your i-clicker remote, log on to the course web-
site at https://portal.utoronto.ca, click on the link to register
the remote, and enter the unique 8-character Remote ID
which is found on a sticker on the back of your remote, or
behind the battery.
• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking
in-class clicker questions every class.
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Clickers…
• For each lecture beginning with class 2, one participation
point is awarded for clicking any answer (right or wrong) for
half or more of the quizzes per lecture.
• The final Lecture Participation mark is based on the best 20
out of 23 scores, and is out of 20. Any student can miss or
fail to participate in up to three classes without penalty.
• If more than three classes must be missed for a valid
reason, please provide meor April Seeley with
documentation, medical or otherwise, and we will excuse
these absences.
• Note that it is against the rules to vote using a different
student’s clicker, or to ask another student to vote for you.
• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking
in-class clicker questions every class.
Clickers…
• Beginning Wednesday, we will be asking
in-class clicker questions every class.
• Any iclicker
will work!
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Online Homework
• Online homework, worth marks, will be offered on the
MasteringPhysics web-site:
http://www.masteringphysics.com
• To register for MasteringPhysics you need an access code,
which comes for free when you purchase a new Wolfson
textbook at the U of T Bookstore or Discount Textbooks.
• Stand-alone accounts on MasteringPhysics are also
available for $50 at the bookstore for students who have
obtained used textbooks.
• To get started you will need the Course ID, which is:
Course ID: MPPHY131F15
• You will also need to enter your University of Toronto
Student Number (9 or 10 digits long), in order to receive your
marks.
Pre-Class Reading Quizzes
• Classes in this course involve a lot of discussion
and reflection, and they are much more effective if
every student already has some familiarity with the
chapters we will be discussing.
• In order to encourage reading ahead, before most
classes beginning with class 2 on Wednesday, you
will have to complete a short MasteringPhysics quiz
based on the reading for that day.
• There will also be an essay question for which you
can type additional questions, thoughts or
comments which I will read before class.
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Pre-Class Reading Quizzes
• The quiz is due by 8:00am on the day of each class,
so I actually suggest completing it the evening
before the class (ie tomorrow).
• Each quiz contains only 5 questions or fewer, all of
which should be quite easy if you have done the
reading and/or watched the pre-class video on
YouTube.
• There are 21 pre-class reading quizzes in the
course, and your mark will be determined based on
the best 20 of these.
• Pre-class quizzes which arrive late will receive a
mark of zero.
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PRE-CLASS VIDEOS• For the clicker questions to be useful, you must
do the reading before coming to class.
• Note that before every class I will post a 20-
minute YouTube video, going over the highlights
of the daily reading.
• If you really don’t want to read the book before
class, then please at least watch the pre-class
video on Youtube.
• Remember, all materials are posted on
https://portal.utoronto.ca . Please check it
often.
Problem Sets
• Problem Sets will be assigned weekly throughout the
semester on MasteringPhysics, starting with the first
problem set which is due Friday Sep.25 by 11:59pm.
• Students are encouraged to use all resources when thinking
about the problems and formulating answers.
• Final answers to problem sets should be prepared and
submitted by students individually.
• The late penalty for problem sets is 10% per day of lateness
reduction in mark.
• Check MasteringPhysics often: new assignments are posted
Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00am.
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Tests and Exam
• On Tuesday October 6 and Tuesday November 17, Midterm
Tests (each 80 minutes long) will be held in the evening,
from 6:10-7:30pm in rooms TBA.
• If you have a course-conflict you will be permitted to register
to write the alternate sitting, which is the same day from 4:40-
6:00pm.
• There is no third sitting, and no make-up test.
Tests and Exam
• A 2-hour final examination, administered by the Faculty of
Arts & Science, will be held during the December
examination period: Dec.11-22, at a time announced by the
Faculty and announced by late October.
• During the term tests and final exam, you may bring one
handwritten (not typed), original (not photocopied) 8½ × 11
sheet, on both sides of which you can write anything you
wish.
• Only non-communicating calculators, with no infrared or
wireless communication capability, can be used at midterm
tests and at the final exam.
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Bonus Point for Over 65% Course
Evaluation Response Rate
• An essential component of our commitment to teaching
excellence is the regular evaluation of courses by students.
• For a two week period at the end of the semester you will be
allowed to follow a link that is sent to you by U of T and
evaluate PHY131H1F.
