Introduction
This course covers advances in physics through the 19th century including electromagnetism, optics, and
wave physics. These may seem like separate subjects, but they are related since they both involve the
physics of the continuum, in contrast to the physics of particles covered in Physics 111. Waves involve
continuum physics, while electromagnetism describes the interaction of electromagnetic fields (continuum)
with electric charges (particles). Furthermore, light is simply an electromagnetic wave. It is impossible to
stress the importance of electrodynamics. I will be designing this course to be very interactive so that we
can concentrate on the areas where you are having the most difficulty. It is most important for you to tell
me what you don’t understand so that I can help you figure it out before an exam.
There are four learning goals for this course:
1. Internalize a correct conceptual understanding of key ideas in electromagnetism, optics,
and wave physics.
2. Correctly apply this conceptual understanding to a number of quantitative problems.
3. Connect these concepts to hands-on experience in the lab.
4. Connect these concepts to ideas and models in your primary field of interest.
Learning Physics
The course consists of three class discussions plus a three-hour lab period each week. However, most of the
work in learning physics happens outside of the classroom. Experience has shown that there are a number of
steps you should follow in order to learn new concepts in physics. These are shown in the Physics Learning
Circle. I have designed this course to help you navigate through this learning procedure.
Read
Textbook
Attempt
Workbook
Reading
Quiz
Class
Discussion
Correct
Workbook
Attempt
Homework
Re-read
Textbook
Finish
Homework
Physics
Learning
Circle
Read Textbook
Most of the reading will come from the Knight book this semester. However, if you are interested in taking
the MCAT, I recommend buying the Physics for Pre-meds book, too. It provides a nice overview of the key
ideas.
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, (2nd edition), by Randall D. Knight
You will need to purchase the Value Pack version of Volume 3 (Chapters 20-25, ISBN: 0-321-51669-9) and
Volume 4 (Chapters 26-37, ISBN: 0-321-51670-2) that has the StudentWorkbook bundled with the paperback
textbook. Both volumes should be available at the bookstore. In addition, we will be studying material
from Chapter 15 on fluids and elasticity. You should have the material from Chapter 15 from your Physics
111 text (For those that did not take Physics 111 in the Fall 2008 semester, I can provide a copy of this
material).
I>Clicker, (), by
You must purchase an I>Clicker classroom response pad (ISBN: 0-716-77939-0). These will be used every
day in class to monitor attendance and to monitor your understanding of the material.
Physics for Pre-med, Biology, and Allied health students, (1st edition), by George J. Hademenos
This text will serve as a secondary reference for the course. It is a nice guide and covers a couple of topics
that appear on the MCAT that we will not cover in class.
In addition, there will be various other materials that will be presented for the reading assignments. I will
post these on Moodle.
Reading Timeline: You should do the reading the day before the lecture. This will give you
plenty of time to work through the workbook and take the reading quiz. Approximate time
required: 1 hour
Attempt Workbook
The Student Workbook is designed to be a pre-discussion test of your understanding of the material. The
idea is to do the reading and then answer the workbook questions. I know it seems like a lot of un-graded
work, but experience has shown that if you do the extra work, you will have a better understanding of the
physics. In the end, this will make it much easier to do the homework assignments and to prepare for the
exams. You might not get every question prior to class, but you should look through the workbook and
attempt the problems. I will periodically award extra credit to students that have completed the workbook
pages.
Workbook Timeline: The workbook problems should not take more than half an hour. You
should attempt them the before trying the reading quiz.
Moodle Reading Quiz
There will be a reading quiz posted on Moodle a few days before every discussion period. You are responsible
for completing the quiz before the discussion period starts. Due to the way that Moodle functions, if you
do not complete a Reading Quiz on time, you will recieve a zero score and lose access to that quiz for future
study and review.
Class Discussion
The class period will NOT be devoted to lecture! Rather, it will be primarily spent actively discussing
the concepts covered in each reading assignment and analyzing demonstrations. In addition, I will spend
time (about the last 10 minutes or so) working though the example homework problem. This will be an
opportunity for you to ask questions and practice problem solving together as a class. A complete solution
to these problems will be posted on Moodle. The example problem will be posted with the discussion slides,
notes, and homework package for the day. Printing these before coming to lecture will give you space to take
notes. I will often give hints and suggestions about homework problems, so come prepared to take notes!
