Physics content: Focus on classical physics and the Newtonian concepts of rectilinear motion, conservation of momentum and conservation of energy.

Philosophy and History of Physics: A comparison of Newtonian and pre-Newtonian models of motion.

Physics Education Research: Introduction to students’ misconceptions research on kinematics and dynamics.

Course Schedule (.pdf)

Course Link

NS 540 Concepts in Physics I: Force and Motion
Course Schedule

N.B.: The schedule below has not yet been adapted to the blended schedule of online and in-class meetings. Course readings may vary between course offerings.

Session 1: Describing motion
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.7
Activities: Motion worksheet; Lab activity – Position, Velocity, and Acceleration
History/Philosophy Activities: Introduction to Aristotle’s theory of motion.   Discussion of excerpts of his Physics.

Assignments for next session:

WebAssign: Assignment 1

Session 2: Motion with constant acceleration
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 2.3 – 2.8
Active Physics: Sports, Chapter 1, Activity 5 – Acceleration
            Activities: Lab activity – Motion with Constant Acceleration

Assignments for next session:

• Toulmin, S. and Goodfield, J. (1962). The premature synthesis. In The  fabric of heavens: The development of astronomy and dynamics. (pp. 90 – 105) New York: Harper & Row.

 

Session 3: Forces in 1-Dimension
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 4.1 – 4.8; 4.10
Activities: Lab activity – Forces between Carts; Newton’s Laws; Free-body  diagrams
History/Philosophy Activities: Class discussion on assigned reading ‘The premature synthesis’. Discussion of Zeno’s paradoxes and Aristotle’s response to this conceptual challenge to motion.

Assignments for next session:

WebAssign: Assignment 2

Session 4: Motion in Two Dimensions
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 1.5 – 1.9; Sections 3.1 – 3.3
Active Physics: Sports, Chapter 1, Activity 8 – Projectile Motion
Activities: Vectors and vector addition; Independence of X and Y

Assignments for next session:

Galileo, G. (1959). Accelerated motion. (excerpts from Dialogues concerning two sciences). In Shamos, Morris (ed.) Great Experiments in Physics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Newton, I. (1959). The laws of motion. (excerpts from the Principia). In Shamos, Morris (ed.) Great Experiments in Physics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Session 5: Projectile Motion
Test 1: One hour.
            Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 3.5
            Activities: Analyzing projectile motion; Monkey/hunter; Lab activity – Projectile Motion
History/Philosophy Activities: Group and class discussion on Galileo’s understanding of acceleration in his Dialogues. A comparison of Aristotle’s, Galileo’s and Newton’s understanding of force.

Assignments for next session:

WebAssign: Assignment 3

Session 6: Forces in 2-Dimensions
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 4.9; 4.11 – 4.13
           Activities: Friction; Free-body diagrams; Applying Newton’s Second Law

Assignments for next session:

• Toulmin, S. and Goodfield, J. (1962). The creation of mechanics. In The fabric of heavens: The development of astronomy and dynamics. New York: Harper & Row.

Session 7: Relative Velocity; Review
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Section 3.3
            Activities: Relative velocity in 1-D; Relative velocity in 2-D; Review force concepts
History/Philosophy Activities: Group and class discussion on projectile motion contrasting Aristotle’s, Galileo’s and Newton’s accounts.

Assignments for next session:

WebAssign: Assignment 4

Session 8: Beyond Force
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Section 7.1; 6.1 – 6.4
           Activities: Impulse; Work and Kinetic Energy; Lab activity – Energy and Work

Assignments for next session:

Summaries of two papers

• Halloun, I. A. and Hestenes, D. (1985). Common sense concepts about motion. Am. J. Phys, 53, 1056 – 1065.
• Clement, J. (1982). Students’ preconceptions in introductory mechanics. Am. J. Phys., 50, 66 – 71.
  

Session 9: Momentum Conservation
Test 2: One hour.
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Section 7.2 – 7.6
Active Physics: Sports, Chapter 2, Activity 7 – Collisions
Activities: Momentum conservation; collisions
Science Education Research Activity: overview; group and class discussion on the assigned Halloun & Hestenes and Clement articles.

