Fundamentals of Classical Physics I
Official Description[edit]
Fundamentals of Classical Physics I (44-141)
An introduction to classical kinematics, mechanics, gravitation, energy, momentum waves, heat, and thermodynamics.
Overview[edit]
Equation manipulation representing linear and angular motion, forces, waves, and thermodynamics.
What actually happens[edit]
This class moves too fast. They really shove in so much that you always feel like you're behind. You start off with learning vectors (numbers with a magnitude and direction), and then you can either use them or ignore them for the rest of the semester. In the actual material, you'll learn about linear motion, forces, and energy, and use constant acceleration equations, along with many definition equations. Then you wrap it around a center, and you've got rotational motion, torques, and still more energy. Then, if you're anything like me, you'll spend the last several chapters (waves and thermodynamics) running merely off of your ability to manipulate equations like mad.
One of the greatest skills you can have for this class is algebra. Sure, it's calculus-based, but there's no time to explain exactly *how* calculus fits in, so you're given equations. First, you'll need to decipher what they mean. You don't need to understand (but it's always nice), but as long as you can match up letters in equations with words, or actually their corresponding numbers, in problems, it's simply a matter of figuring out what you need, and mixing and matching equations until you get what you need. After a while you may be able to tell when something's about right. Once you've got that, you're pretty much set.
