Schedule -- Dreyfus

Notes:

  • This schedule is subject to change.
  • For the Reading Assignments, you need to ask a question online in WebAssign on 1-3 of the assigned readings. These are generally due at 9 PM the previous night and worth about 1 participation point per reading. Yes, they add up.
  • Some slides will be posted in PDF format on ELMS after (never before!) the class takes place. If you miss a class, these notes do not suffice to fill you in on what happened! Be sure to check with someone who actually attended!
  • From Labor Day through Thanksgiving, the "week" for labs/recitations runs from Tuesday to Monday. Thus, each week, the Monday sections will be doing the same lab/recitation activity that the other sections did the week before (so Monday sections should look at the previous week on the schedule). During the week of Labor Day, all non-Monday sections will have lab/recitation. During the week of Thanksgiving, only the Monday sections will have lab/recitation.
Date Class Reading Content Quiz

Week 1

 Recitation: Surveys Lab 0: Intro
T 9/1 1

1. Introduction to the class
1.1 The disciplines: Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Math
1.1.1 Science as making models
1.1.4 What Physics can do for Biologists
1.2 Thinking about Thinking and Knowing
1.2.1 The nature of scientific knowledge
1.2.3 Knowing-how-we-know icons

Why are you here?  
Th 9/3 2

2. Modeling with mathematics
2.1 Using math in science
2.1.1 How math in science is different from math in math
2.1.2 Measurement
2.1.3 Dimensions and units
2.1.3.1 Complex dimensions and dimensional analysis
2.1.3.2 Changing units
2.1.4 Estimation
2.1.4.1 Useful numbers
2.2.3 The idea of algebra: unknowns and relationships
2.2.3.1 Symbols in science

 Modeling, dimensions  

Week 2

 Recitation: How big is a worm Lab 1: Quantifying motion from images and videos
T 9/8 3 I-1 Interlude 1: The Main Question: How do things move?
3 Kinematics: Where and When?
3.1.1 Coordinates
3.1.2 Vectors
3.1.3 Time
3.1.4 Kinematics Graphs
Coordinates and vectors Quiz 1
Th 9/10 4

2.2.5 Values, change, and rates of change
2.2.5.1 Derivatives
2.2.5.1.1 What is a derivative, anyway?

3.2 Kinematic Variables
3.2.1 Velocity
3.2.1.1 Average velocity
3.2.1.2 Instantaneous velocity
3.2.1.3 Calculating with average velocity

 Rates of change & velocity  

Week 3

 Recitation: Cat and Antelope Lab 1: Quantifying motion from images and videos
T 9/15 5 3.2.2 Acceleration
3.2.2.1 Average acceleration
3.2.2.2 Instantaneous acceleration
3.2.2.3 Calculating with constant acceleration
3.2.3 Kinematics graphs and consistency
3.2.3.1 Reading the content in the kinematic equations
 Acceleration Quiz 2
Th 9/17 6 4.1.1 Physical content of Newton's Laws
4.1.1.1 Object egotism
4.1.1.2 Inertia
4.1.1.3 Interactions
4.1.1.4 Superposition
4.1.1.5 Mass
4.1.1.6 Reciprocity


4.1.2 Formulation of Newton's Laws as foothold principles
4.1.2.1 Quantifying impulse and force
4.1.2.2 Newton's 0th Law
4.1.2.2.1 Free-body diagrams
4.1.2.2.2 System Schema Introduction

Intro to Newton's Laws  

Week 4

 Recitation:Thinking about forces for objects and systems Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
T 9/22 7

4.1.2.3 Newton's 1st law
4.1.2.4 Newton's 2nd law
4.1.2.4.1 Reading the content in Newton's 2nd law 

Newton 1 and 2 Quiz 3
Th 9/24 8 4.1.2.5 Newton's 3rd law 
4.1.2.5.1 Using system schemas for Newton's 3rd law
4.1.2.6 Center of mass
Newton 3

Week 5

 Recitation: The spring constant of DNA Lab 2: Inferring force characteristics from motion analysis
T 9/29 9

4.2 Kinds of Forces
4.2.1 Springs 
4.2.1.1 Realistic springs
4.2.1.2 Normal forces
4.2.1.2.1 A simple model of solid matter
4.2.1.3 Tension forces

Springs and normal force Quiz 4
Th 10/1 10 4.2.2 Resistive forces
4.2.2.1 Friction
4.2.2.2 Viscosity
4.2.2.3 Drag

Resistive forces

  

