Modern Introductory Physics: The Second Semester Course

高露洁正在对其基于微积分的入门物理课程进行重大修订。这样做是为了解决三个问题：入学人数下降，新生准备不足，以及少数族裔代表人数较低。新课程的第一学期名为现代入门物理，是在过去五年里开发和教授的。这本书以原子为主题，向新生展示了二十世纪物理学的核心思想。这是一个强大的动力，这门课程受到了学生的好评。本项目是针对第二学期课程的开发而进行的。所选择的主题，统一，自然地建立在第一学期的材料上，轻松地涵盖了导论课程的传统主题，并将物理学呈现为伟大的统一科学。这门课程的三个部分是牛顿力学、守恒定律和统计物理。本课程最后讨论了元素的起源，使学生在第一学期开始学习原子时绕了一圈。教员们预计将编写300页的补充书面材料，外加8个融合古典物理和现代物理的新颖实验室练习。将聘请一名外部顾问向工作人员传授课程评估的方法，并在已出版的文献中报告结果。

Colgate is engaged in a major revision of its introductory calculus-based physics curriculum. This is being done to address three concerns: declining enrollments, inadequate preparation of incoming students, and low minority representation. The first semester of the new curriculum, called Modern Introductory Physics, has been developed and taught over the past five years. Organized about the theme of atoms, it presents to freshmen the central ideas of twentieth century physics. This is a strong motivator, and the course has been well received by students. This project is directed at development of the second semester curriculum. The theme chosen, unification, builds naturally on the first semester material, easily encompasses the traditional topics of the introductory course, and presents physics as the great unifying science. The three sections of the course are Newtonian Mechanics, Conservation Laws, and Statistical Physics. The course concludes by discussing the origin of the elements, bringing students full circle to the beginning of the first semester study of atoms. Faculty expect to generate 300 pages of supplementary written materials plus eight novel laboratory exercises blending classical and modern physics. An outside consultant will be employed to teach staff the methods of course evaluation, and the results will be reported in the published literature.