Original
plans for the course, as posted before the first lecture
I am teaching physics 10 for the first time. If you will bear with my inexperience,
I hope to make it into the most interesting course you have ever taken. That
is a goal -- not a promise. I intend to make this course one that your Physics
Major friends wish they took.
Physics 10 is sometimes called "Physics for Poets" but that is
very inaccurate. Very few of our graduates go on to become poets. I prefer
the term "Physics for future Senators", since I think it more likely
that you are aiming for a career in politics rather than poetry. Maybe it
should be "Physics for future business executives."
You will be taking this course because you are fascinated by physics, but
don't find advanced math among your list of loves. You read the papers and
hear about abstract and wonderful ideas -- about the expansion of the Universe,
and the uncertainty of quantum mechanics, about laser communication and black
holes -- and you would like to know more about them. As a citizen, you wonder,
how dangerous/safe is nuclear power? What is global warming, and what can
we do about it? Can a terrorist group really build a nuclear weapon and smuggle
it into the United States?
Since this may be your one and only Physics course at Cal, I feel that we
should everything a congressman should know. I intend to do so in depth, and
that means hard work on your part. Good news: we will keep the math simple.
You need a calculator that can calculate square roots -- but probably not
much more. I will use more advanced math when it is necessary, but I will
not require you to master it for tests. Bad news: ATTENDANCE AT LECTURES
IS REQUIRED. Much of the material will not be found in our textbook. If
you can't attend an average of 2.9 lectures per week, don't enroll. (Instead,
just audit -- if there is room.)
We will use a textbook for guidance and background, but it doesn't
go into the depth on many of these topics that we want. The book is:
In addition, you will be expected to read newspaper accounts of science discoveries,
and articles in magazines such as Scientific American, Science News, The Weekly
World News, etc.
The lectures are in 2 LeConte, 11 am on MWF.
OLD and OBSOLETE selections from this page are posted below:
The review session was scheduled
for Sunday, 2-3 pm in Room 3 LeConte. (This is
NOT our usual classroom, but is nearby.) Nathan requests that you bring questions
and topics you would like discussed. Even better is to send the questions
via email to Nathan prior
to Sunday. You can also write your questions on a piece of paper and hand
it to him before the review. Or -- you could just ask.
Important information about
the exam: You may (if you wish)
bring one page of notes! However,
if you do so, you will be asked to mark on your sheet "taken with notes."
Your exam will then be compared only to those of similar students. If you
take the exam without notes, your exam will be compared to those who likewise
did not use notes.
Question about the midterm: a
student asks, "will
there be questions about the reading material which you did not cover in class?"
My answer: "No -- unless it is listed as required
reading.Material that was
in the text book, but not covered in class, will not be on the exam.
The large amount of material on Project Mogul, for example, is not required
reading. But be cautious. There are things I said in class that you might
not have remembered or taken down in notes. (My judgement -- as to what I
said in class -- will be final.)
There will be a review session on Saturday from noon to 2
pm in 105 North Gate (not LeConte). That
is near (no surprise) the North Gate, near Euclid on the north side of campus.
Bring questions. Look over the quizzes. Would you get all those answers correct,
if I made the exam totally out of quiz questions? If not, come and ask about
the ones you are unsure of.
The
quiz page has
been
updated to include all quizzes to date. This should facilitate
study for the next midterm.
Note: the midterm on Monday November 6
will
cover only the new material that we covered since the last midterm.
NO NOTES allowed for this exam.
NEW: Email to Muller a suggested
midterm problem, earn a quiz point.
NEW HINT ON Challenge problem #3. Muller showed a plastic sheet in
class that glowed brightly along the edges. Why? There are two key principles
that have been discussed in class that lead to this behavior.
One is total internal reflection: the sheet acts like a light pipe, holding
the light until it reaches the end. What is the other principle?
NEW: How much does it cost in electricity
to use my washer and dryer? A new question from a student on the Q/A
page. The only person to give the correct answer to Challenge Problem
#4 was Robert Palmer, who earned a quiz oint and a small trophy. See the questions
and answers on the Q/A page.
TIME OUT! At the beginning of the semester, I warned the class that this
was the first time I was teaching it, and I hadn't quite figured out the organization.
Well, I am still organizing. And the schedule works out best if we
defer Special Relativity (space, time), and instead, this week, concentrate
on the design
of Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear "Atomic" Bombs. Learn what you
need to know if you have any aspirations of defeating (or becoming) a terrorist.
You can warm up by reading (or browsing) pages 650-663 in our textbook.
Learn your current grade! I am trying to learn more about the class,
and who is taking it. Send email
to me, and tell me (a) what year are you, (b) your major or probable major,
(c) any other activities (team, hobbies, ...) if any. In return, I'll reply
with your current grade, based on the quizzes, the homework, the midterms,
and the extra points. As of November 12, 40% of the class has already done
this. (Incidentally, did you know: By University policy, I am not supposed
to post grades, even by SID? That's because SIDs are not completely private.
Evaluate me (and the course). This Wednesday (Nov 29) you will
be asked to take 10 minutes to fill out a form giving your evaluation of Physics
10. The results of this evaluation will not be available to me until after
he assigns all grades. But they will then be posted on the second floor of
LeConte Hall (along with the evaluations of the other physics professors)
to help future students decide what to take. Please don't miss Wednesday,
and help make this survey as complete as possible.
Curious about what you missed (if you didn't come to the optional
lecture last Wednesday)? Most of the material is available in the first chapter
of my book, Ice Ages
and Astronomical Causes. (I have also posted the table
of contents of the book, available in pdf format only.)
Kyoko held a review session on Monday December 11 from 11 am until
2 pm. It will be in 385 Le Conte -- across from my office.
:
The quiz page has been updated to include
the recent quizzes. 