PHYS 108 A Physical Science Survey

Transcription

1 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 1 PHYS 108 A Physical Science Survey Winter Session (15-53) Monday, January 11 Saturday, March 5, 2016 Course Description Textbooks Examination of the physical world and its basic underlying scientific principles. Cross-listed as CHEM 108 and PHYS 108. Prerequisite: MATH 106 or higher Proctored Exams: Midterm and Final Shipman, J. T., Wilson, J. D., Higgins, C. A., & Torres, O. (2016). An Introduction to Physical Science (14th ed.). Boston, MA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co. ISBN: Textbooks for the course may be ordered from MBS Direct. You can order online at (be sure to select Online Education rather than your home campus before selecting your class) by phone at For additional information about the bookstore, visit Course Overview Welcome to Physical Science Survey (CHEM/PHYS 108), online. The intent of this course is to give students a broad and general overview of the physical sciences. These are physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology and geology. This course will endeavor to explain the origins of and phenomena present in the natural world, with the exception of processes associated with living things. The methods by which scientists have made progress will also be discussed. Students will gain an appreciation of the interconnected nature of the physical sciences as principles learned in one discipline shed light on aspects of another. The relevance of these fields of study to the modern world will also become abundantly apparent. For example, we will explore such diverse topics as radioactivity and nuclear power generation, the arrangement of atoms in common and useful substances such as table salt, and our seasons of the year. Technology Requirements Participation in this course will require the basic technology for all online classes at Columbia College: A computer with reliable Internet access, a web browser, Acrobat Reader,

2 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 2 Microsoft Office or another word processor such as Open Office. You can find more details about standard technical requirements for our courses on our site. Course Objectives To describe the common features of the physical sciences as a whole and the subfields of physics, chemistry, and astronomy. To outline and apply the major laws governing physics and chemistry. To describe the major characteristics of the earth-moon system, the solar system, and the universe. Measurable Learning Outcomes Explain the scientific method. Define measurement and units of measurement and perform unit conversions. State Newton s three laws of motion, and solve problems involving all three. State the three laws of thermodynamics and solve problems involving heat transfer. Describe the kinetic theory of gases and solve change-of-state problems for ideal gases. Explain the structure of the atom and use the periodic table of elements to predict properties of elements. Predict the stability of atomic nuclei and describe fission and fusion reactions. Name chemical compounds. State and apply the laws of chemical combination and the mole concept. Differentiate between ionic and molecular compounds. Balance chemical equations. Describe the facts that influence rates of chemical reactions. Predict simple acid-base and combustion reactions. Describe composition and structure of the solar system. Explain Kepler s laws of planetary motion. Specify position using latitude and longitude, and determine the local time at different locations. Describe the motions of the earth and how these give rise to the solar day and the seasons. Describe the properties of the moon and its phases. Describe the structure of stars, their classification, and other components of the universe. Explain Hubble s Law and the Big Bang theory of the cosmos.

3 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 3 Grading Grading Scale GRADE POINTS PERCENT A 900-1, B C D F Grade Weights ASSIGNMENT POINTS PERCENT Homework Assignments % Short Essays % Quizzes % Discussions % Midterm Exam % Final Exam % Total % Schedule of Due Dates WEEK ASSIGNMENT POINTS DUE DATE 1 Discussion 1 (Post AND Responses due) 25 Sunday Homework Assignment 1 13 Sunday Discussion 2 (Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 1 16 Wednesday 2 Discussion 2 (Responses due) 10 Sunday Quiz 1 40 Sunday Homework Assignment 2 13 Sunday Discussion 3 (Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 2 16 Wednesday 3 Discussion 3 (Responses due) 10 Sunday Quiz 2 40 Sunday Homework Assignment 3 13 Sunday 4 Discussion 4 (Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 3 16 Wednesday

