Instructor

Prof. Frank Zimmermann (fmz@physics.rutgers.edu)

Course Description

Concepts of physics and astronomy in their scientific, social, historical, and current technological context, with no mathematical problem-solving. How the physical universe works, from mechanics and the solar system to relativity, quantum behavior, and the Big Bang. Contributions of scientists from Aristotle, Galileo, and Newton through Einstein, Bohr and up to the present time.

There are NO prerequisites for this course:

• Familiarity with basic arithmetic, and simple high-school level algebra will be assumed.
• Homework and exams will be minimally quantitative, but students will be expected to write short paragraph answers.

Lectures

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:50 - 5:10pm, Physics Lecture Hall

Homework/Lab grader

Aaditya Panigrahi (aadityapanigrahi@physics.rutgers.edu)

Office Hours

Prof. Zimmermann: Mondays 1:00 - 2:00 PM by zoom (send me email!)

Aaditya Panigrahi: Fridays 2:30 - 3:30 PM, ARC 218 (Allison Road Classroom Building)

Topics Covered

• Science, stars, and the nature of things
• How things move
• Newton's laws of motion
• Circular Motion and Gravity
• Gravitation, Astrophysics, Atoms
• Work and Energy
• Thermodynamics
• Electrostatics and Electromagnetism
• Waves and Light
• Special Relativity
• Quantum Physics
• Nuclear physics
• Elementary Particles

Grading

• Homework: 35%
• Labs: 15%
• I-clickers: 15%
• Final Exam 35%

Grading Scheme:

80-100 = A

70-80 = B+

60-70 = B

50-60 = C+

40-50 = C

30-40 = D

0-30 = F

Textbooks

Free: College Physics - OpenStax (We will skip certain sections that are too technical.)

Optional: Hobson - Physics Concepts and Connections, any Edition, Addison Wesley. 

Iclicker

We will use iClicker for polling during the lectures. This requires a paid subscription. There is a grace period during which you can use the app before you have to pay. You can use the iclicker web app on your laptop, or the mobile app on your phone. Detailed instructions are here. 

You will receive five points per lecture for participating in the iclicker polls. In addition, you will receive 1 point for each question answered correctly.

Homework

• Homework will be assigned on Canvas, under Assignments.
• The solutions will be available right after the submission deadline.
• For this reason, there will be NO LATE HOMEWORK ACCEPTED!
• Homework is only accepted by uploading to Canvas. Do not email me homework.
• Homework Guidelines 

Labs

• There will be five simple labs that you will do over the semester. 
• You will write lab reports according to the Lab Guidelines and upload them to Canvas.

Policies

Absences: Students are expected to attend all classes; if you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website Links to an external site.to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to your instructors.

If you have been told to quarantine, or are experiencing symptoms of any transmissable disease, please do not attend in-person class meetings. Contact the instructor to make arrangements for handling such absences.

Learning Goals

SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals for the Natural Sciences

• NS-1: Students will be able to understand and apply basic principles and concepts in the physical sciences.
• NS-2: Students will be able to explain and be able to assess the relationship among assumptions, method, evidence, arguments, and theory in scientific analysis.

Course Specific Learning Golas

• Students will learn that by observing normal, everyday phenomena with great attention and detail, one can glimpse the larger patterns of the workings of the universe.
• Students will gain an appreciation of the history of science as a process of continually refining and revising our understanding of nature.
• Students will obtain a very basic understanding of some of the core concepts of physics,  including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, wave motion and optics, heat and thermodynamics, and modern physics.

Academic Integrity

Rutgers University takes academic dishonesty very seriously. By enrolling in this course, you assume responsibility for familiarizing yourself with the Academic Integrity Policy and the possible penalties (including suspension and expulsion) for violating the policy. As per the policy, all suspected violations will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to):

• Cheating
• Plagiarism
• Aiding others in committing a violation or allowing others to use your work
• Failure to cite sources correctly
• Fabrication
• Using another person’s ideas or words without attribution
• Unauthorized collaboration
• Sabotaging another student’s work
• Using AI such as ChatGPT

If in doubt, please contact the Professor. Also review the Academic Integrity Policy and Academic Integrity Resources for Students.

Use of external resources (such as Chegg, CourseHero, or ChatGPT) to obtain solutions to homework assignments or exams is cheating and a violation of the University Academic Integrity policy. Cheating in the course may result in grade penalties, disciplinary sanctions or educational sanctions. Posting homework assignments or exams to external sites without the instructor's permission may be a violation of copyright and may constitute the facilitation of dishonesty, which may result in the same penalties as cheating.

Almost all original work is the intellectual property of its authors. This includes not just books and articles, but the syllabi, lectures, slides, recordings, course materials, presentations, homework problems, exams, and other materials used in this course, in either printed or electronic form. You may not copy this work, post it online, or disseminate it in any way without the explicit permission of the instructor. Respect for an author’s efforts and intellectual property rights is an important value that members of the university community are expected to take seriously.

Resources for Student Success

The faculty and staff at Rutgers are committed to your success. Students who are successful tend to seek out resources that enable them to excel academically, maintain their health and wellness, prepare for future careers, navigate college life and finances, and connect with the RU community. Helpful resources include the Rutgers Learning Centers and school-based advising (for SAS, SOE, SEBS, and RBS). Additional resources that can help you succeed and connect with the Rutgers community can be found at https://success.rutgers.edu .

Please visit the Rutgers Student Tech Guide for resources available to all students. If you do not have the appropriate technology for financial reasons, please email the Dean of Students (deanofstudents@echo.rutgers.edu ) for assistance. If you are facing other financial hardships, please visit the Office of Financial Aid.

Disability Accommodations: Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with a Letter of Accommodations. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form on the ODS web site at: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/getting-registered