Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This is a calculus-based physics course required for students majoring in engineering, physics and chemistry.  The course is transferable to other baccalaureate engineering programs.  Students should be aware of the program requirements of the institutions to which they wish to
transfer.  This course conforms with the Oregon Block Transfer program.
 

After completion of this course, students will
 

1) Apply knowledge of motion, forces, energy, and circular motion to explain natural physical processes and related technological advances.
2) Use an understanding of calculus along with physical principles to effectively solve problems encountered in everyday life, further study in science, and in the professional world.
3) Design experiments and acquire data in order to explore physical principles, effectively communicate results, and critically evaluate related scientific studies.
4) Assess the contributions of physics to our evolving understanding of global change and sustainability while placing the development of physics in its historical and cultural context.

Principles and techniques are presented through lectures and class demonstrations.  Students must register for lecture, one recitation, and one lab.  Laboratory work will be performed in order to clarify certain facts in the lecture materials.
 

At the beginning of the course, the instructor will detail the methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course grade.  The methods may include one or more of the following tools:  examinations, quizzes, homework assignments, laboratory reports, research papers, small group problem solving of questions arising from application of course concepts and concerns to actual
experience, oral presentations, or maintenance of a personal lab manual.
Specific evaluation procedures will be given in class.  In general, grading will be based on accumulated points from homework assignments, tests, final exam, and labs.
 

1.0 VECTORS
               
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in the use of
vectors and vector operations.
Objectives:
     1.1  To learn the definitions of
          a.   vector addition and subtraction
          b.   multiplication of a vector by a scalar
          c.   the two types of vector multiplication (dot product and
       cross product).
     1.2  Demonstrate the use of unit vectors, particularly those
     for a Cartesian coordinate system.
2.0 MOTION IN ONE DIMENSION
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in the use of the
definitions pertaining to particle motion, and the equations for
the case of one dimensional motion.
Objectives:
     2.1  To learn and understand the definitions pertaining to
     particle motion.  Of prime importance are those of position,
     velocity (both average and instantaneous), and acceleration.
     Although the main concern of the rest of the material is
     one-dimensional motion,  the student should learn the
     definitions in their full vector form.  This is important for
     future study (e.g. motion in a plane).
     2.2  To learn thoroughly the meaning and use of the equations for
     the case of one-dimensional motion with constant acceleration.
     A large number of the problems a student solves turn out to
     involve this special but very important case.
3.0 MOTION IN A PLANE
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop an understanding of the
principles of two simultaneous motions and of uniform circular motion.
Objectives:
     3.1  To learn to apply the previous equations to each of the
     two components of motion for the case of acceleration
     which is constant (both in magnitude and direction).  No new
     formulas are required.  Of extreme physical importance is the
     case of projectile motion.  The student should strive to
     understand this as two simultaneous motions (one in the x and
     one in the y direction).
     3.2  To learn the somewhat more difficult case of uniform
     circular motion in which the acceleration is constant in
     magnitude but not in direction. 
     3.3  To learn to relate the description of the motion of a
     particle with respect to a second (moving) coordinate system.
     Of particular importance is the relation between the two
     velocity descriptions.
4.0 PARTICLE DYNAMICS
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in the application of
Newton's three laws.
Objectives:
     4.1  To understand Newton's three laws.
          a.   Motion in the absence of forces.
          b.   Relationship among force, mass, and acceleration.
          c.   Action and reaction force pairs.
     4.2  Apply Newton's laws to problems.
     4.3  Describe the properties of static friction and kinetic
     friction.
5.0 WORK AND ENERGY
Goal:  The goal is to develop an understanding of the distinction between
conservative and non-conservative forces.
Objectives:
     5.1  To understand the distinction between conservative and
     non-conservative forces which determines whether or not one can
     define a potential energy associated with the force.
     5.2  To learn how to compute the potential energy associated
     with a given conservative force.
     5.3  Use the concept of conservation of mechanical energy in
     problem solving.
     5.4  Explain how to handle non-conservative forces.
6.0 CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in the application of
the principle of conservation of linear momentum.
Objectives:
     6.1  Explain the concept of the center of mass of multiple
     particles or of a rigid body.
     6.2  Describe the motion of the center of mass in collisions.
     6.3  Define the total linear momentum of a system and
     understand the concept of the conservation of this linear
     momentum.
     6.4  Demonstrate the application of the conservation of linear
     momentum principle.
7.0 COLLISIONS
Goal:  The goal is to gain an understanding of collisions.
Objectives:
     7.1  Define impulse and its relationship to change in
     momentum.
     7.2  Distinguish between elastic and inelastic
     collisions.
8.0 ROTATIONAL KINEMATICS
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop an understanding of rotational
kinematics.
Objectives:
     8.1  Define the following quantities and use them in solving problems:
          a.   Angular position
          b.   Angular velocity
          c.   Angular acceleration
     8.2  Understand the vector description of angular motion.
9.0 ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in solving problems
involving combined rotation and translation.
Objectives:
     9.1  Define the vectors torque and angular momentum, and the basic
     equation which relates the two.
     9.2  Define rotational inertia and rotational kinetic energy
     and explain how to calculate these quantities.
     9.3  Discuss and explain fixed axis rotational dynamics.
     9.4  Demonstrate problem solving with combined rotation and
     translation.
     9.5  Discuss rolling about a fixed direction axis along a
     surface without slipping.
10.0 EQUILIBRIUM OF RIGID BODIES
Goal:  The goal is to gain knowledge and develop skills in applying the
basic equations of static equilibrium.
Objective:
     10.1 Apply the basic equations of static equilibrium to problems.
EACH WEEK, LABS WILL BE PERFORMED THAT CORRESPOND TO THE MATERIAL
COVERED IN THE LECTURE SESSIONS.