This course is intended to provide a general introduction to physics for pre-meds and science majors (e.g., chemistry and biochemistry) who are not physics majors.  The course is calculus-based, but does not put as much emphasis on calculus as a course for physics majors.  Several items of philosophy have guided the design of this course:

• Physics is important.  The principles of physics are at work everywhere: in our daily lives, in the devices we use  - from advance medical technologies such as MRI to everyday appliances, and in many important public issues of the day.  Everyone planning a career in a science related field (such as medicine) needs to have a basic knowledge of physics.
• Being prepared for the physics problems on the MCAT should be one of the outcomes of taking this course.
• Grading should be transparent.  This means that the instructor's expectations and the method of assigning grades should be made completely clear.  Even more, it means that each student should be able to know exactly where he or she stands at every point during the course.
• The organization of the course, and the policies that will be followed, should be written down, made clear to the students, and then followed.  It is not possible to anticipate every possible issue, of course, so instructor discretion will be necessary in some situations.

Every person who successfully completes this course should:

• Understand why physics is important, as both a science and as a tool.
• Understand the most important concepts in physics and have a practical familiarity with the important laws of physics.
• Be prepared to study other subjects that require on a prior knowledge of basic physics.
• Be able to answer any physics problems that appear on the MCAT.