This course studies the concepts of physics, starting from the most basic and working up to an understanding of the everyday world around us. We find out how the magic of curved spacetime and snapping quarks explains waterfalls and sunshine.

Basic Information

Official description: “A non-laboratory course for the student whose interest or major calls for a course with a more conceptual and less mathematical approach to physics. It is a survey course introducing mechanics, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, light and modern physics. The emphasis is on understanding of concepts and applying physics to life around us.”
Divergence: The above is used as a guideline for what is covered in the course, with one important difference. In the above list of topics, “modern physics” refers mainly to the two theories that revolutionized physics and all of science in the 20^th century: relativity and quantum mechanics. In the course description, they are listed last. Instead, I treat them right up front, and base most of what we cover in the course on them. In my opinion, this is how to get a good foundation for what physics is and what physicists know about how the world works.
     For a discussion of the pros and cons of taking this approach to studying elementary physics, take a look at Is This for You?.

Class number, name: Physics 12, Introductory Physics Non - Lab
Units: 3
Transfer credits: UC, CSU; IGETC AREA 5 (Physical Sciences, non-lab)
Prerequisite: None. High school math recommended. No credit for Physics 12 if taken after Physics 1 or 6.

Time and place:

     Current and upcoming sections of this version of the course include:

Instructor: Marshall Burns, Ph.D.
Contact:
Office hours: After class

Class Rules

     Classroom conduct.

• This is a challenging class that builds on basic concepts to develop more sophisticated ones. Be careful not to fall behind.
• Attendance is not mandatory, but missing class will likely mean missing important course content.
• No food, drinks, chewing gum, or smoking allowed in the classroom.
• Cell phones and pagers must be turned off or put on vibrate mode prior to the start of class. If you are expecting an emergency call, let me know before class starts. Otherwise, if your phone or pager rings or beeps during class, you will be asked to leave and not return that day.

     Buddy system. While attendance is not mandatory, you are responsible for knowing what goes on in class. E-mails to me of the form, “I was not able to attend class today because I was in the hospital and nearly died. What did I miss?” will not be answered. You are strongly encouraged to exchange phone numbers and e-addresses with at least two other students in the class. If you have to miss class, contact your buddies to check up on what you missed. It is also a good idea to know other people in the class so you can discuss the ideas you are learning and help each other think about the homework and reading assignments.

     Homework is assigned and completed online. The homework requires reading course material, understanding class lectures, and answering questions that demonstrate understanding.

     In the case of a computer problem preventing completion of the homework, please e-mail me immediately with a description of the problem, including a cut-and-paste copy of any error messages received from the computer.

     You are allowed, even encouraged, to collaborate with others in completing your homework. But if you simply copy another student’s answers you will be in trouble if you haven’t fully understood the homework by the time of the next test or exam.

     Tests and exams. There are no make-up tests. If you miss multiple tests or the final exam due to an emergency or personal hardship, you may be able to receive a grade of ‘I’ (incomplete) for the course upon petitioning the associate dean of admissions with appropriate documentation, as discussed further below. Please check in advance to make sure you do not have an exam conflict.

     All tests and exams are closed notes and closed book, calculator permitted. They test your knowledge and understanding of material in the lectures, text, and homework. They do not just check your memory of facts, but require you to think and put ideas together.

     You must manage your personal needs before a test. If you have to go to the bathroom, you must turn in your test or exam as complete before leaving the testing room. If you have a medical reason that you may need a bathroom break before completion of a test or exam, you should make proctoring arrangements in advance with the Disabled Students Office on campus.

     If religious observances will keep you from school on certain days, check the course schedule carefully and let me know immediately if any tests or the exam are scheduled on such days. If you do let me know immediately, I will see if test dates can be changed to accommodate you. I will not make such changes after the first few days of class, which would not be fair to other students who have made their own plans according to the schedule. If changes cannot be made to accommodate you, you might want to take a different class. As stated above, there are no make-up tests.

     Cheating will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating on a test or exam, you will get zero on it, and you may be subject to expulsion from the college. If two or more sections of this class are meeting during the same school term, you must not discuss a test or exam with members of another section of the class until it has been administered to all sections. Any attempted or actual discussion of a test or exam during an intervening time period would be a serious infraction of academic dishonesty for both the student seeking or receiving help and the student offering or providing it. This could be punishable by expulsion from school.

