Course Description
The first semester of a two-semester introductory course in physics for science majors. Students are assumed to have a basic grasp of differential calculus. Mechanics (forces, Newton's laws of motion), wave phenomena, and thermodynamics.
Athena Title
Prin of Physics for Scie Engr
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in PHYS 1211
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Pre or Corequisite
MATH 2250 or MATH 2250E or MATH 2400 or MATH 2400H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will 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 will be able to derive relevant mathematical relationships from the physical principles and concepts.
- Students will be able to apply those mathematical relationships to solve quantitative problems and reason abstractly with regard to dimensional and scaling arguments.
- Students will be able to explain their reasoning and describe their problem-solving process when approaching classical mechanics problems.
- Students will be able to evaluate the reasonableness of any solution through such methods as dimensional analysis, limiting/special cases, and order of magnitude estimates.
- Students will 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
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