4 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 4 Midterm Exam 200 Sunday Discussion 4 (Responses due) 10 Sunday Homework Assignment 4 13 Sunday Discussion 5 (Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 4 16 Wednesday 5 Discussion 5 (Responses due) 10 Sunday Quiz 3 40 Sunday Homework Assignment 5 13 Sunday Discussion 6(Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 5 16 Wednesday 6 Discussion 6 (Responses due) 10 Sunday Quiz 4 40 Sunday Homework Assignment 6 13 Sunday Discussion 7(Post due) 15 Wednesday Short Essay 6 16 Wednesday 7 Discussion 7(Responses due) 10 Sunday Quiz 5 40 Sunday Homework Assignment 7 13 Sunday Discussion 8 (Post AND Responses due) 25 Wednesday 8 Final Exam 200 Saturday Homework Assignment 8 13 Saturday TOTAL 1000

5 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 5 Assignment Overview Each student is responsible for: Weekly Readings and Class Activities. Eight homework assignments. Six short essays. Eight Discussions (One post and two responses for each discussion). Five quizzes. Midterm Exam and Final Exam Readings and Class Activities should be completed prior to taking weekly quizzes or exams. Failure to do so will usually result in poor performance due to inadequate preparation. There are assigned textbook readings, website research, and multimedia activities. Weeks 6 and 7 require you to watch a short video. The other weeks each contain a simulation. *Because the simulation may not be accessible to everyone, an alternate activity is included that may be substituted for the simulation. Homework Assignments will contribute to your knowledge and understanding of the course material and will help prepare you for quizzes and exams. There are 8 total Homework Assignments. Each Homework Assignment should be submitted as a word document to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of the course by midnight CT Sunday of the assigned week. Assignment details and problem numbers are listed in the corresponding week in the Content area of Note that there are several different types of problems (Key Terms, Matching, Multiple-choice, Fill-in the Blank, Short Answer). Homework Assignments will be graded for completeness and accuracy. Short Essays should be submitted as a Word document to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of the course by midnight CT Wednesday of the assigned week. (Note: there are 6 short essays. Weeks 1 and 8 do not have a short essay.) Each short essay answer should be in 12 pt. font doublespaced and should be between half a page to a page long. Short essays will be graded for completeness and accuracy. A specific correct answer is required and a solution will be provided after the due date detailing how the points were assigned in the grading. Discussions will deepen your knowledge of the course material and will take place in the Discussions area of You should read all of the discussion posts and responses. I may ask a question or two on the Midterm/Final based on information learned in the Discussions. Each student is required to submit an initial post (an answer to the discussion question) and two reponses to the posts of other students in each Discussion. The initial post is due by midnight CT Wednesday and the two responses are due by midnight CT Sunday of the assigned week. (Exception: For Weeks 1 and 8 only, post AND responses are due by midnight CT Sunday.) Each post is worth 15 pts. and will be graded for completeness and accuracy. Back up your answers with scientific evidence and cite all sources. The two responses are worth 10 pts. total (5 pts. for each response). Each response should be directed toward another student and should consist of a question about the topic, an answer to a question about the topic posed by another student, a correction of a scientific error in a post, or additional information about the topic that you found in your research. In order to receive full credit for the responses, your response must contain scientifically significant content (i.e. it must help those who read it learn more about the topic at hand) and it must be a correction, a question, an answer, or additional information. (See Grading Criteria for more details.) Each discussion (post and two responses) is worth 25 pts. total. Quizzes will be made available to students by 9 A.M. CT on Thursday of the week in which they are to be completed. Quizzes can be accessed through the Quizzes area of They must be completed and submitted by midnight CT on Sunday. Quizzes have time limits that are strictly enforced. Quizzes should be attempted only after completion of the assigned readings and homework assignments. Only one attempt is allowed for each quiz. Exams (Midterm Exam and Final Exam): Both the Midterm and the Final are proctored exams. The Midterm Exam must be administered by an approved proctor during the period from Tuesday through Sunday of Week 4. The Final Exam must be administered by an approved proctor during the

