Description
Study of the fundamental principles and applications of mechanics, including vectors, static equilibrium, linear and rotational motion, Newton's laws, work, energy, and momentum. Includes laboratory. This course is also strongly recommended for students who will be taking Engineering Physics but have not had a prior physics class. Recommended Preparation: High-school level right triangle trigonometry.
Grading Basis
Graded
Prerequisites
MATH 99 or equivalent or Instructor Permission
Course Learning Outcomes
Core Topics
- Week #1: Standards of length, mass, and time: conversion of units; significant figures and error analysis, vectors and scalars, right triangle trigonometric relationships
- Week #2: Average velocity, instantaneous velocity; acceleration; one-dimensional motion with constant acceleration
- Week #3: Introduction to common forces, review of vector components and resultants
- Week #4: Newton’s law applied to freely falling bodies, projectile motion, relative reference frames
- Week #5: Newton’s laws applied to equilibrium and common connected systems
- Week #6: Work; work and kinetic energy; potential energy, conservation of mechanical energy
- Week #7: Work-Energy theory, power, linear momentum and impulse, conservation of momentum
- Week #8: Collisions; glancing collisions, center of gravity; angular velocity; angular acceleration
- Week #9: Relations between angular and linear quantities, centripetal acceleration, centripetal force,
- Week #10: The first and second conditions of equilibrium, torque, angular momentum, moment of inertia