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[Phys-L] Freshman Physics



I teach at a community college. Due to rising tuition rates, our physics
classes have grown, mostly with those students who want to go on to
engineering majors when they transfer. Because of the increase, I can't
teach every section anymore and I hired an Adjunct who is a retired high
school AP physics teacher.

After much discussion, he's convinced that I am asking too much of the
students! His contention is that the problems I make them do for quizzes
and tests are too difficult for this level. For example, I just had them
do the following 2 problems:

1. You are standing 20 meters from a building. The building is 10 meters
wide and 35 meters high. The second person is 50 meters from the other
side of the building. With what initial speed and launch angle should a
ball be thrown to get to the second person.

HINT: The “peak” of the building (35 m) is located directly at the
midpoint of the building. To ensure that the ball clears the top of the
building, its height above the ground should be no less than 35.1m at this
point.

2. A uniform rope of length L has a mass M. It is stretched out along a
table with a portion of the rope, x, hanging over the edge of the table. There
is a coefficient of friction, μ, between the rope and the table.

a. What fractional length of rope must be hanging off the table for it to
begin to move?

b. If there is sufficient rope hanging off the table, what is the
functional form of its velocity as a function of x?

I thought they were interesting problems that would be useful to them. He
is adamant that the problems are too complex for Freshman.

Which brings me to my question -- am I expecting too much from these
students when asking such questions?

Thanks,
Peter Schoch