Assignments for next session:

            WebAssign: Assignment 5
           Due before next session: Participate in on-line discussion of the papers
selected for preparing your curriculum design project or literature review project:
On motion in 1-D (these are short and related):

• Trowbridge, D.E. & McDermott, L.C. (1980). Investigation of student understanding of the concept of velocity in one dimension, Am. J. Phys,. 48( 12),1020–1028.
• McDermott, L.C., Rosenquist, M.L. & van Zee, E.H. (1987). Student difficulties in connecting graphs and physics: Examples from kinematics. Am. J. Phys., 55 (6), 503 – 513.
• Rosenquist, M.L. & McDermott, L.C. (1987). A conceptual approach to teaching kinematics. Am. J. Phys., 55 (5) 407 – 415.

On other misconceptions in mechanics:

• McDermott, L.C., Shaffer, P.S. and Somers, M.D. (1994). Research as a guide for teaching introductory mechanics: An illustration in the context of the Atwood’s Machine, Am. J. Phys,. 62 (1), 46 – 55.
• McCloskey, M. (1983). Intuitive Physics. Sci. Am., 248 (4), 122-130.

Session 10: Energy
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 6.5 – 6.8
            Activities: Lab activity – Collisions.

Assignments for next session:

Continue reading papers for projects.

Session 11: Energy Conservation
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Section 6.10
            Active Physics: Sports, Chapter 1, Activity 10 – Pole Vault
Activities: Springs, Hooke’s Law, Elastic Potential Energy; Energy Conservation
Science Education Research Activity: Work in pairs planning culminating projects.

Assignments for next session:

WebAssign: Assignment 6

Session 12: Combining Momentum and Energy
Sections from Cutnell & Johnson: Sections 7.3, 7.6
Activities: Ballistic pendulum-type situations; Comparing analysis methods
Science Education Research Activity: Students’ presentations

Session 13
Test 3: One hour.
Cumulative Take home examination.
Science Education Research Activity: Students’ presentations.
Hand in journals.
Course debriefing.
Course evaluations.

Bibliography

Selections from primary sources

Aristotle (1989). Book II. (excerpts from Physics). In Matthews, M. (Ed.) The scientific background to modern science. Selected readings. (pp. 5 – 26). Indianapolis: Hackett.

Galileo, G. (1959) Accelerated motion. (excerpts from Dialogues concerning two sciences). In Shamos, M. (Ed.) Great Experiments in Physics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Newton, I. (1959).  The laws of motion (excerpts from the Principia). In Shamos, M. (ed.) Great Experiments in Physics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Selections from secondary sources

Bostock, D. (1996). Introduction: Aristotle’s cosmology. In Aristotle. Physics. (pp. xv, xvii) Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

Toulmin, S. and Goodfield, J. (1962) The premature synthesis (Chap. 3); The creation of mechanics (Chap. 8). In The  fabric of heavens: the development of astronomy and dynamics. (pp. 90 – 105; 210 - 227).New York: Harper & Row.

Selections from Physics Education Research Literature

Trowbridge, D.E. & McDermott, L.C. (1980). Investigation of student understanding of the concept of velocity in one dimension, Am. J. Phys., 48 (12), 1020–1028.

McDermott, L.C., Rosenquist, M.L. & van Zee, E.H. (1987). Student difficulties in connecting graphs and physics: Examples from kinematics. Am. J. Phys., 55, 503 – 513.

Rosenquist, M.L. & McDermott, L.C. (1987). A conceptual approach to teaching kinematics. Am. J. Phys., 55 (5) 407 – 415.

McDermott, L.C., Shaffer, P.S. and Somers, M.D. (1994). Research as a guide for teaching introductory mechanics: An illustration in the context of the Atwood’s Machine, Am. J. Phys., 62 (1), 46 – 55.

McCloskey, M. (1983). Intuitive Physics. Sci. Am., 248 (4), 122-130.

Halloun, I. A. and Hestenes, D. (1985). Common sense concepts about motion. Am. J. Phys., 53, 1056 – 1065.

Clement, J. (1982). Students’ preconceptions in introductory mechanics. Am. J. Phys, 50, 66 – 71.