P3C Course Syllabus
Textbook
University Physics for the Life Sciences, 1st Edition, by Knight, Jones, and Field.
This course will cover Chapters 21-30. Students are welcome to purchase the eBook or a hardcopy.
In contrast to P3A, P3B and the parallel P3C course, this course does not use Pearson's MyLab and Mastering for homework. ​
Class Meetings
Lectures take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:00 to 2:50 PM in Engineering Hall 1200. First class: March 31st. Last class: June 6th Attendance is mandatory and will account for 10% of your overall grade.​
Office Hours
On Wednesdays from 3pm to 5pm in 4179 Frederick Reines Hall (mini conference room).
Additionally, I offer a "by appointment only" office hour on Fridays from noon to 1pm, in 4182 Frederick Reines Hall (my office)​.​
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments over a whole chapter are due every Friday. They are meant to help you stay on track with the material.
Why is reading important? Physics is a highly structured subject—each new idea builds on previous ones. To truly understand it, you need to engage with the material multiple times and in different ways. Reading before class helps lay the foundation, lectures deepen your understanding, and practice solidifies it. Spacing out your study allows your brain to forget and then relearn multiple times, which strengthens memory and understanding. This iterative process is essential—and it can’t happen if you only start studying the weekend before the exam.
Homework Assignments
In contrast to P3A, P3B and the parallel P3C course, this course does not use Pearson's MyLab and Mastering for homework.
Each week, homework problems will be provided along with detailed solutions. You are expected to attempt solving the problems independently before consulting the solutions as needed. These solutions are designed to be comprehensive, ensuring clarity in each step to minimize reliance on AI assistance. Since complete solutions are available, homework submissions will not be required and you won't receive credit directly for engaging with these examples. Instead, during the discussion session, you will take a quiz based on a randomly selected homework problem. This quiz will be graded by the TAs, and your score will determine your homework credit (15% toward the overall grade). Be aware that simply reading the solutions and assuming passive understanding will be enough is a risky approach. Without actively practicing problem-solving—meaning re-solving the homework multiple times—you may struggle on the quiz, as recognizing a solution is not the same as being able to reproduce it under time pressure. To succeed, you must engage deeply with the homework by working through the problems yourself, using the solutions as a guide rather than a shortcut. Doing so will not only improve your quiz performance and overall grade but will also prepare you effectively for the midterms and final. Remember: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Homework grading scale:
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2 points: Entirely correct solution
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1 point: Mostly correct solution with minor mistake(s)
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0 points: Mostly incorrect solution
To accommodate unforeseen circumstances, the two lowest quiz scores will be automatically dropped at the end of the quarter. No make-up quizzes or retakes will be offered, so please do not request exceptions. This policy is in place to ensure fairness and manage resources effectively:
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Fairness: It is impossible to replicate a previous quiz with the exact same difficulty.
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Resource limitations: TA availability is limited, and we cannot allocate extra time for additional quizzes.​
Exams
This course holds three Unit Exams and one cumulative Final Exam. Unit Exams occur during Monday lectures in Weeks 4, 7, and 10, and the Final Exam is scheduled for Wed, Jun 11, 10:30-12:30pm. Note that the time of the final exam is different from the time of the classes. Three exam scores will contribute to each student's letter grade, and the lowest exam score will be automatically dropped to accommodate all manner of absences and emergencies. Each exam's weight is the same toward the final grade, including the Final Exam. No other "make-up" opportunities will be offered online or at alternate times so please do not request exceptions. This policy is in place to ensure fairness and manage resources effectively:
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Fairness: It is impossible to replicate a previous exam with the exact same difficulty.
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Resource limitations: TA availability is limited, and we cannot allocate extra time for additional exams.
Mark your calendar now to protect these exam dates from scheduling conflicts.
Exams are closed book and closed note. The type of problems will be similar to those covered in lectures, discussion sessions and by the homework.
What's the best way to prepare for the midterms and final?
Practice actively—solve every problem multiple times until the process becomes second nature. Mastery comes from repetition and application, not from listening to lectures and passive understanding of written solutions. If you commit to this, achieving an A is well within reach. I will teach you the concepts in class, but you will need skill to do well in the exams.
Don't wait until the last weekend to start preparing for the midterms—practice several times a week consistently throughout the quarter. As mentioned earlier, physics needs time to "soak in." Even if you're used to earning A's with minimal effort, this is one of the hardest course that you have taken and it requires sustained practice for success. In the past, many top students who assumed they could ace the exams with last-minute cramming were caught off guard and stressed after the first midterm. Don’t make that mistake—start early, practice regularly, and build your mastery systematically. Again, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Beyond the grade, mastering physics will sharpen your analytical and problem-solving skills, which are essential for success in medical school and your future career. The ability to think critically, break down complex problems, and apply logical reasoning will serve you well in diagnosing patients and making sound medical decisions. The focus is not on growing your physics knowledge (you will forgt most of what you learn here!), but on improving your analytic thinking (this will stay with you forever).​
Grading
Final letter grades for the course will be computed using the following weights:
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Class participation: 5% (lowest 2 scores will be automatically dropped)
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Discussion participation: 5% (lowest 2 scores will be automatically dropped)
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Homework / Discussion quiz: 15% (lowest 2 scores will be automatically dropped)
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Exams: 75% (top 3 out of 4 exam scores, each for 25%; i.e. you can drop either a midterm or the final)
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Letter Grade & Percentage Range:
A+ 97–100%
A. 93–96%
A- 90–92%
B+ 87–89%
B. 83–86%
B- 80–82%
C+ 77–79%
C 73–76%
C- 70–72%
D 60–69%
Scores will be curved if needed (if class GPA falls below 2.72)
Letter grades will be assigned after curving the scores (if needed). Scores for individual assignments will be posted on Canvas as they are entered by the instructors. It is the students' responsibility to ensure that scores have been correctly recorded. If there are clerical errors students shall immediately notify the TA. No scores will be changed after the last day of classes.
For reference, last year's grade distribution: ​​​
Discussions
For details, please refer to the schedule of classes on the UCI registrar website. You will receive your "homework" credit for discussion quizzes, which contributes by 15% toward your overall grade. You will also receive 5% for group work participation assisted by the LAs. The 2 lowest scores will be automatically dropped at the end of the quarter to accommodate any issues and emergencies. Please do not request exceptions.​
Lecture Recordings
Recordings are available on Canvas under the YuJa section. Please note: UCI's recording system may experience issues when connecting to a Mac via HDMI, which could cause some screen recordings to appear full black.
Calculator Policy
On quizzes and exams, students are allowed to use any simple, non-programmable, non-graphing calculators. These include the TI-30Xa, TI-30XIIS, TI-34II, TI-36X Solar, Casio fx-300MSPLUS, Sharp EL531VB-BL, HP-9S, HP-30S, or similar models.
Cheating Policy
Anyone caught cheating on any assignment will automatically fail this course. In addition, the appropriate deans will be notified, and this course will strictly enforce the UCI policies on academic honesty. Cheating includes giving or receiving assistance on any assessment, submitting work that is copied from another person’s work, and tampering with and/or re-submitting exams or homework. Cheating does not include discussing problems with other students or using outside reference materials to learn more. You are encouraged to learn by working together, but any work turned in for a grade must be your own effort and not someone else’s.