Physics 132 Physics for Biologists II

Prerequisites

We expect you to have successfully completed intro classes in bio, chem, and math.

• One year of college biology (BSCI 105 and 106 or the equivalent)
• One semester of college chemistry (CHEM 131 or the equivalent)
• One year of college math (MATH 130 and 131 or the equivalent -- calculus and an introduction to probability)
• Physics 131. (There are very few other classes that are equivalent to our PHYS 131. High School AP physics does not cover the necessary topics. If you are trying to take 132 after taking another intro physics I class, check our Catch-up Readings that show topics, terms, and methods you will be expected to know.)

We expect you to know the basics, not all the details -- what a cell is and its structure, how evolution works, what a chemical bond is, etc. You will be expected to bring your knowledge from these classes into our class and, on occassion, to share it.

What do I need to buy?

All our materials are online on the open web. You will only need to buy an online access program that we will use for our in-class activities and an program where you will do your homework.

• (Redish only) TopHat -- This is the online app that will give you access to our in-class activities. Using this repquires a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If you don't have any of those, see you instructor for an accomodation. TopHat will be contacting you with instructions through the email you used to register for classes. Please be sure to use that email address when registering for TopHat, otherwise you will not get the points for your participation. The join code is
  • Redish: PHYS132 Section 010x:
    Join code: 681039
• (Redish only) WebAssign -- This is the online app that you will use to do most of our homework problems. (There is also one problem per week to be done on paper and short reading assignments to be done on ELMS.) You can expect it to cost about $35 for each semester. For instructions on how to purchase this, go to the page https://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/isbn/9781337793070.
  • When you register for WebAssign, please use your last name followed by your first and middle (if you have one) initials. So "Lady Gaga" would use GagaL. Please spell your name the same way it appears in ELMS, except if you have punctuation in your name (e.g. O'Malley), please spell it without the punctuation (e.g. OMalley). This will help make sure that your points get properly transferred from WebAssign to ELMS.
  • The Institution Code is "umd" and the Class Keys are eight-digit codes.Be sure to sign up for the right sections!
    • Redish: PHYS132 Section 010x:
      Class key: umd 1007 5538
• What about a text? -- Although we are trying to keep costs down for you by using an online text, some people prefer paper. Our text is offered in an optional printed version through XanEdu. (Though you won't get the links and videos connected to the text if you use paper.)
• What about a lab manual? -- The recitation and lab worksheetsare online at our lab page. You will need to print them out before coming to recitation and lab each week.

What else do I need?

• A Spreadsheet -- Some of our homework and lab activities require a spreadsheet to do repetitive calculations. You can use Excel, OpenOffice, or the spreadsheet available at Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/). To use Google Docs, you need to have a free Google account (a free Gmail account will work.)
  • If you are unfamiliar with spreadsheets, there are good tutorials on the web. Here are some that look particularly appropriate. Many others are easily found by putting "Excel tutorial" into your favorite search engine. We will do our own training on Excel in the first lab.
    
    • http://www.excel-easy.com
    • http://www.baycongroup.com/excel.htm
• A Video Analysis Program -- In the lab, you will use ImageJ to quantitatively analyze images and videos. .
  We will help you install this in the laboratory period during the second week of the term if you have not already done so.