6 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 6 period from Tuesday through Saturday of Week 8. Students are responsible for coordinating with the approved proctor to schedule a time to take each exam. Please see Proctor Policy below for more details. The Final Exam is comprehensive. The Midterm and Final exams are both computerized, and they are available in the Quizzes area of No notes, books, outside websites, flash drives, or other devices may be used. Students will be given a time limit of two hours to complete each exam and this time limit is strictly enforced. Course Schedule Week 1 Measurement and Motion of Matter Chapters 1, 2, and 3 Try out The Moving Man simulation located in the Content area. This simulation from the University of Colorado will help you explore the ideas of position, velocity, and acceleration. *Alternate activity - Check out the alternative webpage provided in the Content area: The Physics Classroom/Physics tutorial/one-dimensional kinematics/describing Motion with Diagrams/Motion with Ticker Tape. Homework Assignment 1: Discussion 1: Complete Homework Assignment 1, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Please introduce yourself to the class and tell us something unique about yourself to help us get to know you. After introducing yourself, give us an example in your everyday life of each of Newton s laws (3 total examples!). Explain how each example demonstrates the law it exemplifies. Week 2 Energy and Heat Chapters 4 and 5 Try out the Pendulum Lab simulation activity located in the Content area. This activity will help you explore the concepts of kinetic energy, potential energy, and the conservation of energy using a simulation from the University of Colorado. *Alternate activity - Check out the alternative webpage provided in the Content area: The Physics Classroom/Physics tutorial/work, Energy, and Power/Lesson 2 The Work-Energy relationship. Homework Assignment 2: Discussion 2: Short Essay 1: Complete Homework Assignment 2, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Give one example from your everyday life of each of the three forms of heat transfer, with a brief but detailed discussion of the physics involved in each instance. A simple pendulum can be used to illustrate the concepts of kinetic energy, potential energy and the conservation of energy. Discuss what each of these terms mean and how the simple pendulum

7 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 7 Quiz 1: illustrates the concept. After thorough review of your Readings and Practice Problems, take Quiz 1, covering Chapters 1-4. The Quiz will be available Thursday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Week 3 The Atom and Its Nucleus Chapters 9 and 10 Try out the Nuclear Fission simulation activity located the Content area. This activity will help you explore the topics of nuclear fission, chain reaction, and nuclear reactors using a simulation from the University of Colorado. *Alternate activity - Check out the alternative webpage provided in the Content area: Visionlearning/Library/Chemistry/Nuclear Chemistry. Homework Assignment 3: Discussion 3: Short Essay 2: Quiz 2: Complete Homework Assignment 3, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Using the Bohr atomic model, explain to a 10-year old how spectral emission and absorption lines are created and why spectral lines for different chemical elements are unique. (Do not simply describe how the lines are produced experimentally. Use the Bohr model to explain what is going on with the atoms.) Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are two distinctly different processes. Describe each process and give examples. Examples should include the initial element, the reaction involved, and the resulting element. Quiz 2 covers chapters 5, 9 and 10. It will be available Thursday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Week 4 The Elements and Chemistry Chapters 11 and 12 Try out the Isotopes and Atomic Mass simulation activity located in the Content area. This activity will help you explore the topics of elements, isotopes, and atomic mass using a simulation from the University of Colorado. *Alternate activity - Check out the alternative webpage provided in the Content area: Visionlearning/Library/Chemistry/Atomic Theory II. Homework Assignment 4: Discussion 4: Complete Homework Assignment 4, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Write a letter to your grandmother/grandfather explaining the importance of electrons in chemistry.

