Physics 141 Course Information


General Physics: Mechanics (Honors)

Instructor:  Ed Blucher
                  HEP 316
                  702-7486
                  blucher@hep.uchicago.edu

Office hours: to be announced. In addition to scheduled office hours, you are welcome to stop by at other times during the week -- please phone first to be sure that I am in the office.

Secretary: Kathy Visak, HEP 304, 702-7480

Course Coordinator: Stuart Gazes, KPTC 205, 702-7760

Lab Instructor: Roland Winston, 702-7756

Textbook: Introduction to Mechanics, Kleppner and Kolenkow

Course Web Page: http://hep.uchicago.edu/~blucher/p141 


The course will consist of lectures, discussion sessions, and laboratories. The lectures will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30-10:20 in KPTC 120. Discussion sessions will be held every Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:20 beginning on October 3.

Six laboratory exercises are required for this course. The schedule will be posted on the Physics 141 bulletin board in KPTC 101. You will need a copy of the laboratory manual for Physics 141, which is available at the bookstore, as well as a bound notebook (with duplicate sheets) for recording your work in the lab.

Please check the course bulletin board starting Monday morning of week 2 to confirm your lab section assignment. If your name is missing or highlighted, you should go to Instructional Services (KPTC 205) as soon as possible to check your lab assignment. All changes in either course registration or lab section must be made through the instructional services office. If you anticipate missing a lab at any time during the quarter, contact Charlotte Coles (2-7019) ASAP to see if other arrangements can be made.

Homework problems will be assigned each Wednesday and are due at the beginning of class on the following Wednesday. Homework solutions will be posted after class on Wednesdays, so late homework cannot be accepted.

The course grade will be based on your performance on exams, homework, and labs. The relative weights of these items will be approximately:

Final Exam (2 hours)                30%           
midterm (1 hour)                      20%            in class, Nov 1 (tentatively)
quizzes (2)                               10%            in discussion session     
Homework                              20%
Labs                                        20%
 
 
 

Schedule

 

 

Week

Topic

Chapters

Lab

1

Kinematics, Vectors

1

 

2

Dynamics (Newton's Laws)

2

 

3

Work and Energy

4

II. Measurements of g

4

Momentum

3

IV. Testing Newton

5

Momentum and Collisions

3, 4

V. Circular Motion

6

Rotational Motion

6

VI. Conservation Laws

7

Rotational Motion

VI. Rotational Dynamics

8

Oscillations

10

VIII. Harmonic Motion

9

Special Relativity (no class on Friday)

11,12

 

10

Special Relativity, review

12,13

 

 

E. Blucher (blucher@hep.uchicago.edu)