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Advanced Introductory Physics I


Course Description

The first semester of introductory physics, presented at a rigorous level. This course is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for prospective majors in physics or physics and astronomy. Students should already have a firm grasp of differential and integral calculus. Topics include Newtonian mechanics, wave mechanics, and thermodynamics.


Athena Title

Adv Introductory Physics I


Prerequisite

MATH 2250 or MATH 2250E or MATH 2300H or MATH 2400 or MATH 2400H


Pre or Corequisite

MATH 2260 or MATH 2310H or MATH 2410 or MATH 2410H


Semester Course Offered

Offered fall and spring


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students should be able to analyze text, diagrams, and graphs representing basic problems in classical mechanics to identify the physics principles and concepts needed to solve the problem.
  • Students should be able to derive relevant mathematical relationships from the physical principles and concepts.
  • Students should be able to apply those mathematical relationships to solve quantitative problems and reason abstractly with regard to dimensional and scaling arguments.
  • Students should be able to explain their reasoning and describe their problem-solving process when approaching classical mechanics problems.
  • Students should be able to evaluate the reasonableness of any solution through such methods as dimensional analysis, limiting/special cases, and order of magnitude estimates.
  • Students should be able to generate diagrams, graphs, and other visual representations of classical mechanics data and measurements.

Topical Outline

  • Vectors and coordinate systems
  • Kinematics: describing motion
  • Dynamics: interactions of objects and Newton’s Laws
  • Force and momentum
  • Energy and work
  • Torque and angular momentum
  • Oscillations and waves

General Education Core

CORE II: Physical Sciences
CORE III: Quantitative Reasoning

Syllabus