SUNY-Geneseo/Physics & Astronomy

Spring 2026

General Physics I

Phys 113

TR 11:00 am - 12:15 pm

ISC 136

What if I’m confused? Your textbook, Physics (any edition) by Cutnell & Johnson, provides many examples and hints for solving problems.  In addition, the Physics and Astronomy Department provides a FREE tutorial center, the Physics Learning Center (ISC 233), staffed by physics majors to answer your questions.  In addition, I will be happy to answer your questions (but not to do your homework for you) during the office hours listed above, or at any other mutually convenient time.

I want an ‘A’!  I want you to get an ‘A’, too! Your grade in this course will be based on your homework grades, quizzes, and exams (including a comprehensive final).

Homework: You will submit your weekly homework using the CAPA system on the internet. CAPA homework is due before 8:00 am on the day indicated (see back). You may discuss the assignments with other students, but you are responsible for doing your own work.

 

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given at 11:00:00 am on every class day when an assignment is due. These quizzes are open notebook, and will require you to symbolically copy a homework solution for a problem from your paper homework journal. I may drop your lowest quiz score when computing your final grade, depending on your circumstances and your choices. Due to oddities in the College’s schedule, quizzes 5 and 6 will still be in class on Thursdays, even though you have an extension until Friday for the corresponding assignments. Note also that Assignments 12 and 13 (with their quizzes) are due on Tuesdays, not Thursdays.

 

Exams: You will take in-class exams using the CAPA system. You are required to bring a laptop to exams with a battery sufficiently charged to last the full 75 minutes. Exams will require you to answer conceptual questions and to solve problems which I will design. There are 4 exams, including the final. The exams are scheduled as follows.

 

    Exam #1               Tuesday, February 17, 2026                                        Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4a

    Exam #2               Tuesday, March 24, 2026                                            Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7

    Exam #3               Tuesday, April 21, 2026                                              Chapters 7, 8, and 9

    Exam #4               Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (noon - 2:30 am)                     Chapters 1 - 13

 

If, for some non-trivial reason, you are unable to take an exam at the scheduled time, I may allow you to take a make-up exam; however, you must contact me at least 1 week prior to the exam date. Rescheduling is your responsibility, not mine!

 

Grades: Final grades will be computed as follows:

 

What is my responsibility?  You must attend and participate in class (and arrive on time), study the relevant sections of your textbook, and complete all of your own homework assignments on time. Students must not turn in homework problems that someone else has solved or solutions they find online. At best you will not receive credit for the homework; at worst you will be charged with academic dishonesty.

 

This course moves along quickly and covers a lot of material; it is important that you keep up to date! In office hours, you should be prepared to use your computer’s snipping tool, and copy-and-paste in Discord (CTRL-C and CTRL-V) to quickly post images that are appropriately sized (i.e., not gazillion pixel images taken with your phone).

When will it all happen?  Here is the schedule of events for this semester.  Please note the due dates for homework and the dates for exams. The schedule is subject to revision as the course progresses, and any major changes will be announced in class.

Learning Outcomes 

This course satisfies SUNY General Education Requirements (GER) in Natural Science. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical analysis; and students will demonstrate application of scientific data, concepts, and models in one of the natural (or physical) sciences.

At the end of this course, students will:

• Be able to use basic 1D and 2D kinematics (including the effects of gravity) to describe and predict the behavior of ideal objects.
• Be able to use free-body diagrams (force analysis) to describe and predict the behavior of ideal objects.
• Be able to use the principles of energy conservation to describe and predict the behavior of ideal objects.
• Be able to use the principles of momentum conservation to describe and predict the behavior of ideal objects.

Legal Definition of Minimum Work Required for College Courses

Link to New York State Law, related SUNY rules, related Accreditation Rules, and Geneseo policy.

While all these sources give identical requirements, here is a summary of the first link, 8 CRR-NY 50.1 (o):

At any college in New York, public or private, a 3-credit course must offer 45 "hours" of instruction,

where an "hour" means 50 minutes.

Additionally, each 3-credit course must require at least 90 hours of homework during the semester.

For a 15-week course, this means that you should expect a minimum of 6 hours of homework each week.

Also, the college provides information at the following URL relating to a variety of course topics: