Lecture: 4 hours/week
Lab: 3 hours/week
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.
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
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.
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% |
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)
BC Foundations of Math 11 (C or higher) or BC Pre-calculus 11 (C or higher)
PHYS1107 and PHYS1108