Lecture 1

Summary

Winter Break

Syllabus overview

books & supplies
course goals
Canvas system
assignments & grading
TLC online learning resources and tips

About the professor

How to learn physics

learning athletics
learning music
interactive lectures
taking credit and blaming
natural gifts vs. hard work (article)
homework and discussions

In 2019 Derrick Henry ranked #1 in the league with 1,540 yards on 303 attempts, 5.1 ypc

In 2019 Dion Lewis ranked #78 in the league with 209 yards on 54 attempts, 3.9 ypc

How to fail at college

Mistake #1: Poor metacognition
Mistake #2: Ineffective orienting tasks
Mistake #3: Unhelpful study strategies
Mistake #4: Taking poor notes
Mistake #5: Bad recovery plan
Videos by Dr. Stephen Chew, cognitive psychologist, Samford University

How to succeed in college

Set a GPA goal
Treat college like an 8 to 5 job
Attend class
Keep up
Relate to your professors
Be a "well-rounded square"

Chapter 1

Dimensional analysis

English units: foot pound second
Fun video poking fun at Imperial units
SI units: meter kilogram second
Powers of ten
Examples

Example #1

Example #2

Significant figures

Example #3

sj6 1.22a
An auditorium measures 40.0 m × 20.0 m × 12.0 m. What is the volume of the room in cubic feet?
A. 9600 ft³
B. 3.39×10⁵ ft³
C. 272 ft³
D. 4.88×10⁷ ft³
Answer

sj6 1.22b
An auditorium measures 40.0 m × 20.0 m × 12.0 m. What is the weight of the air in pounds if the density of air is 1.20 kg/m³?
A. 25,300 lb
B. 11,520 lb
C. 2590 lb
D. 192 lb
Answer

sj6 1.50d
How many significant digits are there in the number 0.00530?
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 6
Answer

answer

B. 3.39×10⁵ ft³

answer

A. 25,300 lb

answer

B. 3
The last zero is significant but the three leading zeros are not.