Physics 213 Fundamentals I

Physics 213 Fundamentals of Physics I Fall (12) 2007

Instructor: Mark Taylor Office: Gerstacker 118

Phone: 569-5241

email: taylormp

Office Hours: MW 4:15-6:00; Tues. 1:30-6:00; Thurs. 8:00-12:00; Sunday 2:00-6:00

Physics Study Session: Thurs. 6:00-9:00 in Gerstacker 123

Meeting Times: MWF 2:45-4:05; Colton 2

Textbook: Six Ideas That Shaped Physics, Units C, N, & T, by Thomas Moore

Course Overview: Physics is a quantitative study of the world around us. The science is based on experimental observation and measurement. However, the underlying goal of the subject is to summarize or explain the results of all such experiments with a small set of fundamental theoretical "laws". These "laws of physics" are thought to apply to all physical systems and all observable phenomena. Thus physics seeks to provide a simple and unified description of the world and this description serves as the foundation for the other sciences. This course is the first half of a two part sequence intended to provide an introduction to these fundamental laws of physics. An important goal will be to gain a conceptual understanding of how any physical situation can be analyzed using the laws of physics (that is we will learn to "think like a physicist"). Emphasis will also be placed on developing analytic skills and problem solving.