Fall Semester 2015
INSTRUCTOR:
Mr. Mark Polson
Office: Sciences Complex 225H
Phone: (580) 581 - 2893
Email: mpolson@cameron.edu
Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:30 -11:30 AM and Thursday 4 – 6 PM
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A continuation of PHYS 2015. Includes topics from electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics.
Lecture 5 hours, laboratory 2 hours. Prerequisite: PHYS 2015.
STUDENT OUTCOMES:
The outcomes of this course are:
1. to learn to reason qualitatively and logically about physics phenomena from the subjects of electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics
2. to become adept at problem solving through applications in these subjects and
3. to acquire an understanding of science as a process.
This class will be different from traditional science classes. Instead of focusing on a set of facts to be memorized, we will focus on learning to think rationally and coherently about some aspects of the physical world. This means that instead of paying attention only to results, we will also pay attention to how you get results, how to evaluate results, what constitutes valid results, and how to relate what we are learning to your intuitions. We're going to learn how to “think science” rather than just how to collect someone else's results.
TIME & PLACE:
LECTURE: MTWR 12:30 – 1:35 PM in SC 201
LAB: Thursday 2:00 – 3:50 PM in SC 145
TEXTBOOK & MATERIALS:

Physics for Scientists & Engineers by Giancoli 4 th edition ISBN: 9780131495081

Physics II Lab Manual

Scientific calculator, any brand and model (a graphing calculator not needed).
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
You are expected to attend all classes. Each will involve your participation. In class quizzes will count towards 10% of the grade. If you miss a lecture you are responsible for finding out what you missed.
HOMEWORK:
There will be homework every week (it will be posted on blackboard). All homework must be done on paper. Each homework will usually be a combination of conceptual and quantitative problems relating to the material from the previous weeks in class. Over the course of the semester the homework will amount to 15% of the grade.
It is important to complete the homework to obtain a good understanding of the material covered (and to practice so you can do well on the exams). Due dates for the homework will be announced in class. It is important that you show the work in an organized manner clearly showing the final answer with appropriate units. You are encouraged to work with others on the homework. However, you are discouraged from letting others do the work and then copying what they did, or you doing the work and letting others copy. The instructor has observed that for the most part successful students pay particular attention to the assigned homework and devote considerable effort to it. Feel free to visit the Instructor’s
Office Hours whenever you may need assistance with the homework.

EXAMS:

Midterm exams. -- There will be three midterm exams and a final. All exams will be counted.

Final Exam -- The final exam will be comprehensive, emphasizing subject matter covered in the entire semester. The
Final Exam will be on Dec. 10 th from 12:30 – 2:30 PM.
GRADING:
Course Component
Quizzes
Homework
Lab Participation
Midterm Exam I (Thursday, Sep 17 th )
Midterm Exam II (Thursday,Oct 14 th )
Midterm Exam III (Thursday, Nov 19 th )
Lab Final (Dec. 3 rd , during regular lab time)
Final Exam Thursday, Dec 10 th 12:30 – 2:30PM
Total
% Value
10%
15%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
25%
100%
GRADING SCALE:
A: 90 – 100 B: 80 – 90 C: 70 – 80 D: 60 – 70
A grade of F will be assigned to anyone who has below a 60% OR to anyone caught cheating in this course.
Having trouble?
Your professor should be your first line of defense when you are having trouble.
Other resources include:
 your classmates (form a study group!),
 the Tutoring Center.
Note: Makeup exams are not given except when a University acceptable excuse (i.e. illness warranting a physician’s care, death in the immediate family, and sanctioned varsity athlete’s events) is supplied with documentation prior to the exam. Final grade is FINAL; no work may be handed in for additional credit after the final exam.
Code of Conduct: Any behavior which is disruptive to the classroom, including talking, cell phone use (turn it off), pagers
(turn to vibrate), sleeping or cursing will not be tolerated and will result in being asked to leave the classroom. Police services will be called if warranted.
Academic Integrity: University policy on Academic Integrity will be strictly followed in this course. Any violations of this policy will be reported to the academic committee.

Topics Readings Lab
Week 1&2 Electric Charge & Electric Field Chapters 21, 22 Static Electricity
Week 3 Electric Potential Chapter 23 Equipotential Lines
& Electric Fields
Week 4
Week 5
Electric Currents
DC Currents
Chapter 24
Ohm’s Law
Chapters 25, 26 Power Transfer
(Exam I, Thursday, Sep 17 th )
Magnetism Chapters 27, 28 Wheatstone Bridge Week 6
Week 7 Faraday’s Law Chapter 29 Series & Parallel
Resistances
Week 8 Electromagnetic Oscillations
Electromagnetic Waves Week 9
Week 10 Light: Geometric Optics
(Exam II, Tuesday, Oct 13 th )
Week 11 The Wave Nature of Light
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 34, 35
Week 12 Optical Instruments Chapter 33
Week 13&14 Early Quantum: Atomic Model Chapter 37
Week 15 The Special Theory of Relativity Chapter 36
(Exam III, Thursday, Nov 19 th )
Week 16 Nuclear Energy & Radioactivity Chapter 41, 42
Final Exam Thursday, Dec. 10 th
,
12:30
– 2:30PM
Labor Day: Sep. 7
Fall Break: Oct 15 – 18
Thanksgiving: Nov. 25 - 29
Capacitance
AC Signals & Oscilloscope
Reflection & Refraction
Thin Lenses
Lasers
Diffraction Grating &
Line Spectra of Elements
Holography
Lab Final
– Resistance
(Dec. 3 rd )
The Instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus at a later time. If that happens, an updated copy of the syllabus will be posted on Blackboard .