PHYS-P 201

General Physics 1
Justin Williams
Fall 2016

NASA JPL

Course Description
The first semester of a two semester sequence of algebra-based introductory physics, intended for
students preparing for careers in the life sciences and health professions.
Course Topics
Kinematics, force, energy, collisions, rotational and oscillatory motions, fluids, heat, and sound.
Prerequisites
MATH 15400, MATH 15900, or equivalent.
Algebra, geometry, and trigonometry skills will be relied upon heavily in this course.
Class Website
Recitation
Class materials, messages, and grades will be posted on Canvas.
Section
21179, 21182

21185
Class Schedule
Lecture meets Monday and Wednesday, 1:30 - 2:45PM in HR101.23096
35611
Recitation meets Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30 - 2:20PM.
Lab meets 3:00 - 4:50PM in LD 011.

Lecturer
Justin Williams
Contact: [email protected]
Recitation Instructors
Ruihua Cheng
Contact: [email protected]
Zhe-Yu Jeff Ou
Contact: [email protected]

Office Hours: 12:00 -

Lab Section
21180
21183
21186
1:00PM 23097
TR, HR117
35612

Location

Instructors

HR 101
LD 014
LD 004
ES 2106

Cheng, Ou
Williams
Zhu
Petrache

Weekday
Monday
Tuesday
Friday
Wednesday
Thursday

Instructors

Office Hours: 11:00AM - 12:00PM TR, LD156B

Office Hours: 12:30 - 1:30PM TR, LD156K

Horia Petrache
Contact: [email protected]

Office Hours: Walk in or send email for appointment, LD156R

Fangqiang Zhu
Contact: [email protected]

Office Hours: 2:30 - 3:30PM TR, LD156A

Andrew Wilkey
Kaustubh Agarwal
Ryan Lybarger
Ryan Lybarger

Kaustubh
Agarwal

Recitation
The more active you are in recitation, the more you will get out of it. Mastery in physics
comes through practiced application of concepts. In recitation you will work through
problems with your peers under the guidance of mentors. These mentors will work to
address specific misconceptions individual students may have. Points will be earned in
recitation through occasional quizzes.
Homework
Homework will be accessed and submitted through WebAssign. The class key is iupui
2349 3103.
Check WebAssign for assignment due dates; extensions will not be given. When working
an assignment your goal should be to understand the problem solving process, not to
merely find a correct answer.
Lab
This is the hands-on section of the course where you will perform experiments meant to
illuminate concepts presented in lecture. To be successful you will need to critically
analyze experimental set-ups, sources of error, and the limits of a theorys application.
PDFs of the lab procedures and worksheets will be available on Canvas.
Textbook
Physics - Vol. 1, 10th ed. by Cutnell & Johnson (recent editions are acceptable, physical
text not required).
Additional Resources
Free Tutoring is available through the Physics Learning Space (LD 021).
Tests
There will be three one-hour closed-book exams. Formula sheets will be provided for
reference. No electronics may be out during the exam other than a basic scientific

Lab/Homework
Lab 1: Measurement

Lab 2: Motion I

Homework 1

Monday
Math Review

Newtons 2nd Law

Lab 04:

