The goal of this course is to make you familiar, at the conceptual and basic problem-solving level, with the physics of macroscopic objects at rest and in motion.

Physics is a subject in which assimilation of a large number of facts is irrelevant. Instead, the goal is to use a small number of facts and principles to understand our world and our universe. From this reductionist approach it follows that rote "learning" will be deemphasized in favor of problem solving and critical thinking.

The student must learn the subject. The Instructors can advise, guide, assist and otherwise make the learning more efficient, but the student must be proactive in assimilating the information into his/her world view. This is a qualitatively different process than the more frequently encountered authority figure declaiming "truth" and requiring the student only to memorize the information. Critical thinking, creative doubt and logical argument are the tools of the scientist. Moreover, the final arbiter is nature itself - that is, the test by experiment.

The basic principles of classical physics will be discussed in the textbook and the lectures. Your understanding will be deepened by applying the principles to solving problems in the lectures, the discussions, and, most importantly, your own private study time (aka homework). The ideas will be tested by experiment in lecture demonstrations and laboratories.

The basic procedure used in Physics 201 is as follows:

1. Read about the topic ( textbook) Do not neglect this--the textbook author has thought very carefully about the best ways to explain the ideas we expect you to learn.
2. Untangle it ( lectures, discussion, office hours, homework) Resolve questions & uncertainty
3. Experience it directly (demonstrations, labs) Validate your new knowledge base.
4. Challenge yourself (homework) Learn to quantitatively predict what will happen.
5. Close the loop (exams) Demonstrate your new ability.

Reading technical material for content and understanding is difficult. This first attempt at learning is to read the assigned chapter in the textbook -- on your own and prior to lecture. All of the following items are only helpful if this is done seriously.

The lecture will not simply reprise what you have read, rather it is intended to resolve the misconceptions and difficulties you have encountered in understanding. We will expand/explain them, often with the aid of demonstrations.

Do not expect to learn everything from the lecture. Your reading of the textbook before and after the lecture and the problem solving sessions (in discussions, office hours, with your friends, in your room) are where most of the learning is done.

The weekly lab cycle gives you the opportunity to validate your calculations and/or logically derived expectations against experimental observation. You are required to read the lab manual and come prepared. Sometimes the subject of the labs is somewhat disjoint with that covered in the lectures/discussion. However, this should not distract you from relating lab work to the rest of the learning experience.

The homework is where you get to test and refine your knowledge in advance of the exams. It is the most important part of the course. You will find the homework to be challenging. We have chosen to use a computerized homework system, Mastering Physics, to take care of the administration of homework. The benefits of this are that you will get instantaneous feedback on your work, and in many cases can even get hints to help you will difficulties. Most of the problems are taken from the end of chapter problems in the textbook, but a few others that are available only over the web will be assigned as well. You are encouraged to test yourself by working additional problems from Mastering Physics.

Physics 201 can be taken for honors credit.  See here for more information.

The only pre-requisite for this class is calculus. There is not a great deal of calculus required, but we are assuming a good grasp of the concepts of trigonometry and algebra and familiarity with calculus concepts. If you are not comfortable with these subjects, please review early. Get help in the office hours.

• Textbook: The course will be based on Physics for Scientists & Engineers, Fourth Edition, by Douglas Giancoli. If you wish to use an older edition of this book, or even a different introductory text (Serway; Halliday, Resnick, and Walker; Tipler; Knight are some good choices) that will be okay, though it may be awkward at some times.
• Mastering Physics: Our homework system for this course. A license for it is bundled with the textbook at the University Book Store. If you choose to use a different textbook, you can purchase online access using a credit card during the registration process.
• Laboratory: Physics 201 Laboratory Manual (Available at the University Book Store)
• Laboratory notebook: Spiral bound, preferably with 5 or 6 mm rulings. Bring to your first laboratory.
• Homework notebook: A bound notebook of some sort is highly recommended.
• Calculator: To help solve homework and exam problems you will need some kind of scientific calculator (i.e. one that can calculate sines, cosines, tangents, find square roots, etc., in addition to having the usual arithmetic functions).

  ---

  Course Components

Lectures:
Lectures are held in 2103 Chamberlin on Tuesday and Thursday at 1:20 pm. You are encouraged to read the textbook before the lecture. Lecture notes are available on the web for you to print out and bring to class if you wish. Note that changes will often be made shortly before the lecture, so there may be some differences from the web version and the actual lecture.

