General College Physics

Wisconsin Lutheran High School

Week 3 (Aug. 26 - 30)

Reading: PSE Chap 2, Motion in 1 dimension

Topics: This week, we begin our discussion of displacement, velocity, acceleration, free fall, and one- dimensional kinematics. We will start with the concepts of constant velocity, constant acceleration, and the mean speed theorem.

Homework Problems: Due Thursday of week 4 (two days after you get back from Labor day)

Ramp laboratory experiment (Ramp lab is due Monday of Week 5)

Set up a ramp. Measure the angle of the ramp with respect to the horizontal desktop.
Roll a small steel ball down the ramp. Record the time the ball takes to roll 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. cm down the ramp. Be sure to record experimental uncertainty.
Repeat this procedure for three different ramp angles.
Make a plot of the distance (ordinate) as a function of time (abscissa) using graphical analysis software. Label your plot appropriately.
Put the data from all three data sets on the same graph; for each data set perform a power-law fit to the data. Does your fit match your expectations?
Using the kinematic equations we've learned this week, determine the acceleration of the ball from your graphs.

An object is thrown straight up wards from the ground level with a speed of 50 m/s. What is its distance from the ground 6 seconds later? Solution.
A ball is dropped from a 100 meter cliff. Assume that the acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s^2. Solution.

What is the time it takes to strike the ground?
What is its speed when it strikes the ground?
Make a graph of the ball's (i) velocity versus time, (ii) acceleration versus time and (iii) height versus time.
If the ball is perfectly elastic, so that its motion is reversed when it hits the ground, then how long will it take to get back up to 100 meters? What will be its speed at the top of its flight? What will be its acceleration at the top of its flight?

Classroom problems: As a reminder, these are some of the problems we worked out in class…

Uniform motion: how far does a car moving at 30 mph travel in 1, 2, 3 hours?
Uniform acceleration: how far does a uniformly accelerating car travel if it speeds up from 0 to 30 mph in one hour?

General College Physics

Return to course website.

Course syllabus

The world around us is in a state of constant change: the sun and moon rise and set, waves crash, mists rise, rain falls, fires burn, rocks form, and mountains crumble. Amidst all of these changes, there are certain patterns; there is a discernible order. In other words: the stars, the seas, the clouds, the rocks, and the earth itself each seem to each have a particular nature. Physics is the careful study of the natures of things. In fact, the word physics literally means "natures" in the Greek language.

General College Physics is a year-long introductory college-level course for advanced (typically junior or senior level) students at Wisconsin Lutheran High School. It is a dual-credit course offered at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in collaboration with Wisconsin Lutheran College. This means that students enrolled in the course have the option of receiving credit for a four-credit algebra-based laboratory science course from the College.

During the first semester, we will primarily study the science of motion and its relationship to forces. Topics include: dimensional analysis, measurement, uncertainty, estimation, dimensional analysis, 2 dimensional kinematics, projectile motion, newton’s laws of motion, force diagrams, centripetal force, circular motion, conservation of energy and momentum, torque, angular momentum, oscillations, and gravity. During the second semester, we will explore a number of inter-related topics including: heat, thermometry, the laws of thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, electromagnetic induction, radiation, atomic theory, and nuclear physics.

Emphasis on theoretical topics, careful thinking, laboratory experiments, and problem solving makes this course challenging. My aim is to help you succeed in this course, and to have fun while learning physics. So please do not hesitate to contact me with any problems you may run into this semester!

Course textbook: The course will be organized around a book: the Pocket Guide to accompany Physics for Scientists and Engineers (4th edition) by Serway. (I’ll call this PSE for short.) I would highly recommend obtaining a copy of this book. It is inexpensive, compact, and well-written. It will make a very handy addition to your home science library. If you don't want to buy it, I will have copies to loan out for the semester.

Course time and location: The course meets on a rotating schedule in WLHS 223—the science wing on the first floor of WLHS.

Professor: Dr. Kuehn from Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) is the professor for this course. Contact info: kerry.kuehn[at]wlhs.org

Teaching Assistant contact info: The Wednesday course sections (beginning in September) will be overseen by a teaching assistants. Alyssa Ebeling is an upper-level physics major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Here is her contact info: alyssa.ebeling[at]wlc.edu

Course websites: In addition to the course information provided through WLHS’s OnCampus system, we will be also using a website I’ve designed for this course: www.greatphysics.com/WLHS/

Homework exercises: I will assign weekly homework problems. These are designed to deepen your understanding of lecture material and to prepare you for the quizzes and tests. I do not intend to grade your homework solutions; I will merely give you credit for handing in your best attempt by the due date.

Laboratory exercises: Some of our weekly assignments will include laboratory work. Labs will typically take up at least two class periods. Your laboratory notebook pages must be submitted by the assigned due date. More details about the required format and expectations will be discussed before the first laboratory period. You will need to order/purchase a dedicated laboratory notebook. Here are guildlines on what to include in your laboratory notebook.

Quizzes: We will have in-class quizzes almost every week on Monday. To prepare for quizzes, you should read the assigned book chapter (at least once), review the lecture material, complete all of the homework problems, and review the homework solutions.

Tests: We will have a midterm exam before the end of the first (and third) quarters and a comprehensive final examination before the end of the second (and fourth) quarters.

Software: Logger Pro 3.15 Is an excellent data analysis software package. Download for Wndows 10, 8.1, 7, and for macOS 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10. For more details on how to download and install Logger Pro click here.