Assignments for 'Elementary Physics I'

Oberlin College Physics 103

Fall 2023

This World Wide Web page written by Dan Styer, Oberlin College Department of Physics and Astronomy ;
http://www.oberlin.edu/physics/dstyer/P103/Assignments/assignments.html;
last updated 19 December 2023.

'Elementary Physics I' home page

"U&H" means the textbook College Physics by P.P. Urone and R. Hinrichs. These assignments are from the "problems and exercises", NOT from the "conceptual questions".

Technical note: To access the links marked (PDF) you must first download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or Open Standard software.

Assignment 1: Introduction to Physics; Motion in a Line (Due Wednesday, 13 September.)

• Read U&H chapter 1 ("Introduction: The Nature of Science and Physics"). Emphasize sections 1.2 ("Units") and 1.3 ("Significant Figures").
• Work U&H, chapter 1, problems and exercises 16 and 17.
• Read U&H chapter 2 ("Kinematics"; "kinematics" is a fancy name for "motion"). Emphasize sections 2.5 through 2.7.
• Work U&H, chapter 2, problems and exercises 6, 7, 11, 34, 35, 39, 44, 47, 50, 53.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 2: Motion in Two Dimensions (Due Wednesday, 20 September.)

• Read U&H chapter 3 ("Two-Dimensional Kinematics"). Emphasize section 3.4 ("Projectile Motion").
• Work U&H, chapter 3, problems and exercises 26, 27, 34, 43, 44, 48.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 3: Exam (On Wednesday, 27 September.)

• Read U&H chapters 4 ("Dynamics") and 5 ("Friction, Drag, and Elasticity"), concerning forces. Chapter 4 is at the very center of all Physics 103, and each section deserves your careful attention. Demphasize chapter 5.
• Sample Exam (PDF)
• Real Exam (PDF)
• Model Solutions to Real Exam (PDF)

Assignment 4: Force I (Due Wednesday, 4 October.)

• Continue reading concerning force: U&H chapter 4 and section 5.1 ("friction").
• Don't read U&H sections 5.2 and 5.3, unless you have some personal interest in these topics.
• Work U&H, chapter 4, problems and exercises 5, 9, 16, 22.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 5: Force II (Due Wednesday, 11 October.)

• Read U&H chapter 6. Demphasize section 6.4.
• Work U&H, chapter 5, problems and exercises 4, 9, and chapter 6, problems and exercises 9 and 47.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Your assignment for fall break is to relax, catch up on sleep, on friends, on outdoor time, and on anything that keeps you inspired. Then come back fresh to tackle ...

Assignment 6: Working (in the coloquial sense) on Work (in the physics sense) (Due Wednesday, 25 October.)

• Read U&H chapter 7 ("Work, Energy, and Energy Resources"). Sections 7.1 through 7.6 are important. Don't bother with 7.7, 7.8, or 7.9.
• Work U&H, chapter 7, problems and exercises 6, 7, 12, 13.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 7: Energy and Momentum (Due Wednesday, 1 November.)

• Read U&H chapter 8 ("Linear Momentum and Collisions"). Deemphasize sections 8.6 and especially 8.7.
• Work U&H chapter 7, problems and exercises 21, 22.
• Work this problem: "A 78-kg skateboarder grinds down a hubba ledge 2.5 meters long and inclined 19 degrees below the horizontal. Half of her potential energy change is dissipated to sound or thermal energy through kinetic friction. What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between her skateboard and the ledge surface?"
• Work U&H chapter 8, problems and exercises 12, 44.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 8: Exam (On Wednesday, 8 November.)

• Skim U&H section 9.2, concerning torque, but don't spend a lot of time on it. Prepare for the exam instead.
• Sample Exam (PDF)
• Real Exam (PDF)
• Model Solutions to Real Exam (PDF)

Assignment 9: Rotation (Due Wednesday, 15 November.)

• Read U&H section 9.2, concerning torque, and U&H chapter 10 ("Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum"). Don't read sections 10.6 and 10.7.
• Work U&H chapter 10, problems and exercises 16, 27, 39.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 10: (Due Wednesday, 22 November.)

• No problems to work this week, and no class on Wednesday, 22 November.
• Concerning gravity: reread U&H sections 6.5 and 6.6.
• Concerning fluid statics: read U&H sections 11.1 through 11.7.
• Concerning fluid flow: read U&H sections 12.1 and 12.2.
• Conerning oscillations: read U&H sections 16.1 through 16.3.

Assignment 11: Fluids; Oscillations (Due Wednesday, 29 November.)

• Read U&H sections 16.9 through 16.11.
• Work U&H chapter 11, problems and exercises 40, 42.
• Work U&H chapter 16, problems and exercises 18, 20.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Assignment 12: Wave Superposition and Interference (Due Monday, 11 December.)

• Read U&H sections 27.1 through 27.5, plus 27.7.
• Work U&H chapter 27, problems and exercises 55.
• Model Solutions (PDF)

Final Exam (From 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Tuesday, 19 December.)

• Sample Exam (PDF)
• Model Solutions to Real Exam (PDF)