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Physics 131L-003 - Fundamental Mechanics Laboratory
Fall 2022
Instructor: Dr. Chad A. Middleton

Classroom	Wubben Hall 214
Lab Hours	10:00 - 11:45 THU
Office	Wubben Hall 228A
Office Hours	9-10:00 MON, WED, & FRI
	8:30-9:30 TUE
Office Phone	970-248-1173
Email	[email protected]
Webpage	www.coloradomesa.edu/~chmiddle/131L/

Course Objective:

Physics is an experimental science. The nature and validity of the theoretical framework is inferred by the outcomes of experiments, these experiments must be able to be performed repeatedly.
PHYS 131L is the lab the accompanies PHYS 131. In this course, you will conduct experiments and make observations of various physical phenomena. The goal of this course is to help reinforce the theoretical framework developed in PHYS 131 by getting hands-on experience by doing experiments.

Course Requirements:

This class will meet once per week during the weeks listed below. During each class meeting, you will complete one lab assignment. The details of the lab assignment will vary from week to week, but will typically entail completing an assignment or tutorial. You will only be allowed to submit a completed lab assignment if you were present for the entire lab when the experiment was performed.

Attendance:

Class attendance is MANDATORY! If you miss a lab, you must contact me PRIOR to the lab meeting. An excused absence will result in the scheduling of a lab make-up. An unexcused absence will result in a zero for that particular lab.

Grading Scale:

All graded work will be assigned a numerical score. You may estimate your grade by computing a percentage score and comparing it with the table below:

%	Grade
90-100	A
80-89	B
70-79	C
60-69	D
0-59	F

Accommodation for Students with Physical and Learning Disabilities:

In coordination with Educational Access Services, reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified students with disabilities. Students should contact Educational Access Services at 970-248-1856 or Houston Hall, Suite 108 as soon as possible. Please visit Educational Access Services for additional information.

Student Conduct and Academic Integrity:

All incidents of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to, plagiarism and cheating, will be handled according to CMU policy. For CMU policy on academic integrity, please refer to the 2022-2023 CMU catalog.

Notice: the use of Chegg or an equivalent resource is strictly forbidden! Obtaining solutions to homework and/or exam problems constitutes a violation of academic dishonesty and will be dealt with accordingly.

 

Course Calendar:

 

 

 

General Education Objectives:

This course is part of CMU's general education curriculum. Course content is designed to meet the following objectives of CMU's general education program:

 

1. Understand the structure and discipline of mathematical thought and its use in                    

    problem-solving;

2. Have knowledge of the natural world and an understanding of scientific

    methods;

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to:

 

1.    Translate between verbal and mathematical descriptions of physical situations.  Apply mathematical reasoning, using algebra, trigonometry and calculus, to analyze these situations.

2.   Articulate the arguments, verbal and mathematical, used to analyze physical situations.

3.   Represent physical processes graphically and describe given graphical representations in physical terms.

4.   Use calculus to describe and analyze physical situations.

5.    Use the mathematics of vectors, vector algebra, products of vectors and vector components to analyze physical situations.

6.   Distinguish between and relate various linear and rotational kinematic quantities.

7.   Apply Newton's First, Second and Third Laws to analyze the dynamics of physical situations involving linear and/or rotational motion.

8.   Apply the concepts of energy, work, the conservation of energy, and the conservation of momentum to analyze the dynamics of physical situations involving linear and/or rotational motion.

 

Program-Level Student Learning Objectives:

This course satisfies the following Physics-degree student learning objectives:

 

1.    Articulate the knowledge base and show fluency with the ideas and techniques of the major fields of physics (classical mechanics).

2.   Use laboratory equipment and experimental techniques to investigate experimentally physical phenomena.

3.   Communicate effectively about topics in physics verbally and in writing.