Physics 211

This website served the Fall 2007 term of Dr. Koberlein's College Physics I course. The course has completed, and the site is now closed. Feel free to browse through the site if you wish, but I don't guarantee all the links still work.

Today is the final exam. It will be held from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm in room 12-3215. Please note that this is not our regular lecture room.

All necessary equations (and some unnecessary ones) will be provided. You may use a calculator (not a PDA). Cell phones should be turned off and stowed away. Make sure you have a backup pen or pencil. You will have two hours to complete the exam.

The formula sheet for the final exam can be found here. You cannot bring this to the exam. A copy of this sheet will be provided to you.

Today we will review for the final. Come prepared with any questions you have on any of the topics which have given you difficulty.

A copy of the equation sheet for the final can be found here. The formula sheet will be posted as soon as I get a final copy.

The final exam will be scheduled by the registrar. When it is announced, I will post the date and time here.

Today we will look at conservation of rotational momentum, specifically how it applies to rotational collisions.

Rotational Collision: Download PDF

Today we see how energy applies to collisions. If there is time, we will also review for the final exam.

Today we will continue our discussion of work and energy by examining how rotation comes into play. As we will see, there is both a linear and a rotational form of kinetic energy. We will have to take both into account to make accurate predictions.

Rotational Energy and Rolling Motion: Download PDF

Today we will continue our discussion of work and mechanical energy. We will look at several problems. As we will see, energy conservation will not only make things simpler, it will allow us to solve problems we couldn't do otherwise.

Energy Graphs: Download PDF

Today will be our third exam. It will take place at the beginning of class.

All necessary equations (and some unnecessary ones) will be provided. You may use a calculator (not a PDA). Cell phones should be turned off and stowed away. Make sure you have a backup pen or pencil. You will have 50 minutes to complete the exam.

After the exam we will take a short break, then discuss energy. We will examine several forms of energy, including potential and kinetic energy, as well as demonstrate how conservation of energy can be used to greatly simplify problems.

Today we will look and work and energy. In terms of work, there are two types of forces, conservative and nonconservative. We will study the difference between them. If the forces acting on a system are conservative, then we can apply conservation of mechanical energy, which will greatly simplify things. If we have time we will look at some conservation of energy exercises.

Conservative and Nonconservative Forces: Download PDF

Conservation of Energy Problems: Download PDF

The formula sheet for the third exam can be found here.

Today we will study the rotational version of momentum, known as angular momentum.

Angular Momentum: Download PDF

Today we will introduce the concept of momentum, which is a conserved quantity. We will examine both linear and rotational conservation of momentum. As we will see, conservation of momentum is very useful in collision problems, where large forces act over short times. This will lead to the concept of impulse.

Today we will discuss the "rotational force", known as torque. Just as a balance of linear forces leads to equilibrium, a balance of torques will lead to rotational equilibrium. We will examine how to calculate torques from forces, and how to determine rotational equilibrium.

Torque Calculation: Download PDF

Rotational Equilibruim: Download PDF

Today we will look at rotational dynamics. Just as there are laws governing linear forces, there are laws governing rotational torque. As we will see, there is a rotational form of Newton's Second Law which defines a "rotational mass", known as Moment of Inertia.

Torque and Moment of Inertia: Download PDF

Today we will introduce torque, which is a kind of rotational force. This will lead us to the concept of moment of inertia for rigid bodies (a kind of rotational mass), and then to a rotational version of Newton's Second Law. We will look at the concept of rotational equilibrium, and we will look at some examples, such as rolling without slipping.

Related Worksheet: Torque Calculations.

Today we will look at the rotational equations of motion. They will look very familiar.

Rotational Kinematics: Download PDF

The final exam has been scheduled:

Date: 14 November
Time: 10:15 - 12:15
Room: 12-3215

Today we will continue our discussion of circular motion. We will look at the force needed to produce circular motion, known as centripetal force. This is a long exercise, so come prepared.

Centripetal Force: Download PDF

Today will be our second exam. It will take place at the beginning of class.

