Physics for Life Sciences

Course Director Name: Ms. Sharlene Beharry Course Lecturer Name(s): Ms. Sharlene Beharry

Course Director Contact Information: sbeharry@sgu.edu Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: sbeharry@sgu.edu

Course Director Contact Information: 473 444 4175 Ext 3819; sbeharry@sgu.edu Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: 473 444 4175 Ext 3819; sbeharry@sgu.edu

Course Director Office Hours:     Tuesdays  1 pm – 3 pm.  email sbeharry@sgu.edu for a meeting time

Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours:  Tuesdays  1 pm – 3 pm.  email sbeharry@sgu.edu for a meeting time

Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pd

Course Objectives:

This course will introduce students over a period of one semester to many of the basic principles and concepts in Physics. It includes base and derived units, vectors and scalars, kinematics in one and two dimensions , dynamics, circular motion and gravitation, equilibrium, elasticity,  fluids and hydrostatics, fluid dynamics, vibration and waves, sound,   electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, light and basic geometrical optics, heat , introductory atomic and nuclear physics.

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR PHYS 200 - PHYSICS FOR LIFE SCIENCES

At the end of PHYS 200 students are expected to 

1. Understand the basic terms and laws of Physics.
2. Apply the laws of Physics in the areas of Mechanics, Electricity, Magnetism, Waves, Optics, Acoustics, Heat and Atomic and Nuclear Physics.
3. Apply Mathematics (non-calculus) in solving problems in Physics.
4. Apply the basic concepts and laws to the life sciences.
5. Use of laboratory experiments in understanding fundamental laws and concepts in Physics  

Program Outcomes Met by this Course (Pre -Med, Post Bac, Pre Vet)

PLO1           Apply the scientific process for conduction laboratory and diagnostic experiments testing hypothesis , interpreting data and communicating results.

PLO2	Apply knowledge of the basic structures and fundamental processes of life at the molecular, cellular and organismal levels.
PLO3	Apply knowledge of the structure and function of the human body to health issues.
PLO4	Apply knowledge of the of the interaction of atoms, molecules and biochemical processes that define organic and inorganic matter.
PLO5	Demonstrate effective communication of scientific knowledge.
PLO6	Demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Program Outcomes: Marine, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (Honors) Program (MWC-PLO)  A student completing the Marine, Wildlife, and Conservation (Honors) program should be able to: 

MWC-PLO1.	KNOWLEDGE: Apply knowledge of the biological and physical components of life and use this knowledge to understand the interrelationships of organisms with each other and their physical environments.
MWC-PLO2.	APPLICABILITY: Analyze key global ecological and conservation issues to promote long-term species viability and health of marine and terrestrial environments, with an emphasis on the Caribbean.
MWC-PLO3.	RESEARCH: Apply scientific method, ecological and quantitative concepts, and technical skills to design and conduct novel field and laboratory experiments, while considering ethical and regulatory implications.
MWC-PLO4.	COMMUNICATION & CRITICAL THINKING: Use relevant scientific literature and demonstrate independent, critical thinking while communicating scientific knowledge effectively in different media.

COURSE CONTENT

PHYSICAL QUANTITIES

Physical quantity, base quantities and units, derived quantities and units, Errors precision and accuracy

VECTORS AND SCALARS

Scalar and vector quantities, addition and subtraction of vectors, resolution of vectors into components

KINEMATICS IN ONE AND TWO DIMENSIONS

Displacement, velocity, acceleration, linear uniformly accelerated motion, equations of motion and application, simple projectiles.

DYNAMICS

Forces, Newton’s Law of motion, Friction, linear momentum and collisions, work, power and energy,  

CIRCULAR MOTION AND GRAVITATION

Angular velocity, centripetal acceleration, kinematics of circular motion, dynamics of circular motion, Newton’s law of gravitation, satellites and weightlessness

EQUILIBRIUM AND ELASTICITY

Principle of moments, conditions necessary for equilibrium, Elasticity, stress and strain and stability, Hooke’s law, Young’s modulus and fracture

FLUIDS AND HYDOSTATICS

States of matter, Density, Specific gravity, Pressure, Pressure in a liquid, Atmospheric Pressure,  Gauge Pressure, Pascal’s Principle, Pressure measurement, Aneroid and Mercury Barometers, Archimedes Principle

FLUID DYNAMICS

Streamline  and turbulent flow, Equations of continuity, Bernoulli’s  Equation, Surface Tension and Capillarity

