[dj_money]

Hey everone!

Okay, so its time to review Physics 1B03. I took this course this past year as an elective (I think!). This is also the course that students in Life Sciences I may be taking in September 2008.

So, this course covers some material from grade 11/12 (this all depends on what your teacher covered in high school). This course started out to be really easy, as it covered topics such as Kinematics and Dynamics after which we had our first midterm (I will talk about assessments later on). However, right after the midterm I felt that the pace of this course picked up gradually. We covered topics such as Momentum, Energy, Work (all of which were review for me since I had covered them in high school) and ended off the year with Waves, Intereference, and Fluids (this is when it got difficult!).

This course featured two midters, each one being worth 15%. Now, here comes the surprise: there are only 15 questions (multiple-choice) on each midterm! If you do the math, this means that each question is worth 1% of your final mark! Also, don't expect professors to give part-marks on the tests (unlike Chemistry 1A03/1AA3). So, make sure you practice plenty for the tests!

So, you thought the midterms were bad... well, its exam time. The final exam was worth 45% of our final marks and had... (here it comes)... 30 questions! This means, each question was worth 1.5% of your final mark! But, don't worry... the exam is not overly difficult. In fact, I found that there were about 4-5 questions on the exam that were taken directly from our term tests. So, here's a piece of advice: make sure you re-do your tests for practice and know what the correct answers are!

This course also features weekly 2-hour long labs. You will meet Alex, who is the Lab Co-ordinator (I think!) and will never forget him! Alex may seem a little intimidating when he is talking, but he really doesn't mean to embarass you in front of others. So, the labs are really straightforward. There are also lab TAs that help students out. The TAs check to see that the labs have been completed by the students (you work in groups of 3) and then near the end of the term, they randomly check two of the labs and assign them a mark out of 10 each. These marks (along with a mark that indicates completion of all labs) count for 12.5% of your final mark. This was an easy way to help off-set my marks from the midterms!

Then, there is CAPA (not too sure what it stands for). Basically, CAPA is a set of assignments that you complete and submit online. There is a CAPA assignment released weekly, with the due date being being approximately a week for each assignment. Each assignment consists of about 15-25 questions. They are not multiple-choice questions; rather, they require you to type out your answer into the "answer" box. The best thing about these assignments is that students get 10 (yes, that's right!) tries to get the right answer for each question. CAPA is a HUGE way to boost your mark because it counts for 7.5% of the final mark! Also, when doing CAPA, I would suggest that students attempt to answer the questions on their own. There is nothing wrong with getting help on a few questions, but do not have your friend do the entire assignment for you! Look at it this way... if you are not able to do the questions on CAPA on your own, you will not do well on the midterms/exam. Also, another thing to point out is that CAPA questions vary by student, in that the values/numbers are different for everyone (I think!).

Then, the reminaing 5% of the final mark is based on "class participation/assignments." I am still unclear as to how exactly they calculate this mark. Anyways, the important thing is that there are quizzes in every class. These quizzes are completed using the I-clickers (similar to the gadget that you would see with the audience when they are polled in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). There are also random assignments that we had to hand in (I think there were about three).

Okay, so that's Physics for you. I had Dr. Hughes as my professor for the course. I found her to be a very effective communicator. She was able to explain concepts in the textbook with a high degree of clarity. By the end of the year, I honestly felt as if I had learned much more in class watching Dr. Hughes doing her demonstrations than reading the textbook. Yes, the textbook is a good resource for practicing questions (and it is the student's responsibility to read relveant material prior to coming to class), but it does a terrible job in explaining key concepts (such as interference and fluids). So, to do well in the course, you need to go to class!

Okay, I think I have rambled on too much about this course.

Good luck to those taking it!

Course Overview
Physics 1B03 covers Mechanics and waves, including kinematics, dynamics, momentum, energy, travelling waves, superposition and fluid dynamics. The bulk of the course (including the first two midterms) deals with the force and work/energy model, which should be review from high school and physics 1L03/1P03. Despite doing fairly poorly on the midterms, I felt that this part of the course was relatively easy. The fluids and waves part was a bit more challenging, but that's probably just me because I didn't take SPH4U1 and we didn't cover waves & fluids in 1P03.

