Course Webpage for PHYS-205A-001 (Spring 2026) at SIU--Carbondale

Course Webpage for
PHYS 205A-001: University Physics (Spring 2026)
School of Physics and Applied Physics, Southern Illinois University--Carbondale
Last updated on .

General information:
- Instructor: K. V. Shajesh (Office: Neckers 491, Tel.: +1-618-453-5212)
- Class meetings: MWF 12:00-12:50 PM, in Neckers 440.
- Office hours for instructor: MWF 9:30-11:30 AM.
- Syllabus for the course. The Provost Office has put together a Syllabus Attachment to assist the student. It lists and provides web links for many elements that are important for a student.
Resources:
- Assigned Textbook:
- Lectures
  - Lecture recordings from 2021 Spring as a YouTube Playlist
  - Formal Lecture Notes: This is not a substitute for a textbook.
- Quizzes and Homework
  - Equation Sheet: While working on homework you can use any reference, however, aim towards limiting your reference to the contents in the Equation Sheet.
  - Submission of Quizzes and Homework will use SIU MyCourses.
  - Practice problems: Available at Binapani Academy. It is a free service and requires a one-time registration, Code: SIUC2025. My colleague, Subtata Bal, has developed this platform from a collection of questions and content from more than twelve semesters of my teaching PHYS-205A in SIUC, to make it available to students to aid their learning. His team is developing AI tools to find new ways to make these resources aid student learning experience. This platform is in active development.
- Exams
  - Old Exams are available in Past course webpages: [2025F, 2025S, 2024F, 2024S, 2023F, 2023S, 2022F, 2022S, 2021S, 2018S, 2017F, 2016F, 2015F, 2014F]
    A recorded review session serves as a 'Video Solution' for an exam in another semester.
  - Equation Sheet
- Miscellaneous
  - Errata: List of errors spotted in videos and hand-written notes has been collected here.
  - Physics Help Desk Schedule. Contact Shannon Ketteman (mari.ketteman@siu.edu) at the Physics department office for updated information.
  - Tutorial: PHYS-206A serves as a Tutorial Session for PHYS-205A. Concurrent enrollment in PHYS-206A is recommended.
  - Grades will be posted on SIU MyCourses (password protected).

COURSE CONTENT: WEEKS 01-04

Mathematical concepts:
1. Units and dimensions: Conversion of units
2. Dimensional analysis
3. Significant digits
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 01
Quizzes: Q-0112 and Q-0114.
Chapter 1 of Textbook.
Powers of ten: A 1977 educational film describing the relative scale of the universe, by Charles and Ray Eames.
Motion in one dimension:
1. Time, position, velocity, acceleration
2. Graphical analysis of motion
3. Using concepts from calculus in analysis of motion
4. Motion with uniform velocity
5. Motion with uniform acceleration (free fall)
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 02
Quizzes: Q-0116, Q-0121, and Q-0123.
Chapter 2 of Textbook.
Feathers and bowling ball drop (BBC Video)
Vector algebra:
1. Vectors and scalars
2. Magnitude and direction of a vector
3. Rectangular components of a vector
4. Addition and subtraction of vectors
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 03
Quizzes: Q-0128 and Q-0130.
Chapter 3 of Textbook.
What is a vector? by David Huynh (YouTube video, TED-Ed)
Galilean relativity:
1. Relative velocity
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 03
Quizzes: Q-0130.
Section 4.6 of Textbook.
Frames of Reference: The richness and complexity of the seemingly simple idea of relativity is nicely captured in this 26 minute educational film, titled Frames of reference, released in 1960, starring Profs. Ivey and Hume, and produced by Richard Leacock.
Motion in two dimensions:
1. Projectile motion
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 04
Quizzes: Q-0202, Q-0204, and Q-0206.
Sections 4.1 to 4.4 of Textbook.
Components of velocity in projectile motion (National Science Foundation, USA, YouTube video)
Monkey and hunter (National STEM Centre, UK, YouTube Video)
Galileo's ship experiment (YouTube Video)
Midterm Exam No. 01 (February 09, Monday, in class) and Solutions
(Preview of) Midterm Exam No. 01
Past MT-01 Review Sessions: [2024S MT01, 2023F MT01]

