PHYSICS 103
Physics of the Environment
Spring, 2008

Specifics: Meets in Dana 146, 1:30-2:20 p.m. MWF
                 Professor Cain, Office: Dana 142, lacain@davidson.edu
                 Office hours: (To be determined after consultation with the class)

Our text: Energy: Its Use and the Environment, Hinrichs and Kleinbach, 4th Edition, Brooks/Cole Publishers.

Objective: This course is a study of the physical laws and processes that underlie environmental phenomena. Our special focus and main theme will be energy. We will examine not only the physical laws and processes themselves, but also some of the technical, economic, political and social consequences of these laws and processes. Our goal is to help you better understand the complex decisions that are related to all environmental issues, especially energy use. These are major issues that each of you will have to deal with during your lifetime.

Class time: We will start promptly at 1:30 p.m. Please be on time. Class periods will be a combination of lecture, demonstrations, hands-on exercises, conceptual problems, discussions, multimedia presentations, and interactions with your classmates and me. These class periods will amplify and supplement your study of the textbook. In order for you to get the most out of this method, it is imperative that you read the relevant textbook material before coming to class and several times after class.

We will have time for questions and discussion in class. If you have questions, please ask when opportunities arise in class or come to office hours. I do not do long emails – there will be plenty of office hours so we can talk face-to-face.

Reading: We will not cover every section in the text this semester. At the beginning of each chapter I will tell you what sections we will cover. Reading scientific material is different from reading a novel or other literary work. In most cases you need to read the material several times in order to have any understanding of it.

Homework: I will assign, by chapter, questions, problems and, at various times, hands-on exercises that are to be done and handed in at the beginning of class on the assigned date. These will be explained as we do them. This course does not have a regular laboratory period. However, some of your homework will be done in a laboratory setting so that you will understand how scientists work. Homework to be handed in can be discussed only with other members of this class and with me, but the answer you put on your paper must be your own, without assistance from anyone else. You may not use work done by others in previous classes of Physics 103. Your pledge on the homework will signify your adherence to these rules. Late work will not be accepted without prior permission, unsupported answers will not receive full credit, and unpledged work will not be counted.

Quizzes: There will be quizzes at the beginning of random class periods to test whether you are doing the reading and keeping up in the course. These quizzes will be counted as part of the homework grade.

Mathematics: As with any physics course, we will use appropriate mathematics - at the level of basic algebra and trigonometry in this course.

Attendance: Class attendance for a course such as this is critical. The class structure assumes your active intellectual participation on a daily basis. You will fail the course with more than 9 (nine) absences for any excuse. Sign in for yourself by initialing the posted sheet every day you are present. Attendance is required at reviews. If you are sick or have another emergency, please email me before the review so we can make accommodations.

Reviews/Exam: There will be three reviews during the semester. These will be composed of work similar to that done in class and on quizzes and homework assignments: short-answer, definitions, concepts, discussion and computation. The exam is a cumulative one. It will be self-scheduled during the regular exam period.

Grading: Homework/Exercises - 30%
                Reviews - 45%
                Final Exam - 25%.

The schedule below is approximate and is subject to change. It is a guide to where I hope we will be during a given week. The only days fixed on this schedule will be the days for the reviews.