Math
Qualification Test for Introductory Physics – Physics 111 or Physics 220
In
addition to meeting course prerequisites, students wishing to enroll in Physics
111 or Physics 220 must demonstrate adequate competence in mathematics by
achieving a satisfactory score on the Physics Readiness Exam. This exam will be
given during the first week of classes, either at a lecture meeting or a lab
meeting. The passing score is set by the faculty teaching each course. It is our experience that students who cannot
pass this test will not be able to successfully complete introductory physics,
and we therefore will drop from Physics 111 or 220 any such students. Students
who fail the readiness test should review in preparation for the next time the
course is offered. See references below
for study purposes. Math 109 and Phys
101 are SFSU courses which might also prove useful.
The
test covers the following topics:
·
Exponents, roots, and scientific notation - ability to add, subtract,
multiply, divide, and take powers and roots of variables and numbers expressed
in scientific notation.
·
Algebra – Ability to solve linear and quadratic algebraic equations,
including use of the quadratic formula. Ability to solve for one variable in
terms of other variables. Ability to solve a set of two simultaneous equations.
·
Geometry – Basic knowledge of angles, triangles, perimeters and areas
of figures.
·
Trigonometry – Ability to use sin, cos, and
tan functions and the Pythagorean theorem.
·
Graphing – Knowledge and ability to work with graphs of linear and
quadratic functions, including understanding slopes and intercepts and ability
to write the equation for a straight line based on knowledge of the coordinates
of two points on the line.
·
High-School Physics – Some elementary questions at the level of
high-school physics courses.
Brief
lists of relevant formulas and relationships may be found in the back of the
introductory physics textbooks:
® For Physics 111, Appendix A
of Physics, by
® For Physics 220, Appendix
I, Sections A and B of Physics, The Nature of Things, by Lea and Burke.
There
are several math review books that might be helpful in preparing for this test,
such as:
·
Maths, 2nd edition, by Jenny Olive (Cambridge University Press, 2003), ISBN: 0521017076
·
Just-in-Time Algebra and Trigonometry, by Guntram Mueller and
Ronald I. Brent (Addison-Wesley, 2004), ISBN-13: 9780321269430
·
Precalculus – A Self-Teaching Guide, by Steve Slavin and Ginny Crisonino
(Wiley, 2001), ISBN: 978-0-471-37823-5