Physics 9A Section A
FAQs For Spring 2002
Feb 1, 2002
Instructor: Thomas D. Gutierrez
Email: tgutierr@altair.ucdavis.edu
Web: nuclear.ucdavis.edu/~tgutierr
Course texts:
University Physics, 10th ed. (Young and Freeman).
The standard 9A lab manual.
Other course material will be required but will announced later.
Physics 9A Section A appears differently in the Schedule of Classes than the other 9A Sections offered in the Spring 2002.
What does it all mean?
Physics 9A Section A:
- One CRN number enrolls you in a lab, discussion, and lecture all at once. Do not enroll in a separate lab or discussion if you enroll
in Physics 9A Section A.
- In the Schedule of Classes, one hour of lecture time (Friday) appears after every discussion. This "lecture", run by the TA, will
serve to remove one hour of "formal" lecture and extend the discussion.
- The discussion and laboratory are actually combined into one unit called a discussion-lab (DL).
The DL will be taught by one TA. This will seamlessly combine group discussions, individual problem solving, and laboratory work into one
coherent weekly activity. This gives 2 hours of formal lecture and about 4.5 hours of DL per week.
- Students in 9A Section A DL's will stay together and not mix with the other sections.
Other Physics 9A sections:
- One CRN enrolls you in the lecture and discussion, another CRN enrolls you in a laboratory.
- There are 3 hour of formal lecture per week, one hour of discussion, and 2.5 hours of lab.
- The lab and discussion are taught by different TA's
- The lab mixes together students from different 9A sections.
Can anyone enroll in 9A Section A or is this a special section for special students?
Anyone who meets the prerequisites for Physics 9A as listed in the UCD Catalog can enroll.
Will the material be the same as the other 9A sections?
Yes. We will be covering classical mechanics. This includes forces and energy (kinematics, statics, dynamics,
rotations, etc.). I may present the information in a different order than the other sections.
Will the material be rigorous or "touchy-feelie" physics?
There will be a healthy mix of conceptual physics, intuition-building, technical rigor, and mathematical rigor.
Will the class meet standard physics course requirements? Will it appear the same on my transcript?
Yes and Yes.
Why make a different section?
I feel that students learn more by doing and discussing physics than they do by sitting in a lecture hall taking notes.
Listening to a professor talk about physics while taking notes should be a part of the learning process, but not the main part. Also,
combining the discussion and lab into one activity, taught by one TA, will bring coherence to the course that I feel the other 9A
sections may lack.
Why should I enroll?
If you are the type of student that tends to like labs and discussions more than the lecture, this is the section for you. The other 9A
sections will be very good courses taught by award winning instructors. Selecting one format over another is really just a matter of
taste.
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