Physics 121.6 General Physics
Lecture Schedule

Lecture

Date

Topics

1

W Sept. 5

Introduction to the course
1.      Physics and Measurement
1.1    Standards of length, mass and time

2

F Sept.  7

1.2    Matter and Model Building
1.3    Dimensional Analysis
1.4    Conversion of Units
1.5    Estimates and Order-of-Magnitude Calculations
1.6    Significant Figures

3

M Sept. 10

2.      Motion in One Dimension
2.1    Position, Velocity and Speed
2.2    Instantaneous Velocity and Speed

4

W Sept 12

2.3    Analysis Models: The Particle Under Constant Velocity
2.4    Acceleration - Derivatives
2.5    Motion Diagrams
2.6    The Particle Under Constant Acceleration

5

F Sept. 14

2.7    Freely Falling Objects

6

M Sept. 17

3.      Vectors
3.1    Coordinate Systems
3.2    Vector and Scalar Quantities
3.3    Some Properties of Vectors

7

W Sept. 19

3.4    Components of a Vector and Unit Vectors
4.      Motion in Two Dimensions
4.1    The Position, Velocity and Acceleration Vectors

8

F Sept. 21

4.2    Two Dimensional Motion with Constant Acceleration
4.3    Projectile Motion

9

M Sept. 24

4.4    The Particle in Uniform Circular Motion

10

W Sept. 26

4.5    Tangential and Radial Acceleration
4.6    Relative Velocity and Relative Acceleration

Lecture

Date

Topics

11

F Sept. 28

5.      The Laws of motion
5.1    The Concept of Force
5.2    Newton’s First Law and Inertial Frames

12

M Oct. 1

5.3    Mass
5.4    Newton’s Second Law
5.5    The Gravitational Force and Weight

13

W Oct. 3

5.6    Newton’s third Law
5.7    Some Applications of Newton’s Laws

14

F Oct. 5

5.8    Forces of Friction

M Oct. 8

Thanksgiving Day Holiday

15

W Oct. 10

6.      Circular Motion and Other Applications of Newton’s Laws
6.1    Newton’s Second Law for a Particle in Uniform Circular Motion
6.2    Nonuniform Circular Motion

16

F Oct. 12

6.3    Motion in Accelerated Frames
6.4    Motion in the Presence of Resistive Forces

17

M Oct. 15

7.      Energy of a System
7.1    Systems and Environments
7.2    Work Done by a Constant Force

18

W Oct. 17

7.3    The Scalar Product of Two Vectors
7.4    Work Done by a Varying Force - Integration

19

F Oct. 19

7.5    Kinetic Energy and the Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem
7.6    The Potential Energy of a System

20

M Oct. 22

7.7    Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
7.8    Relationship Between Conservative Forces and Potential Energy

21

W Oct. 24

8.      Conservation of Energy
8.1    The Nonisolated System: Conservation of Energy
8.2    The Isolated System

W Oct. 24

Mid-Term Test #1 7:00 p.m.

22

F Oct. 26

8.3    Situations Involving Kinetic Friction
8.4    Changes in Mechanical Energy for Nonconservative Forces
8.5    Power

23

M Oct. 29

9.      Linear Momentum and Collisions
9.1    Linear Momentum and Its Conservation
9.2    Impulse and Momentum
9.3    Collisions in One Dimension

24

W Oct. 31

9.3    Collisions in One Dimension (continued)
9.4    Two-Dimensional Collisions

Lecture

Date

Topics

25

F Nov. 2

9.5    Center of Mass (no integrations)
9.6    Motion of a System of Particles
9.7    Deformable Systems
9.8    Rocket Propulsion

26

M Nov. 5

10.    Rotation of a Rigid Object About a Fixed Axis
10.1  Angular Position, Velocity, and Acceleration
10.2  Rotational Kinematics: The Rigid Object Under Constant Angular Acceleration
10.3  Angular and Translational Quantities

27

W Nov. 7

10.4  Rotational Kinetic Energy
10.5  Calculation of Moments of Inertia (no integrations)
10.6  Torque

28

F Nov. 9

10.7 The Rigid Object Under a Net Torque
10.8 Energy Considerations in Rotational Motion
10.9 Rolling Motion of a Rigid Object

M Nov. 12

University Closed – for Remembrance Day (Nov. 11)

29

W Nov. 14

11.    Angular Momentum
11.1  The Vector Product and Torque
11.2  Angular Momentum: The Nonisolated System

30

F Nov. 16

11.3  Angular Momentum of a Rotating Rigid Object
11.4  The Isolated System: Conservation of Angular Momentum
11.5  The Motion of Gyroscopes and Tops

31

M Nov. 19

12.    Static Equilibrium and Elasticity
12.1  The Rigid Object in Equilibrium
12.2  More on the Center of Gravity

32

W Nov. 21

12.3  Examples of Rigid Objects in Static Equilibrium
13.    Universal Gravitation
13.1  Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

33

F Nov. 23

13.2  Free-Fall Acceleration and the Gravitational Force
13.3  Kepler’s Laws and the Motion of Planets

34

M Nov. 26

13.4  The Gravitational Field
13.5  Gravitational Potential Energy

Tu Nov. 27

Mid-Term Test #2 7:00 p.m.

