SCI 1120:
Physical Science Syllabus Spring 2008
updated April 20, 2008:
Note: This syllabus should be a guide as to the schedule and may not always be current. Check the D2L course web site using the Distance Learning link to access the updated syllabus
Texts: Physical
Science: An Historical approach, Part 2: J.Truedson, 2007
Course Web Site on D2L
Dr. John Truedson, Sattgast 322:
Email: jtruedson@bemidjistate.edu
Lab coordinator: Mr. Dan Carlson: Sattgast 321
Email: dscarlson@bemidjistate.edu
Phone: 755-2781
Jan. 23: Lecture 1:
Overview of Course and
Jan. 25: Lecture 2: Ch. 4: Specific Heat,
Latent heat; Science video #1: “Going to extremes-cold”
Jan. 28: Lecture 3: Ch. 4: Specific Heat and
Latent Heat; Heat Transfer, R-value, How to keep your house warmer
Jan. 30: Science Video #2: “Weather predicting”
Feb. 1: Lecture 4: Ch. 15: The
Atmosphere Atmospheric measurement
Feb. 4: Science Video #3: “Hot Planet”
Feb. 6: Lecture 5: Ch. 15: Advanced atmospheric
measurements and Weather Charts; high and low pressure systems, The Jet Stream:
Feb. 8: Lecture 6: Ch. 16: Clouds and Red
sunsets and blue Skies, Types of precipitation
Feb. 11: Lecture 7: Ch. 17: Cold and warm
fronts: Review for Test 1
Feb. 13: Science video #4::”Dimming the Sun”
Feb. 15: Test 1: Chapters 1, 4, 15, and 16,plus
online quiz (15%) on clouds and weather charts that will begin on Friday
Feb. 15 and end on Monday Feb. 18 at 8:30 am.
Feb. 18: Lecture 8:
Feb. 20: Lecture 9: Ch. 17: Tornadoes & Science
Video #5:”Earth’s fury”
Feb. 22: Lecture 10: Ch. 18: Hurricane, Ocean
currents and global climate
Feb. 25: Lecture 11: Ch. 18: Milankovitch
Cycles and Astronomical effects on the Weather, El Nino and La Nina, Global
warming
Feb. 27:
Feb. 29: Lecture 12: Ch. 18: Air Pollution,
Acids and Bases, and the Ozone Hole, review for Test #2:
Mar. 3: Test 2
Chapters 17 and 18 plus online quiz (15%) that will begin on Feb. 29 and end on
March 3 at 9 am
Mar. 5: Lecture 13: Ch. 19: Wave Properties,
Sound Waves, Waves and Beats, E & M waves
Mar. 7: Science Video #7 “Faster Than Sound”
Mar. 17: Lecture 14: Ch. 19: Intensity and
Speed of sound, Decibel Scale, The Doppler effect
Mar. 19: Lecture 15: Ch. 19: Reflection and
Refraction, Diffraction and Polarization, Lenses
Mar. 21: Lecture 16: Ch. 19: Applications of
Sound waves, UV radiation and Cancer, Danger of Power Lines; Review for Text 3
Mar. 24: Science Video #8 “Power plants”
Mar. 26: Test 3
Mar. 28: Lecture 17: Ch:
20: Electric Charge and Current,hm’s Law, Circuits
Mar. 31: Lecture 18: Ch. 20: AC &
DC power and Electrical safety
April 2: Lecture 18 continued: Ch. 20:
Magnetism and Electromagnetism
April 4: Lecture 19: Ch. 20: Earth’s
magnetic field and applications; Ch. 21: Early concepts of the Atom
April 7: Science Video #9
“Magnetic Storm”
April 9: Lecture 20:
April 11: Lecture 21:
April 14: Test 4: Online part will be open at 10 am on Friday
April 11 and will end at 9 am on Monday, April 14
April 16: Student Achievement Celebration, No Class
April 18: Science Video #10 “The Secret of Photo 51”
Term papers due
today by 10 am.
