Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Introductory Physics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Turner, Morningside College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

integrals are also applied to topics from energy/, and momentum/impulse.• Vector Calculus and Vector Products By this point in the course, students have already been exposed to vectors and the dot product in physics, and to dot and cross products in calculus. This section works with vector notation and introduces integration of vectors. The section wraps up by revisiting rotational motion, torques, and angular momentum as examples of applications of the cross product.• Simple Differential Equations Differential equations are handled throughout the calculus sequence; they are introduced at the very beginning, and solution of simple separation of variables problems is an element of the first semester. In this section, the differential

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Upper-Level Physics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Mowry, University of St. Thomas-St. Paul

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

softwaresuch as ANSYS® and FEMLAB® for solving practical E&M problems. Preliminary results fromusing this pedagogy will be presented along with implementation attractors and detractors.IntroductionThe motivation for offering an integrated, inter-departmental applied undergraduate physics-engineering curriculum at UST is shaped by the goal of providing graduates with a practical skillset that is attractive and useful to prospective employers. Experience has shown that excellencein mastering E&M theory does not directly translate into competence with E&M metrology orlaboratory practices. Since a majority of the UST engineering and physics students that graduatego directly into the work force, these observations motivate several questions

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Upper-Level Physics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Rothberg, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

Computer ScienceDepartment, University of Washington7-10. The course itself might be unique in that it carries only two credits, is scheduled to meet onlytwice per week in fifty minute sessions, and still is expected to educate students to a depthcomparable to the typical preceding courses in mechanics, electricity and magnetism. Toprovide additional opportunities for problem solving, I hold an additional, strictly voluntary,recitation session each week. The course was created by me in response to curriculum changes in the School ofEngineering and taught for the first time in the fall 2004 semester. The population is about 180sophomores in the fall and about 100 sophomores in the spring. The spring class consists ofcoop students who have