Homework 4

Centripetal Force

10/24

Lab 10: Buoyancy

Homework 12
No Lab

Homework 13

10/26

11/1

11/3
Rec 18

11/9
Fluids in Motion

11/15

11/21
Transfer of Heat

11/2

11/8

Temperature
HR 101

10/27
Rec 16

Elastic Deformations

Rec 19
11/14

10/20
Rec 15

Simple Harmonic Motion

Rec 17

Exam 3

10/19

10/25

11/7

10/13
Rec 14

Angular Momentum

Springs
HR 101
10/31

Lab 9: Simple Harmonic Motion

Homework 11
Static Fluids

10/12

10/18
Fall Break

10/6
Rec 12

Rotational Energy

10/17

Pendulums

10/5

10/11

Fall Break

9/29
Rec 10

Rotational Kinematics

Rec 13

Exam 2

9/28

10/4

10/10

9/22
Rec 9

Conservation of Energy

Rec 11

Torque

9/21

9/27

10/3

9/15
Rec 7

Gravitational Force

Work, Energy
HR 101

Momentum

9/14

9/20
Rec 8

9/8
Rec 5

Uniform Circular Motion

9/26

No Lab

Homework 8
Lab 8: Collisions

Homework 9
No Lab

Homework 10

9/13

9/19

Exam 1

9/7
Friction, Tension

Rec 6

9/1
Rec 3

9/6
Rec 4

9/12

Lab 5: Friction

Homework 5

8/31
Force

9/5

8/25
Rec 1

8/30
Rec 2

Labor Day

Thursday
8/24

2-D Kinematics

8/29

Lab 3: Motion II

Homework 3

Lab 7: Work, Energy

Homework 7

Wednesday
8/23

1-D Kinematics
HR 101

Projectile Motion

No Lab

Homework 2

Lab 6: Centripetal Force

Homework 6

Tuesday
8/22

11/10
Rec 20

11/16
Heat

11/17
Rec 21

11/22

11/23

Rec 22

11/24

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving Break

Lab 11: Specific Heat

Homework 14

11/28
Ideal Gas Law

Lab 12: Sound Waves

Homework 15

Heat Engines

No Lab

Homework 16

Interference

11/29
Rec 23

12/5

11/30
Thermodynamics

12/6
Rec 25

12/12

12/7
Sound

12/8
Rec 26

12/13

12/1
Rec 24

12/14
Final

12/15

Grading
A single grade will be determined for the three sections of this course based on
exam, homework, recitation, and lab scores. There are 800 possible points which
are assigned as follows:
Three Exams
Final
Homework
Lab
100
Recitation

300
200
150
50

Homework and lab scores will be scaled at the end of the semester to the
values stated here.
*It is departmental policy that you must score, at minimum, an average of
50% on your exams to pass.
The following grade cutoffs are guaranteed:
720/800
640/800
560/800
480/400

ABCD-

At the end of the semester actual point breaks may be lower.

Withdrawal Deadlines
See the IUPUI Fall 2016 Academic Calendar for official withdraw deadline dates

Cutnell & Johnson Physics

Exam 1 (9/26)
Chapters 1-5
Exam 2 (10/24)
Chapters 6-9

WebAssign
5 submissions per question
Practice versions available
before submission
3% tolerance on answers

Exam 3 (11/14)
Chapters 10-11
Final (12/14 tenative)
Cumulative
Includes Chapters 12-17

PowerPoints will be
posted on Canvas
before lecture
Ask Questions

Physics

Physics

Most
fundamental science, foundation of engineering and
technology.
Find patterns and relations between phenomena observed in nature.
Create simplified models as a representation of physical systems,
simplified without losing essential features.
Physics is an experimental science: use observation, reason, and
experiment.
Models get refined and passed along, sometimes they are thrown out
entirely when new ideas or data appear. Physical laws and principles
are more established theories.
Progression of Understanding: Ignorance Uncertainty Doubt
We must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt. No
theory is regarded as absolute truth.
Theories are tested by experiment. Observations can inspire the

Units
SI units (Systme international d'unites)
Mass: kilogram (kg)
Length: meter (m)
Time: second (s)
Current: ampere (A)
Temperature: kelvin (K)
Amount of Substance: mole (mol)

SI unit system not officially

adopted in USA, Myanmar, and
Liberia

The units for length, mass, time are base SI

units as they are used along with others laws
to define additional units called derived SI
units as they are a combination of base units
(ex. Force and energy).
Units describing other physical quantities can
be derived from a combination of SI base units

Units
Standards Used to define units
Goal is to base standards on quantities that are
invariant in nature, historically artifacts were used to
define standards.
Distance
Mass

RS Puppis Earth rotates about axis

once per day ~ 24 hours

International prototype kilogram

This kilogram has a weight-loss problem

Time

Platinum-iridium

600 million years ago

day was ~ 21 hrs
Light
travels at a finite speed

1 meter is defined as
distance light travels in

Cesium atomic
clocks accurate to
1 second in 300
million years.

Units
Physics describes phenomena
ranging from the inconceivably small
to the unimaginably large.
Scientific notation or unit prefixes can
be used to express quantities that are
either very large or very small in
fundamental SI units.

Prefixes
T

tera

giga

meg
a

kilo

centi

milli

micr
o

nano

pico

femt
o
Scale of Universe
Powers of Ten

Unit Conversions
If you multiply a quantity by 1, the value doesnt change.
Never add or subtract quantities with different units.
Bicyclists in the Tour de France reach speeds of 32.5 miles per
hour (mi/h) on flat sections of the road.
(a) What is this speed in kilometers per hour (km/h)?

(b) What is this speed in meters per second (m/s)?

Unit Conversions
milliliter (mL) is a unit of volume equal to a cubic centimeter
A
().
Convert to .

How many liters are in a .

Dimensional Analysis
Try to avoid plugging in numbers until you have solved for the
variable of interest.
Dimension- physical nature of a quantity and the type of unit
used to specify it
Get
a better sense
ofdimension
physical relations
when numbers arent
Ex. Distance
has the
of length
obscuring calculation.
Can check units of final answer to see if they match variables,
i.e. if you are solving for speed units should be not .
Clean work, that can be followed, can earn partial credit when
answers are incorrect, and potentially full credit if there is an easily
identified calculator error.
When working with sig figs, numbers that are by definition of the
conversion factor do not impact or limit the total number of sig figs
in the answer

Given the quantities a = 9.1 m, b = 4.9 s, c = 51 m/s, what is the

value of the quantity

d = a3/(cb2)?

Unit of d?

