General Physics – Spring 2026


Two times each weak, 1-16 weeks.
M & W 15:20-16:55
@509 XueLou


Office Hour:
W 12:00-13:00 @ 233 LihuaLou


About the score:

Your total score consists of your homework (20%) + In-class tests & engagement (10%) + final test (70%).


Textbook:

University Physics with Modern Physics – 12th
by Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman


Physics I:

  • Chp.1 – Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors (CP1, Summary)
      • To learn three fundamental quantities of physics and the units to measure them
      • To understand vectors and scalars and how to add vectors graphically
      • To determine vector components and how to use them in calculations
      • To understand unit vectors and how to use them with components to describe vectors
      • To learn two ways of multiplying vectors
  • Chp.2 – Motion Along a Straight line (CP2, Summary)
      • To describe straight-line motion in terms of velocity and acceleration
      • To distinguish between average and instantaneous velocity and average and instantaneous acceleration
      • To interpret graphs of position versus time, velocity versus time, and acceleration versus time for straight-line motion
      • To understand straight-line motion with constant acceleration
      • To examine freely falling bodies
      • To analyze straight-line motion when the acceleration is not constant
  • Chp.3 – Motion in Two or Three Dimensions (CP3, Summary)
      • To use vectors to represent the position of a body
      • To determine the velocity vector using the path of a body
      • To investigate the acceleration vector of a body
      • To describe the curved path of projectile
      • To investigate circular motion
  • Chp.4 – Newton’s Laws of Motion (CP4, Summary)
      • To understand the meaning of force in physics
      • To view force as a vector and learn how to combine forces
      • To understand the behavior of a body on which the forces balance: Newton’s First Law of Motion
      • To learn the relationship between mass, acceleration, and force: Newton’s Second Law of Motion
      • To relate mass and weight
      • To see the effect of action-reaction pairs: Newton’s Third Law of Motion
      • To learn to make free-body diagrams
  • Chp.5 – Applying Newton’s Laws (Summary)
      • To use Newton’s first law for bodies in equilibrium
      • To use Newton’s second law for accelerating bodies
      • To study the types of friction and fluid resistance
      • To solve problems involving circular motion
  • Chp.6 – Work and Kinetic Energy (Summary)
      • To understand and calculate the work done by a force
      • To understand the meaning of kinetic energy
      • To learn how work changes the kinetic energy of a body and how to use this principle
      • To relate work and kinetic energy when the forces are not constant or the body follows a curved path
      • To solve problems involving power
  • Chp.7 – Potential Energy and Energy Consavation (Summary)
      • To use gravitational potential energy in vertical motion
      • To use elastic potential energy for a body attached to a spring
      • To solve problems involving conservative and nonconservative forces
      • To determine the properties of a conservative force from the corresponding potential-energy function
  • Chp.8 – Momentum, Impulse, and Collisions (Summary)
      • To learn the meaning of the momentum of a particle and how an impulse causes it to change
      • To learn how to use the conservation of momentum
      • To learn how to solve problems involving collisions
      • To learn the definition of the center of mass of a system and what determines how it moves
      • To analyze situations, such as rocket propulsion, in which the mass of a moving body changes
  • Chp.9 – Rotation of Rigid Bodies (Summary)
      • To describe rotation in terms of angular coordinate, angular velocity, and angular acceleration
      • To analyze rotation with constant angular acceleration
      • To relate rotation to the linear velocity and linear acceleration of a point on a body
      • To understand moment of inertia and how it relates to rotational kinetic energy
      • To calculate moment of inertia
  • Chp.10 – Dynamics of Rotational Motion (Summary)
      • To learn what is meant by torque
      • To see how torque affects rotational motion
      • To analyze the motion of a body that rotates as it moves through space
      • To use work and power to solve problems for rotating bodies
      • To study angular momentum and how it changes with time
      • To learn why a gyroscope precesses
  • Chp.11 – Equilibrium and Elasticity (Summary)
      • To study the conditions for equilibrium of a body
      • To understand center of gravity and how it relates to a body’s stability
      • To solve problems for rigid bodies in equilibrium
  • Chp.12 – Gravitation (Summary)
      • To calculate the gravitational forces that bodies exert on each other
      • To relate weight to the gravitational force
      • To use the generalized expression for gravitational potential energy
      • To study the characteristics of circular orbits
      • To investigate the laws governing planetary motion
      • To look at the characteristics of black holes
  • Chp.13 – Periodic Motion (Summary)
      • To describe oscillations in terms of amplitude, period, frequency and angular frequency
      • To do calculations with simple harmonic motion
      • To analyze simple harmonic motion using energy
      • To apply the ideas of simple harmonic motion to different physical situations
      • To analyze the motion of a simple pendulum
      • To examine the characteristics of a physical pendulum
      • To explore how oscillations die out
      • To learn how a driving force can cause resonance
  • Chp.14 – Fluid Mechanics (Summary)
  • Chp.15 – Mechanical Waves (Summary)
  • Chp.16 – Sound and Hearing (Summary)

Assignments: (should be returned to jxu@ustb.edu.cn within one week)

  • hw01 (1.16, 1.17, 1.31, 1.38, 1.50, 1.54, 2.32, 2.35, 2.38, 2.39, 2.40)
  • hw02 (3.12, 3.14, 3.29, 3.35, 3.36)

Full text copyright © jxu@ustb.edu.cn