Boston University PY105 - Physics I
PY105/6 Physics is a two-semester course sequence covering fundamental
physics. PY105, the first semester, this course, covers classical
mechanics and thermodynamics. PY106, the second semester, covers
electricity, magnetism and modern physics. Both courses are intended
primarily for science majors and pre-medical/pre-health students. Most
students take PY105/6 in the same academic year, on sequence; PY105
during the fall semester and PY106 during the spring semester.
PY105 studio is the on-sequence course, implemented in a studio
format. There are 6 studio sections, each with maximum 83 students (498
students total) integrating lecture, discussion, and labs. All studio
sections cover the same material using the same curriculum. Our studio
course is an engaged experience for students, minimizing explaining
concepts to you in "lecture" and maximizing student collaboration and
hands-on problem solving at smart- and white-boards as well as
labs. There are two main goals in this course: one is to become
familiar with a range of physics concepts, and the other is to learn,
through training,
to apply these concepts to solving problems.
Each
section is supported by a professor, two teaching fellows and two
undergraduate learning assistants. We hold office hours for the entire
course, across all sections, offering times throughout every day of the
week (a combined approximately 40 hours of availability) as well as
other resources such as weekly content/problem solving sessions, content
reviews, quiz reviews, and 1:1 meeting availability.
For Fall 2025, we will have 4 exams throughout the semester, all held
during our Tuesday exam block. The dates have been set: 9/23, 10/7, 11/4
and 12/9. There will be a cumulative final quiz during the
final exam block (date TBD). While cumulative, it will be based on key
concepts/problems. The lowest scoring quiz will be weighted least, and
all others will be equally weighted (see syllabus draft).
To give you an overall sense of the course, check out the
PY105 Draft Fall 2025 Syllabus & Schedule
and related links above.
Want to get a head start? 2-3+ weeks
before first class...
-
Obtain a scientific calculator (NOT a mobile phone app) which has
sine,
cosine, exponential and their inverse functions. Any will do, but
preferrably one with a multi-line display so you can double check
and redo your calculations step by step. For
example: TI-30XIIS, TI-30XS Multiview, TI-36X Pro, Casio fx-115ES,
Casio fx-991CW.
- Math/Physics Prep
Packet
- Chapter
1 of College Physics: The Nature of Science and Physics
- A survey of physics via animation, a must watch:
Animation vs. Physics (16 min by Alan Becker, 2023)
- Context for college physics, another must watch:
Fun to Imagine with Richard Feynman (7:30 clip
on "Why?")
- Scale: Powers of
Ten with Morgan Freeman (10 minute clip)
Announcements and Frequently Asked Questions
- 06.18.2025 - Fall 2025 Update 4 -
The class seats have been updated with each section set at 84
students. That created space in only one section, S6. So students
should be automatically moved off that section's wait list in
myBU. The remaining sections are at or over that 84 seat cap. In
order for students to me moved off the wait list of swap into other
sections, there will need to be students who drop the course (which
is likely) during the remainder of the summer. At this point, all
enrollments will be done automatically depending on the wait list.
If you are a Junior/Sophomore/Freshman and are currently on a wait
list and do not have a very low position, then you should plan to take
the course another time (either Spring 2026 when it's offered
off-sequence lecture format of Fall 2026 when it's offered as studio
again, and we will accommodate all Seniors).
- 06.06.2025 - Fall 2025 Update 3 - I
went through the class rosters (those enrolled) and those on wait
lists. We identified all students on a wait list (or multiple wait
lists) who are not enrolled in a section. Based on that, we were able
to enroll all Seniors. There will not be enough available seats for most
Juniors or Sophomores unfortunately. What we will do is increase seats
and allow the wait lists to do their jobs automatically. If you've
signed up to a wait list as a swap, and you're high up on the wait list,
you could be swapped. If you are unenrolled, you could be added. It's
too early to know how this will go. Expect another update next week.
- 04.26.2025 - Fall 2025 Update 2 - PY105
has significant wait lists. I think this is mainly due to the fact that
we have students registered for a section and also on multiple wait
lists to get into other sections. I will check in with CAS Registar to
find out how to handle this. Give me some time to look into it, until
after the current academic semester ends, and then I will update here. We
should have enough seats to get all Juniors/Seniors into the course --
at least we have in past years. Expect an update by late-May.
- 03.20.2025 - Fall 2025 Update 1 -
PY105 registration begins this Saturday, April 5 for graduate students,
Sunday, April 6 for Seniors, Sunday, April 13 for Juniors, and
Sunday, April 27 for Sophomores. Note that the PY105/106 physics
sequence is typically taken during Junior/Senior year.
Here are some common questions regarding registration:
Exam block conflicts: Our exams will again be on
Tuesday nights. The newest myBU updates will not allow you to
register for PY105 if you have a conflict with another course. This
includes the exam block.
myBU Auto Waitlist feature: MyBU has an auto-enroll
waitlist. In other words, the old loophole where your friend could
hold a seat and then drop it for you at 3 a.m. will not work. If
someone drops a section, myBU will auto-enroll the next person on
its internal waitlist. For now, the instructors have no control over
the waitlist, so even if you ask us to add you, we physically
cannot. You should only add yourself to a waitlist for a section if
you are not enrolled in any other PY105 section. The waitlist will
automatically add you to the section you selected if a spot opens up
in that section on a first-come-first-served basis.
Swapping PY105 Sections: It will be almost
impossible to swap PY105 sections. All students should enroll or
get on a wait list ONLY for section(s) you are able to attend;
instead of enrolling in any section and hope to swap out at a later
date.
Section Instructors: We do not know which
instructors are teaching which section(s). So, every section is
TBD. That is not because we are trying to prevent you from making
decisions based on preferences; but it is because we actually do not
know at this point.
Religious Holidays: For some of you, religious
observances may prevent you from working later in the
day/post-sundown (a common example is Ramadan). If this applies to
you, please try to register for S1 through S4 so you do not miss
many classes! We will work out the exam times that overlap with any
religious holidays.
- How can I manage the pace of the course and do you have
suggestions for how to be successful and minimize stress?
This is a very good question!
This course is fast-paced because we are covering so many concepts
and
we are expecting a lot from you. Of course, how much really depends on
prior experience learning physics.
The best advice is to carve out time for daily practice and study (work
on problems) until you're fairly confident in
what you are learning. There's really no way around this. The way to
not get overwhelmed by the pace is to work towards a routine for
yourself and try to follow it. We will certainly help you achieve this,
partly because we will be doing our best to build a "we're all in
this" community atmosphere, so you won't feel alone. We will provide
real-world applications (particularly in health and medicine) so that
you can see physics in action. Finally, we will
build into the schedule a full slate of office hours and review
sessions. Our
goal in teaching, and hopefully your goal in learning, is that the
course and all the structures we are building in support you so that
nobody is left behind.
- If you have any questions, please e-mail to: trunfio@bu.edu and please put PY105 in the
subject heading. I will provide updates here with any FAQ's.