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Welcome to PHYS 2010: Principles of Physics I, Fall 2020


Course Objectives

This course aims to provide an introduction to essential concepts in the physical world, with an emphasis on analytic thinking and problem solving. The lectures will include demonstrations and examples intended to reinforce an understanding of physical concepts and problem-solving strategies. The first semester focuses on mechanics, fluids, waves, oscillations, and heat, while the second semester addresses electricity and magnetism, optics ,relativity, quantum theory and selected topics from solid state, atomic, and subatomic physics.


Should I take this course?
  1. This course is most commonly taken by students who wish to fulfill requirements for application to medical or dental school, or similar postgraduate work.
  2. The course is NOT "physics-lite". This is a challenging and rigorous course which quickly covers a broad range of introductory physics topics with an emphasis on problem solving. Success in the course will require a solid grasp of a broad array of physical concepts and the ability to analyze problems in relation to those concepts.
  3. A student will find a reasonable degree of comfort with algebra and trigonometry to be a essential. If you are concerned that your mathematical preparation may be insufficient, please see your instructor for advice.
  4. This course does not explicitly use calculus, although many of the topics are most easily understood using concepts from calculus. For this reason, if you already have a solid grounding in calculus, you may be best suited to the two-semester sequence of PHYS1425/2415 instead of PHYS 2010/2020. The 1425/2415 sequence is most often taken by students who intend to major in engineering or a field of science besides physics. It will also fulfill requirements for medical school and, unlike the 2010/2020 sequence, it will satisfy the prerequisite for 3000+ level physics courses. See your instructor for further advice.
  5. Concurrent registration with introductory physics labs PHYS 2030/2040 is not required. These lab courses are administered independently from the lecture courses.