I>Clickers: You must purchase an I>Clicker for use in classroom discussions. These will be
used as the feedback tool for in-class questions and discussion. You can purchase one at the
bookstore. You will need to follow the registration instructions given on the first day of class.
Your inputs will be recorded both for attendance purposes, as well as for the in-class extra-credit.
Attendance: Attending class is essential. Attendance will be taken every day using the
I>Clicker. You have three “free” absences, though I would appreciate it if you would let me
know you are going to be gone. You will be responsible for all material covered in class. Every
absence after that will be a 3% reduction in your final grade, i.e. if you miss class 5 times, your
best grade in the class will be a 94%.
Extra Credit: Correct answers to the in-class questions will be worth extra credit on the reading
quiz grade. Reading quizzes are typically worth 40 points. Each correct answer recorded by the
clicker in class will be worth 2 points on the reading quiz grade, up to 10 points.
Correct Workbook
After participating in the class discussion, go back and correct any workbook problems you might have missed.
The solutions to the workbook will be posted on Moodle after class so you can check your understanding of
the concepts.
Attempt Homework
There are four primary reasons for the homework assignments:
1. To gain a working understanding of abstract physics concepts by applying them to problems.
2. To develop problem solving skills.
3. To test your understanding of the material. If you have difficulty doing the problems, then you do not
understand the material. WARNING: The converse is not necessarily true!
4. To connect the models and concepts in physics to similar ideas in chemistry, biology, and medicine.
You should review the solution to the example problem prior to starting your homework. This will give you
guidance on how to model the problems, how to appropriately visualize the relevant ideas, work through the
mathematical models, and assess your answers.
Homework Format:
• Homework will be posted on Moodle and will consist of full-page sheets (one problem per
sheet maximum) that must be printed (on white paper) and used to solve the problems.
• Please put your NAME at top of the front page of each homework set. (If you are turning
in an assignment late, put the date you turned it in.)
• Each problem will contain a number of parts, intended to help guide the problem-solving
process. Each part must be completed and clear work must be shown. All drawings and
diagrams must be clean and neatly drawn– use a straight-edge where appropriate.
• Please box your final answer and make certain it has the correct units where appropriate.
• Work should be neat and legible. Points will be deducted for excessively sloppy work.
• Please staple all sheets together.
• Do not mix assignments. Turn them in as separate sets.
Homework Administration: Problem sets will be due at the BEGINNING of each class
period, and they will be graded and returned the following class period.
Late Homework Policy: No late homework will be accepted (with 3 exceptions) It is
essential to keep up with the homework. Physics takes time to learn—you can’t do it all the night
before the exam. Late Exceptions: You may turn in up to three (3) late homeworks during
the course of the semester. If, for whatever reason, you can not turn the homework on time, do
not complete the assignment on time, or whatever, you may turn in the assignment up to one
week after the original due date for full credit. Students who do not use all of their exceptions
will be awarded extra credit at the end of the semester.
Finish Homework
It is vital that you attempt the homework by yourself PRIOR to seeking help from other students or the
QSC. You will have to take the exams individually, so it is in your best interest to try and do as much of
the homework by yourself as you can. If you need help, go first to the textbook and look at the example
problems. You might also look to see if there are similar problems at the end of the chapter. You will learn
more if you try and work things out for yourself.
If you do work with others on the assignment (and/or consult the tutor in the Quantitative Skills Center),
please jot their names on your problem set. However, the written solutions must be your own. Representing
someone else’s work as yours is cheating and will be treated as such.
Homework Timeline: In order to have time to do the reading and workbook for the next class,
you should begin working on your homework immediately after class. That way you should have
plenty of time to finish it. In many cases, you will find that a problem you do not understand
clears up after letting it sit for a night. Approximate time required: 2 hours
Exams
One of the feedback mechanisms for evaluating your learning is the exam. There will be a total of five exams:
3 in-class exams, 1 take-home exam (to be completed on Moodle) and a final exam. The final exam will
consist of the material from the final section (1/4 of the exam) and a comprehensive coverage of the semester
(3/4 of the exam).
Take-home Exam
One of the exams will be completed out of class. This exam will be administered through Moodle and you
will have 50 minutes to complete the exam. It will consist of 20 multiple choice problems. You will be on
the Gentleman’s Rule that you do not work with or talk to anyone else in the class about the content of the
exam. Although the exam will be open-note, open-book, you will have a limited time to complete the exam.
I recommend studying prior to taking the exam and attempting to take it without the use of notes.
