Re: Introductory Undergraduate Physics Sequence

[Samuel Held <Held@RHIP.PHYS.UTK.EDU>]

I will chime here because I teach MCAT review of Physics and see the
materials they are tested over.  Since most algebra based courses are
geared twoard pre-med this seems appropriate.  Also, the comment on med
schools now requiring calculus based physics has at least not trickled
down to the College of Arts and Sciences at different universities or to
the MCAT writers who just revamped their set of things to know for the
test.
        I will sketch the curriculum I teach but remember this is not so
much content review and teaching the test.  As for kinematics, it is
mostly one-D and very little 2-D. There is Force but again not too much.
Quick reviews of centripetal, gravity, and bouyant forces.  Momentum and
types of collisions, and energy and work round out classical review.
The second review class includes thermal expansion, thermodynamics laws,
pressure, fluid dynamics, and stress and strain.  There is also
electrostatics and AC and DC circuits.  The thrid class has
magnetostatics, springs, pendulums, modern physics (mostly just
photoelectric), nuclear decay, simple optics with lenses (not sure about
mirrors), and refraction (pretty sure no diffraction - maybe just the
concept - no numbers).  That pretty much is it.  If you can cover this
in two semesters with the mile wide/ inch deep, it will probably not
matter to the students as long as you keep current on the topics on the
MCAT.  Besides, they need a good grade in physics to separate them from
the other med school applicants whose GPA took a dive due to physics.
As the joke goes, physics saves lives by keeping the stupid ones out of
med school.
        Also, the MCAT even in the physical science portion (gen. chem
and physics) it is mostly verbal reasoning.  It is the most forgiving of
all sections in terms of grade given per number wrong.  However, as I
said, the trouble is reading the problems and the answers.  It is
concept heavy and the words matter especially then.  Just some info to
help you make your decision and justify it.


Sam Held


-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Lemmerhirt [mailto:flemmerhirt@MAIL.WCC.CC.IL.US]
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 11:31 AM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: Introductory Undergraduate Physics Sequence


Regarding the allocation of time to topics in the non-calculus course,
sequence:  It seems to me to be too easy to get bogged down in
kinematics, so I try to cut way back on kinematics problem solving and
limit myself to about two weeks, concentrating only on developing those
concepts of kinematics most relevant to dynamics.  That leaves me time
for some thermal physics, which I consider too important in the overall
scheme of things to be entirely omitted.

Similarly in the second semester, devoting 6 weeks to electrostatics
seems excessive.  But I have the same problem with tending to devote too
much time to optics (which I do first, partly because it fits well with
the concepts of mechanical waves, but mostly because the sequence of
labs that I use goes more smoothly that way).  I have to struggle to
limit optics to about 4 weeks.

As for the "mile wide / inch deep" model that Robert Cohen also
mentioned, I'm not sure I object to that too strongly in this course
sequence.  In my experience, the departments that require their students
to take this course do not expect the development of detailed knowledge
or specialized skills, but rather familiarity with many important and
useful concepts along with the "mental exercise" of taking a course that
requires lots of clear and careful thinking.

Fred Lemmerhirt
Waubonsee Community College


Robert A Cohen wrote:
> .
.
.
.

> Idea A: (approximately our current sequence)
>   first term: kinematics (4 weeks)
>               Newton's Laws and Gravitation (4 weeks)
>               Energy and Momentum (2 weeks)
>               Circular motion, SHM and some rotation (2 weeks)
>               Fluids (2 weeks)
>   second term:electrostatics (6 weeks)
>               DC circuits (3 weeks)
>               Magnetism and AC circuits (3 weeks)
>               Geometric optics (2 weeks)
.
.
.
.
.>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> | Robert Cohen               Department of Physics       |
> |                            East Stroudsburg University |
> | bbq@esu.edu                East Stroudsburg, PA  18301 |
> | http://www.esu.edu/~bbq/   (570) 422-3428              |
> |                            **note new area code**      |
> ----------------------------------------------------------