Syllabus Troy Fall 2010

TROY UNIVERSITY

COURSE SYLLABUS

Oct 18nd, 2010 through Jan 30nd, 2011

CODE:                        SCI 2233

TERM:            Fall 2010

VENUE:          COLLEGE OF ECONOMICS

CLASS HOURS: Tuesday (13:00 – 16:50), Friday (13:00 – 16:50)

WORTH:        4 credits

PREREQUISITE: none

INSTRUCTOR:

                        Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai,

                        Faculty of Physics, Hanoi University of Science, VNU

                        Email: nguyenhoanghai@hus.edu.vn

COURSE DESCRIPTION

ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES:

The student must possess the knowledge and skills of a high school graduate and the capability to perform on a college level. Knowledge of basic mathematics, such as multiplying and dividing fractions and using percentages, simple algebra, and the ability read and construct graphs.

STUDENT EXPECTATION STATEMENT:

• The student is expected to participate in the course  with the instructor, by reading the assigned readings, submitting assignments, and completing exams in a timely fashion.

• Students are expected to study their assignments in a timely fashion.

• Alert any problems that might come up unexpectedly to the instructor as soon as possible.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

Physics and astronomy for non-science majors.

PURPOSE (COURSE OBJECTIVES):

The course will give a general introduction to basic concepts of physics and chemistry. At the end of the course, you will be familiar with the basic concepts in:

1)      Patterns of motion and equilibrium

2)      Newton’s laws of motion

3)      Momentum and energy

4)      Gravity, projectiles, and satellites

5)      Fluid mechanics

6)      Thermal energy and thermodynamics

7)      Heat transfer and change of phase

8)      Electricity and magnetism

9)      Waves and Sound

10)  Light

11)  Atoms

12)  Relativity

13)  Quantum mechanics 1

14)  Quantum mechanics 2

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The objective of this course is to introduce, you the student, to some fundamental concepts of physics and astronomy. You will be able to perform simple physical calculations relating to everyday situations. You will be able to analyze simple physical problems and predict their outcome.

TEXTBOOK(S) AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED:

P.G. Hewitt, J. Suchocki, and L.A. Hewitt, “Conceptual Physical Science”, 3rd edition (2004), Pearson-Addison Wesley.  ISBN: 0321264304.

(Textbook web page www.aw.com/physics )

Hand-outs of the course: http://user.hus.edu.vn/nguyenhoanghai

Students should have their text the first week of class.

ADDITIONAL READING:

• Required:  Assigned chapters in the text book.

• Recommended:  Read hand-outs before each session. Download hand-out from the website of instructor: http://user.hus.edu.vn/nguyenhoanghai

RESEARCH COMPONENT:

See project below.

METHOD OF EVALUATION:

Attendance & Participation:     30%

Project:                                                10%

Assignments:                           10%

Excercises                                10%

Mid-term Examination:                        10%

Final Examination:                   30%                            

Total:                                      100%

• Attendance & Participation: Students are required to attend all the course’s sessions. Any absence without prior notification and written evidence is subject to penalty. Grading of participation also takes into account students’ readiness before entering the class and their active involvement during class time.

• Project: students are divided into groups. There will be 2 or 3 students in each group to conduct small lab experiment at the beginning of each lecture. Time for each experiment is 10 minutes. Students propose and prepare their experiment by themselves.

• Assignments: Each student is required to submit his/her own assignment that demonstrates his/her independent works on analyzing and delivering justified arguments on relevant issues and problems. The problems are mostly derived from the text.

• Mid-term Examination: The purpose of the examination is to test the students’ knowledge and understanding gained in the previous sessions of the course. The exam might contain multiple-choice, true/false questions, and/or short-essay questions. Students who contribute well to the sessions do not have to take this exam.

• Final examination: at the final session of the course a final exam will be given to all the students at class. The exam’s content may consist of multiple-choice, true/false, and/or short essay questions.

ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:

All grades will be assigned according to the following or similar scale:

A         80 – 100%

B          70 – 79%

C          60 – 69%

D         50 – 59%

E          40 – 49%

F          39% and below

SCHEDULE: 

SCI 2233

Physical Science

THIS SYLLABUS IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  The instructor may make changes if deemed necessary.  Changes will be announced in class.