PY211 Course Guide Hello and welcome to PY211 We are looking forward to an exciting semester of physics with all of you studying a range of topics in mechanics and thermodynamics 1 Course Philosophy and Objectives Before discussing details we would like to describe the philosophy of teaching and learning in this course Simply put teaching and learning in our physics class is non traditional and instead focused on student centered interactive engagement Lecturing i e with a professor at the front of talking and you listening and taking notes will happen less than 50 of the time The rest of the time in lecture as well as in discussion section in lab and even at home you will be engaged in active learning Research shows that when students are active in the learning process when they engage in the construction of new knowledge they learn more in the short term and retain the knowledge longer In our own physics classes we have measured a 25 increase on average in students learning using active learning as compared to the traditional approaches we used to use The design of the course is shown here Lecture discussion and lab have been restructured to emphasize hands on and minds on learning through collaboration with your classmates working in small groups To support these in class activities there are also pre lecture exercises to do before class and homework to complete afterwards We also seek to provide many opportunities for assistance outside of class from instructor office hours to an online class discussion forum on Piazza More information on these pedagogical tools is given below Many students find PY211 to be challenging yet rewarding and we encourage you to think about your own expectations and goals for this course as relates to your own major and career path From our perspective our course objectives are for you to be able to Recall and describe the themes laws and principles of kinematics dynamics energy momentum applied mechanics and thermodynamics Implement these laws principles to solve problems Compare and contrast between different tools and techniques required to solve a Visualize diagram and or graph a physical situation as a step in problem solving Connect and apply mathematics trigonometry algebra and calculus to solving problem physical problems Communicate knowledge and explain one s thinking in oral or written form Overall our strong belief is that anyone can learn physics and we are here to help 2 Teaching Staff Our teaching staff this semester consists of both Teaching Fellows TFs and Learning Assistants LAs The TFs are mostly Physics graduate students who coordinate and run the discussion or lab sections and who also grade your homework labs and quizzes The LAs are undergraduates like you who took this class before and now work closely with the TFs and professors to assist in discussion and in lecture Importantly unlike the TFs the LAs do not do any grading nor do they have access to student records Finally though the four TFs and three LAs in this course have fundamentally different roles please do not hesitate to approach any member of the teaching staff for assistance 3 Piazza Our main course website is on Piazza which will be using for class discussion as well as for disseminating information such as this email and for posting materials and notes http piazza com bu fall2022 py211 home For those new to Piazza this system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates the Teaching Fellows the Learning Assistants and myself Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff we encourage you to post your questions on Piazza you can even do so anonymously You should have received email from Piazza about how to sign up for a free account 4 Blackboard Learn and Gradescope We also have a course website on Blackboard Learn http learn bu edu We will use this website exclusively for your recording your grades and not much else All course information will be posted on Piazza see above We will use Gradescope for uploading and collecting your scanned work which synchronizes with Blackboard http gradescope com Please use a dedicated smartphone scanner app not just your camera when uploading 5 Lectures Lectures are designed to be interactive learning environments where you will briefly review concepts from your textbook reading and the pre lectures but spend the majority of your time working in small groups at your table or upon on the whiteboards lining the perimeter of the classroom During these periods the course professor and two LAs will be circulating the room to help answer questions and to facilitate discussion Lecture is a required part of the course during which each small group will work together to submit their collaborative worksheet for grading at the end of lecture Lecture grading is tied to participation and effort there will be 26 lecture worksheets due throughout the semester This semester there are two 1 5 hour lecture sections A1 and B1 held at 11am and 5pm respectively on Tuesdays and Thursdays Given the high enrollments and limited room capacity please be sure to attend only the lecture section for which you are registered If you need to attend another section for a particular day e g due to medical issues or religious observances please email directly the course professor in advance 6 Discussions In discussion you will work together in small groups of 3 4 students on a series of worksheet problems that reinforce concepts from lecture while preparing you for the upcoming homework There are no discussion or lab sections the first week of class Discussion sections begin the second week of the semester Discussion is a required part of the course during which each small group will work together to submit their collaborative worksheet for grading at the end of discussion Discussion grading is tied to participation and effort and no discussion grades are dropped This semester there are eight one hour discussion sections D1 D8 held weekly on Wednesday and Thursday led jointly by one discussion TF and one LA Given the high enrollments please be sure to attend only the discussion section for which you are registered If you need to attend another section for a particular week e g due to medical issues or religious observances please email directly the course professor in advance 7 Labs Labs are designed to provide an empirical foundation to the topics presented theoretically in lecture and in discussion Labs begin the 2nd week