April 21: Lecture 22:
April 23:
April 25: Lecture 23: Ch. 21: ,
Particles, Quarks, and the Four forces;
April 28: Science Video #12 – “ Newton’s Dark
Secret”
April 30: Lecture 24:
May 2: Lecture
25: Ch. 22: The Periodic Table; The Ideal Gas law and Dalton’s law of
partial pressure :
May 5: Test 5 Online part will be
open at 10 am on Friday May 2 and will end at 9 am on Monday, May 5
May 7: Science Video
#13 –“Secrets of the
Psychics”
May 9: Extra Credit Online quiz will be open at 10 am on Wed. May 7 and will
end at 9 am on Friday, May 9
May 14: 8 – 10 am: Final Exam: The Nature of
Science and 85 questions from previous exams
The syllabus, lecture presentations, and all information
related to the course will be posted on the course web site as indicated above.
Any changes to the syllabus will be posted on the web site and outside the lab
room (Sattgast 301).
You will notice that there is no required text for the course. All of the
information for the course will be referred to directly either in the class
lectures and presentations, laboratory sessions, and the exam review handout.
For each exam a review handout with questions and topics related to the
lectures will be distributed. This review will be posted on the SCI 1120 web
site and be available in the lab room not less than one week prior to the exam.
I will not be collecting the responses to these questions. However, you will be
able to use the responses to these questions, along with only the following:
1. Your own hand-written or typed notes
2. The review hand-out for use during the exam.
3. The PDF lecture handouts
No other materials will be allowed during the exam. No
sharing of these questions and no photocopies or other downloaded web pages will
be allowed during the exam. Also no cheating will be tolerated during the test.
Any violations of these rules will result in a grade of zero for the exam.
The exams
will consist of multiple choice type questions and will occur on the dates
indicated above. If you miss the exam time you must take it within 3 hours
after the exam period. Unfortunately due to some probable irregularities in
the past 1 you will no longer be able to take the exam after the scheduled date
with the exception of a medical emergency with a supporting document. You can
take the exam ahead of time or within a three hour period the same day of the
exam. For the basis of the overall percentage the lowest exam score
by each individual will be dropped including any missed exams.
There will be twelve (12) in-class videos shown on the dates as indicated on the course schedule. In order to receive full credit you will be required to attend and complete nine (9) of the twelve video quizzes. The video will start promptly at 9:05 AM. Each person must submit only their own sheet. Any person submitting a form for a person not in attendance will receive a grade of zero for both themselves and the other person for that quiz and all other remaining videos for the rest of the semester. Once the video begins no more video quiz sheets will be distributed, although you may attend the remaining part of the video. Some material contained on the videos will be covered on the exams. Extra video sessions attended can earn you an additional 1.5% extra credit for each video session. There will be no make-up times for video sessions unless previously arranged with the instructor.
There will a 3 - 4 page term paper as part of the course. The due date for the paper is April 18, 2008. Absolutely no papers will be accepted after this date. Details for the term paper will be posted in mid-February
There will be laboratory exercises starting on January 28, 2008. If you cannot attend your assigned laboratory section, then contact an instructor to attend another lab that same week. There will be NO makeup labs after the end of each week. Overall scores for the laboratory portion of the course will be based on the percentage of the total lab points with the two lowest lab scores dropped. You can receive up to 2% extra credit for participating in all 19 lab sessions. If the number of names on a submitted lab handout exceeds the actual number attending the lab score will be recorded as ZERO for everyone in the group.
The distribution of points for the semester will be as follows:
4 in-class
exams:
40 %
4 online quizzes 8%
Paper:
6 %
9 In-class videos
12 %
16 Laboratory:
20 %
Final
exam:
14 %
Total: 100 %
Grades will be based on the following Percentages of total
points:
A 88– 100 %
B 78 – 87 %
C 66 – 77 %
D 53 – 65 %