PHYS-2010-003: General Physics I

Syllabus — Fall 2023

Course ID: PHYS-2010-003
Lecture Times: M W F 11:40 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Lecture Location: Brown Hall, Room 370
Lecturer: Dr. Donald Luttermoser
Office Hours: By Appointment (280 Brown Hall, 439-7064)
Textbook: College Physics, 11th Edition by Serway & Vuille

Course Outline
Textbook
Days Topics Readings

Aug 28, 30, Sep 1 I. Introduction & II. Math Techniques Chapter 1
September 1 Math Tech Quiz Your Background
September 4 Labor Day – No Class
September 6, 8 III. Motion in 1 Dimension Chapter 2
September 11, 13, 15 IV. Motion in 2 Dimensions Chapter 3
September 18, 20, 22 V. Newton’s Laws of Motion Chapter 4
September 25 Exam 1 (Sections I-V) Chapters 1-4
September 27, 29 VI. Work & Energy Chapter 5
October 2, 4, 6 VII. Linear Momentum & Collisions Chapter 6
October 9, 11, 13 VIII. Circular Motion Chapter 7
October 16 Fall Break – No Class
October 18, 20 IX. Gravitation Chapter 7
October 23 Exam 2 (Sections VI-IX) Chapters 5-7
October 25, 27 X. Rotational Equilibrium & Dynamics Chapter 8
Oct 30, Nov 1, 3 XI. Solids & Fluids Chapter 9
November 6, 8 XII. Thermal Physics Chapters 10† , 11
November 10 Veteran’s Day – No Class
November 13 Exam 3 (Sections X-XII) Chapters 8-11†
November 15, 17 XIII. Gas Laws Chapter 10.4
November 20 Kinetic Theory of Gases Chapter 10.5
November 22, 24 Thanksgiving Break – No Classes
Nov 27, 29, Dec 1 XIV. Thermodynamics Chapter 12
December 4, 6 Thermodynamics Chapter 12
December 8 Course Review Chapters 1-12
December 11? Final (3:50 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.) Chapters 1-12

† — The material from Chapter 10 on Exam 3 will only cover sections 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3.
Sections 10.4 and 10.5 material will be on the Final Exam.
? — Note that the final falls on Monday, December 11th at the times listed above. The final
covers the entire course.

Page 1
PHYS-2010-003 Syllabus Page 2

The web page for this course can be found at:

https://faculty.etsu.edu/lutter/courses/phys2010/index.htm

Course Overview

General Physics I is the first course of a two-semester sequence in physics; topics will include me-
chanics, heat, thermodynamics, and the properties of solids, liquids, and gases. The main goals
of this course are to demonstrate how the Universe works and to teach you scientific methodol-
ogy. General Physics I is a problem-solving course, that is, the measure of a student’s
progress is demonstrated by the ability to solve problems using algebra and trigonom-
etry, and not just to quote facts, laws and formulas. Your homework will be designed to
help you develop these skills and the exams will test you on them. It is assumed that you
have a reasonable working knowledge of algebra and trigonometry at a high school
level. There will be a quiz that will test your mathematics skills on September 1st. Should
you not do well on this quiz, you should reconsider whether you should be taking
this course. Doing physics means doing story problems using mathematics! You are expected
to have (and know how to use) a good scientific calculator — especially for exams.
The Department does not have calculators to loan, and sharing of calculators on exams is NOT
permitted. The book store carries such calculators. CELL PHONES cannot be used in this
class!

On Campus Attendance is Required for this Course

You are required to attend class on campus in Brown Hall 370 this semester. The exception to
this is if you have been tested positive with COVID-19, or you are sick from some
other infection. Then you can watch the lecture via Zoom. However, YOU MUST COME
TO CLASS IF YOU ARE NOT SICK!!!

You will not be required to wear masks in the classroom. However, please note your professor
is immune-compromised due to the medications he is taking. As such, I will require
mask wearing if you get within 5 feet of me.

For providing information to keep the ETSU community safe and communicating updates regard-
ing policy changes, please visit the following web site:
https://www.etsu.edu/coronavirus/ .
PHYS-2010-003 Syllabus Page 3

D2L Course Website

For the past few years, I have been streaming the lectures in “real-time” so that students can
attend lecture in a remote (i.e., online) format and I will be recording these lectures. However, as
mentioned above, I expect all students to attend class on campus in Brown Hall 370 unless you
are sick. Prior to each scheduled lecture, I will be posting a Zoom link on the course D2L course
web page that you are to use to access the synchronous lecture. You are expected to attend
each lecture, whether in person or synchronously via Zoom! However, if you are forced
to miss a lecture due to illness, each lecture will be recorded and the link for that recording will
be pasted on the D2L course web page. A link to the ETSU D2L Login web page is included on
the course web page at https://faculty.etsu.edu/lutter/courses/phys2010/index.htm.

Exams, Quiz, & Homework

There will be 1 quiz and 3 exams throughout the semester, plus a comprehensive final on the dates
listed on the first page of this syllabus. Each will cover material prior to the test and be taken
during class time (except the final) as shown in the table below. All exams and the math
quiz must be taken on campus – there will be no remote exams. Note that the math
quiz score will not be included in your final course grade. Each exam will be worth 20% and the
final worth 30% of your course grade. Note that all physical constants and formulae that you may
require will be supplied on the exams and quiz. Otherwise, the exams are closed book and notes
– you will not be allowed to consult any external written or online materials. An exception to this
rule concerns the final. You will be allowed to bring one 8.5x11” sheet of paper to the final with
anything you wish to write on it.

