Midterm return and score change policy.

We will hand back midterms Monday. Midterm is out of 100 points.  Solutions are already posted in an earlier post.

What  to do if you have concerns about your midterm score:

 1) Consider how you could have done better. For example:  Did you have trouble understanding the problem? Was your preparation good? Did you present your results in a clear and organized manner?

 2)  After some introspection, if you wish to request a higher score, here is the procedure to follow: 

Midterm 1 Score Distribution

Hey all,

The results are in! Without further ado, the statistics:

Oscillations this week.

This week we can begin our study of oscillations. That is, using mathematical equations to model of things that go back-and-forth.  This is sort of like what we did with trajectory motion, where we might model a motion as \(y(t) = 20 t - 5 t^2\), for example, except that modeling of oscillatory motion is a bit more difficult because the math function we use is more difficult to calculate or visualize. For modeling oscillations we use \(x(t) = A cos(\omega t + \phi_o) \).  (Modeling oscillations is discussed in chapter 15.)

Notes, April27, energy

Notes from April 27.

HW 4 post. Energy. (solutions added)

Homework 4, which is due Sunday, is about energy. We divide energy into two classes:
1) kinetic energy, which is associated with motion and mass,
2) potential energy, which is associated with position!

Some of the language used in the homework problems is perplexing, (e.g., the work done on something, the work-energy theorem... ).  Don't worry to much about the words and superficial linguistic conventions.  Most of the problems can be solved using conservation of energy concepts, as we will discuss on Wednesday.

PS. let me know if the deduction for tries is still too high and we can try to change it.

Class Notes April16-20

Class notes follow: (notes added April 19)

Practice Midterms questions.

Enclosed are some practice midterm problems.  An actual midterm will be shorter than this, just 2 or 3 problems; an amount you can reasonably work in 65 minutes. The idea of this is to give you an idea of the equations you will tend to see in the midterm, and to give you some problems to practice on.  Please feel free to engage in discussion with your classmates either person or here in the comments section. You may ask and answer questions about the problem content, approach, how to start, if something you tried is correct, etc. (For really helpful comments, you may get special participation points.)

When you can do a couple of these problems, using just the equations given, in about an hour or less, that would suggest that you are ready for an in class midterm. (Also, please ignore the part d of problem 3 (and the equation for that). We have not covered that yet and it won't be on the midterm.)

On the other hand, please do not ask when I will post solutions.  When I see that, especially just after the problems have appeared, I tend to wonder if you may not actually plan on doing them yourself.

Homework 3. due Friday.

Homework 3 includes Newton's laws and the relationship between force, mass and acceleration. Some of the problems involve motion and acceleration, a = F/m, while some of the problems involve static situations where the sum of the forces is zero.  The video here will help with some issues and terminology (what is a 50 N box?) and with analyzing forces in static situations. Feel free to ask questions and engage in peer-to-peer discussion in the comment section of this post.

Class Notes-April9-13. 2D trajectory motion

Notes are here:

Homework 2, with solutions.

Solutions are added below.

This is a post for student-to-student discussion of homework 2. You can ask questions here, answer other students questions, comment on what is difficult or confusing about the homework, etc. Dana, Michael and I will also look at your comments and questions and from that we can get a better perspective on how to present and teach the material.

For homework 2 there are 4 trajectory equations for position and velocity as a function of time (twice as many trajectory equations as there were in homework 1).  This is because the motion is in 2 dimensions instead of 1 dimension.
\(y(t) = y_o + v_{oy} t - \frac{g}{2} t^2 \)
\(v_y(t) = v_{oy} - g t \)
\(x(t) = x_o + v_{ox} t \)
\(v_x(t) = v_{ox}\)

Office hours.

This week, and almost every week this quarter, I will have office hours on Friday from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. My office  is in ISB 243, down the hall from the physics department office.
      With regard to my office hours, I would like to ask a special consideration: because my health and immune system are somewhat compromised, please consider that, and we should avoid proximity and contact if you might be sick or feel like you may be coming down with something. Thanks very much. Your consideration with this is really appreciated!

Discussion section schedule.

• Michael's sections: 
• T 3:20-4:20 PM/ISB 235
• Th 3:20-4:20 PM, 4:20-5:20 PM/ISB 235
• EMAIL: msaccone@ucsc.edu
• OFFICE LOCATION: ISB 292

• Dana's  Sections:
• SECTION LOCATION: ISB 235 & Thimann 391
• SECTION TIMES: 
• Th 8:30-11:30 AM ISB 235, 
• F 10:40 AM-1:40 PM Thimann 391.
• EMAIL: dfaiez@ucsc.edu
• OFFICE LOCATION: ISB 292

(For more information, see also the posts below Introduction to Michael, and Introduction to Dana.