8 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 8 What do electrons have to do with chemistry? Why are they important? Do electrons alone explain chemistry? Be sure to give some examples as well as explain the concepts involved. Short Essay 3: Describe the basic structure of the Periodic Table. Give at least three examples of periodic trends observed based on the Periodic Table. Midterm Exam: This proctored exam covers the material presented in Chapters 1-5 and 9-10 of the textbook. It will be available on Tuesday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Week 5 Chemical Reactions Activities: Chapter 13 Try out the Balancing Chemical Equations simulation activity located in the Content area. This activity will help you practing balancing chemical equations using a simulation from the University of Colorado. *Alternate activity - Check out the alternative webpage provided in the Content area: Visionlearning/Library/Chemistry/Chemical Equations. Homework Assignment 5: Discussion 5: Short Essay 4: Quiz 3: Complete Homework Assignment 5, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Give three chemical equations for three reactions, one of which is incorrect. (Don t tell us which one is incorrect!) In at least one of your responses this week, identify and correct someone s incorrect equation (not your own). Give the chemical equation for three reactions that occur in your everyday life. Briefly describe each reaction telling what you have before the reaction and what you have afterwards. Quiz 3 covers Chapters 11, 12, and 13. This quiz will be available Thursday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Week 6 Our Solar System and the Earth Chapters 15 and 16 Watch the TED talk, Dimitar Sasselov: How we found hundreds of potential Earth-like planets, in preparation for this week s discussion. Homework Assignment 6: Complete Homework Assignment 6, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of

9 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 9 Discussion 6: Short Essay 5: In your estimation, what are the three most important points that astronomer Dimitar Sasselov makes in the TED talk? Describe each point. List the scientific evidence used to support each point. Which points, if any, are Sasselov s opinions/ lack the support of scientific evidence? Compare and contrast the properties of Jovian and Terrestrial planets, focusing on those properties where significant differences exist between the two classifications. Quiz 4: Quiz 4 covers Chapters 15 and 16. It will be available Thursday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Course Evaluation You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. A link will be sent to your CougarMail that will allow you to access the evaluation. Be assured that the evaluations are anonymous and that your instructor will not be able to see them until after final grades are submitted. Week 7 The Contents of the Universe Chapters 17 and 18 Watch the video clip NASA 3D size of the universe. Homework Assignment 7: Discussion 7: Short Essay 6: Quiz 5: Complete Homework Assignment 7, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Suppose someone asks you, How big is our universe? What is in the universe? How do we know what is in the universe? Give us your answers (in your own words!) after reading the text and doing research on the internet. Support your answer with scientific information from your text and internet sources. If you could hike the surface of the Moon, what terrain feature or features would you most like to witness firsthand? Describe what you imagine that you would see, standing on the Moon. Keep your description founded in scientific observation. Quiz 5 covers chapters 17 and 18. It will be available Thursday morning and must be completed by midnight Sunday. Week 8 The Earth s Atmosphere Text chapters 19 and 20 Try out the The Greenhouse Effect simulation activity located in the Content area. This activity will help you explore how greenhouse gases affect the climate using a simulation from the University of Colorado.

10 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 10 *Alternate activity - Check out the following webpage provided in the Content area: Visionlearning/Library/Earth Science/Earth s Atmosphere. Homework Assignment 8: Discussion 8: Final Exam: Complete Homework Assignment 8, and submit it to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of Suppose someone asks you, What are greenhouse gases? What do they do? Are they good or are they bad? What do greenhouse gases have to do with global warming? In your opinion, are greenhouse gases a problem today? How would you answer this person? Use scientific evidence from reliable sources to back up your answers as always. The Final Exam will cover the material in all textbook chapters covered in Weeks 1 through 8. This proctored exam will be available Tuesday morning and must be completed by midnight Saturday. Course Policies Student Conduct Plagiarism All Columbia College students, whether enrolled in a land-based or online course, are responsible for behaving in a manner consistent with Columbia College's Student Conduct Code and Acceptable Use Policy. Students violating these policies will be referred to the office of Student Affairs and/or the office of Academic Affairs for possible disciplinary action. The Student Code of Conduct and the Computer Use Policy for students can be found in the Columbia College Student Handbook. The Handbook is available online; you can also obtain a copy by calling the Student Affairs office (Campus Life) at The teacher maintains the right to manage a positive learning environment, and all students must adhere to the conventions of online etiquette. Your grade will be based in large part on the originality of your ideas and your written presentation of these ideas. Presenting the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form as your own is plagiarism. Students who fail to properly give credit for information contained in their written work (papers, journals, exams, etc.) are violating the intellectual property rights of the original author. For proper citation of the original authors, you should reference the appropriate publication manual for your degree program or course (APA, MLA, etc.). Violations are taken seriously in higher education and may result in a failing grade on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, or dismissal from the College. Collaboration conducted between students without prior permission from the instructor is considered plagiarism and will be treated as such. Spouses and roommates taking the same course should be particularly careful. All required papers may be submitted for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers may be included in the Turnitin.com reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. This service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site. Note: Please complete the Plagiarism Tutorial that is included in the Content area of Non-Discrimination There will be no discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, veteran status, age, physical handicap, or marital status.

