Monday, August 20, 2007

It's That Time of Year

Time for physics, that is! Tonight was the first meeting of the fall 2007 edition of PHYS 218 at IPFW. A new bunch of students ... I'll see some good work and some bad, I'm sure. But right now, I have no idea who's going to be doing what sort.

I'm psyched! I'm ready! Ye-e-e-esssss!!! And it's good to be doing it all again.

4 comments:

Jeff Pruitt said...

As a fellow physics geek myself I would like to know, in general, what topics Phys218 covers...

Jim Wetzel said...

From the syllabus:

Course Description: This course is the first half of a general physics sequence (PHYS 218 and 219), not requiring calculus, intended primarily to fulfill Area II requirements for engineering technology students and others who require a general physics course with a laboratory component. The general topics addressed by PHYS 218 are mechanics and heat.

"Mechanics" in this case is kinematics and dynamics, both rectilinear and rotational, along with some fluid mechanics, elasticity/strength-of-materials, simple harmonic motion, etc. Under "heat" is definitely included heat transfer, but, unless things go quicker than they usually do, won't include thermodynamics -- almost always deferred into the second semester. (Which is that plus waves, electricity & magnetism, optics, and -- again, very occasionally -- a little bit of some modern-physics topic like special relativity or particles-and-waves).

Jeff Pruitt said...

Ok, so this would be what was called General Physics I where I come from. I taught a lab course for GPI and GPII. It was quite a lot of fun...

itsmecissy said...

Fall semester began here at SJSU (on the left coast) yesterday. It's nice to see the hordes again!
Cathy