PHYS-123

This is the 46th president Is this the Nth president of

of the United States the United States?
This is the 46th president Is this the Nth president of
of the United States the United States?

You and President Biden have something in

common:

Neither of you are physicists.

We have never had a president who was a

physicist. Of course since I’m a physicist I think
that’s a bad thing. Others probably disagree. J

But the president has immediate access to the

best scientists in the country, and you do not.
 About this class

This is straight from the book:

Physics and Technology for Future Presidents is not Physics

for Poets, Physics for Jocks, or Physics for Dummies. It is the
physics you need to know be an effective world leader.

Can physics be taught without math? Of course! Math is a

tool for computation, but it is not the essence of physics.
We often cajole our advanced students, “Think physics, not
math!” You can understand and even compose music
without studying music theory, and you can understand
light without knowing Maxwell’s equations.
 About this class

The goal of this course is not to create mini-physicists. It is

to give future world leaders the knowledge and
understanding that they need to make decisions. If they
need a computation, they can always hire a physics
professor. But the knowledge of physics will help them
judge, on their own, whether the physicist is right.
 … Also …
Just because the title of this class references “future
presidents” does not mean this class is political in nature.

This class is about physics, and also science in general, not

any political ideology.

Physics works if you do it right. It does not matter which

side of the aisle you sit on.

With that said, what political policies you favor depend on

your information. So, knowing physics could affect your
political policy decisions, and that is the point of this. This
class should help you make better decisions, which ever
direction they lie on the political map.
 PHYS-123
http://physics.grwelch.com/123

This is our class web site. Put it in your phone and

computer! You should be logged in right now!

• Homework
• Class participation polls
• Exams
• Syllabus
• Class lecture notes
• Announcements or other fun facts

You must create a username and password to access the

site. I have already sent a registration link to the email
address listed for you on “howdy”. Contact me if you didn’t
receive it. (Check your spam folder.)
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Posted on Howdy.

And on our class web site: physics.grwelch.com/123

 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Prerequisites:

No prior college level physics or science class is

required.

You must be able to perform basic arithmetic

(add, subtract, multiply, divide) at least on a
calculator, should understand what a square
root is, and how to compute exponents with a
calculator.
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus
Instructor:

George R. Welch ’79

Phone: 979-458-7735
Email: grw@tamu.edu. Put “PHYS-123” in the subject!
Office: MPHY-314

Office hours:

Mondays at 10:00. Tuesdays at 2:00.

George R. Welch: Biographical highlights
• Born on a DC8 that was running from customs
inspectors in South America
• B.S. from Texas A&M University at North Zulch
• Ph.D. from the University of Woolloomooloo,
Australia
• Research into applications of ground penetrating
radar for high-altitude aircraft
• I have made money at various times raising chickens,
cows, and pigs
• Dogs lick me
• I jumped off a 50 m high bridge in Queenstown, NZ
and off a 700 m cliff in Rio de Jeneiro
• My phone has well over 1000 hours of Phish concerts
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus
Textbook:

“Physics and Technology for Future Presidents: An

Introduction to the Essential Physics Every World Leader
Needs to Know”

by Richard A. Muller.

ISBN: 9781400835317.
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus
Textbook:

“Physics and Technology for Future Presidents: An

Introduction to the Essential Physics Every World Leader
Needs to Know”

by Richard A. Muller.
This is a really good book!

You must buy this and read it.

Homework questions, exam questions.

Ebook is probably fine. (I have both J.)

 PHYS-123 — Materials
Calculator:

You need a calculator that can add, subtract, multiply,

divide, take square roots, and do exponentiation (xy).

Yes, you can use the one on your phone. But, don’t
cheat!

(My phone can take the inverse hyperbolic cotangent of

a complex number.)
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Grading Policy: It is very simple

In-class quizzes 20%

Homework 20%
Team Presentation 20%
First mid-term exam 20%
Second mid-term exam 20%
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Grading Policy: It is very simple

In-class quizzes 20%

Homework 20%
Team Presentation 20%
First mid-term exam 20%
Second mid-term exam 20%
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Attendance is required!

Most college students start to slack off on

coming to class after a couple of weeks. Don’t do
this! (Not just my class.)

Participation (measured through online polls

during class) will be a fifth of your grade. No way
will I cut you slack if you don’t participate in
class.
 Participation – online polls
Several times each class period we will have a
quick online poll. This will essentially be a
simple multiple-choice question about the
things we are talking about.

It is very helpful for you to talk to each other

about these questions! It is allowed and
encouraged.

Talk to each other!

 Participation – online polls
This means you need to be able to access the web
site easily during lecture. You must bring to each
class an Internet capable device, such as a
smartphone, laptop, or tablet.

