This course will cover the topics of one trimester of Physics course. We will use a free on-line textbook, Concept Development Studies in Physics, available via UR-CE’s Connexions project.
The fundamental concepts in the course will be introduced via the Concept Development Approach developed at UR-CE. In this approach, we will develop the concepts you need to know from experimental observations and scientific reasoning rather than simply telling you the concepts and then asking you to simply memorize or apply them.
Recommended Background: The class can be taken by someone with no prior experience in physics. However, some prior familiarity with the basics of physics is desirable as we will cover some elements only briefly. For example, a prior high school physics class would be helpful.
This module covers introductory concepts of simple harmonic motion and waves, drawing on and bringing together examples from different branches of physics including mechanics, optics, electronics, and electromagnetism. It combines the mathematical description, physical interpretation as well as experiments and their analysis of oscillations and wave phenomena to provide a well-balanced introduction to the important physical concepts that are required for further study in subsequent modules of a physics course.