VIBRATION AND WAVES

Simple Harmonic motion, Damped harmonic motion, Forced vibrations and resonance, wave motion, Types of waves, reflection and refraction, diffraction and interference 

SOUND

Characteristics of sound, Intensity and amplitude, dB scale, the human ear and its response to sound, vibrating columns, strings and resonance, quality of sound and noise, shock wave and sonic boom, introduction to ultrasonics in medicine

ELECTROSTATICS

Electrostatics, Electric Charge,  History, The Electric Force (between two charges and a multiplicity of charges),  Coulomb’s Law, Electric Field, Methods of determining the Electric Field for simple situations , Charge density (line, surface, volume),  Dipole, Gauss’s Law with simple applications, Movement of charge in electric field, Electric Potential, Relation to Electric Field, Voltage, Electric Potential for simple situations, Capacitance, Capacitors in Series and Parallel, Dielectrics, Energy stored, The CRO, Applications of Electrostatics.

CURRENT ELECTRICITY

Definition of Electric current ,Definition at the microscopic level. Current density, Ohm’s Law, Resistivity, Resistances in series and parallel, Voltage sources, Voltmeters and Ammeters, Simple DC Electrical circuits, Kirchhoff’s Laws , Power Dissipated, Household Electricity. Alternating current (AC), Rms value , Peak to peak value, Impedance, Ohm’s Law for AC circuits, Impedance for pure resistance , inductance and capacitance, Phase between voltage and current, Phasors, Power dissipated , Charging and discharging capacitors, Series Resonance (R,L,C)

MAGNETISM

Some History, Why Magnetic Force cannot be defined as gravitational and electric force, Definition of Magnetic Force, The Magnetic Field, Force on a wire carrying a current, Force between two wires,  Gauss’s Law for Magnetic Field, Biot- Savarts Law, Ampere’s Law , Faraday’s Law, Magnetic Fields for simple structures, solenoid and electromagnets,  Transformer, Electric bell, Electric Motor and Generator, Loudspeaker, Mass spectrometer, Magnetic materials, Inductance

HEAT AND THERMODYNAMICS

Temperature, thermometers, Temperature scales, Thermal  Equilibrium, Linear Expansion, Gas Laws and Absolute Temperature, Mechanical Equivalent of Heat,  Specific Heat, Calorimetry, Latent Heat, Heat Transfer, Greenhouse Effect, Global Warming.

LIGHT AND GEOMETRICAL OPTICS

Waves and Rays, Reflection, Refraction, Mirrors (plane, concave and convex), Thin Lenses  (convex and concave), Image formation, Wave effects, The Human Eye and Optical Defects, Accommodation, Introduction to and application of lasers

ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS

Blackbody radiation, Planck’s Quantum Hypothesis, Photon theory and Photoelectric Effect,  Bohr’s Model, Binding Energy, X rays, The atomic Nucleus, radioactivity, Half-life and rate of decay. 

ASSESSMENT

Class assignments/ quizzes:       

• Quiz # 1  [5%] 3^rd February 2022
• Quiz # 2 [5%] 3^rd March  2022 
• Quiz # 3  [5%] 7^th April 2022
• Physics Dairy  [10%] 22^nd April 2022

The breakdown of the overall grade will be as follows:

• Class Exams and assignments: 25% 
• Midterm examination: 25% 
• Laboratory work: 25% 
• Final Exam: 25%

Note:

1. Assignments submitted past deadline time and date will be subjected to a late mark penalty of minus 2% of the assignment weighting unless permission is granted by the instructor.   
2. All assignments are to be submitted on Sakai in pdf format and not emailed to the instructor unless permission is granted.   

SAS Grading Scale Grades will be assigned as follows:

A  = 89.5% or better

B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%

B  = 79.5 - 84.4%

C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%

C = 69.5 - 74.4%

D = 64.5 - 69.4%

F = 64.4% or less 

Course Materials:

1. Physics: Principles with Applications – Douglas C Giancoli 7^th edition. Pearson.   
   Accessible via SGU Library in ProQuest
   ProQuest.   https://periodicals.sgu.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sgugd/detail.action?docID=5 185734
2. College Physics: A Strategic Approach – Knight, Jones and Field. 3^rd edition. Pearson.  
   Accessible SGU Library in ProQuest https://periodicals.sgu.edu/login?url=https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sgugd/detail.action?docID=5185812
3. Supplementary Readings
   1. Lecture Notes 
   2. Laboratory scripts 
   3. Internet resources