Welcome to PH201-203
This is the web page for campus-based General Physics. These courses might be referred to as "College Physics" or "Algebra-based Physics" at other institutions. This is a sequence of three introductory physics courses

Note to prospective students: I will be switching textbooks starting fall term 2012. I will use College Physics; 1st edition; Knight, Jones, and Field (ISBN 0805390626 or 080530634X). The text is out of print, so it is only available from resellers such as Amazon.

You can sign up for these courses through Chemeketa's web site, but please read this web page before doing so. I will not allow anyone to register over the limit or after the first week of class. I do not keep a waiting list. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through e-mail. Once you enroll, please download the syllabus and see the course calendar from the following table:

We will use two different websites in this course.

Chemeketa Faculty
The website you are on right now is open to the general public. The calendar should be your first stop whenever you go online.

ELearn
The second website we will use is eLearn. Use your user name and password from My Chemeketa to access this site. Consult eLearn support (503.399.7399) if you have difficulty accessing it. We will use eLearn to report grades, use e-mail, and post errors for extra credit.

These are challenging courses. The necessary mental and temporal resources are significant.

Mental Resources
The prerequisites for the courses are listed above. You should have a strong grasp of algebra, trigonometry, and vectors before beginning PH201. You are not required to have any formal training in physics to begin PH201. If you do not have the necessary mental resources to successfully complete the class, you should consider acquiring them and enrolling at a later date.

Temporal Resources
You will need to commit a significant amount of time each week to complete the work necessary to master the physics topics. You will attend lectures, read the text, perform and write up labs, do homework, and do other activities as posted in the class calendar. All told, you should expect to spend from 10 to 15 hours per week on this class. If you do not have the necessary temporal resources to successfully complete the class, you should consider enrolling at a later date.

Extra credit opportunity: Find an error in a web page or document on this site and receive a one point bounty. This includes simple things such as typos and dead links. If an error is made repeatedly, you only get one point. Please post errors to eLearn. See the extra projects page for other suggestions.

If you need help with this class or outside issues, there are numerous resources available at Chemeketa which are listed in the class syllabus. You might also consult my help page. You can post to the class discussion board or send me an e-mail through eLearn.