Physics I | Fall 2021 | College of the Atlantic

a few facts

Basic Info

Instructor: Dave Feldman
Pronouns: he/him/his
Help Sessions: TBA
Individual Meetings: By appointment
Tutors: Aniruddha "AJ" Jaydeokar, Annika Ross, Alsu Shagieva
Textbook: Thomas A. Moore. Six Ideas that Shaped Physics: Unit C: Conservation Laws Constrain Interactions, second edition. McGraw Hill. 2003. ISBN: 0-07-229152-4. [abe.com] [amazon.com]

here's what i hope you learn in this course

Course Goals

I want to help you improve your quantitative analytical skills, problem solving skills, and mathematical confidence.
I want you to learn several big physics ideas: conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum, and Newton's laws, and be able apply these ideas in quantitative and qualitative settings.

Basically the idea is to learn some physics and also to learn some of the analytical and quantitative skills that physicists use. These include:

Developing a systematic, organized, and effective approach to problem solving
Becoming comfortable and confident making approximations and estimations
Mastering unit conversions and gaining familiarity with dimensional analysis

what your evaluation will be based on

Evaluation

Your evaluation will be based on the items listed below. I think there is much to be said against grades; I believe they often interfere with genuine, reflective learning. But I am happy to assign grades if you wish. I do not have any quota of A's, B's, etc.

Weekly Homework	70%
Class and lab participation	10%
Midterm	10%
Final	10%

what's the deal with this course?

Structure and Pacing

This is my eleventh time teaching this class, so I have a pretty good sense of how it will go. But this is my first time teaching it in the new building and in the midst/aftermath of a global pandemic.

If you are required to quarantine or isolate as a result of possible exposure to COVID-19 you will not be penalized (in your final grade or narrative evaluation) for missing class or lab sessions. If in doubt, please do not come to class. Let me know if you have to miss class and we'll figure something out. I expect that most classes will be recorded and posted online.

Falling behind in this course is not a good idea. If you're confused about something, it's very important that you seek help sooner rather than later. This course builds on itself—what we do in week three will depend on what we did in week two, what we do in week four depends on week three, etc. There are many people around who can offer help. However, we can't offer assistance if we don't know who needs it when. You need to take responsibility to seek help if you need it. On a related note ...

I do not expect all of the homework assignments to be easy; I don't expect you to be able to sit down and do them easily the first time. Don't let yourself get frustrated—I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it. I also strongly suggest that you start the homework well before it's due.

In many math and physics classes the textbook has a ton of examples in them. The book we'll be using doesn't. The result is that students sometimes find the homework to be challenging, frustrating, and occasionally even annoying. However, I'm convinced that this style of homework—where there's not an example just like the problem you're trying to do—is much better pedagogically. You'll learn a lot more this way.

This course covers fairly standard Physics I material. The only exception to this is that our book begins with conservation laws, and leaves Newton's laws for later. There are a few other texts that do this, but most do it the other way around. The text book we're using is used at many other colleges and universities in the U.S. If you've had Physics before, in high school or at another college, you'll probably find most of the material familiar. You should talk with me to make sure that this course won't be too much review for you.

This class is listed as an introductory course. I do not assume that you've had physics before. Although our textbooks occasionally use calculus, calculus is most definitely not a prerequisite for this class. This class makes extensive use of algebra and trigonometry. If you've never had trig before, you can still take this class, but you might have some extra work you'll need to do the first few weeks. In the past, students without a trig background have taken this class and done fine.

This class is a lot of work. However, the workload is fairly steady; you'll be doing approximately the same amount of work each week. We'll hit the ground running and try to get lots of stuff done the next few weeks. The workload will taper off some toward the end of the term.

The workload in this class starts off heavier and increases in difficulty and amount the first several weeks. After around week three and chapter C5 things will level off and perhaps even get easier.

Labs in this class may be different than those you've encountered in other science classes. There will not be a formal write-up, aka a "lab report", due at the end of the lab. Instead, the emphasis is on playing/experimenting with some equipment, trying some stuff out, and learning some skills we won't get a chance to go over in class. The exercises are, at times, open ended and deliberately vague. They're not busy work. I think it's important to approach labs with this in mind. Don't try to rush through; if you put a little extra time and thought into the labs you'll get much more out of them. Also, sometimes labs may be puzzles or exploratory word problems.

