This page summarizes the syllabus and schedule of the Engineering Physics I course (PHY 303K) as taught by Professor Vadim Kaplunovsky in the Spring semester of 2007.
The schedule is tentative and may be revised later.
The Engineering Physics I course is about Mechanics and Mechanical Waves. The material covered in the course is based on the first 18 chapters of the textbook, Physics for Engineers and Scientists by Ohanian and Markert (3rd edition).
I will skip chapter 9 (gravitation and orbits) and §17.4 (Doppler effect) because they are both hard and not relevant to most engineering students. I will also skip §14.4 (elasticity) because engineering classes cover this subject in great detail. The students will not be tested on these subjects.
Other optional sections — namely §2.7, §6.4, §8.4, §11.4, §15.5, and §17.5 — will be covered rather lightly. And if the course is behind the schedule, I might have to skip some of them altogether.
| Week | Lectures | Material | Practice Set Due | Homework Due | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Thursday | Monday noon | Tuesday late night | Wednesday early morning | ||
| 1 | canceled | January 18 | Intro | — | Thursday January 25 | Friday January 26 |
| 2 | January 23 | January 25 | Chapters 1 and 2 | January 29 | January 30 | January 31 |
| 3 | January 30 | February 1 | Chapters 2, 3, and 4 | February 5 | February 6 | February 7 |
| 4 | February 6 | February 8 | Chapters 4 and 5 | February 12 | February 13 | February 14 |
| 5 | February 13 | February 15 | Chapter 5 and §6.1 | Tuesday February 20 | Wednesday February 21 | Thursday February 22 |
| 6 | February 20 | February 22 | §4.5 and chapter 6 | February 26 | Wednesday February 28 | Thursday March 1 |
| 7 | February 27 | March 1 | Chapter 7 and §8.5 | March 5 | March 6 | March 7 |
| 8 | March 6 | March 8 | Chapters 8 and 10 | Tuesday March 20 | Wednesday March 21 | Thursday March 22 |
| H | Spring Break | — | — | — | ||
| 9 | March 20 | March 22 | Chapters 10, 11, and 12 | Tuesday March 27 | Wednesday March 28 | Thursday March 29 |
| 10 | March 27 | March 29 | Chapters 12 and 13 | April 2 | April 3 | April 4 |
| 11 | April 3 | April 5 | Chapters 13 and 14 | Tuesday April 10 | Wednesday April 11 | Thursday April 12 |
| 12 | April 10 | April 12 | §13.4 and chapter 15 | Tuesday April 17 | Wednesday April 18 | Thursday April 19 |
| 13 | April 17 | April 19 | Chapters 15 and 16 | April 23 | April 24 | April 25 |
| 14 | April 24 | April 26 | Chapters 16 and 17 | April 30 | May 1 | May 2 |
| 15 | May 1 | May 3 | Chapter 18 | Tuesday May 8 | — | — |
On the first class day register with Teaching Tools computer system. Use the my access code — jqp120. Then download and read the Instructions how to use the system, logon, and download homework set #1.
The homework deadlines are at 4 AM between Tuesday and Wednesday. Depending on your sleeping habits, it may be Monday night (very late) or Tuesday morning (very early), see the above schedule. But you are strongly advised to do most of your homework during the previous week.
Submit each answer as soon as practical, do not wait until the whole set is ready. If your answer is wrong, the TT computer will tell you right away and you will have time to do it right and re-submit.
When you log in to the TT system, check for homework-related messages and read them ASAP, they may clarify questions or alert you to en error.
The solutions will be available on the web after the due time.
There are four evening midterm exams. Each exam begins at 7 PM sharp and lasts for 90 minutes. You should come to the exam site at least 15 minutes earlier, i.e., by 6:45 PM.
Each midterm exam covers 3 to 5 chapters of the textbook:
| Exam | Date | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 14 | 1 through beginning of 5 |
| 2 | March 7 | 5 through 7 and §8.5 |
| 3 | April 4 | 8, 10, 11, 12, and §13.1–2 |
| 4 | May 2 | §13.3–4 and 14 through 17 |
Exam questions may involve lecture material not covered by the homework sets. They may also involve material studied earlier in class.
Take a look at the Exam Advisory for exam procedure and exam-related hints and advises.
The final exam is mandatory and comprehensive, i.e., it covers everything taught in the course. This includes chapter 18, even though it isn't covered by the mid-term exams. (But chapter 9 and other skipped sections will not be included.)
The final exam works similarly to the midterms, excepts it's twice as long. It is scheduled for May 10 (Thursday) from 7 to 10 PM, in rooms GSB 2.124 and 2.126.