Is it possible for two quantities to have the same dimensions but

different units? Yes
Is it possible for two quantities to have the same units but different
dimensions? No
Can you add two numbers that have the same dimensions always? No

Uncertainty (Measurement Error)

When
determining whether a conclusion drawn from
observation is valid, uncertainty of a measurement must be
considered
Uncertainty can be quantified by either the limit of a tools
precision, or, when multiple measurements of the same
quantity are taken, the deviation in measurements is a
reflection of measurement error.
Error or uncertainty is the likely difference between the actual
value and measured value.
Can be reported as a measure of uncertainty, or implicit in sig
figs given; the last digit is uncertain.
Significant Figure Rules
For addition/subtraction keep fewest decimal places.
For multiplication/division keep fewest number of digits.
On exams and in lab, dont write down every digit your

Significant Figures
Pi is the ratio between the circumference of a circle and
its diameter.

For division or multiplication keep fewest

sig figs

Agrees
with accepted value
of within uncertainty of
measurement.

When reporting measurements using sig figs last digit is

uncertain.

Math Review

alpha

Greek
Symbols

Algebra

beta
gamm
a
delta

theta

kappa

epsilo
n
eta

If

then

lambd
a
mu
pi

Quadratic Equation

rho
sigma
tau

Geometry

Daniel Phillips

Trigonometry

Trig Functions

SOH CAH TOA

Pythagorean Theorem

Interior angles of
triangle always add
to .


The
drawing shows sodium and chloride ions positioned at the corners of
a cube that is part of the crystal structure of sodium chloride (common
table salt). The edges of the cube are each 0.281 nm (1 nm = 1
nanometer = m) in length. What is the value of the angle the in the
drawing?

0.281 nm

Looking down on
bottom face of
cube

0.281 nm

0.397 nm

0.281 nm

Looking at
diagonal face
from side

Scalars
Quantity without direction
Can be positive or negative
Examples: Mass, Time, Temperature, Volume, Charge,
Distance, Energy

Vectors

Have magnitude and direction

Components can be negative
Magnitude always positive length of
vector

Examples: Force, Velocity, Momentum,

Displacement

A highway is to be built between two towns, one of which lies 22.0 km

south and 83.0 km west of the other. What is the shortest length of
highway that can be built between the two towns, and at what angle
would this highway be directed?
Length

22.0 km
83.0 km
Angle (South of West)

A force vector has a magnitude of 595 newtons and points at an angle

37.0 of below the positive x axis.

(a) What is the the x scalar component of the vector?

(b)What is the y scalar component of the

vector?

37.0

Vector
Addition

Add vectors by placing tip to tail.

Add vectors by parallelogram method.

Addition by Components

The three displacement vectors in the drawing have magnitudes of A

= 4.75 m, B = 4.75 m, and C = 3.95 m. Find the resultant
(magnitude and directional angle) of the three vectors by means of
the component method. Express the directional angle as an angle
above or below the positive or negative x axis. (Assume = 18 and
= 53. Give an answer between
0 and 90.)

Magnitude

Direction

Result
above negative
-axis

1.31
1.66

Vector
Vector
Subtraction
Addition
Add vectors by placing tip to tail. Subtract vectors by adding negative vect

Prefixes and scientific

notation used to write
quantities more
compactly

Summary

SI Units

Geometry

Scalars

Save plugging in
variables for the last
step in calculations

Quantity without direction

Vectors
Have magnitude and
direction, can be broken
up by components

Add by components, then

recombine with Pythagorean
theorem

Sum of angles
inside triangle

Trigonometry

You are driving into St. Louis, Missouri, and in the distance you see the
famous Gateway-to-the-West arch. This monument rises to a height of
192 m. You estimate your line of sight with the top of the arch to be
4.6 above the horizontal. Approximately how far (in kilometers) are
you from the base of the arch?

 person standing at the edge of the water and looking out at the
A
ocean (see the drawing). The height of the person's eyes above the
water is m, and the radius of the earth is m.
(a) How far is it to the horizon? In other
words, what is the distance d from the
person's eyes to the horizon? (Note: At the
horizon the angle between the line of sight
and the radius of the earth is 90.)
(b) Express this distance in miles.

Two bicyclists, starting at the same place, are riding toward the same
campground by two different routes. One cyclist rides 1060 m due
east and then turns due north and travels another 1430 m before
reaching the campground. The second cyclist starts out by heading
due north for 1850 m and then turns and heads directly toward the
campground.
(a) At the turning point, how far is the second cyclist from the
campground?
(b) In what direction (measured relative to due east) must the second
cyclist head during the last part of the trip?

A car is being pulled out of the mud by two forces that are applied by
the two ropes shown in the drawing. The dashed line in the drawing
bisects the 25.0 angle. The magnitude of the force applied by each
rope is 3100 newtons. Arrange the force vectors tail to head and use
the graphical technique to answer the following questions.
(a) How much force would a single rope need to apply to accomplish
the same effect as the two forces added together?

(b) How would the single rope be

directed relative to the dashed line?