Course

Practical Physics

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Physics
Course code
PHYS 1104
Credits
5.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
36
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
Fall
Summer
Winter

Overview

Course description
This course is an introductory algebra-based physics course intended for students who have not taken high-school physics or want a review of physics. Topics covered in this course include kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, fluids, heat, electrostatics, and DC circuits with a focus on practical applications of these concepts. This course includes a weekly lab.
Course content

Math Tools

  • SI units
  • vectors and scalars
  • significant figures
  • vector addition and subtraction

Kinematics

  • position, displacement, velocity, and acceleration
  • motion plots
  • 1D motion under constant acceleration
  • free fall motion
  • projectile motion

Dynamics

  • Newton’s laws
  • Hooke’s law
  • friction
  • gravitation, weight, and apparent weight
  • centripetal force and uniform circular motion
  • torque
  • conditions for equilibrium

Energy

  • work, energy, and power
  • work-energy theorem
  • kinetic and potential energies
  • conservation of energy

Momentum

  • impulse and momentum
  • conservation of momentum
  • collisions in 1D

Fluids

  • pressure and density
  • buoyancy and Archimedes’ principle
  • Pascal’s principle

Heat

  • temperature, thermal energy, and thermal equilibrium
  • thermal expansion
  • specific heat, latent heat, phase changes
  • heat transfer mechanisms

Electrostatics

  • electric charge
  • Coulomb’s law
  • electric fields
  • electric potential and electric potential energy

DC Circuits

  • voltage and current
  • resistance and Ohm’s law
  • electric power
  • Kirchhoff’s laws
  • simple circuit analysis

Lab Experiments (may include)

  • measurement skills
  • graphing straight line motion
  • accelerated motion in 1D
  • projectile motion
  • first condition for static equilibrium (forces)
  • circular motion and the second condition for static equilibrium (torques)
  • conservation of energy
  • collisions and conservation of momentum
  • buoyancy
  • heat and thermal expansion
  • static electricity
  • DC circuits
Learning activities

Classroom time will be used for lectures, demonstrations, discussions, problem solving practice, and/or in-class assignments (which may include work in groups). The lab part of this course involves a weekly three-hour session during which students will perform experiments related to the course content to build practical experimental skills. Work outside of class time may include online homework assignments.

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Quizzes and Assignments    10-30%
Tests (minimum of two) 20-40%
Lab Reports and Quizzes 20%
Final Exam 25-40%
Total 100%
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to:

  • state the correct SI units for physical quantities.
  • express the result of a calculation to the correct number of significant figures.
  • distinguish between vectors and scalars.
  • apply vector addition and/or subtraction to determine the direction of vector quantities associated with motion (for example, displacement, velocity, and acceleration).
  • interpret graphs of position, velocity, and acceleration as functions of time.
  • solve 1D kinematics problems with a constant acceleration.
  • solve projectile motion problems by applying the principle of independence of motion along two perpendicular directions.
  • define normal force, static friction force, kinetic friction force, tension force, spring force, and gravitational force.
  • describe examples of motion which illustrate Newton’s three laws.
  • summarize the forces acting on an object by drawing a free body diagram.
  • apply Newton’s laws to solve problems that involve forces acting on objects.
  • define centripetal force and determine which forces acting on an object moving along a curved path contribute to the centripetal force on that object.
  • solve problems that involve objects undergoing uniform circular motion.
  • distinguish between work, energy, and power.
  • apply the law of conservation of energy and/or the work-energy theorem to solve problems that involve forces acting on objects.
  • apply the law of conservation of momentum to solve problems that involve inelastic collisions or explosions in 1D.
  • define and calculate the torque on an object due to a force.
  • solve problems that involve Archimedes’ principle, buoyancy, and apparent weight. 
  • distinguish between thermal energy, heat, and temperature.
  • calculate the linear thermal expansion of an object.
  • determine the final temperature of objects that are allowed to reach thermal equilibrium.
  • determine the magnitude and direction of the electric force between two charges.
  • solve problems that involve electric fields and forces.
  • define and distinguish between electric potential and electric potential energy.
  • analyze circuits that contain one voltage source and multiple resistors.
  • state and discuss the precision and accuracy of measurements.
  • present data using computer generated plots and determine physical quantities using a linear regression.
  • discuss and analyze the results of an experiment to provide appropriate context for the outcome.
  • communicate details of an experiment (for example, the objective, data, calculations, discussion, and conclusion) in a written report.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

Urone and Hinrichs, Open Stax, College Physics (custom edition)

Douglas College, PHYS 1104 Laboratory Experiments Manual (current edition)

Requisites

Prerequisites

BC Foundations of Math 11 (C or higher) or BC Pre-calculus 11 (C or higher) 

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for PHYS 1104
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO PHYS 101 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PHYS 1100 (4)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PHYS 1114 (4)
Okanagan College (OC) No credit
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PHYS 100 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Individual assessment
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PHYS 1XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) No credit
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) No credit
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) No credit
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PHYS 115 (4)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV PHYS 100 (4)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC PHYS 1XX (1.5)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PHYS 111 (4)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
18
Currently enrolled
9
Remaining seats:
9
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2100
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
11:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2050
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
14:20
Section notes

PHYS 1104 001 - This section includes a lab on Friday morning. This course uses a free open-source textbook.

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
18
Currently enrolled
17
Remaining seats:
1
On waitlist
0
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2050
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
14:20
Building
Coquitlam - Bldg. A
Room
A2100
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section notes

PHYS 1104 002 - This section includes a lab on Friday afternoon. This course uses a free open-source textbook.