You learn math and physics (or anything, really) by practicing

Stuff about Homework

There will be a homework assignment due almost every Friday. It is essential that you do these assignments, as this is how one learns math, and also this is most of what your evaluation will be based on.
As discussed in this video there will be two parts to almost every homework assignment:
- Problems to be submitted on Edfinity
- Problems to be submitted on "paper" (a scanned pdf) on google classroom
Edfinity is an online homework system. I use this system even when the world is not in a global pandemic. There are three reasons why I use Edfinity:
- You get instant feedback while doing the work, so you can learn right away from your mistakes. You can submit solutions many times until you get everything correct.
- Some problems are randomized so that you will all get slightly different versions of the questions. This means that collaborating with other students will be maximally effective, since you'll have to share solution methods and not just the final answer.
- Since the problems are automatically marked, I can spend more time helping you and won't have to spend as much time grading.
If you need extra time for one or two of the homework assignments, it's not a big deal. But be mindful to not fall farther behind every week.
I do not expect all of the homework assignments to be easy; I don't expect you to be able to sit down and do them easily the first time. Don't let yourself get frustrated. I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it.
You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, class tutors, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding.
As I plan on sending out homework assignments and other information via email/google classroom, it is important that you check your email/classroom regularly.
I anticipate that there will be two exams: one around week six and the other during the last week of the term. These exams will be open-notes and (essentially) untimed.
You will want to have at your disposal a scientific calculator or phone/tablet app. I strongly suggest an actual calculator. You do not need a graphing calculator for this course (or, in my opinion, ever).

you can get help, and a lot more, at help sessions

Help Sessions

The Teaching Assistants and I will have a handful of help sessions every week. I do not know yet where the help sessions will be. Probably in room 103 in the new building. I might also do one or two help sessions on zoom in the evening. You are warmly invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. Help sessions are relaxed, informal, and hopefully fun. Things that happen at help sessions:

The TAs and/or I am around to offer help on the homework.
Some students do most of the homework while at a help session. They work through problems alone or with others, and find it comforting to know that help is immediately at hand if needed.
Other students do the problems at home or in the library and come to the help session with specific questions.
Usually there are a group of students working together at one or two tables in the dining hall. You can join this group.
Some students prefer working in booths, which can be a bit quieter. I'll wander over to the booths and check in on students, or you can move over to the large table or summon me over.
Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also wander into other areas: politics, the state of the world, what's for dinner, what classes are offered next term, and so on.
Help sessions are a great way to meet other students in the class.

Everyone is welcome at help sessions! Attending these sessions will help you do well in the class and get as much out of it as possible.

there are lots of good reasons why you might want to meet with me one-on-one

Individual Meetings

I am happy to meet with students one-on-one, either via zoom or in person. The best way to set up an appointment is to send me an email. There are lots of reasons why you might want to meet with me:

You have some in-depth questions that there isn't time to explore in a help session.
You have a question that you think is too basic or you're uncomfortable asking in a help session. (You shouldn't be uncomfortable, since, as the saying goes, there are no dumb questions! But I understand that you might be uncomfortable nevertheless.)
You want to discuss some challenges you're facing in the class.
You want to talk about other classes in physics or math, or internships, senior projects, etc.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything you want to discuss.

Everyone is welcome

Diversity and Inclusion

It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, religion, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture.

Learning about diverse perspectives and identities is an ongoing process. I am always looking to learn more about power and privilege and the harmful effects of racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. If something was said or done in class (by anyone, including me) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it. You can also reach out to Provost Ken Hill, or Associate Deans Bonnie Tai or Jamie McKown, or Dean of Students Sarah Luke.

Some fine print

Statements about Academic Honesty and Hours of Academic Engagement

I am required to remind you that: "By enrolling in an academic institution, a student is subscribing to common standards of academic honesty. Any cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating of data is a breach of such standards. A student must make it his or her responsibility to not use words or works of others without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is unacceptable and evidence of such activity is reported to the academic dean or his/her designee. Two violations of academic integrity are grounds for dismissal from the college. Students should request in-class discussions of such questions when complex issues of ethical scholarship arise."

You should expect to spend 150 hours of academically engaged time on this course, or 15 hours per week. In addition to 5.5 hours per week in class or discussion section, in a typical week you'll spend 1.5 hours reading and preparing for class and 8 hours attending help sessions and completing assignments.