General College Physics

Wisconsin Lutheran High School

Week 1 (Aug. 14 - 16)

Welcome to General College Physics at Wisconsin Lutheran High School! The sidebar (to the right) has some basic information about this course, such as the Professor's contact information and the textbook we will be using. You might wish to take a look at that first.

Reading: PSE Chap 1, Physics and Measurement

In the first week of class, we will begin by talking about Physics and Measurement. You should read chapter 1 of the textbook: the Pocket guide to accompany Physics for Scientists and Engineers (PSE) for this week.

Topics: This week, we will be covering some preliminary information on units such as length, time and mass. We'll discuss unit conversions and learn the valuable technique of dimensional analysis

Lab: To put this into practice, we'll do an experiment on pendulum motion during week 2.

Week 1 Homework Problems: Here are some problems involving the concepts of dimensional analysis and significant figures. You may work on these with an accomplice, but you must write up and submit your own solutions. To receive full credit, your solutions must be handed in to me by the due date. These problems serve as valuable practice to prepare you for quizzes and tests.

Dimensions and units: Write down the dimensions of, and the MKS units of, the following quantities: speed, acceleration, density, and force.
Coulomb's law dimensions: Coulomb's law allows one to calculate the force that one electrical charge exerts on a second, nearby, electrical charge. The formula for Coulomb's law is: (Force) = (coulomb's constant) * (charge 1) * (charge 2) / (distance between charges)^2. Don't worry if you are not familiar with this formula. Just use the technique of dimensional analysis, to determine the dimension of coulomb's constant. What might be the units of coulomb's constant? Hint: the dimension of charge is Q and the MKS units are Coulombs. Answer: The units of the coulomb constant in SI are Newton-meter^2/coulomb^2. The dimension is M L^3 / T^2 Q^2
Wave speed dimensions: The speed of a wave traveling on the surface of the ocean depends only on (i) its wavelength and (ii) the acceleration of gravity. Using the technique of dimensional analysis, find a mathematical formula for the speed of the wave. Answer: v is proportional to sqrt(g * lambda).
Density and significant figures: Calculate the density (in grams per cubic centimeter) of a solid cube that measures 5.00 cm on each side and has a mass of 351 grams. Pay careful attention to significant figures. How many are there in your answer? Answer: Density = 351 grams/125 cc = 2.81 g/cc.
Kinetic energy dimensions (additional, optional problem): When an object is moving, it is said to have "kinetic energy". The kinetic energy, K, depends on two things: the mass of the object and its speed, v. Use the technique of dimensional analysis to find how K depends on m and v. Afterwards, look up the formula for kinetic energy; were you right?
Hydrostatic pressure dimensions (additional, optional problem): When a submarine descends into the depths of the ocean, the pressure on the hull increases. The pressure is the force per unit area of the water pushing inward on the surface of the submarine. Use the technique of dimensional analysis to find how the pressure, P, depends on three quantities: the depth, y, the density of the water, d, and the acceleration of gravity, g. That is: find P = P(y,d,g). Look up the formula for hydrostatic pressure; were you right?

Quiz: not yet (it's the first week!)

Classroom problems: As a reminder, these are some of the problems we worked out in class…

Dimensions and units: the universal gravitational constant, G, that appears in Newtons' universal law of gravitation.
Dimensions and units: energy, E, that appears in Einstein's formula E=mc^2.
Dimensional analysis: determine how the frequency of a stretched vibrating string depends on its length, tension, and mass per unit length.

General College Physics

Return to course website.

Course syllabus

General College Physics is a year-long introductory college-level course for advanced (typically junior or senior level) students at Wisconsin Lutheran High School. It is a dual-credit course offered at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in collaboration with Wisconsin Lutheran College. This means that students enrolled in the course have the option of receiving credit for a four-credit algebra-based laboratory science course from the College.

During the first semester, we will primarily study the science of motion and its relationship to forces. Topics include: dimensional analysis, measurement, uncertainty, estimation, 2 dimensional kinematics, projectile motion, newton’s laws of motion, force diagrams, centripetal force, circular motion, conservation of energy and momentum, torque, angular momentum, oscillations, and gravity. During the second semester, we will explore a number of inter-related topics including: heat, thermometry, the laws of thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, electromagnetic induction, radiation, atomic theory, and nuclear physics.

Emphasis on theoretical topics, careful thinking, laboratory experiments, and problem solving makes this course challenging. My aim is to help you succeed in this course, and to have fun while learning physics. So please do not hesitate to contact me with any problems you may run into this semester!

Course textbook: The course will be organized around a book: the Pocket Guide to accompany Physics for Scientists and Engineers (4th edition) by Serway. (I’ll call this PSE for short.) I would highly recommend obtaining a copy of this book. It is inexpensive, compact, and well-written. It will make a very handy addition to your home science library. If you don't want to buy it, I will have copies to loan out for the semester.

Course time and location: The course meets on a rotating schedule in WLHS 223—the science wing on the first floor of WLHS.

Professor: Dr. Kuehn from Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) is the professor for this course. Contact info: kerry.kuehn[at]wlhs.org

Registration for College Credit: Wisconsin Lutheran College is requiring students in this course who are interested in obtaining college credit. Please apply in the application link below for each class you are wishing to apply for college credit. This must be approved by Friday, September 27.

https://admissions.wlc.edu/register/foundations

Once students apply we will wait for Wisconsin Lutheran College to confirm eligibility and requirements for college credit and communicate out further information. Please reach out to Mr. Davis if you have any questions.

Teaching Assistant contact info: The Wednesday course sections (beginning in September) will be overseen by a teaching assistants. Alyssa Ebeling is an upper-level physics major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Contact info: alyssa.ebeling[at]wlc.edu

Course websites: In addition to the course information provided through WLHS’s OnCampus system, we will be also using a website I’ve designed for this course: www.greatphysics.com/WLHS/

Homework exercises: I will assign weekly homework problems. These are designed to deepen your understanding of lecture material and to prepare you for the quizzes and tests. I do not intend to grade your homework solutions; I will merely give you credit for handing in your best attempt by the due date. Late work will receive reduced credit.

Laboratory exercises: Some of our weekly assignments will include laboratory work. Labs will typically take up at least two class periods. Your laboratory notebook pages must be submitted by the assigned due date. More details about the required format and expectations will be discussed before the first laboratory period. You will need to order/purchase a dedicated laboratory notebook. Here are guildlines on what to include in your laboratory notebook.

Quizzes: We will have in-class quizzes almost every week on Monday. To prepare for quizzes, you should read the assigned book chapter (at least once), review the lecture material, complete all of the homework problems, and review the homework solutions.

Tests: We will have a midterm exam before the end of the first (and third) quarters and a comprehensive final examination before the end of the second (and fourth) quarters.

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