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What Do I Need for This Class?
What Do I Need for This Class?
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
We expect you to have successfully completed intro classes in bio, chem, and math.
- One year of college biology (BSCI105 and 106 or the equivalent)
- One semester of college chemistry (CHEM131 or the equivalent)
- One year of college math (MATH130 and 131 or the equivalent -- calculus and an introduction to probability)
- PHYS131. (There are very few other classes that are equivalent to our PHYS131. High School AP physics does not cover the necessary topics. If you are trying to take 132 after taking another intro physics I class, check our Catch-up Readings that show topics, terms, and methods you will be expected to know.)
We expect you to know the basics, not all the details -- what a cell is and its structure, how evolution works, what a chemical bond is, etc. You will be expected to bring your knowledge from these classes into our class and, on occasion, to share it.
What do I need to buy?
What do I need to buy?
All our materials are online on the open web. You will only need to buy an online access program that we will use for our in-class activities and a program where you will do your homework.
- TopHat -- This is the online app that will give you access to our in-class activities. Using this requires a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If you don't have any of those, see your instructor for an accommodation. TopHat will be contacting you with instructions through the email you used to register for classes. You can expect this to cost between $25-35 for each semester but there is a 7-day free starting period. The join code is 390333
- ExpertTA -- This is the online lap that you will use to do most of our homework problems. (There is one problem per week to be done on paper.) You can expect it to cost about $35 for each semester. You will begin the registration process for Expert TA when you access the first homework assignment, Intro to XTA.
- What about a text? -- We are trying to keep costs down for you by using free online materials.
- What about a lab manual? -- The recitation and lab worksheets are online at our lab page. You will need to print them out before coming to recitation and lab each week.
What else do I need?
What else do I need?
- A Spreadsheet -- Some of our homework and lab activities require a spreadsheet to do repetitive calculations. You can use Excel, OpenOffice, or the spreadsheet available at Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/). To use Google Docs, you need to have a free Google account (a free Gmail account will work.)
If you are unfamiliar with spreadsheets, there are good tutorials on the web. Here are some that look particularly appropriate. Many others are easily found by putting an "Excel tutorial" into your favorite search engine. We will do our own training on Excel in the first lab.
http://www.baycongroup.com/excel.htm
- A Video Analysis Program -- In the lab, you will learn how to use ImageJ to quantitatively analyze images and videos. We will help you install this in the laboratory period during the second week of the term.
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