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General Physics Courseoutline

This document outlines a course in general physics for undergraduate natural science students. The 3 credit, semester-long course covers fundamental physics concepts across 7 chapters, including mechanics, heat and thermodynamics, fluids, oscillations and waves, electromagnetism, and applications. Students are expected to attend over 80% of lectures and all labs/demonstrations. Assessment includes quizzes, midterm and final exams. The goal is for students to understand basic physics principles, apply them, and appreciate their relevance across disciplines.

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Antonia mokuy
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126 views

General Physics Courseoutline

This document outlines a course in general physics for undergraduate natural science students. The 3 credit, semester-long course covers fundamental physics concepts across 7 chapters, including mechanics, heat and thermodynamics, fluids, oscillations and waves, electromagnetism, and applications. Students are expected to attend over 80% of lectures and all labs/demonstrations. Assessment includes quizzes, midterm and final exams. The goal is for students to understand basic physics principles, apply them, and appreciate their relevance across disciplines.

Uploaded by

Antonia mokuy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SANTE MEDICAL COLLEGE

Course outline for General physics (phys1011)


Course code: phys1011 Target year:
Course Credits: 3hrs Academic year: 2019/20 G.C/2012 E.C
Enrollment: Regular Program: undergraduate
Semester: I Instructor’s name: Ayenew.Y
Target Students’ Major: natural science E-Mail: [email protected]

Course Description
This algebra based course provides science students with the basic concepts of physics that enable them
to understand describe and explain natural phenomena. Emphasis is laid on general principles and
fundamental concepts in measurements, mechanical and thermal interactions, fluid mechanics,
electromagnetism, oscillations and waves with applications of physics in various fields of science. The
course is organized into 7 chapters. The chapters on mechanics introduce the principles and laws
governing the motion op objects and interaction between them as well as conservation laws. The chapter
on heat and temperature discusses the interaction between systems through the energy transfer and
describes some basic thermal properties of such systems. The chapters on oscillation, waves and optics
provide basic concepts of periodic motions, how waves transfer energy from one place to the other, and
use the concepts of light rays to explain image formation by mirrors and lenses. Electromagnetism and
electronics introduces the basic electric and magnetic phenomena using the concepts of field and treats
elementary concepts of semiconductors. Cross-cutting applications of physics explain the roles of physics
in agriculture, industries, medicine, archeology, power generation, Earth and space sciences.
Course Goal (Learning outcome)
• By the end of this course students will be able to

• Develop knowledge and skills in basic measurement and uncertainty

• Understand the basic concepts of physics and the relation between them(Laws)

• Describe and explain the natural phenomena using the basic concepts and Laws.

• Apply the basic concepts and laws to practical situations.

• Develop the algebraic skills needed to the theoretical and practical problems

• Appreciate the applicability of physics to a wide range of disciplines.


Lesson sequence plan
• Preliminaries (2hrs)
1.1 Physical Quantities and Units of Measurement
1.2 Uncertainty in Measurement and Significant Digits
1.3 Vectors: composition and resolution
1.4 Unit Vectors
2. Kinematics and dynamics of particles (13hrs)
2.1. Kinematics in One and Two Dimensions
2.1.1. Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration in 1D and 2D

2.1.2. Motion with Constant Acceleration

2.1.3. Free Fall Motion

2.1.4. Projectile motion

2.2. Particle Dynamics and Planetary Motion

2.2.1. The Concept of Force as a Measure of Interaction

2.2.2. Types of Forces

2.2.3. Newton’s Laws of Motion and Applications

2.2.4. Circular Motion

2.2.5. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation and Examples

2.2.6. Keepler’s Laws , Satellites Motion and Weightlessness


2.3 Work, Energy and Linear momentum
2.3.1. Work and Energy

2.3.2. Linear Momentum

2.3.3. Conservation of Energy and Linear Momentum / Collisions

2.3.4. Power

2.3.5. The Concept of Center of Mass


3. Fluid Mechanics (4hrs)
3.1. Properties of Bulk Matter /Stress, Strain/
3.2. Density and Pressure in Static Fluids
3.3. Buoyant Forces, Archimedes’ principle
3.4. Moving Fluids and Bernoulli’s Equation
• Mid Exam
4. Heat and Thermodynamics (5hrs)
4.1. The Concept of Temperature: Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
4.2. The Concept Heat and Work
4.3. Specific Heat and Latent Heat
4.4. Heat Transfer Mechanism
4.5. Thermal Expansion
4.6. Energy Conservation: First Law of Thermodynamics
5. Oscillations, Waves and Optics (5hrs)
5.1. Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)
5.2. The Simple Pendulum
5.3. Wave and Its Characteristics
5.4. Resonance
5.5. Doppler Effect
5.6. Image formation by thin lenses and mirrors

6. Electromagnetism and Electronics


(6hrs)
6.1. Coulomb’s Law and Electric Fields
6.2. Electric Potential
6.3. Current, Resistance and Ohm’s Law
6.4. Electrical Power
6.5. Equivalent Resistance and
Kirchhoff’s Law
6.6. Magnetic Field and Magnetic Flux
6.7. Electromagnetic Induction
6.8. Insulators, Conductors,
Semiconductors
6.9. Diodes / Characteristics Curve
6.10. Transistors
7. Cross-cutting application of physics
(4hrs)
7.1. Application in Agriculture:
• Energy balance concept, energy
balance in soils, moisture contents,
soil densities, soil moisture
characteristics
7.2. Physics and Industries : Principle of
motor and generator
7.3. Physics in health sciences an medical
imaging: Radiation and its biological effect,
X-RAY, MRI, Ultrasound.

7.4. Physics and Archeology: Radioactive


Dating

7.5. Application in Earth and space


sciences: Geothermal energy, seismometer,
Radio and TV communication.
7.6. Application in power generation:
Solar and wind energy, nuclear power plants,
hydroelectric power

Students must attend


Attendance and Class above 80% of the
Participation lecture classes and
100% of Lab/
Demonstration.
Demonstration/Lab work 15%
Grade Quizzes/Assignments 5%
Distrib- DC will decide on
Mid Exam 30%
ution missed Mid Exams.
Final Exam 50%
Neither late assignments nor late projects are allowed!
Teaching Lecture, Tutorial, Seminar /Demonstration …
Methods

References

• Serway, R. A. and Vuille, C., 2018, College Physics, 11th ed., Cengage Learning, Boston, USA
• University Physics with Modern Physics by Young, freedman and Lewis Ford
• Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics by Douglas C. Giancoli
• Fundamentals of physics by David Halliday, Robert Resnick and Gearl Walker
• College Physics by Hugh D. Young Sears Zemansky, 9th edition
• Herman Cember and Thomas A. Johnson, Introduction to Health Physics, 4th ed., (2008).
• William R. Hendee and E. Russell Ritenour, Medical Imaging Physics, 4th ed., (2002).
• Tayal D.C. Basic Electronics. 2nd ed. Himalaya Publishing House Mumbai, (1998).
• Theraja B.L., R.S. Sedha. Principles of Electronic Devices and Circuits, S.Chand and Company
Ltd, New Delhi, (2004).
• Introduction to Space Physics, M. G. Kivelson and C. T. Russell, Cambridge University Press,
1995.
• Stacey, Frank D.: Physics of the earth. 2nd Ed.,Wiley, 1977.
• https://sites.google.com/site/apphysics1online/home
• https://phys.libretexts.org/

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