Week 6

 Recitation: Motion of a paramecium Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 10/6 11 4.2.3 Gravitational forces
4.2.3.1 Flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.1.1 Free-fall in flat-earth gravity
4.2.3.3 The gravitational field 		Gravity Quiz 5
Th 10/8 12 MIDTERM 1 (on lectures 1-10)

Week 7

 Recitation: Electrostatic force and Hydrogen bonds Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 10/13 13

4.2.4 Electric forces
4.2.4.1 Charge and the structure of matter
4.2.4.2 Polarization
4.2.4.3 Coulomb's law

 Electric forces  
Th 10/15 14

3.1.2.1 Adding Vectors
3.1.2.1.1 Example: vector addition
3.1.2.1.2 Example: vector subtraction

4.2.4.3.1 Coulomb's law -- vector character
4.2.4.3.2 Reading the content in Coulomb's law
4.2.4.4 The Electric field 

Electric forces and electric field  

Week 8

 Recitation: Electrophoresis Lab 3: Observing Brownian motion
T 10/20 15

4.3 Coherent vs. random motion
4.3.1 Linear momentum
4.3.1.1 Restating Newton's 2nd law: momentum
4.3.1.2 Momentum conservation


Momentum		 Quiz 6
Th 10/22 16

4.3.2 The role of randomness: Biological implications
4.3.3 Diffusion and random walks
4.3.3.1 Fick's law
4.3.3.1.1 Reading the content in Fick's first law

 Random motion and diffusion

Week 9

 Recitation: Diffusion in cells Lab 4: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
T 10/27 17

5. Macro models of matter
5.1.1 Density-solids
5.1.2 Young's modulus
5.1.6 Soft matter
5.1.6.1 Mechanical properties of cells

 Solids Quiz 7
Th 10/29 18

5.2 Fluids
5.2.1 Pressure

I-2: Interlude 2: The Micro to Macro Connection

7.1 Kinetic theory: the ideal gas law

Fluids and kinetic theory  

Week 10

 Recitation: Gas properties and pressure Lab 4: The competition between Brownian motion and directed forces
T 11/3 19

5.2.2 Archimedes' Principle
5.2.3 Buoyancy

5.2.5.2.1 Surface tension
 Buoyancy and surface tension Quiz 8
Th 11/5 20 5.2.6 Fluid flow
5.2.6.1 Quantifying fluid flow
5.2.6.2 The continuity equation
5.2.6.3 Internal flow -- the HP equation

 Fluid flow

Week 11

 Recitation: Fluid flow Lab 5: Motion and work in living systems
T 11/10 21 6. Energy: The Quantity of Motion
6.1 Kinetic energy and the work-energy theorem
6.1.1 Reading the content in the Work-Energy theorem		 Work and energy Quiz 9
Th 11/12 22 MIDTERM 2 (cumulative, focusing on lectures 11-20)

Week 12

 Recitation: Energy skate park Lab 5: Motion and Work in living systems
T 11/17 23 6.2 Energy of place -- potential energy
6.2.1 Gravitational potential energy
6.2.2 Spring potential energy
6.2.3 Electric potential energy		 Potential energy  
Th 11/19 24 6.3 The conservation of mechanical energy
6.3.1 Interpreting mechanical energy graphs
6.3.2 Mechanical energy loss -- thermal energy

6.3.3 Forces from potential energy

 Conservation of energy  

Week 13

 No Recitation (except Monday) No Lab (except Monday)
T 11/24 25 6.4.1 Energy at the sub-molecular level
6.4.2 Atomic and Molecular forces
6.4.2.1 Interatomic forces
6.4.2.1.1 The Lennard-Jones Potential
6.4.2.2 Chemical bonding		 Chemical energy Quiz 10

Week 14

 Recitation: Protein stability Lab: Makeup lab
T 12/1 26 6.5 Energy in fluid flow
6.5.1 Bernoulli's principle

5.3 Heat and temperature
5.3.2 Thermal properties of matter
5.3.2.1 Thermal energy and specific heat
5.3.2.2 Heat capacity
5.3.2.3 Heat transfer

Heat and temperature

  
Th 12/3 27 7. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
7.2 The 1st law of thermodynamics		 The 1st law of thermodynamics

Week 15

  Recitation: Temperature regulation  Lab: Surveys
T 12/8 28 7.3 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
7.3.1 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: A Probabilistic Law
7.3.2 Implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics 		The 2nd law of thermodynamics Quiz 11 
Th 12/10 29 No reading Review  

Final Exam

 Wednesday, December 16, 6:30-8:30 pm