Introduction to Physics: Communicating the Principles of Science

1. Physics 211 (welcome!) Instructor: Chris Coffin Wngr 309 coffinc@physics.oregonstate.edu All course info is online. Go to Canvas first (for starting announcements), then to http://physics.oregonstate.edu/~coffinc/COURSES/ph211

2. Classroom Courtesy Spend your tuition as you wish, but you must let others hear and see for the entire 50 minutes. So… Don’t be late. Class starts at the top of the hour—often with a clicker question. Silence your phone/tablet/computer. Do NOT start packing up before the lecture ends. I cannot usually answer questions immediately before lecture. I must use that time to set up and to concentrate on what I’m about to present.

3. Classroom Activity Sometimes I’ll talk. Sometimes you’ll talk with one another. Sometimes we’ll all have a conversation. This course is definitely about talking. In fact, we have a couple of dedicated conversationalists in the room—they are called Learning Assistants (LAs for short). They were students in this very course last year, and they’ve returned to work with me this year. Their only role is to wander this room so that no matter what, you always have someone you can talk to. They don’t score or grade you on anything—and they don’t share with me anything about what you talk about unless you OK it. They don’t judge or push. They know what it’s like sitting in your chair, and they’ll do their best to make it easier for you than it was for them. You can talk to them.

4. Can you finish this common saying? “You never really understand something until you can ___________________________ .”

5. So… what are you going to do in this class? 1. Practice using your own words to express the ideas of physics and the methods of science. 2. Practice using your own words to translate from a real-life situation to a mathematical model. 3. Practice using your own words to reason through a situation you’ve never encountered before—but using principles you already know.

6. Using your own words is a major portion of the credit in this course. Guessing is not rewarded. No exam answer (not even a T/F/N question) is accepted as correct until/unless you explain in your own words/methods why and how it’s correct. Why? Because in the real world (any profession, almost any endeavor), simply being right isn’t enough. You have to convince others that you’re right.

7. Evaluate the following statement (T/F/N): “February has 29 days.” 1. True 2. False 3. Not enough information.

8. How to Do Well in This Course Come to class prepared to work problems! You’ll need to know already the basic material from the guided study offered online. Use a steady pace—do NOT wait and let work pile up! Use the Course Calendar to budget your time/energy. A little bit of thinking about physics every day is MUCH better than trying to hurry through it all piled up before a due date. I will try to guide you smoothly as possible through each work week—and there is a weekly cycle. Be an active learner. (What’s that?)

9. Why MUST you use active learning to succeed in this course? Because physics is all about understanding—not memorizing. Think about it….

10. The forest… the trees… the roots… Biology is staggeringly complex: untold billions of organisms and relationships—all formed by fewer than 100 chemical elements. But what governs the chemistry—and the universe it sloshes around in? How does it hold together? Or move? Or expand? Just a few very powerful principles.

11. (zoom in….)

12. And how do we express those principles? How do we describe the few deep consistencies of the universe? With mathematics. Math is the language.Physics is the story. It’s a story of principles, not facts; and unraveling those few principles requires deductive reasoning. You’re not here to memorize facts. Your goal is tounderstand how the facts arise (and to predict them) from the principles.

13. Concentrate on the principles—those are your tools. Don’t try “cram and flush” or verbatim “rehearsals” for the exams—that’s the wrong way to study. Why? Because the exam problems will be ones you’ve never seen before. You must understand the principles and then translate your words into mathematical language using those principles. This takes practice—here in class and on your own.

14. So first, choose your own words well. Let them enhance, rather than obscure, your meaning. “To be or not to be…” “When in the course of human events,…” “There is no frigate like a book…” “Four-score and seven years ago,…” “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” “I pledge allegiance to the flag…” “Keep things as simple as possible—but no simpler.”

15. And don’t forget: All language has context (definitions, assumptions, references, syntax, etc.). “Bleen viptelmorger fixa quocedj sheka wuzzy g’hadthl.” (“It will be mostly fair today, with highs in the mid-70’s.”) So context is vital in math language, too. When you use math to describe the universe, equations are useless unless you know (i) what you’re saying with them (so you must know how to translate—how to say it in your words—first); and (ii) when/how the equations apply—and when they don’t.

16. Again, this reminder: The exam questions/problems will always be new—you won’t have seen them before. • Why? Two reasons: • So that I know you’re understanding the principles, not memorizing solutions. That’s the “school” reason. • Because new problems are the only kind you’ll ever get paid to solve. That’s the real-life reason.

17. Real problems aren’t simple. They don’t have a big label stuck to them, saying “Use this tool or that tool!” You have to diagnose what’s involved—what combination of tools to apply, and in what order. Every situation has a different, unknown mix of issues. Real problems don’t have just one correct answer. Usually, you’ll need to decide what kind of solution is appropriate—so that you know what tools are appropriate. Your assumptions will govern how you approach the problem.

18. How long is the Oregon coast? Discuss this in small groups until each of you could... What else do you wish to know before beginning?) Clearly state any assumptions you have then made. Succinctly explain how you would judge your answer to be reasonable.