All necessary equations (and some unnecessary ones) will be provided. You may use a calculator (not a PDA). Cell phones should be turned off and stowed away. Make sure you have a backup pen or pencil. You will have 50 minutes to complete the exam.

After the exam we will take a short break, then introduce the concept of rotational kinematics. As we will see, a new type of coordinates can be introduced which is well suited to rotation. This will also lead to the concept of a rotational force, known as torque.

Today we will look at a special case of 2 Dimensional Motion, known as uniform circular motion.

Motion in 2D - Circular Track: Download PDF

Circular Track Worksheets: Download PDF

The formula sheet for the second exam can be found here.

Today we will continue our study of Newton's Second Law of motion. We will look at an examples of Newton's Second Law, known as the Atwood's Machine, and we will also work through some exercises.

Atwood's Machine: Download PDF

Exercises: Download PDF

Problems 5 and 6 on Homework 3 require calculus to complete. Which isn't fair, given that you aren't required to know calculus for the course. They have been dropped from the homework, and you will not lose any credit if you didn't finish them. Also, I have extended the deadline until Friday at 10pm.

Additionally, if you have downloaded Homework 4, download it again. A new version has been posted.

My apologies for the errors.

Today we will look at universal gravity. Our discussion of gravity will lead us into the concept of circular motion.

Today we will examine Newton's Second Law, also known as the force law. As we will see, this law relates the dynamics of motion to our kinematic equations.

Newton's Second Law: Download PDF

Today we will look at Newton's Third Law, known as the law of action-reaction.

Interaction Forces: Download PDF

Today we will introduce Newton's Laws. We will review the kinematic equations, see how they connect to Newton's laws, then look at several example problems.

Today we will look at forces. Forces are vectors, so we will also need to discuss the general properties of vectors.

Vectors Homework: Download PDF

Forces and Equilibrium: Download PDF

Today we will look at the free-fall motion of a ball, and see if it follows our kinematic equations. This is a long experiment, so come prepared. Do the homework before coming to class.

Ball Drop Homework: Download PDF

Ball Drop: Download PDF

Today will be our first exam. It will take place at the beginning of class.

All necessary equations (and some unnecessary ones) will be provided. You may use a calculator (not a PDA). You should also have a protractor and a ruler. Cell phones should be turned off and stowed away. Make sure you have a backup pen or pencil. You will have 50 minutes to complete the exam.

After the exam we will take a short break, then introduce the concept of Forces. We will look at a variety of forces, including the gravitational force, normal force, tension force, frictional force and the spring force.

Related Activity: Equilibrium and Free Body Diagrams.

The formula sheet for the first exam can be found here. It may not look like much, but it will grow with each exam.

Today we will begin our discussion of kinematics and graphs. We will also look at some kinematics problems, including how to design an air bag.

Position-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs: Download PDF

Motion Diagrams and Graphs: Download PDF

Motion Diagram Example: Download PDF

Today we will begin a discussion of forces. We will also look at how to take measurements with Logger Pro. It will be useful to go through the Logger Pro tutorial before class.

Logger Pro Homework: Download PDF

LabPro and Force Sensor: Download PDF

In today's lecture we will discuss instantaneous velocity and acceleration. We will look at graphs of position vs. time, velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time. We will also review some basic trigonometry, and introduce the concept of vectors.

Today we will look at measurement and the nature of uncertainties in measurements.

Measurement Homework: Download PDF

Measurement and Uncertainty: Download PDF

A good overview of uncertainties can be found here: Download PDF

Today in Workshop we will begin with an exercise in estimation. Estimation is very useful in experimental science as a tool for checking the correctness of your measurements. We will also look at the measurements, uncertainties and the conversion of units.

Estimation Exercise: Download PDF

Unit Conversion: Download PDF

Today's lecture will start with a general introduction to the course. We will go over the syllabus and related items. We will discuss basic things such as units, conversion of units, and dimensional analysis. We will also discuss kinematics, including dispacement, average velocity and acceleration, and motion diagrams.

Welcome to the website for College 211. Here is where you will find copies of the syllabus, schedules for the lectures and workshops, and any other useful information.