APPHY 50A: Physics as a Foundation for Science and Engineering, Part I

Note: If you cannot shop the first class (which discusses the structure and philosophy of AP50), watch Lecture 1 video from last year now!

Welcome to Applied Physics 50a — Physics as a Foundation for Science & Engineering — the first part of a new, project-based introductory physics course sequence. Applied Physics is at the intersection of physics and engineering. Physicists build to understand; engineers understand to build. In this course you will be doing both. If you like to learn by doing rather than by listening, thrive on the exchange of ideas, love to see how science applies to the real world, and enjoy working in teams to build things, this course is for you!

The subject area covered by AP50a includes kinematics, momentum, force, work and energy, rotational kinematics, angular momentum, gravitation, and oscillation and waves. Because it is equivalent to the standard introductory physics course (Physics 15, Physical Sciences 12), this course meets the premedical requirements as well as the physics requirements for many concentrations (engineering, chemistry, biology, etc.). This course also satisfies the Science of the Physical Universe, General Education requirement.

There are no lectures and no examinations in AP50. At the core of the course are three, month-long projects on which you will work in teams. During the course of a semester, you will design and build a model car and a Rube-Goldberg Machine, as well as design and build a musical instrument.

As the instructors for this course, we are ready to help you gain a better understanding of how science applies to the real world and develop skills that will be useful in your career. Our goals for this course are to promote self-directed study of basic physics, explore physics in the context of real-world applications, improve collaborative and communication skills in team-driven activities, and develop research skills by working on projects.

We look forward to getting to know you this coming year. We take our teaching duties very seriously and will work very hard so as to attain the above goals and make AP50 an enjoyable, rewarding, and useful experience for you. We will make ourselves as accessible as possible — we do want to interact with you both in and out of class. We encourage you to stop by our offices or call; our contact information appears below.

This document is meant to help you understand the course goals and logistics and to make the most of this course. Throughout the semester we will ask for your feedback to see if we are moving toward achieving the course goals and satisfying your needs.

We are excited to work with you this semester!

• Download the complete Syllabus and aQuick Reference Guide