Last updated 2009-Nov-23

Physics 171, Physics and Society, Fall 2009

News:

There will be NO CLASS on Tues Nov 24th.

Teaching

The course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm - 2:30pm in Crow 201
Email questions to p171@physics.wustl.edu

Instructor:	Prof. Mark Alford Office: Compton 358; Office hour: Monday, 3:30-4:30pm Students are also welcome to make appointments to see Prof. Alford at other times.
TA:	Mark Burnett Office: Compton 364 Phone: 5-4968; (ask for Mark Burnett; do not leave a message, it will not be heard). Office hours: Tuesday 3-4pm and Wednesday 3-4pm.

Course materials

Homework assigned so far
Suggested reading
Slides shown in lectures so far
Animation of a 4-stroke internal combustion engine: Shockwave flash version
NASA web page on how ice cores can tell us about earth's climate in the remote past
Energy conservation and the 2009 McKinsey report
Examples of reputable sources for articles on science: Science News, New Scientist, Scientific American, The Economist, Popular Science, BBC News Science & Environment, Discover magazine, Physics World, and the science sections of major newspapers such as the New York Times. Avoid less-reputable sources such as sciencedaily.com and the Yahoo science page.

Books

Course Textbook:

Physics for Future Presidents, The Textbook by Richard A. Muller, Spring 2009 edition, ISBN 978-0-697-78615-9

You must own a copy of this book: the course will follow it closely.
Note that this is the textbook whose cover looks like the picture shown here. It is not the best-selling popular book "Physics for Future Presidents".

Course outline

This course will cover selected chapters from the textbook.

Chapter 1:	Energy and Power
Chapter 2:	Atoms and Heat
Chapter 4:	Nuclei and Radioactivity
Chapter 5:	Chain reactions, Nuclear Reactors, and Atomic Bombs
Chapter 10:	Climate Change
Chapter 11:	Quantum Physics
Chapter 12:	Einstein's Theory of Relativity
Chapter 13:	The Universe

Grading

The final grade will be a weighted average of homework (30%), the midterm (30%) and the final exam (40%).

Homework:	Problem sets will be handed out every week. Students are expected to hand in the solutions on the due date, typically a Thursday. Late homework will only be accepted by prior arrangement with the T.A. or Prof. Alford. Students are encouraged to form study groups and discuss the homework with each other, but each student must formulate his or her own solutions. When giving numerical answers, always show the units (eg 100 kg, 500 Calories, etc).
Midterm:	Tues Oct 13th, 2009, in class (1pm-2:30pm)
Final:	Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 1pm-3pm.
Exam rules:	These rules apply to both the midterm and the final. Each student may compile a single letter-size hand-written "crib sheet" of facts and formulas. Both sides of the sheet may be used, but the sheet must be an original hand-written document, not a copy. Each student is expected to bring a calculator to the exam. When answering a question (other than multiple choice), you will usually only get partial credit if you just write down an answer, with no justification. To get full credit you need to give reasons why your answer is correct.

Course Evaluation

During the evaluation period you can supply your evaluation of the course at the course evaluation website.