Physics Through Measurements
Physics Through Measurements
Course Overview |
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This is a self-paced version of Physics 101 that covers a few key topics. The course is arranged as a series of modules. In each module, a JAVA applet interactive exercise is integrated into the learning environment.This is a somewhat difficult way to learn some basic physics principles and this class is about experimentation and inference and discovering the physics that way, not about memorizing a bunch of formula that ultimately are not understood. This class may then be ideal for high school teachers trying to further their understanding of physics and/or more advanced students. However, this class may not be of the right format for students that require more traditional learning techniques. For those students, Physics 162 is a better alternative or try Astronomy 121 , There will be a Midterm covering the first 1/2 of the material. This midterm should be taken in the period August 5--7 . The final for this class will be optional, and can be skipped with satisfactory completion of the virtual lab assignments. The lab activity writeups are due at specified times as shown in red in the modules below. Use regular email to answer to questions posed in the virtual lab exercises. In those cases where graphing is required, the lab will contain a link to a graphing applet that will let you turn your graph in as a gif image to the instructor. | It is thus essential that your Web browswer is able to run these JAVA applets. It is highly recommended that you use either Netscape 6.0 or IE 5.5 and higher. If you are using an older browser, these interactive exercises might not work and there would be not much value to you taking this course.Please note that the relevant browsers are available on the 2002 Duckware CD. If you need a copy of this, please contact sgladney@continue.uoregon.edu and she will mail you a copy |
The pedagogical goal of this course is to get the student to have to make some measurements and to deal with uncertainty and noisy data. This is why interactive applets are an essential portion of this course and why the student needs to do the work and assignments conscientiously |
Module #1: Measurement Errors, Units, Motion in One Dimension:
 Lecture A: Introduction
and Basics
Lecture B:
Measurement Errors
Lecture C:
Motion in One Dimension
Lab 2: The One D Cow These labs are due on July 3 |
Module #2: Kinetic and Potential Energy; Frictional Losses
Lecture A:
Energy Conservation
Lecture B: Kinetic and Potential Energy
Lecture C: Friction and
Frictional Energy Losses
Lab 4: Inclined Planes and Friction
These labs are due on July 18 |
Module #3:
Momentum and Newton's Laws:
Lecture A: Linear
Momentum Lecture B: Newton's
Laws
Lab 6: Conservation of Momentum: These labs are due on August 4 |
Module #4: Motion in
Two Dimensions:
Lecture A:
Kinematics in 2D Lecture B: Ballistic
Trajectories
(Try and do all the exercises, a succesful hit of the target moves you further along) Lab 7 alternative link if the above doesn't work. This should be more XP users.
This lab is due on August 18
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Module #5: Thermodynamics and Heat Flow:
Lecture A:
Thermodynamics and Heat Flow
Lecture B: Heat Transfer and Phase Change
Lecture C: Pressure,
Pressure, Pressure
Lecture D: Thermodynamics
at work: OTEC as the solution to the world's energy problem
Lab 9: Particle Speeds and Temperature These labs are due on September 4 |