35

W Nov. 28

13.6  Energy Considerations in Planetary and Satellite Motion
14.    Fluid Mechanics
14.1  Pressure

36

F Nov. 30

14.2  Variation of Pressure with Depth
14.3  Pressure Measurements

37

M Dec. 3

14.4  Buoyant Forces and Archimedes’s Principle
14.5  Fluid Dynamics

Year-End Break

Lecture

Date

Topics

38

F Jan. 4

14.6  Bernoulli’s Equation
14.7  Other Applications of Fluid Dynamics

39

M Jan. 7

14.7  Other Applications of Fluid Dynamics (Continued)
15.    Oscillatory Motion
15.1  The Motion of an Object Attached to a Spring

40

W Jan. 9

15.2  Mathematical Representation of Simple Harmonic Motion

41

F Jan. 11

15.3  Energy of the Simple Harmonic Oscillator
15.4  Comparing Simple Harmonic Motion with Uniform Circular Motion

42

M Jan. 14

15.5  The Pendulum
15.6  Damped Oscillations (descriptive only)
15.7  Forced Oscillations (descriptive only)

43

W Jan. 16

16.    Wave Motion
16.1  Propagation of a Disturbance
16.2  The Traveling Wave Model

44

F Jan. 18

16.3  The Speed of Waves on Strings
16.4  Reflection and Transmission
16.5  Rate of Energy Transfer by Sinusoidal Waves on Strings

45

M Jan. 21

16.6  The Linear Wave Equation
17.    Sound Waves
17.1  Speed of Sound Waves
17.2  Periodic Sound Waves

46

W Jan. 23

17.3  Intensity of Periodic Sound Waves

47

F Jan. 25

17.4  The Doppler Effect
17.5  Digital Sound Recording
17.6  Motion Picture Sound

48

M Jan. 28

18.    Superposition and Standing Waves
18.1  Superposition and Interference
18.2  Standing Waves

49

W Jan. 30

18.3  Standing Waves in a String Fixed at Both Ends
18.4  Resonance
18.5  Standing Waves in Air Columns

Th Jan. 31

Mid-Term Test #3 7:00 p.m.

50

F Feb. 1

18.6  Standing Waves in Rods and Membranes
18.7  Beats: Interference in Time
18.8  Nonsinusoidal Wave Patterns

51

M Feb. 4

35.    The Nature of Light and the Laws of Geometrical Optics
35.1  The Nature of Light
35.2  Measurements of the Speed of Light
35.3  The Ray Approximation in Geometrical Optics
35.4  The Wave Under Reflection

Lecture

Date

Topics

52

W Feb. 6

35.5  The Wave Under Refraction
35.6  Huygens’s Principle
35.7  Dispersion
35.8  Total Internal Reflection

53

F Feb. 8

36.    Image Formation
36.1  Images Formed by Flat Mirrors
36.2  Images Formed by Spherical Mirrors

54

M Feb. 11

36.3  Images Formed by Refraction
36.4  Thin Lenses
36.5  Lens Aberrations

55

W Feb. 13

36.6  The Camera (descriptive)
36.7  The Eye
36.8  The Simple Magnifier

56

F Feb. 15

36.9  The Compound Microscope
36.10 The Telescope
37.    Interference of Light Waves
37.1  Conditions for Interference

F Feb. 15

Last day for withdrawing without academic penalty

Feb. 18-23

Mid-Term Break

57

M Feb. 25

37.2  Young’s Double-Slit Experiment
37.3  Light Waves in Interference
37.4  Intensity Distribution of the Double Slit Interference Pattern (descriptive)

58

W Feb. 27

37.5  Change of Phase Due to Reflection
37.6  Interference of Thin Films
38.    Diffraction Patterns and Polarization
38.1  Introduction to Diffraction Patterns
38.2  Diffraction Patterns from Narrow Slits (descriptive)
38.4  The Diffraction Grating

59

F Feb. 29

23.    Electric Fields
23.1  Properties of Electric Charges
23.2  Charging Objects by Induction
23.3  Coulomb’s Law

60

M Mar. 3

23.4  The Electric Field
23.5  Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution (descriptive)

61

W Mar. 5

23.6  Electric Field Lines
23.7  Motion of a Charged Particle in a Uniform Electric Field
24.    Gauss’s Law (descriptive)

62

F Mar. 7

25.    Electric Potential
25.1  Electric Potential and Potential Difference
25.2  Potential Differences in a Uniform Electric Field

Lecture

Date

Topics