In-class Exams
The in-class exams will be closed book/notebook (No equation sheet or formula sheet will be provided
or allowed). The in-class exams will be multiple choice. However, only partial credit will be given for the
correct response. For full credit you must provide your work and reasoning for each problem. Unexcused
absences for any of the exams will lead to a zero exam score. For an absence to be excused, arrangements
must be made in advance with the instructor.
Final Exam
The final exam will be comprehensive and will be styled in a combination of both the take-home and in-class
exams. No equation sheet will be allowed.
Lab
This lab will be a continuation of your experiences in the Physics 111 Lab. In that lab you learned how to
experimentally test models, how to handle uncertainty analysis, and how to keep an accurate lab notebook.
You will be expected to continue using these skills in the Physics 112 Lab. You will need to purchase a lab
notebook, preferably quad-ruled, for taking data in lab. Notebooks will be graded weekly and you will be
responsible for proper uncertainty analysis, when appropriate.
However, there are a number of new techniques that will be the primary focus of this lab. Two of the goals
for this course are to connect the concepts discussed in class to hands-on experience in the lab. We also want
you to make explicit connections between concepts and ideas and models in your primary field of interest.
Both of these aspects will be ephasized in the lab.
There are three new techniques that you will learn in this lab. These experimental techniques are used
frequently by physicists, although they also can apply to all fields of study. They are:
1. creating rough estimates and approximations to sketch out possible experiments;
2. exploring new technology and equipment to understand their inner workings (including calibrating the
equipment); and,
3. judging different curve fits for accuracy and appropriateness against real data.
The first lab that covers each of these ideas will have a more extensive pre-lab reading so you can get some
practice with the new technique. We will emphasize these techiques throughout the semester. Your lab
notebook should contain your thoughts and experiences with each of these techniques. In addition, you will
be expected to relate the techniques used each week to ideas, models, and skills that could be used in your
major field of interest.
Grading
• Course grades will be determined by your total point score as follows:
Reading Quizzes 5%
Laboratory 25%
Homework 25%
1 Take-home exam 5%
3 In-class exams 25% (for all three)
Final Exam 15%
• In addition, To pass this course, all labs must be completed before the final exam, and the
average score of all exams must be > 52% irrespective of your homework and lab scores.
• Your overall course grade is impossible to determine until the end of the semester when all of the points
are counted. If you wish to measure your performance, compare your scores to the class distribution
which will provided after each exam. If your scores are much below the averages, you should consider
getting help. Don’t wait until it’s too late!!
• Anyone who receives 90% of the total points will receive at least an A−, 80% will receive at least a
B−, etc.
Optional: Historical Paper
You have the option of improving your exam grade by writing a five page biographical paper on one of the
scientists that played a role in the discovery and description of the physical concepts covered in class. This
paper is optional, but if it is submitted, the grade on the paper could replace the score from ONE exam
(not including the final exam). Thus, if you feel you have done poorly on an exam, you can submit the
paper and replace the poor exam grade with the paper grade. You must get approval from the instructor
PRIOR to writing the paper on the person selected as well as the source material to be used as references
for writing the paper. The format of the paper is to be at least five single-sided, double spaced pages, using
12 point font, one inch margins, plus title page and bibliography.
Getting Help
The material in this course is more advanced than in Physics 111 so the tutors in the QSC will not be as
helpful. Therefore, the first place to seek help is your instructor—me! Don’t hesitate to stop by my office
during my office hours or send me an email with a question. In addition, if there is sufficient interest, I can
setup a discussion forum on Moodle for this course so that we can have online discussions of troublesome
areas or topics of interest.
Academic Support Services:
Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe they may need accommodations
in this class, are encouraged to contact Academic Support Services as soon as possible to ensure that
such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please meet with Julia Rosenberg (ext. 6024)
to verify your eligibility for any classroom accommodations and for academic assistance related to your
disability. You may also discuss your disability with the professor if you wish. All discussions will remain
confidential. If you have a hidden or visible disability which may require classroom or test accommodations,
please see me as soon as possible during a scheduled office hour. If you have not already done so, please
visit Academic Support Services (Armory 101) which is responsible for coordinating accommodations and
services for students with disabilities.
Emergency Procedures
In case of a fire, we are to proceed from the classroom out the nearest exit and toward Sparks Center.
This holds for both class and the lab. You should join the instructor and the class at Sparks to make sure
that everyone got out of the building ok. In the event of a severe weather storm, we are to proceed to the
basement and shelter in the basement hallway.
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