Course Description
This course is a calculus-based physics course intended for students pursuing further studies in engineering, physics, or other physical sciences. Topics covered in this course include linear kinematics and dynamics, energy, momentum, rotational motion, angular momentum, simple harmonic motion, heat, thermodynamics, and heat engines. This course includes a weekly lab.
Course Content
Math Tools
- SI units
- dimensional analysis
- vectors and scalars
- vector components and unit vectors
- vector addition, subtraction, and multiplication
- cross product and dot product
- derivatives and antiderivatives
Kinematics
- position, displacement, velocity, and acceleration
- motion plots
- 1D, 2D, and 3D motion under constant and time-dependant accelerations
- relative motion in 1D and 2D
- free fall motion
- projectile motion
Dynamics
- Newton’s laws in 1D and 2D with constant and time-dependant forces
- Hooke’s law
- static and kinetic friction forces
- gravitational force
- tension force
- inertial and non-inertial reference frames
- centripetal force and circular motion
Energy
- work and power as dot products
- work done by constant and variable forces
- conservative and non-conservative forces
- work-energy theorem
- kinetic and potential energy
- conservation of energy
Momentum
- centre of mass and systems of particles
- impulse and momentum
- conservation of momentum
- elastic and inelastic collisions in 1D and 2D
Rotational Motion
- angular position, angular displacement, rotation angle
- angular velocity, angular acceleration
- rotational kinematics and dynamics
- torque as a cross-product
- moment of inertia
- parallel axis theorem
- rotational kinetic energy
- rotational work
- massive pulleys
- conditions for equilibrium
Angular Momentum
- angular momentum of a point particle and rigid body
- conservation of angular momentum and inelastic collisions
Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
- angular frequency, oscillation period, amplitude
- position, velocity, and acceleration equations
- mass-spring systems
- simple pendulums and physical pendulums
- energy in SHM
Heat and Thermodynamics
- heat and temperature
- zeroth law of thermodynamics
- specific heat and heat capacity
- first law of thermodynamics
- ideal gas law
- internal energy
- PV diagrams
- work done during a thermodynamic process
- heat engines
Lab Experiments (may include)
- measurement skills
- graphing straight line motion
- accelerated motion in 1D
- projectile motion
- friction
- static equilibrium
- orbital motion and centripetal force
- conservation of energy
- collisions and linear momentum
- moment of inertia
- Hooke’s Law and simple harmonic motion
- ideal gas law
- heat capacity
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 and data analysis skills. Some of these experiments may span more than one week. Work outside of class time may include online 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 the course, successful students will be able to:
- apply dimensional analysis to deduce the form of an equation and to check an equation for dimensional consistency;
- use vector components, unit vector notation, and vector algebra to solve problems that involve vector quantities related to forces and motion in 2D and 3D;
- use the dot product or cross product to calculate physical quantities such as: work, power, torque, and angular momentum;
- use derivatives and antiderivatives to solve problems involving topics and concepts such as: kinematics, work, power, force, potential energy, torque, impulse, and PV diagrams;
- interpret graphs of position, velocity, and acceleration as functions of time;
- solve 1D, 2D, and 3D kinematics problems with constant and time-dependant accelerations;
- analyze problems that involve relative motion in 1D and 2D;
- apply Newton’s laws to solve problems in 1D and 2D that involve constant and time-dependant forces acting on objects;
- distinguish between inertial and non-inertial reference frames;
- solve problems that involve objects undergoing circular motion;
- calculate the work done and power expended by a force acting on a moving body;
- 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 collisions or explosions in 1D and 2D;
- define and determine the center of mass for a system of particles and solve problems that involve forces acting on the system;
- use the parallel axis theorem to determine the moment of inertia of a rigid body about a specified axis;
- solve problems that involve forces and torques acting on objects that can translate and rotate (for example, rolling objects or massive pulleys) using the rotational analogue of Newton’s second law and/or conservation of energy;
- apply the law of conservation of angular momentum to solve problems that involve rotating bodies and inelastic collisions;
- solve problems that involve simple harmonic motion such as: mass-spring systems, simple pendulums, and physical pendulums;
- solve problems that involve heat transfer and thermal equilibrium;
- calculate the internal energy of a system given the state variables;
- apply the first law of thermodynamics to systems undergoing a change of state variables;
- distinguish between the following thermodynamic processes, and sketch them on a PV diagram: isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, and adiabatic;
- calculate the work done on or by a system during a single thermodynamic process and/or a cyclical process;
- explain how heat engines produce mechanical work, and calculate the work done by and the efficiency of a heat engine;
- state and discuss the precision and accuracy of measurements;
- determine the uncertainty on a quantity calculated from measured values by propagating uncertainty through a calculation;
- present data using computer generated plots and determine physical quantities using linear and non-linear regressions;
- discuss the outcome of an experiment in order to provide appropriate context for the results;
- 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:
Moebs, Ling, and Sanny, Open Stax, University Physics (current edition)
Douglas College, PHYS 1110 Laboratory Experiment Manual (current edition)