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Course Introduction

Hello!

Welcome to the University of Florida's Physics 2020 online course! All the information required to stay up to date and succeed in this course can be found on this website. The course is organized into Modules that can be access through the Module link on the left, from the home page, or using the navigation arrows at the end of each section. Within each module you'll find the links to the lectures, homework problems, videos of practice problems being solved, and a link to exam review questions. If you have a question about how to navigate the website or about the organization of the course, you can post a question on the Technology Q & A discussion board.

To get started

Course goal

The goal of this course is to expose you, the student, to the foundations and principles of physics—the most basic of the experimental sciences. To assess your understanding of these principles, we ask you to apply them to physics problems. It is easy to remember "F = ma", but unless you understand when to use it and how to apply it, knowing it is of no use! We hope that understanding these principles will give you a greater appreciation of the world around you and how it works.

Teaching personnel

This semester, the instructor for this online course is Prof. Shawn Weatherford. Two people whose faces will become very familiar to you are Professor John Yelton and Teaching Assistant Jonathan Trinastic, who made most of the videos and were instrumental in the original set-up of the course.

Prerequisites

High school algebra and trigonometry, or equivalent.

Optional Textbook

We make two suggestions for textbooks: Physics: Principles with Applications by D.C. Giancoli and Conceptual Physics by Paul Hewitt. Note that these book are not required because the online lectures, examples, demonstrations, and practice problem solutions cover all topics that will be tested. However, a supplementary textbook can be helpful to read about a topic from a different perspective and as a resource for additional problem-solving practice. Second-hand copies of these books are readily available at low cost online. The two books have slightly different approaches. Hewitt's, as one would expect from a conceptual book, uses more pictures and words. Giancoli's book is more formal and numerical in its approach. The order of the material in this online course is close to that of Giancoli.

Course navigation

This course is comprised of modules that will build on content throughout the semester. Within each module you will have access to video lectures, demonstrations, examples, practice problems, problem solutions and sample exam questions. To monitor your learning, each section will include "test your understanding" questions and (graded) quiz questions. You can complete quizzes ahead of the deadlines listed in the syllabus. The course will also include three online exams that must be taken on specified dates and will be proctored through Honorlock Links to an external site..

Course content

Modules: This link will take you to the core content of the course, where you will find a link to each major topic. Within each module you'll find the lectures, practice problems, and problem solutions.

Quizzes: After each module you will complete a quiz on the content covered. You should complete the quiz to move on to the next module of the course. To get full credit for a quiz, you must submit it before 11:59 p.m. on the due date listed in the syllabus. A quiz may be submitted late for partial credit until 11:59 p.m. on the night before the next exam. Submissions that are up to 24 hours late will receive 75% credit, while submissions that are more than 24 hours late will receive 50% credit.

Exams: You will have up to 120 minutes for each exam and will be provided with a formula list embedded in the first question as well as access to an online scientific calculator. You are allowed to use blank scratch papers and pencils/pens. You are not allowed any written materials such as formula sheets or worked problems, nor can you communicate with anyone other than the proctor during the exam. You are expected to follow the University Honor Code regarding Academic Honesty (https://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/policies/student-honor-code-student-conduct-code Links to an external site.). Exam reviews and practice exams appear in Modules 6, 10, and 16. You will gain the greatest benefit from the practice exams if you take them under near-exam conditions, meaning that you use only the formula sheet that will be shared ahead of the exam, a scientific calculator, blank scratch paper, and pens/pencils.

Forums: The course forums will be run through Canvas. If you have a question about the course or a specific problem, please post in the relevant topic area in the Canvas Discussion section (found in the menu on the left-hand side of the Canvas course home page) and the course instructor will aim to respond within 24 hours.

Students are encouraged to use the Chat button on the left to talk to each other, set up study groups, etc. The instructor also has access to the chat room, so keep comments appropriate! "Discussions" (otherwise known as forums) are more efficient for asking questions directly to the instructor.

Technical Problems

If any links or videos in the course website do not work, please post on the Technical Support Discussion Forum and the problem will be fixed as soon as possible.