Course Breakdown
Midterms: 15% each x 2 = 30%
Labs: 12.5%
CAPA (Computer Aided Physics Assignments): 7.5%
Class Quizzes: 5%
Final Exam: 45%

Midterms
First midterm

• covers kinematics and dynamics
• 15 questions worth 15% of your final mark. So like dj_money said, each question is theoretically worth 1% of your final mark.
• 1 hour long
• Contains a mixture of calculation and theoretical questions

Second midterm

• covers momentum work and energy
• same outline as the first midterm

CAPA
These are weekly assignments relased by the department. There are 9 total and sometimes contain 35 questions, while others contain only 11. A lot of students seem to think that CAPA contains special questions made exclusively by McMaster physics professors, which is actually a myth. Most CAPA questions come straight from the textbook. They are the even numbered questions, since the book only gives the solutions to odd numbered questions. You get ten tries to answer each question, and don't worry about significant figures; CAPA always uses three. It's alright if you do CAPA questions with other people, just make sure that a) you understand the solution and you're able to do the same type of question on your own and b) you actually write down the solution for future reference when studying for a test or exam. Having someone do the CAPA questions for you isn't worth it, since the tests and exam are worth 75% of your final mark while CAPA is a measly 7.5% (and I mean measly in comparison).

Labs
Labs are two hours a week every week for the entire semester and should coincide with what has been discussed in lectures. With the way the labs are structured, it's very hard to do poorly on them: each lab has 3-5 sections, and before moving on to the next one, you have to check your answers from the previous section with a lab TA. Instead of them saying "No you're wrong, try again", they actually discuss the section with you, so that you can deduce the answer on your own. In essence, the only way you can complete the lab is if you have the correct answers to all of the sections.

There are two eccentric components to the labs, the first being the grading. I think you do 8 or 9 labs in total, but they only mark two random ones. The rest are marked for "completion", and you basically get a 10/10 for those since you go over the answers with the TAs. The second is the lab coordinator, Alex. He's quite possibly the most patronizing person in the faculty, but don't be discouraged if you feel he's picking on you, because he picks on everyone.

Class Quizzes
These are simply chapter quizzes (5 or 6 questions at the most) at the start of every new unit. Read the chapters and it's an easy 5%.

Final Exam
Two hours long, 40 multiple choice questions covering every unit in the course, with emphasis placed on the later chapters (waves). I found the exam was very easy. There were some 5 questions that were straight from the midterms, and another 9 or 10 that were straight from the assigned textbook problems. Word of the wise: review your midterms and do the odd-numbered textbook problems. Although most CAPA questions are the even-numbered problems, the odd-numbered questions have the answers at the back of the book and will expose you to the type of questions that CAPA did not and will appear on the final exam.

Overall, you'll need to put in a fair amount of work in this class to get a good grade. I'm absolutely terrible at physics, but I got a decent grade in the end. Again, I suggest doing the textbook problems because those were key.

Also, don't bother buying the workbook and its accompanying solution manuals. The textbook problems are enough practice.

Alright, if you're in science, you have to take at least this one.

Overall the course seemed to be a repeat of high school Grade 12 Physics with a few extra concepts such as fluids. Despite the repetitive nature, many biologists/biochemists still have trouble with this class.
The key is time. If you had trouble with high school physics, you'll need to spend some time attempting practice problems in the text book and practicing with online tests. Looking at the mark breakdown, there are a few easy ways to get marks - take advantage of them (see below).

The textbook that comes with the course is a large one, costing about $120. It covers both 1B03 and the 2nd term physics 1BA3 and 1BB3. Personally, I found the textbook to be garbage, but it might still be a good idea to purchase it for practice problems. The reason I disliked it is because most explanations venture into serious unnecessary math and calculus. However, the text book seemed more helpful for Physics 1BB3 and 1BA3

List of topics: Kinematics, Newton's laws, Kinematics 2D, Momentum, Energy, Work, Simple Harmonic Motion (new to me), Waves, Interference, Fluids (new to me)

The course mark breakdown changes each year, and this information is mostly from what I remember. As you read this, keep in mind that I took this course 3 years ago, and it may have slightly changed since then. Nonetheless, as the main profs remained the same, I can't imagine the content changing too much.

Assignments: (About 7%)

What is it? This is a series of on-line computer-generated problem sets called CAPA. There are approximately 7 sets, each consisting of 15 questions with randomly-generated numbers. You get 10 attempts to answer each question. The computer checks your number against a formula and instantly returns you the answer. You can, and even encouraged, to work on these assignments in groups. These questions are slightly tougher than the ones encountered on the test, and offer great practice.
Is it hard? There is no reason why you shouldn't get perfect on all of them. Make some friends in class and collaborate with them. It is very important that you give yourself enough time to do this. The #1 reason why students do not get perfect on this part of the course is because they fail to give themselves adequate time to answer these! Some questions are challenging, but most come from even-numbered questions in the text book (there are no answers to those...sorry). Nonetheless, working through similar example questions in the text book helps a lot. There is also a weekly tutorial with helpful TAs.