Homework 1 solutions, part 2.

Here is the 2nd post on solutions to problems from homework 1.

Homework 1 solutions. part 1.

The key to homework 1 was to figure out a way to solve every problem starting with just the two equations:
\(y(t) = y_o + v_o t - \frac{g}{2} t^2 \)
\(v(t) = v_o - g t \)
where \(g = 9.8 \: m/s^2 \) represents the acceleration associated with the earth's gravity,
and \(v_o\) and \(y_o\) are parameters that are given in the problem statement in the most straightforward problems.  In less straightforward problems, one of these may be unknown and you may be asked to figure it out.

Here is a particularly detailed solution to problem (2.27) that illustrates how to solve this problem using only the equation for y(t). (In this problem \(y_o\) is unknown.)  Please feel free to post comments or questions about the homework in the comments below.

Notes from 3rd class.

Here are some images related to problem 2.87, which we will discuss in today's class (Friday, April 6). Using Wolfram Alpha, especially the graphing aspects, can help you to visualize and understand the solutions to problems; these images and solutions are a good complement to solving using step-by-step algebra. (That is, they are good together.)  Notes from our 3rd class are also shown below. (click where it says "read more".)

Notes from 2nd class.

Notes from Wednesday, August 4 class.

Intro to Dana

Intro to Dana

Hello future physicists! 
My name is Dana (pronouncing it as Donna!) and I will be one of your TAs for this class. 
I will be running 6 one-hour discussion sessions: 

• Thursdays 8:30am-11:30am in ISB 235 
• Fridays 10:40am-1:40pm in Thimann 391

As Michael explained thoroughly in his introduction, we will be focusing on problem solving which is an essential part of learning physics during our discussion sessions. The format of my sessions will be the same as Michael's (i.e. it will include a "quiz" as well as a problem solving activity in groups).

I had a great time TAing this course last quarter and I am very excited to use that experience this time around with the help of all of you (:

ESSENTIAL INFO:

• SECTION LOCATION: ISB 235 & Thimann 391
• SECTION TIMES: Th 8:30-11:30 AM ISB 235, F 10:40 AM-1:40 PM Thimann 391.
• EMAIL: dfaiez@ucsc.edu
• OFFICE LOCATION: ISB 292

Notes from 1st class.

This is a video that describes what we covered in our first class (on Monday, April 2), as well as two still pictures. Feel free to post questions or thoughts as a comment below.

 The 3rd picture is of a wolfram alpha screen page. That is a free online tool that could be useful for this class.

Intro to Michael

Hello honorary physicists!
It is I, Michael, your half time discussion/lab TA. Welcome to 6A!

Similar to the sports or board games, we learn physics through practice, not memorization. Discussion sections will serve as some of your most engaging, confusion crushing practice sessions. Dana and I have carefully selected problem sets and teaching formats to maximize your access to assistance and holistic learning.

Sound abstract? Here's exactly what we'll be doing:

• First: show up!
• Tuesdays 3:20 - 4:20 PM in Thimann 391 (the lab building, not the lecture hall)
  
• Thursdays 3:20 - 4:20 PM, 4:20 - 5:20 PM in ISB 235
• Attendees get early access to a four problem worksheet.
  
• Next, we will spend half the section working in groups on one of the worksheet problems.
• The second half will consist of a practice quiz and grading session, in which you complete another problem, see the solution, then grade a neighbors'.

We believe that learning through teaching saves you time and deepens your understanding. In other sections you could spend an hour listening, then a few at home interpreting the concepts and applying them to new scenarios. Here, you will skip straight to application, getting help at your own pace and wasting as little time as possible staring at a page with no idea what to do (some of this is necessary, but not most of it).

Of course, everyone is an individual, so we can't tell you exactly how you learn best. If there's anything we can do to accommodate your learning, please let us know. In general, feel free to email me at msaccone@ucsc.edu with any questions about the wonders of physics. You can also find my carbon based consciousness vessel in ISB 292 during most business hours. I look forward to broadening our understanding of the universe together!

Happy learning,
Michael

ESSENTIAL INFO:

• SECTION TIMES/LOCATIONS: T 3:20-4:20 PM/THIMANN 391, Th 3:20-4:20 PM, 4:20-5:20 PM/ISB 235
• EMAIL: msaccone@ucsc.edu
• OFFICE LOCATION: ISB 292