Course Information
Goals:
Physics 201 is the first semester of a 2-semester introduction to physics for students preparing for careers in engineering, science and medicine. The main topics are mechanics, including kinematics, dynamics, statics, fluids, and oscillations. There are two lectures, two discussions and one three-hour lab per week. Our goal is for you to develop an understanding and intuition for physics so that you can solve practical problems. We feel that the only way to accomplish this goal is by thinking about and solving lots of problems and experimenting in the lab. We hope that Physics 201 will develop the critical thinking and collaborative skills you will need in your future career.
Prerequisites: Calculus (Math 221 or equivalent)
Instructor:
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Professor Yibin Pan pan@hep.wisc.edu |
4283 Chamberlin Hall 262-9569 |
Office
Hours |
Teaching Assistants:
| TAs |
Sections |
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|
Todd Garon |
307 |
313 |
|
|
Karl Goebel |
312 |
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James Hanson |
303 |
304 |
|
|
Devin Taylor |
308 |
310 |
|
|
Aditya Singh |
306 |
311 |
|
| Guru Subramani | 302 | 305 | gsubramani@wisc.edu |
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Text:
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Lectures:
1:20pm Tuesday and Thursday in 2103 Chamberlin Hall.
The lecture topics and assigned reading are given in the syllabus.
You
may be
called upon to answer questions in lecture and/or to assist with
demonstrations.
Homework: Done online through the WebAssign site.
Exams: Three evening midterm exams and one final exam (location TBA). Follow link on the left panel for details. If you have a scheduling conflict with any of the exam times, please inform both the Professor in charge and your TA by email at least 2 weeks before the exam in question, so that we can consider accommodating you. All requests for alternative test time shall be backed by valid reasons such as academic conflicts or medical emergence. Attending somebody's wedding is not considered as valid excuse. |
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Discussion
Sections: Discussion sections are held two times per week. They are
most useful for help on HW, lecture topics, and exam preparation.
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| Laboratories:
Laboratories
are three hours long, once per week. Labs are mandatory; each
missed
lab will automatically lower your final grade by half a letter point.
Missed labs can only be made up with an approved excuse (it needs to be a good one!), and your TA's approval. Pending approval, makeup labs will be scheduled during the three midterm exam weeks (see the syllabus). Please see the laboratory link at left for further details. |
| Grading: | |
| Homework | 100 pts |
| Laboratory | 50 pts |
| Discussion (Quizzes and attendance) | 50 pts |
| Midterm Exam 1 | 100 pts |
| Midterm Exam 2 | 100 pts |
| Midterm Exam 3 | 100 pts |
| Final Exam | 200 pts |
| The course will be graded on students' ranking in class (ie. curved). Each exam will be curved (normalized) individually before weighted into final grading. |