11 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 11 Disability Services Students with documented disabilities who may need academic services for this course are required to register with the Coordinator for Disability Services at (573) Until the student has been cleared through the disability services office, accommodations do not have to be granted. If you are a student who has a documented disability, it is important for you to read the entire syllabus before enrolling in The structure or the content of the course may make an accommodation not feasible. Online Participation You are expected to read the assigned texts and participate in the discussions and other course activities each week. Assignments should be posted by the due dates stated on the grading schedule in your syllabus. If an emergency arises that prevents you from participating in class, please let your instructor know as soon as possible. Attendance Policy Attendance for a week will be counted as having submitted a course assignment for which points have been earned during that week of the session or if the proctoring information has been submitted or the plagiarism quiz taken if there is no other assignment due that week. A class week is defined as the period of time between Monday and Sunday (except for Week 8, when the week and the course will end on Saturday at midnight). The course and system deadlines are all based on the Central Time Zone. Cougar All students are provided a CougarMail account when they enroll in classes at Columbia College. You are responsible for monitoring from that account for important messages from the College and from your instructor. You may forward your Cougar account to another account; however, the College cannot be held responsible for breaches in security or service interruptions with other providers. Students should use for private messages to the instructor and other students. The class discussions are for public messages so the class members can each see what others have to say about any given topic and respond. Late Assignment Policy An online class requires regular participation and a commitment to your instructor and your classmates to regularly engage in the reading, discussion and writing assignments. Although most of the online communication for this course is asynchronous, you must be able to commit to the schedule of work for the class for the next eight weeks. You must keep up with the schedule of reading and writing to successfully complete the class. Discussion posts and responses, short essays, and homework that are late receive no credit. Quizzes and Exams must be taken by the assigned date. Barring extraordinary and unavoidable circumstances, makeup quizzes and exams will not be given. Thorough documentation will be required in advance of the scheduled quiz or exam before a makeup will be considered. Course Evaluation You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. A link will be sent to your CougarMail that will allow you to access the evaluation. Be assured that the evaluations are anonymous and that your instructor will not be able to see them until after final grades are submitted.

12 Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 12 Proctor Policy Students taking courses that require proctored exams must submit their completed proctor request forms to their instructors by the end of the second week of the session. Proctors located at Columbia College campuses are automatically approved. The use of ProctorU services is also automatically approved. The instructor of each course will consider any other choice of proctor for approval or denial. Additional proctor choices the instructor will consider include: public librarians, high school or college instructors, high school or college counseling services, commanding officers, education service officers, and other proctoring services. Personal friends, family members, athletic coaches and direct supervisors are not acceptable. Additional Resources Orientation for New Students This course is offered online, using course management software provided by Desire2Learn and Columbia College. The Student Manual provides details about taking an online course at Columbia College. You may also want to visit the course demonstration to view a sample course before this one opens. Technical Support If you have problems accessing the course or posting your assignments, contact your instructor, the Columbia College Helpdesk, or the D2L Helpdesk for assistance. Contact information is also available within the online course environment. CCHelpDesk@ccis.edu ex helpdesk@desire2learn.com Online Tutoring Smarthinking is a free online tutoring service available to all Columbia College students. Smarthinking provides real-time online tutoring and homework help for Math, English, and Writing. Smarthinking also provides access to live tutorials in writing and math, as well as a full range of study resources, including writing manuals, sample problems, and study skills manuals. You can access the service from wherever you have a connection to the Internet. I encourage you to take advantage of this free service provided by the college. Access Smarthinking through CougarTrack under Students->Academics->Academic Resources.