Course Syllabus

Summer 2024 | PHY-1041-VO03 - Physics I

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Bree Mathon
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Danielle Lafleur Brooks

General Education Requirements

VSCS Natural Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course provides insight into how basic physics principles are used and applied. Students develop practical problem-solving and analytical thinking skills as applied to Newtonian mechanics, energy, fluids, and the mechanical properties of matter. Includes a laboratory. College level Pre-Calculus is strongly recommended. Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra or above.

Essential Objectives

1. Define and apply basic problem-solving techniques.
2. Describe scalar and vector quantities, the components of a vector, and employ vector addition both graphically and analytically.
3. Explain kinematics in one and two dimensions (velocity, acceleration, and displacement) and apply to problem-solving.
4. Identify the relationship between force and motion as defined by Newton's first, second, and third laws, and apply these laws to the analysis and solution of physical problems.
5. Explain the concepts of equilibrium, circular motion, rotation, work, power, energy, momentum, and conservation of momentum, and apply these concepts to the solution of physical problems.
6. Describe the mechanical properties of matter such as density and elasticity.
7. Explain such concepts of fluid mechanics as pressure, Archimedes' Principle and fluid flow, and apply these to the solution of physical problems.
8. Explain simple harmonic motion, energy in the simple harmonic oscillator, period and sinusoidal nature of SHM, the simple pendulum, damped harmonic motion, resonance in forced vibration, wave motion and its characteristics.
9. Explain the characteristics of sound, intensity, response to sound, sources of sound, interference of sound, and the Doppler Effect.
10. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, evaluating, and applying quantitative data and information.
11. Explain how knowledge created in the natural sciences has contributed to the creation, maintenance and dismantling of social inequalities and discuss the impacts of diversity and inclusion on scientific research and practice.
Laboratory Objectives:
1. Apply knowledge of the scientific method to:
a. formulate and evaluate real-world scientific questions;
b. ethically plan and implement accurate data collection;
c. analyze and evaluate data;
d. generate conclusions based on analysis and justify claims with evidence;
e. integrate the related work of other scientists; and
f. propose ideas for further inquiry.
2. Communicate findings in a format appropriate to the discipline and type of investigation, such as a laboratory notebook, laboratory report, observational study, field investigation report, poster, or presentation using appropriate evidence to support these findings.
3. Understand the structure and purpose of peer-reviewed publications.
4. Evaluate scientific information for validity, accuracy, reliability, and methodology.
5. Identify and follow lab safety techniques that are aligned with CCV’s Chemical Hygiene Plan, Lab Safety Agreements and chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Summer 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

PHY-1041-VO03 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

1. Lecture notes will be available to present concepts and short videos will present problem solving techniques.

2. There will be 2 Activities to be completed each week with your course "Partner" in addition to a weekly homework assignment to be completed on the MasteringPhysics website.

3. There will be weekly quizzes on previously covered material to assess conceptual understanding.

4. There will be two exams and final project.

5. Labs will be assigned weekly to further the understanding of concepts explored in class. At least six of these will involve “experiments” you will conduct at home with the lab kit and the remaining labs will use online simulations. You will also practice formal lab writing for a select few of the labs.

Evaluation Criteria

25% Laboratory

15% Homework

10% Quizzes

15% Class Participation

20% Exams

15% Final Project

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation makes up 15% of your total grade. This grade will consist of the work you submit for weekly “Activity Worksheets.” Typically, there will be two (2) activities per week that you are expected to work on with your fellow “classmate partner” who will be assigned the first week of classes. You should meet and work on these problem sets using Zoom (or some other platform where you can discuss solutions) and then submit the assignment through Canvas by 11:59 pm on the day they are due (Thursday and Monday). No late work will be accepted, unless you have discussed your situation with me (brp09090@vsc.edu) before the due date. This policy is in place since the class concepts build on one another as we move through the chapters.Keeping up with the material will allow you to have the best opportunity to do well on exams and quizzes.

Missing & Late Work Policy

• Late assignments can be submitted up to one week past the deadline. You will lose 10% each day that an assignment is late. After a week, it will no longer be accepted for credit.
• Extensions will be granted only in extenuating circumstances. If a lengthy medical problem or other emergent personal issue will result in missing weekly discussions and/or assignments, please contact your instructor as soon as possible.
• Students who know that they will not have course access for any given week should make arrangements with their instructor to complete assignments and participation requirements prior to the absence.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity