Course Outline

Does Earth move? Does the Moon move? If so, how and are there causes or reasons for this motion? Are the basic rules that govern their motion the same as those for other objects such as a flying baseball, or water flowing through a pipe? What keeps an aircraft aloft? Are there limits to the efficiency of its engines? What is the nature of light? Why do some elements but not others conduct electric currents well? Why are we convinced that atoms exist? What are the fundamental particles from which all matter is built? Are there limits to our universe and could we learn them?

Physics addresses such questions by combining observations, results of experiments, and conceptual and mathematical notions into coherent theoretical schemes. The conceptual underpinnings of the physics we use today originated in the 17th century, when Newton and others produced a framework for understanding much of the physical world. Newtonian mechanics, still a cornerstone of physics, successfully explains a great diversity of physical phenomena and enabled the development of much modern technology.

Phys 131 is an introduction to Newtonian mechanics. You will discover the meaning and uses of concepts such as acceleration, force, momentum, and energy and apply them to assess physical situations and describe physical phenomena. You will see that they provide a simple and elegant framework for understanding the physical universe.

The course will cover the following topics subject to minor modifications.

  1. Motion: one and two dimensional kinematics.
  2. Vector algebra.
  3. Newton's system of mechanics and Newton's three laws.
  4. Work and energy, energy conservation.
  5. Momentum conservation.
  6. Rotational kinematics and dynamics, angular energy and momentum.
  7. Newtonian gravitation.

Course Structure

The Monday, Wednesday and Friday class meetings will usually be in lecture format. You will be expected to study the relevant sections of the text before class meetings.

Most Tuesday meetings will consist of a discussion/problem session during which you will work in small groups (with the instructor's help) on pre-assigned problems. You will be expected to attempt these before the Thursday class meeting. There will be a short quiz covering the material at the end of the discussion session.

Homework Assignments

Apart from the Phys 131 Exercises, problem numbers all refer to Knight, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th ed. The most current Phys 131 Exercises can be found by clicking this link.

Homework Due date Problems
Homework 1 26 Aug 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 25, 26, 27, 29, 33, 34, 35, 37
Homework 2 30 Aug 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 51, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61
Homework 3 6 Sep 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 76, 77, 78, 87, 88a, 89, 90, 91
Homework 4 13 Sep 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 104, 117, 119, 121ab, 122, 123, 128, 130
Homework 5 27 Sep 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 164, 167, 171, 172, 174, 177, 180, 184
Homework 6 4 Oct 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 206, 207, 211, 213, 221, 224, 226, 230
Homework 7 14 Oct 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 235, 239, 245, 247, 250, 251, 252abc, 256
Homework 8 25 Oct 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 284, 285, 287, 288, 291, 293, 295, 296
Homework 9 4 Nov 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 317a, 318ab, 321, 322, 327, 329, 331, 333, 339
Homework 10 15 Nov 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 365, 368, 370, 372, 373, 375, 377, 378
Homework 11 22 Nov 2024 Phys 131 Exercises: 390, 394, 395, 396, 398, 399, 401, 402

Homework Solutions

Homework solutions will be posted in the course Desire 2 Learn (D2L) shell.


Quizzes

There will be a short quiz at the end of each of each discussion session. Quiz solutions will be posted in the course D2L shell.

Warm Up Exercises

There will be Warm Up exercise, approximately once per week, due by 9:00am. Exact dates will be announced by the instructor closer to the time. Warm Up exercises are hosted on D2L.

Exams

There will be three 50 minute exams during class on the following dates: September 20, 2024, October 18, 2024 and November 8, 2024. There will be a comprehensive final exam on 10:00am on Monday December 9, 2024 (section 001) and 10:00am on Wednesday december 11, 2024 (section 002). Solutions to the exams for this semester will be posted below after the exams have been graded.

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Exams and solutions from previous semesters.

Fall 2022 Class exam 1
Fall 2022 Class exam 1: Solutions
Fall 2022 Class exam 2
Fall 2022 Class exam 2: Solutions
Fall 2022 Class exam 3
Fall 2022 Class exam 3: Solutions
Fall 2022 Final exam (version 1)
Fall 2022 Final exam (version 1): Solutions
Fall 2022 Final exam (version 2)
Fall 2022 Final exam (version 2): Solutions
Spring 2023 Class exam 1
Spring 2023 Class exam 1: Solutions
Spring 2023 Class exam 2
Spring 2023 Class exam 2: Solutions
Spring 2023 Class exam 3
Spring 2023 Class exam 3: Solutions
Spring 2023 Final exam (version 1)
Spring 2023 Final exam (version 1): Solutions
Spring 2023 Final exam (version 2)
Spring 2023 Final exam (version 2): Solutions

Exams and solutions from this semester.

Solutions will be posted after each exam has been graded.

Fall 2024 Class exam 1
Fall 2024 Class exam 1: Solutions
Fall 2024 Class exam 2
Fall 2024 Class exam 2: Solutions
Fall 2024 Class exam 3
Fall 2023 Class exam 3: Solutions

Links and Animations

  1. Reference Sources
    1. Physlink Reference information and data, including decimal system notation, physical constants, math constants, astro-physical constants, etc,....
    2. Eric Weinstein's World of Physics Encyclopedia of Physics maintained by Wolfram Research. Entries at a variety of technical levels.
    3. Periodic Table of Elements WebElements site.
    4. NIST Standard Reference Data Administered by the National Institute for Standards and Technology. The final word in physical data. Intended for professionals.
  2. Animations
    1. PhET. From the University of Colorado.
    2. oPhysics Physics simulations provided by Tom Walsh.
    3. LTU Applets. Collection of simulations provided by Scott Schneider, Lawrence Technological University.
    4. Animations for Physics and Astronomy. Collection of simulations from Dr. Michael R. Gallis, Penn State University, Schuylkill. Youtube channel
    5. Physclips. Collection of simulations from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
  3. Demonstrations
    1. University of Maryland Demonstrations. Lecture demonstrations provided by the University of Maryland.
    2. Wake Forest University Demonstrations. Main website for demonstrations provided by Wake Forest University, North Carolina.
    3. Wake Forest University Demonstrations. Videos of demonstrations provided by Wake Forest University, North Carolina.
    4. University of Iowa Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of Iowa.
    5. UCSB Lecture Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of California Santa Barbara.
    6. University of Pennsylvania Lecture Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of Pennsylvania.
    7. University of Washington Lecture Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of Washington.
    8. University of Minnesota Lecture Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of Minnesota.
    9. Physics Berkeley Lecture Demonstrations. Demonstrations provided by the University of California Berkeley.
  4. Units and Measurement Scales
    1. Mars Climate Orbiter. The greatest unit conversion fiasco ever?
    2. Secret Worlds: The Universe Within. An updated "Powers of Ten" animation from Florida State University.
    3. Powers of Ten. Official site of Charles and Ray Eames.
  5. Atoms and Brownian Motion
    1. Brownian Motion. Video of smoke particles undergoing Brownian motion. From University of Maryland.
    2. Brownian Motion. Video of smoke particles undergoing Brownian motion. From University of Virginia.
    3. Quantum Corral. Images taken using a scanning tunneling microscope at IBM's Almaden lab.
    4. Images of Atoms. Images taken at various institutions. Hosted by Purdue University.
    5. Chemical Elements. Wikipedia list of elements.
    6. Periodic Table of Elements. Wikipedia table of elements.
    7. Periodic Table. A wooden periodic table from Theodore Gray.
  6. Motion in One Dimension
    1. Motion Diagrams. From Andrew Duffy.
    2. The Moving Man. From PhET.
  7. Freely falling objects
    1. Hammer and Feather. Demonstration by Apollo 15 commander David Scott. Provided by NASA.
    2. Guinea and Feather. Video of equipment construction and operation. From Steven Troy, University of Washington.
    3. Ball Bearing and Feather. From Teralab.
  8. Vectors
    1. Vector Addition. From PhET, University of Colorado.
  9. Motion in Two Dimensions
    1. Brachistochrone Curve. From Engineering and Architecture.
    2. Balls Dropped and Shot. From University of Maryland.
    3. Simultaneous Fall. From University of Iowa.
    4. Projectile Motion. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    5. SpaceX Falcon 9 Landing. YouTube video from SpaceX.
    6. SpaceX Falcon 9 Landing. Youtube video from SciNews. Includes position and velocity information.
    7. Hawk Eye in Tennis. From the Australian Academy of Science.
    8. Hawk Eye in Cricket. From Jarrod Kimber.
    9. Ladybug Motion in Two Dimensions. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    10. The Monkey and the Hunter. From Gigaphysics.
    11. Funnel Cart. From University of Maryland.
    12. Pulled Funnel Cart. From University of Maryland.
    13. Gravity and Orbits. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    14. The Cheerios Effect From Daniel Bonn, Peter Bolhuis and Sander Woutersen, the University of Virginia
  10. Newton's Laws
    1. Galileo's Ramp. From Physierge.
    2. Inertia Thought Experiment. From Rhys Lewis.
    3. Voyager: NASA Page. Voyager I is the man made object most distant from the sun and now approximately free from interactions with the sun and solar system.
    4. Pioneer: NASA Page. Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, was the first man-made object to leave the solar system. The last signal received from this probe reached the earth in 2003.
    5. Isaac Newton. British one pound banknote. From Jacob Bourjaily's website: Physicists on Money.
    6. Forces in One Dimension. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    7. Forces and Motion: Basics From PhET, University of Colorado.
    8. Forces and Motion. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    9. Forces and Motion on a Ramp. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    10. Friction. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    11. Fan Cart with Sail. From University of Maryland
    12. Dropped Slinky. From University of Maryland.
    13. Brachistochrone Curve. From Engineering and Architecture.
    14. A quantitative analysis of the chain fountain, J. Pantaleone, American Journal of Physics, 85, 414 (2017).
    15. The Chain Fountain. Video by Steve Mould.
  11. Circular Motion
    1. Ladybug Revolution. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    2. Whirlgig. From University of Iowa.
    3. Centrifugal Flattening. From University of Iowa.
  12. Energy
    1. Energy Skate Park (Basics). From PhET, University of Colorado.
    2. Energy Skate Park. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    3. The Ramp. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    4. Springs and Masses. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    5. Loop the Loop. From the University of Iowa.
    6. Stopped Pendulum. From University of Iowa.
    7. Large Pendulum. From University of Iowa.
    8. Molecular Vibrations. From ChemTube3D.
    9. Molecular Vibrations. From UCLA.
    10. Molecular Vibrations. Controllable animation. From ChemTube3D
    11. States of Matter. From PhET.
    12. Four Stroke Engine YouTube video from Yash Verma.
    13. Otto Cycle Engine From Penn State University, Schuylkill.
    14. Internal Combustion Engine From How Stuff Works.
  13. Momentum
    1. Ship Collision Two ships colliding in the Suez canal. From NPR
    2. Particle Collisions. Event displays. From CERN.
    3. Proton-Proton Collision. Candidate for a Higgs boson event. From CERN.
    4. Collision Lab. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    5. Impulse Pendulum. From University of Iowa.
    6. Taylor Swift crowd moves Earth (and beats Seahawks crowd). From CNN.
    7. Camp Nou (Barcelona) crowd moves Earth. From El País.
    8. Mentos Skateboard Rocket. YouTube video.
    9. Bottle Rockets. YouTube video from Science Buddies.
    10. NY Times editorial correction. Correction to the 1920 editorial. From NY Times.
    11. Goddard vs NY Times. Editorial critique from the NY Times of Robert Goddard's rocketry proposals.
    12. Swimming Scallop. YouTube video from Underwater Ireland.
  14. Rotational Motion
    1. Center of Mass Motion. YouTube video produced by MIT.
    2. Center of Mass Motion. Video produced by the University of New South Wales.
    3. The Motion of Body Center of Mass During Walking: A Review Oriented to Clinical Applications. Luigi Tesio1 and Viviana Rota, Front Neurol. 2019; 10: 999 (2019).
    4. Milky Way Galaxy Revolution. Simulation from the University of Zurich.
    5. Ladybug Revolution. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    6. Torque. From PhET, University of Colorado. Alternative link here.
    7. Hoops and Disks. From University of Iowa.
    8. Rolling vs. Sliding From University of Maryland.
    9. "Falling Chimney." From University of Iowa.
    10. Hinged Stick and Falling Ball. From MIT.
    11. Falling Chimney Web Page. From Gabriele U. Varieschi, Loyola Marymount University.
    12. Falling Chimney Compilation. YouTube compilation video.
    13. Hoberman Sphere. From The University of Iowa.
    14. Train Demo. From The University of Iowa.
    15. Conservation of Angular Momentum From University of Iowa.
    16. Precessing Gyroscope. Animation from PSU-Schuykill.
    17. Angular Momentum - Train. From University of Iowa. Another link here.
    18. Tumbling T Handle in Space. YouTube video.
  15. Gravity
    1. My Solar System. From PhET, University of Colorado.
    2. Newton's Cannon. From the University of Virginia.
    3. Newton's Cannon. Modern graphic from KVCS.
    4. Neptune. From NASA.
    5. Neptune. From Wikipedia.
    6. Neptune. From nineplanets.org by Bill Arnett.
    7. Plant Nine. From Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, Caltech.
    8. Plant Nine Video. From Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, Caltech.
    9. Cavendish Experiment Animation. From Physics-Animations.com.
    10. Model of Henry Cavendish's Experiment. From Science and Society Picture Library
    11. Stars and Black Hole. YouTube video of unknown origin.
  16. Simple Harmonic Motion
    1. Masses and Springs. From PhET, the University of Colorado.
    2. Normal Modes. From PhET, the University of Colorado.
    3. Spray Paint Oscillator. From MIT TechTV, MIT.
    4. Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse. From Archive.org.
  17. Fluids
    1. Juggling Water Drops. From Physics, 16, 21 (2023).