     Scantron forms. Tests and exams are multiple choice. Students provide their own Scantron grading forms (either 882-E, 882-ES, or 882-N-ES is acceptable), which are available at the campus bookstore at a small cost. Some tests and exams may require more than one Scantron form. For this reason and because Scantron forms can become damaged in use, students are encouraged to be prepared with at least five forms at every test or exam. Scantron forms must be clean and uncreased and must be marked clearly in order to be read properly. Students are responsible for having an adequate supply of Scantron forms, pencils, and erasors, and using them correctly. Running out of forms, using forms that are in poor condition, or marking forms improperly can lead to a student receiving no credit for the corresponding test or exam. On all tests and exams, mark all correct answers for each question unless the question says to give only one answer.

     Grades. The grading scheme for the course is as follows:

• Homework. The homework quizzes are intended mainly for practice. As an incentive to do them, the average of the percentage scores on all homework assignments will count for 10% of the grade.
• Tests. Of four tests during the term, the lowest two scores will be dropped, with the remaining two counting for 20% each. The tests are comprehensive, meaning that each one may contain questions relating to anything studied since the beginning of the course.
• Final exam. The final exam will count for 35%.
• Student’s report. The remaining 15% will be for a report that you research and write on a subject of your choosing related to physics. See further description below.
• Student’s participation and initiative. Bonus points are available, as also described below.

     Student’s report. You may research and write about any subject related to physics that interests you. Instead of turning in your report on paper, you will prepare your report as a Web site and submit the Web address (“URL”) to me for grading. Instructions will be provided later for how to submit this. As an alternative to a research report, you may keep a daily journal of this class, with your thoughts and comments on what you are learning.

     Writing a Web site is no harder than preparing a typed paper, and is in some ways much easier. If you do not have experience at writing Web sites, you can find easy-to-use publishing tools as well as free hosting for your site at commercial Web portals, such as GeoCities, Tripod, and AngelFire. The point of your Web site is not fancy graphics and sophisticated page design, but your expression of well-researched ideas and well-thought-out conclusions. There is no minimum length for your Web site. It may be that it will take the equivalent of several printed pages to cover the topic you have chosen in an interesting and meaningful way. But if you have arrived at an inspired insight about your topic, it is not inconceivable to present your information and conclusions in just a page or two.

     Be sure to provide appropriate credit to your sources of information using standard bibliographic citations, plus Web links where available. Plagiary, which is the use of other people’s work without acknoledgement, is academic dishonesty. Any plagiarizing reports submitted will not only get zero credit in this class, but will be referred to the college administration for disciplinary action.

     A participation bonus may be awarded to students on the basis of:

• Questions you ask in class that show you are following and thinking about the material.
• Your answers to questions that I ask you in class.
• Feedback you contribute (via the feedback page or via e-mail if the feedback page is not working) about problems you find on this course Web site, including:
  • Questions about things you don’t understand, where your questions show you’ve given the matters careful thought before sending the questions
  • Suggestions on how to explain aspects of the course more clearly
  • Corrections of spelling or grammatical errors found on the Web site
  • Corrections of incorrect information found on the Web site
  • Pointing out bad links (Web links in the site that don’t work) or bad graphics (pictures that don’t show properly)
  • Other constructive feedback on the course or on the Web site
• Other indications that you are paying attention and interested in the subject.

     A grade of ‘I’ (incomplete) is given only upon successful petitioning of the associate dean of admissions initiated by the student. This is granted in special circumstances beyond the student’s control which prevent the student from taking the final exam.

Schedule

     For the schedule of the course, including reading assignments and homework quizzes, see the Course Outline.

Online Services

     Since the homework and part of the text for this course are online, you must have Internet access regularly available to you in order to take the course. Also, important notices may be broadcast occasionally by e-mail, so you should have a reliable e-mail account that you check regularly.

     On this course Web site, some material is freely presented to any public visitor, but the detailed contents are only exhibited to site “members” (including you!) who have signed in. When you are signed in, you have access to all course materials, including homework assignments and your personal grade report. You can sign in by clicking on the link at the top of every page that says, “

     In order to sign in, you must first become a member by joining the site. This is free and easy, and requires that you answer a few simple questions about yourself and choose a login name and password. To join the site, click here. You must join the site in order to take the class and receive a grade.

     When you are signed in, there is a place at the top of every page that says, “

     An SMC network account is not needed to use the course Web site, but it is needed in order to use the computers on campus. Information about SMC’s computer and online services for students, including how to get an account, is available at http://www.academicsenate.com/Committees/Information/Student_Computer_Info.html. Students are encouraged to visit that page and make sure they are aware of the information there.

E-Mail Log

     If you think you might have missed a broadcast e-mail message, check this log.

Class Pictures

     Pictures of previous terms of this class are available by clicking here.