• It will only take 10 or 15 minutes to answer the questions and
enter your typed thoughts about the course.
• Your answers and thoughts are anonymous, but are very
important to me.
• I promise you that when the results become available to me
in January, I will read every comment and scrutinize the
responses to see if it can help me improve the course or my
teaching in the future.
Bonus Point for Over 65% Course
Evaluation Response Rate
• During the evaluation period, I will monitor the response rate
and advertise it during lectures.
• If, by the end of the course evaluation period, at least 65.0%
of the students enrolled in this course complete the course
evaluations, then every student in the course will have 1%
added to their final course mark.
• If fewer than 65.0% of students complete the course
evaluations, then no bonus point will be added for any
student.
• Online evaluations began 3 years ago. So far, no PHY131
class has reached 65.0% participation rate. (but it’s close)
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Piazza Discussion Board
• This is a fast way to get answers to your
questions, sometimes from other students
• It is optional, and it is free
• http://piazza.com/utoronto.ca/fall2015/phy131
4. Advice for how to do well
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Advice for this class:
Don’t plan to cram
• Physics involves only a few powerful concepts.
• Once you fully understand those concepts,
applying them to answer questions about a
physical situation or solve a problem is easy.
• However, full understanding of those concepts
takes some time.
• The data show that in Physics a last-minute cram is
not nearly as effective as working at a steady pace
each and every week.
• Keep up with your studies
Advice for this class:
Don’t skip material and ‘save it for later’
• Physics is like building a house: we first build a
basement, and then build the ground floor on the
basement, and then a 2nd floor on top of the ground
floor, etc.
• If the basement is not strong, then the ground floor
may fall down.
• Similarly, if the ground floor is poor the 2nd floor will
be too.
• Be sure to understand the previous concepts
before trying to learn the new ones.
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Advice for this class:
Work with friends
• A few years ago Harvard identified a large number
of characteristics and behaviours of their 1st year
students, and looked for correlations with academic
success.
• The only thing that they found that was a good
predictor of success was whether or not the student
was a participant in a study group with his/her
classmates.
• There is a large body of data that show that this is a
general rule, not just for Harvard students.
• Join or form a study group.
Advice for this class:
Understanding is not the same as
remembering
• Some students learned a survival strategy in their
high school Physics class of memorizing all the
equations.
• Then on the tests just find the right equation and
“plug and chug” to the answer.
• This strategy will not work for University-level
Physics.
• Don’t try to memorize your way through the
course.
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Advice for this class:
This is not a repeat of high school.• There are many sub-topics within physics: one is Classical
Mechanics.
• I learned about Newton’s laws in high school.
• I studied Classical Mechanics again in 1st year university (this
course).
• In 3rd year, I had another course called “Classical Mechanics”.
• In my 1st year of graduate school, when I started my PhD, one
of my courses was called “Classical Dynamics of Particles
and Systems”.
• Each course covered the same basic ideas but in much
greater depth and with more mathematical sophistication than
the previous course.
• Don’t think that you already know the material of the
course at an appropriate level.
More assorted Advice for this class:
• Take notes as you read the textbook. Reading a textbook is
not like reading a novel. Wolfson in particular is very dense;
there is a huge amount to learn from each page.
• Take notes in class. Stay active somehow; don’t just sit back
and listen.
• As you work through lots of practice problems, you will
develop your own strategy that tends to work. This may
involve drawing a diagram, writing down knowns/unknowns,
writing down key equations, breaking the problem into
multiple smaller problems, etc.
• Try not to plug in numbers until the end. Keep your equations
in algebraic form as you solve for what you’re looking for.
• Studying smart is better than studying lots. Think hard about
the problems you are doing and understand each one well.
• Stay healthy; get enough sleep every night.
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How to get more information
• The main way of keeping up with what’s going on in the course is the web-site at:
https://portal.utoronto.ca
• The Syllabus on the portal page for this course has all the rules for the course – PLEASE READ IT!
• Also, we will email you from time to time at your utoronto.ca email address
• The above forms of electronic communication are mandatory – please use them!
• Wednesday’s reading assignment is Chapter 1 of Wolfson.
• Please go on MasteringPhysics today or tomorrow and
complete the Chapter 1 Preclass Quiz!
• This is for marks!
• Don’t forget your clicker on Wednesday!