COURSE CONTENT: WEEKS 05-08
Kinematics of circular motion:
1. Centripetal acceleration
2. Radial versus tangential acceleration
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 05
Quizzes: Q-0211 and Q-0213.
Sections 4.4 and 4.5 of Textbook.
Astronauts and G-forces (Canadian Space Agency, YouTube Video)
Gravitropism (European Space Agency, YouTube Video)
Newton's laws of motion:
1. Mass, force, acceleration, Newton's laws of motion
2. Gravitational force
3. Normal force
4. Tension force
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 06
Quizzes: Q-0216, Q-0218, Q-0220, and Q-0223.
Sections 5.1 to 5.7 of Textbook.
Inertia (Arbor Scientific, YouTube Video)
Horse and cart (Samuel Clausen, YouTube Video, Illustration of Newton's third law of motion)
What does a spring scale measure? (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, YouTube Video, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
Water level during motion (Mr. Woodward, YouTube Video)
Helium balloon in motion (Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio, YouTube Video)
Newton's laws of motion (continued)
1. Frictional force at an interface
2. Drag forces in a fluid
3. Forces during circular motion
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 07
Quizzes: Q-0225, Q-0227, Q-0302, and Q-0304.
Section 5.8 and Chapter 6 of Textbook.
Friction - Good or Bad? (Curiosity Show, YouTube Video)
Banking of roads (3RDFlix, YouTube Video)
Helium balloon in motion (Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio, YouTube Video)
Low Reynolds number flows (by Sir Geoffrey Taylor, Cambridge University, Film Notes)
Midterm Exam No. 02 (March 06, Friday, in class). and Solutions
Past MT-02 Review Sessions: [2024S MT02]

COURSE CONTENT: WEEKS 09-12
Energy
1. Scalar (dot) product
2. Work done by a force
3. Kinetic energy
4. Potential energy
5. Force exerted by a linear spring
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 08
Quizzes: Q-0316, Q-0318, Q-0320, and Q-0323.
Chapter 7 of Textbook.
Perpetual motion machine (TED-Ed, YouTube Video)
Aircraft catapult technology (Art of Engineering, YouTube Video)
Potential energy diagram
1. Conservative force
2. Relation between force and potential energy for a conservative force
3. Stability analysis
4. Power
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 09
Quizzes: Q-0325 and Q-0327.
Chapter 8 of Textbook, and sections 7.8 and 7.9.
Inverted pendulum (Steve Mould, YouTube Video)
Linear momentum
1. Impluse
2. Linear momentum
3. Inelastic collisions
4. Elastic collisions
5. Center of mass
Resources:
Examples covered in classroom lectures.
Homework No. 10
Quizzes: Q-0330, Q-0401, and Q-0403.
Chapter 9 of Textbook.
Midterm Exam 03 (April 06, Monday, in class).
Past MT-03 Review: [2024S MT03, 2023F MT03]
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More information:

Evaluation:

Quizzes 10%

Homework 30%

Midterm Exams (3x15%) 45%

Final Exam 15%

Exam schedule:

Midterm Exam 01 --- February 09 (Monday, in class)

Midterm Exam 02 --- March 06 (Friday, in class)

Midterm Exam 03 --- April 06 (Monday, in class)

Final Exam --- May 8 (Friday, 10:15 AM-12:15 PM, in Neckers 440)

Last updated on by K. V. Shajesh (kvshajesh@gmail.com).

Midterm Exam 01	---	February 09 (Monday, in class)
Midterm Exam 02	---	March 06 (Friday, in class)
Midterm Exam 03	---	April 06 (Monday, in class)
Final Exam	---	May 8 (Friday, 10:15 AM-12:15 PM, in Neckers 440)

Quizzes	10%
Homework	30%
Midterm Exams (3x15%)	45%
Final Exam	15%