Material

We will then move on to learn about a variety of different kinds of waves, like water waves, sound waves, and light waves.

Finally, we will venture into the Alice-in-Wonderland world of "quantum physics," which governs the motion of "small" objects like electrons and atoms.  In quantum theory, objects simultaneously behave like waves and particles.

Course components

1.  Reading.  Associated with each lecture is some reading material from the textbook by Hewitt, or, later from a book chapter which I will hand out.  You are expected to read this material BEFORE YOU COME TO LECTURE.  We will rely primarily on the reading for the exposition of ideas and concepts.

2.  Lectures.  We will all participate in learning during the lecture time.  I will perform lecture demonstrations to illustrate important concepts and phenomena directly--this is something that can't be gotten from a book.  I will work examples.  And you will work simple, ungraded "in-class exercises" whose purpose is to let both you and me know what you do and don't understand.  The lecture will NOT be primarily for exposition of ideas and concepts--that's what the reading is for.  Of course, questions about the reading are strongly encouraged.

3.  Discovery sessions.  (5 during quarter, attendance mandatory) We have developed for this course a series of "discovery sessions," in which you will get a "hands-on" experience with physics.  In groups of three, you will use varied apparatus and state-of-the-art computer and video equipment to explore various aspects of motion, waves, and sound.

4.  Discussion sections (On weeks with no discovery sessions, attendance mandatory).  In discussion sections, the Teaching Assistant Anshuman Maharana will help you with the homework, and with problem-solving.

5.  Homework.  Each week you will be assigned homework problems.  The purpose of the homework is to help you internalize the concepts we are covering, so that you will be able to apply them to understanding new situations and phenomena.

Quizzes and exams

Quizzes during discussion/discovery sessions:  Beginning the third week of classes, each week except for the week of the midterm, at the beginning of your discovery or discussion section, you will be asked to work a problem which has been randomly selected from the problems of the previous week's homework.

Exams:  There will be one midterm exam (Feb. 11) and a final exam (March 18)

This course is graded on an absolute scale (no curve). 

2 essay questions taken from assigned homework, 

1 question related to a discovery session

1 essay taken from Chapter by Rhodes.  This essay will be about one or more of the following topics: the discovery of the nucleus, the discovery of the electron, the discovery of radioactivity, the plum pudding model of the atom, Rutherford's model of the atom.