FAQ

The lab meets down on the first floor in Rooms 109, 110, and 111 on different days. The drill meets across Dixon Street in the Physics Building in room PHYS0132.

What if I must miss the first class meeting?

Yes, I know the 4th of July is the day after the first class meeting, but we must hit the ground running if we are to finish the course and cover the material. I will cover Electric Charge, Chapter 18, on Monday.

As I recall from long ago, when I was a student, there were some courses in which little was done on the first day. They seldom turned out to be my favorite courses. Besides, there is not much time in summer. So we will hit the ground running. Please do not miss the first class if you can possibly avoid it, as you will miss important subject matter. At least it's stuff that I consider important, and it's not all covered in the first chapter of the text. But if miss it you must, please read the first chapter of Miller and do the first assignment.

Is this a hard course?

Albert Einstein once complained about modern education that it was too much like trying to drink from a fire hose. There could be no better description of trying to learn two semesters of General College Physics in 12 weeks of the summer.

Last summer, 30 students took the first exam and 16 failed. Another 7 made a D on the first exam. Nearly half the class made an excellent grade by the end of the course, due to their hard work and my lenient makeup policy, but most were surprised by the first exam. Here are the exact numbers:

*Grade*	*Course*	*First Exam*
A	14	2
B	6	1
C	3	4
D	3	7
F	4	16
Total	30	30

The level of the course, by the way, did not change. The exams are based on homework and the homework was selected before the course began. Same thing this summer, but let's try not to have the same surprise on the first exam.

Should I have had high school physics?

Absolutely! Some students in the class will have had a good senior level high school physics course. Others will have had at least a conceptual "physics first" course. But there will be others who will have had no physics at all. They will be at a disadvantage. For those who do not know the difference between mass and weight, between energy and momentum, or even between velocity and acceleration, I recommend that you stand ready to clear the decks and plan to study really hard this summer. Do not plan to have much of a social life. Even students with high school physics will find this a high level course.

What is kitchen physics?

Assuming you taking the lab that goes with this course, and even if you are not, I would like you to come away with an understanding that physics works outside the physics building. After doing a dozen or so physics experiments, you should know what a physics experiment looks like. I therefore would like you to do a simple experiment at home using your own resources, testing a physical theory that you find interesting. Although I call it "kitchen" physics, you might find your local playground to be a better laboratory. There are lots of suggestions I could make, but it would be better for you to first choose a topic. We will be covering mechanics, heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics this summer. Heat and sound, as it turns out, will not be covered in the laboratory and are a rich source of kitchen physics projects. Feel free to ask me, Steve Skinner, or any of the graduate students for suggestions after you have chosen a topic and thought about it yourself.

What is clearing the decks?

In the olden days of merchant sailing ships, some cargo was stored on the decks. Not too much, mind you, as it tended to make the ship top heavy and hard to handle in a storm. In an extreme emergency, such as being attacked by pirates or running into really heavy weather, the captain might need to order "Clear the decks!"

Everyone aboard the ship, both passengers and crew, had to know what that meant. The ship needs to be made sleeker and faster, and, as everyone should realize, it's hard enough to handle the deck guns without cargo in the way. All is as risk, and everything that won't help the survival of the ship needs to be pitched overboard.

We hope that, for most of you, extreme measures will not be necessary, but many of you have put off taking physics because you have heard that it is a difficult course. Well, your heard right. For many it can be a challenge, particularly if you have had no physics in high school. In any case, the standing order at the start of the course should be, "Stand ready to clear the decks." Let's hope you also have time for summer fun. Maybe I'm just trying to scare you. But that's the order.

What if I don't do well on an exam?

Take a makeup! If you don't do well on a makeup, take another makeup. The policy on makeups is that the best grade counts providing that (1) the grade on the makeup is more consistent with regular exams taken in class, where the exam is taken under more controlled conditions than on a makeup, and (2) the student has demonstrated due diligence with attendance, mastering the topic questions, and working the homework.

You may take as many makeup exams as you like provided you can show complete mastery of the exam you are making up, by working the problems correctly with the book open, and you can demonstrate that you are current with homework.

Who are the students in this class?

Most students in this class are upper division undergraduate Biology or Bio-related majors. The count of 25 students on my class roster at the start of Summer '06 are as follows:

Not quite half are Biology majors if you include Health Science as well as Environmental and Animal Science. This summer I am impressed with the academic diversity of the class.

Can I have the answers to even numbered problems?

Well, I asked a student assistant to work some of them. You can find them here, and I will add your answers if you email them to me. Please let me know if you disagree with any answers posted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do we meet?