Class Activity & Quizzes (About 5% Quizzes and 5% assignments)
What is it? This one varies with professors. Before each class, you are required to read the relevant sections in the text book and be prepared to "participate" in class. To enforce this, course instructors administer informal quizzes at the start of each lecture, where the prof puts up about 4 multiple choice theory questions one at a time on the overhead projector. The students are given 30 seconds or so to answer it on a sheet of paper. Sometimes the instructors would write a simple question on the board at the end of class and expect a full solution to be handed in by next class period.
Is it hard? Questions aren't hard, but most people panic under such pressure. Do not panic! Try your best to read the section over before class to refresh your memory. Also, do not stress over this - keep in mind that most people are having the same problems as you do. Try your best and learn from your mistakes. These questions are typically discussed in class after they are handed in.


Labs (About 12%)
What is it? One two-hour lab each week. Most of them require the use of carts and a motion senstors to play with acceleration, collisions, etc... You hand in your lab notebook and sometimes a worksheet.
Is it hard? Most people found the labs to be quite easy and quick. The TAs are usually very helpful in these.

Tests (About 20% each - Two tests total)
What is it? Two tests, 15 multiple choice written in 1 hour each. Some questions are numerical, while others are strictly theory.
Is it hard? The questions are very typical without many huge surprises, and I think most people found that 1 hour is plenty of time. The best review for the test consistnts of working through practice tests from previous years. (http://www.physics.mcmaster. ca/phys1b03/). I recommend studying course material from lectures, re-doing some of the CAPA problem sets, and finally writing the practice tests to assess areas that need improvement.

Exam (About 45%)
What is it? Approximately 35 questions done in 2 hours (check the newest course outline). Same types of questions as on tests.
Is it hard? Seemed almost identical in difficulty to the midterms. The best practice is to try online practice exams, and re-do your midterms.

Overall, being a physics lover, I thought the course was alright. I also took physics 1BA3 2nd term, which I enjoyed a lot more.

Best of luck,

Paul

Just out of curiosity, is there a pre-Physics course available for people who didn't take 11/12 U in highschool, but need the physics for their degree?

Thanks!

You need 12U physics for 1B03, however the life science physics (1L03) only requires functions and the calculus high school math.

I took 1L03 physics (only up to gr 11 physics in highschool and my teacher claimed to never have taken any physics courses outside of first year and also claimed that he learned everything from physics for dummies for his teaching) Overall, it seems that I didn't learn a lot from 1l03 physics and am not feeling too confident about 1b03... is there anyone out there who took 1B03 physics without 12 U (just 1l03) and could you please tell me how they found the 1B03 Physics? thanks so much.

Physics 1B03 looks and sounds much easier than Physics 1D03 which is what the engineers take. They cover the exact same material but with 1D03 CAPA is worth 2.5% and the final is worth 50% and there are long answer questions on the final and the midterms. There were 2 midterms worth 10% each. Class Participation was 5% and the labs were 15% while the tutorials in which there were quizzes were worth 7.5%. With engineering physics there is integration in the first year.

Just a quick question, under member reviews, where it says avg. for example paul's member review says an average of 78%. is that the average he got in the course? b/c i just wanted to know what kind of marks to expect in this particular course

Originally Posted by gcruz91

Just a quick question, under member reviews, where it says avg. for example paul's member review says an average of 78%. is that the average he got in the course? b/c i just wanted to know what kind of marks to expect in this particular course

No, it's the average of the 4 different sections (Overall, Professor, Interest and Easiness).

personally, this was an easy course
however, i did not do as well as i could because i screwed up both midterms
the course itself is not hard, but it requires a conceptual understanding of everything
the ladder half is alot of springs and whatnot, and students find this challenging because they are weak in math, particularily trigonometry eg. sin, cos, functions
i had dr king as a teacher, he was great guy, approachable too

if we want to take biochemistry and biomedical sciences OR molecular biology OR biology (physiology specialization) OR biology and psychology in level II, do we have to take Physics 1B03 or is Physics 1L03 sufficient?
Thank you so much!!

Biochemistry: Physic 1B03 required by the end of Level II
Molecular Biology: Physic 1B03 required by the end of Level II and Physics 1BB3 is recommended.
Biology (Physio Special): Physic 1B03 required by the end of Level II and Physics 1BB3 is recommended.
Bio and Physio: Physic 1B03 required by the end of Level II

i hope it's easy, because i took physics 12u in summer school
(thinking that i wouldn't have to take physics in uni) , but i found
out that there is some physics in mcat , etc.

thanks for the course review

Did anyone hear anything good or bad about the two profs Hughes and Rheinstadter? Those are the two profs this year and i wanted to know which one was better at explaining concepts.

Hughes is amazing from what i hear...
rheinstader was new last year, from germany, thick on the accent
i dint have rheinstader, but my friend did and he was apparently bad at explaining concepts