PHYS
110A, Winter '09
Liberal Arts Physics
Instructor: R. J.
Wilkes
Office: B303 PAB
Office Hours: (TBA)
e-mail: wilkes@u.washington.edu
Phone: 206.543.4232
Class Meeting Times and Rooms:
- PHYS 110 A (SLN 16824): MTWTh, 10:30-11:20, room A118 Physics-Astronomy Building (PAB)
- NOTE: This is a preliminary version of course information: subject to change. Check again in December!
Guide to PAB: A-wing (lecture halls) is the 2-story section of the building, with a glass dome.
Course Description
A brief tour of physical science, framed by exploring the Universe, starting from the familiar size scales and going out to cosmological structures and down to subatomic particles. Aimed at non-science majors, and emphasizing concepts and development of ideas. A "Science Appreciation" course, intended to help you understand the value of scientific research, and equip you, as citizens, to be more aware of the use and abuse of science in our society.
Course goals:
-
Take a 10-week guided tour of the Universe and its contents, from the smallest to the largest.
-
Discuss concepts you have heard about but never had explained, like "relativity" and "quantum weirdness".
-
Encourage the habits of rational thought, skepticism, and asking questions.
-
Show how we can move from the simple to the complex, to figure out (more or less) how the Universe works.
-
Study examples of how scientists use imperfect measurements and statistical estimation to draw conclusions, and learn how to interpret news items.
-
(Attempt to) do all of the above without using any math beyond what you learned in middle-school.
Class Format
Lectures with demonstrations (sparks, explosions, etc) 3 days per week (M-T-W). On Thursdays, we will have guest speakers, videos, discussions, mid-term exams and other activities.
Regular attendance is important! Of course we will not take names, but to encourage regular class attendance, and attention during lectures, we will have pop quizzes at random times during class.
Exams and pop quizzes
There will be at least one and probably 2 pop quizzes per week, at random times, consisting of one multiple choice question, to be answered using the wireless 'clickers' you were asked to buy. (Bring your clicker every day!) Questions will always be on a topic that has just been discussed in lecture, designed so anyone paying attention in class will be sure to get the right answer. Your top 15 quiz grades will be counted toward your course grade, so you may miss a few pop quizzes without loss.
There will be 2 midterm exams, one actually at the middle of the term, and the other near the end (see class calendar for dates). Exams will consist of multiple choice questions which are intended to be easy for students applying reasonable study effort. Your best grade (of 2) on these exams will be counted toward your course grade, so you may miss one exam without loss. Therefore, there will be no makeup exams or special arrangements: if you miss an exam for any reason, that is your dropped grade. You do not need to send an excuse if you miss an exam or quiz.
The purpose of pop quizzes and exams is to give you feedback on your comprehension, so you can adjust your study effort accordingly.
There will be NO FINAL EXAM during exam week. You are free to head for vacation after our last class day.
Grading Policy
Course grade will be determined as follows:
- Exams: 20%
- Only your best (of 2) exam score will be used
- Pop quiz
scores: 40%
- Only your best 7 (of 10) grades will be used.
- Term papers: Two independent study projects, each approximately a 5 page paper (no more than 10pp) or equivalent website content, total 40% of your grade (20% for each paper). Details TBA in class.
Remember: since we will drop your lowest exam score and lowest 3 quiz scores, missing one will not count against you, so there will be NO makeup exams or quizzes!
Textbooks and equipment required
- Each student
must have a wireless "clicker" to participate in pop quizzes and
other activities:
HITT Tx3100 Rf Transceiver, ISBN: 9788123231006. -
Required
books:
- Stephen
Hawking and Leonard Mlodinaw, "A Briefer
History Of Time", ISBN: 9780553385465, paperback, Bantam
Books, 2008
(NOTE: do not confuse with Hawking's earlier book, "A Brief History of Time") - Alan P. Lightman, "Great Ideas in
Physics"
ISBN: 9780071357388, paperback, McGraw-Hill, 2000. - Brian
Greene, "Fabric of the Cosmos"
ISBN: 9780375727207, paperback, Vintage, 2005 - Lawrence
M. Krauss, "Fear Of Physics", ISBN: 9780465002184, Paperback,
Basic Books, 2007
- Stephen
Hawking and Leonard Mlodinaw, "A Briefer
History Of Time", ISBN: 9780553385465, paperback, Bantam
Books, 2008
These are not physics textbooks, but mass-market paperback books. (Total cost for all the above is about the same as one typical physics textbook.)
Read the assigned text sections before the related lectures. Notice that some days only a few pages are assigned, while others have many more. Please look ahead and try not to fall behind in reading.
Other Items
...will appear
here from time to time.
Last Updated:
11/08/2008
Contact the instructor at: wilkes@u.washington.edu