Exam Note Sections Textbook Chapters Date Given

Quiz II 1 & Appendix A Friday, September 1, 2023
Exam 1 I, II, III, IV, V 1, 2, 3, 4 Monday, September 25, 2023
Exam 2 VI, VII, VIII, IX 5, 6, 7 Monday, October 23, 2023
Exam 3 X, XI, XII 8, 9, 10, 11 Monday, November 13, 2023
1 1 1 1
Final 2
(XIII, XIV) + 2 (I-XII) 2 (10, 12) + 2 (1-11) Monday, December 5, 2022

Sickness and Make-Up Exams: If you are sick, do not come to school! If this occurs on
exam day, you will be allowed to take a make-up exam, similar in content to the in-class exam. Note
however that you will need to let me know prior to the in-class exam, either by email (preferably)
or phone that you will miss the exam due to illness.

There will be 4 homework sets assigned throughout the semester composed of two sections of
questions. The first section will be questions generated by the WebAssign software package (see
PHYS-2010-003 Syllabus Page 4

below). The second section of problems will not be graded and will have solutions posted on the
course web page. Try to do these problems by yourself before retrieving the solutions from the
web page. Doing both sections of questions will be a big help in studying for the in-class exams
and Final Exam.

NO ONLINE HELP WEB PAGES are to be used for the math quiz, homework, in-class
exams, or final exam! Over the past few years, many students have been making use of various
online companies to ‘cheat’. Please note that Dr. Luttermoser is familiar with these web sites
and will be checking each of these sites to make sure none of the students in this class are making
use of these sites to answer the questions/problems on the quiz, homework, exams, and final. Note
that it is easy to verify this, even if a phony email address is used on these sites. Should a student
be caught using such a site, they will receive a ZERO on that homework set, quiz, exam, or final
and be reported to the University for Academic Dishonesty.

Extra Credit

Each exam will have a 5 point extra credit question on it (the final will have two 5 point questions).
Roll will be taken occasionally during the semester. Regular attendance will be useful in obtaining
a good grade in this class. Other than the extra credit problems on the exams, no extra credit
projects will be allowed, so don’t even ask.

Enhanced WebAssign Access

The assigned homework will make use of the textbook publisher’s WebAssign web site. You gain
access to this site at:
https://webassign.com ,
then click on the “Enter Class Key” button on the upper right of this web page. The class key for
this course is:
etsu 9680 9716
A Quick Start Guide for using this web site can be found on the course web page. Should you need
additional assistance with WebAssign, you can contact Technical Support information at:
https://webassign.com/support/student-support/
via the web or
1-800-354-9706
by telephone.
PHYS-2010-003 Syllabus Page 5

Tutoring and Supplemental Help

Many students find General Physics I & II very challenging and have a difficult time understanding
the principles of physics and solving physics problems. Mainly, this is due to a lack of training of
logical thought skills in secondary school. Due to this, there are a variety of ways to get additional
help with this course.

1. The Center for Academic Achievement offered by ETSU

(see https://www.etsu.edu/students/learning/ on the web).

2. Assistance from the Professor via email or “by appointment” office hours.

3. Tutorials on WebAssign. Besides the assigned homework, this web site will be available as
additional help for students to provide experience solving word problems in physics.

4. Review sessions prior to each exam (date and times to be determined during lecture the week
prior to the exam).

With these supplemental instruction options, students can gain valuable help with this difficult
course.

Students with Learning Disabilities

Over the years, I have had students in my courses who suffered with learning disabilities. I always
offer additional support for such students, such as one-on-one tutoring and allowing additional time
on the exams. However, in order to receive such additional support, a student needs to officially
register with the Office of Disability Services (see https://www.etsu.edu/students/ds/). Once
registered, this Office will provide paperwork to the affected student to give to the instructor of
the course.

Grading

The format of the exams will be similar to those sample exams on the course web page. Many
of the “full-length” problems you will get on the exams will be modified versions of the example
problems in the notes and textbook, and the supplemental and WebAssign homework problems.
From these sources, you will have access to anywhere from 10 to 25 examples for each section of
the notes. This should be more than sufficient to fill your need for studying for the exams. The
grading system will be based by the following formula:
PHYS-2010-003 Syllabus Page 6

h
Final Grade = 0.20 ∗ ( Exam
40
1
) + 0.20 ∗ ( Exam
40
2
) + 0.20 ∗ ( Exam
40
3
)+
i
0.30 ∗ ( Final
80
Homework
) + 0.10 ∗ ( Homework Total
) ∗ 100%

The final grades will be based on the following scale:

A = 90% or better A– = 88–89.9%

B+ = 86–87.9% B = 76–85.9% B– = 73–75.9%
C+ = 70–72.9% C = 62–69.9% C– = 59–61.9%
D+ = 56–58.9% D = 50–55.9%
F = Less than 50%

Note that a failing grade also will be given if the student has engaged in any form
of academic dishonesty. Finally, you should not talk to your classmates during the class —
that is no student will be allowed to disrupt the class. The only verbal communication allowed
is asking the professor a question. IMPORTANT NOTE: This also includes the ringing
of cell phones! Turn your cell phones off before coming into class! If you are caught
disrupting the class once, you will be warned. A second time will result in you being dismissed
from the current lecture. A third and final time will result in you failing the course. Be courteous
to your neighbors, they are paying hard earned money to take this course.

Mental Health: Students often have questions about mental health resources, whether for them-
selves or a friend or family member. There are many resources available on the ETSU Campus,
including: ETSU Counseling Center (423) 439-4841; ETSU Behavioral Health & Wellness Clinic
(423) 439-7777; ETSU Community Counseling Clinic: (423) 439-4187.

• If you or a friend are in immediate crisis, call 911.

• Available 24 hours per day is the National Suicide Prevention Life-line: 1-800-273-TALK
(8255).