If you forget to bring your phone, etc., it is just like

skipping class! No forgiveness! Don’t even ask.
 Online polls – Let’s try it
Go to the class web site: https://physics.grwelch.com/123
 Online polls – Let’s try it
Go to the class web site: https://physics.grwelch.com/123

click here
 Online polls – Let’s try it
Go to the class web site: https://physics.grwelch.com/123

I have not
started a poll
yet.
 Online polls – Let’s try it
Go to the class web site: https://physics.grwelch.com/123

Click the
“hat” to go
back.

Pro-tip: this
always takes
you to the
main page.
 Online polls – Let’s try it
So, now I will start a test poll.
Don’t worry, this does not count – it is just for practice.

Section 500

Section 501
click here
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Grading Policy: It is very simple

In-class quizzes 20%

Homework 20%
Team Presentation 20%
First mid-term exam 20%
Second mid-term exam 20%
 Homework

Five times during the semester I will assign a short topic

for you to consider. You must write a SHORT discussion
of the topic.

I mean short. Typically the limit is 1500 characters.

Note: characters, not words!

It will be about three short paragraphs.

You just upload your discussion to the class web site. It

usually takes me a few days to get them graded.
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Grading Policy: It is very simple

In-class quizzes 20%

Homework 20%
Team Presentation 20%
First mid-term exam 20%
Second mid-term exam 20%
 Team Presentations

The class will be broken into teams of five students

each.

The teams will be chosen randomly – you don’t

get to pick your friends.

Each team will have five minutes in class to give a

presentation on a physics topic.

The topics will be assigned randomly – you don’t

get to pick, but each team can indicate their
preferences from the topics.
 Team Presentations

Grade based on:

Participation in the group, including peer evaluation.

Content and quality of the presentation. I will assign

this part – same value to all group members.

Participation during other presentations. This

means you must be present during all presentations.
You MUST come to class for your group presentation

Your group presentation is a collaborative effort between

you and a team of students. For this reason, it is not
possible to make up an absence on the day of your group
project. Thus it is imperative that you attend class this
day.

Your group project score is the product of your

participation and the quality of the presentation, so
failure to participate will drastically lower your grade on
the group project.
You MUST come to class for your group presentation

Obviously if you have an unplanned medical emergency

then you will not be able to attend.

However, if you have any other university excused absence

you must inform me in advance (before October 26) so
that your project can be scheduled on a different day.

Therefore, the only excused absence allowed on the day of

your presentation will be an acute medical emergency that
is so severe it absolutely prevents you coming to class.
You MUST come to class for your group presentation

If you do miss your presentation because of an acute

illness, it is your responsibility to convince your group that
it was necessary to be absent and not fulfill your part of
the participation, otherwise their evaluation of your
participation may suffer.
You MUST come to class for your group presentation

For any other excused absence such as a sports

competition or university sponsored event, you must
inform me before the group presentation schedule is
finished on October 26. This will allow me to schedule
your group's presentation on a day you are not absent.

No excused absences on days of group presentations will

be accepted if you do not inform me before October 26.
If you cannot inform me before October 26 of any
excused absence during the presentation days (Nov 23,
Nov 30, Dec 2, Dec 7) then I think you should drop this
class now.
You MUST come to class for your group presentation

TLDR:

Presentation days: Nov 23, Nov 30, Dec 2, Dec 7. (These

are the last four days of class.)

You must inform me of excused absences on these days

before: Oct 26. (This is the last Tuesday in October.)
 PHYS-123 — Syllabus

Grading Policy: It is very simple

In-class quizzes 20%

Homework 20%
Team Presentation 20%
First mid-term exam 20%
Second mid-term exam 20%
 Exams

Exam 1: October 5. Covers chapters 1-5.

Exam 2: November 18. Covers chapters 6-11.

Multiple choice

Given right here in the classroom.

I will provide your scantron – you don’t need to

bring one.

Make sure to bring your ID, or something with your

UIN.
So, with that out of the way,
what is class going to be like?
 What is class going to be like?

You need to be able to read this.

You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
Well, maybe not.
Probably not.
Not really.
No.
 What is class going to be like?

You need to be able to read this.

You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
You need to be able to read this.
Well, maybe not.
Probably not.
Not really.
No.

If you have trouble reading the

screen, speak up. Or, participate
remotely.
What is class going to be like?
 Come to class

I am not going to just read the book to you.

Class lectures will concentrate on the high points in

the book. We will discuss things, answer
questions, maybe raise some new ideas and clarify
others.

To succeed: read the book AND come to class!

 Have Fun!

I have a twitter account for this class:

@tamuphysics123

I’ll tweet interesting things from the news that

will be fun to think and talk about.

Reply with questions, comments, insults, etc.

Any questions?

https://xkcd.com/1867/