Discussion Sessions:
These are run by the TA's and are designed to reinforce topics which have already been covered in lecture.  At the beginning of each discussion there will be a timed one-problem quiz given that will be worked individually. The solution to the problem will then be presented by the TA and discussed. These problems, written by the instructor, are intended to be of the style and difficulty that will be on the exams. They will be graded by the TA and returned the next discussion period. The discussion session quizzes provide an opportunity for you to show us your reasoning and ability to set up problems as well as get the right final answer. Following the quiz, the TA will lead a group problem solving session.

Lab Session:
Lab sessions are held in 4314 Chamberlin and are run by the TA's.   The laboratory portion of Physics 201 will consist of ten 3-hour laboratories, each involving a series of activities, including (i) setting up simple experiments to investigate topics you've studied in class, (ii) making predictions about the outcome of your experiments, (iii) performing measurements of different phenomena, (iv) analyzing your experimental results, and (v) answering questions concerning your results and predictions.  

Homework (Web based):
You will be responsible for completing periodic  computer-based homework assignments . These assignments are an integral part of the course.

 For several reasons* the homework is a minor part of your grade. The homework is for your benefit. It is your chance to fail and then correct without substantial penalty. Done conscientiously, it will greatly enhance your understanding of physics (and your exam scores). Neglected, it will likely hurt your exam performance significantly. It is very rare for students who neglect their homework to do well on the exams.

The Fool says in his heart
`No homework for me'

Every student should have a notebook devoted to the homework. As you work a problem, web-based or not, you should write down all the solution steps carefully and neatly in your notebook, entering the final results as answers on the computer. As you find out your mistakes, correct your work in your notebook and make notes to yourself. If you do this carefully and consistently, you will find that you have an outstanding resource for studying for the exams. Do not be surprised if the instructor or TAs ask to see your homework notebook--it is the best way to see how you are working the problems and give suggestions for improvement.

Take full advantage of the large number of TA and faculty office hours for this course. There is nothing like personal interaction to enable learning.

You are strongly encouraged to form study groups and work on homework together. Working together will often enable you to get past stumbling blocks without unnecessary time wastage. When a whole group is stumped, sending a representative to see a TA or faculty during office hours is a very efficient means to get help. If you work with others, however, you should redo the homework by yourself when you enter the answers into MasteringPhysics.

Exams:
Three 1 hour exams will be given (See the Course Schedule).  The exams will consist of approximately 5 problems similar in style to the homework and quiz problems. Partial credit will be awarded for neat work.

The final exam, 12:25 P.M. WED. May 14, will be two hours and 8-10 problems in length, covering material from the whole semester. You will be told where to take your final exam as soon as that information becomes available.

Your final grade for Physics 201 will be based upon your total percentage score on all the components of the course. The breakdown is as follows:

For each exam, the faculty and the TAs will judge the exam difficulty and a curve will be applied to the raw exam scores to adjust the scores to the above table. The Exam Average will be computed as (Ex1+Ex2+Ex3-min(Ex1,Ex2,Ex3)/2)*2/5. In words, your lowest exam will be given half the weight of the other two. Students who miss an exam due to an excused absence will have their exam score determined from a simple average of the other two exams. Students who miss an exam for any other reason will receive a zero for that exam.

The homework scores will be determined from the raw Mastering Physics percentage (mp) by the following formula: HW=Min(mp(7/4-mp/160),100). Thus a 40% average on MasteringPhysics will give a 60% homework score, while an 80% or higher MasteringPhysics average will result in a homework score of 100%.

Thus the final score algorithm is: (Homework Score)X10%+(Exam Average) X 40%+(Final Exam)X25%+(Laboratory)X25%. Grades will be determined from the scores according to the above table.

Excused Absences from Exams:

Students who have an evening course that conflicts with the exam times should contact Prof. Walker well in advance so that proper accommodation can be made.

If you must miss an exam for a valid reason, (a) illness; (b) personal crisis (e.g. automobile accident, required court appearance, death of a close relative, weather conditions which make it impossible to get to the university); and (c) required attendance at an official UW activity (e.g. varsity athletics, band concert), email your excuse to Prof. Walker BEFORE the exam. In the case of a last-minute illness, a note from the UW Health Clinic will be required.  

In the case of laboratories, the TAs will determine absence and makeup policies. You must do at least 9 out of 10 labs to pass this course, irrespective of other grades you obtain.

Complaints and Concerns

Please contact your TA if you have any questions or concerns, or contact the professor if necessary. If you have a non-subject-matter question or concern that cannot be resolved by your TA or professor, please contact Mary Anne Clarke, Instructional Program Manager (2320C Chamberlin, 262-2629, maclarke@facstaff.wisc.edu ).

*1) "Learn from your mistakes" 2) Cheating 3) It's for YOUR benefit. 4) Frees you to work together without undue competition.

Back to main Physics 201 page