APPhysics C - Electricity & Magnetism
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2007 - 2008 Course Syllabus
Dr. Steve Goldhaber
Peak to Peak High School
Overview of APPhysics C
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This course is recommended for students who have completed the one-year honors physics
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Physics C- Mechanics. It is open to any student who has completed,
course as well as AP
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Calculus course and has completed the pre-calculus
or who is currently enrolled in an AP
honors course which covers elementary calculus techniques.
This is an intensive, semester-long class covering material similar in depth and scope to a
college course for engineering or science freshmen. Most highly-successful students spend between 8 and 11 hours a week outside of class on homework, review, and laboratory preparation.
Students must also come to class prepared to work because this class is not based primarily
on lectures or on rote learning. Rather, while I introduce and demonstrate new concepts
and problem-solving techniques, students will develop their critical-thinking skills by actively
engaging in problem solving, both on paper and by using demonstration and laboratory apparatus. This guided-inquiry process greatly enhances both understanding and retention.
This class requires the use of both differential and integral calculus. While the class includes an
introduction to elementary differential equations, students should be familiar with the material
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covered in AP
Calculus AB. While some review of those techniques is done in class, students
are encouraged to make use of the calculus materials recommended on the instructor’s website
for review.
Since this is a second-year class, students are expected to have completed a comprehensive
set of introductory physics laboratory exercises. The labs in this class are more advanced and
are more open ended. They usually require careful preparation, including procedure design
and derivation of the calculations which will be required as well as rigorous data analysis.
Other laboratory exercises will be exploratory in nature (i.e., designed for qualitative rather
than quantitative understanding). All laboratory work will be recorded in the lab notebook
provided. Instruction is given on the proper use of a lab notebook. While at least 20% of
class time is devoted to laboratory activities, some research, preparation and analysis must be
completed outside of class.
There is usually one formal lab for each unit (as noted in the schedule below). There is also a
lab chosen by the class from a list provided by the instructor.
Textbooks
The textbook for this class is Fundamentals of Physics by David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and
Jearl Walker (we currently use edition 7/e). This textbook has been a staple of calculus-based
physics college courses for decades. In addition, it is recommended that students purchase
the test preparation book, apadvantageTM Physics C Exam by James Mooney (Saddlebrook,
NJ, The Peoples Publishing Group, Inc., 2005). This book is used not so much for its testpreparation mission but for the alternative explanations of basic physics concepts. Many
students appreciate a third view of new material (after the textbook and the teacher) which
this book provides.
Grading Policy
The final grade for this class will be based on following category weighting.
Tests and quizzes
50%
Laboratory work
20%
Homework assignments 15%
Class participation
15%
Schedule
This one-semester class meets for three 50-minute periods and one 90-minute block period
during a normal 5-day week. The block period is usually reserved for laboratory activities
although lab preparation and analysis may be scheduled during other periods and some lecture
material may be introduced during a block period. Over the course of the semester, laboratory
exercises total at least 20% of class time. Students are strongly encouraged to take the AP
Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism Test on Monday, May 12, 2008.
January 7 – January 14
Electric Charge
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•
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Coulomb’s Law
Conductors and Insulators
Conservation of Charge
Lab: “Testing Coulomb’s Law” (Electrostatics)
January 15 – January 23
Electric Field
• Due to a Point Charge
• Due to Charge Distribution
– Discrete
– Continuous
• Electric Field Lines
• Electric Dipole
• Lab: “Electric Field Surveyor” (Mapping Electric Fields)
January 24 – January 30
Gauss’ Law
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•
•
•
Area Vector
Electric Flux
Gauss’ Law Applications
Lab: “The Faraday Ice Pail” (Electrostatics, Gauss’ Law)
January 31 – February 11
Electric Potential Energy (UE ) and Potential (V )
• Electric Potential Energy
– Two-Point System
– Many-Particle System
• Electric Potential (V )
– Point Charge
– Charge Distribution
∗ Discrete
∗ Continuous
• Relationship Between V and E
• Electrical Properties of a Charged Conductor
• Lab: “The Electrophorus” (Charging by Induction)
February 12 – February 27
Capacitance
• Capacitor
• Capacitance of
– Parallel Plate Capacitor
– Cylindrical Capacitor
– Spherical Capacitor
• Capacitors in Series and Parallel
• Energy Stored in Capacitor
• Energy Stored in Electric Field
• Capacitors with Dielectric
• Lab: “Tabletop Capacitor” (Capacitor Design & Introduction to RC Circuits)
February 28 – March 7
DC Circuits
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Electric Current
Ohm’s Law
Resistors in Series and Parallel
Energy Transfer
Kirchoff’s Rules
RC Circuits
Lab: “What’s in the Box?” (Black-box Circuit Discovery)
March 10 – March 14
Magnetic Fields
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Magnetic Interactions
Magnetic Poles or Lack Thereof
Magnetic Force on a Moving Charge
Circulating Charge
Magnetic Force on Electric Current
Electric Motor
Lab: “Which Way is North?” (Measuring Earth’s Magnetic Field)
March 17 – March 31
Magnetic Field due to Electric Current
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•
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Long Straight Wire
Circular Loop
Solenoid
Parallel Wires
Biot-Savart Law and Applications
Ampere’s Law and Applications
Lab: “Relay Race” (Construct a Solenoid-based Relay)
April 1 – April 7
Faradays Law of Induction
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Electromagnetic Induction
Lenz’s Law Applications
Electric Generator
Transformer
Lab: “Loaded Questions” (Measuring Load on a Motor, Back EMF & Conservation of
Energy)
April 8 – April 11
Inductance
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Self-inductance
LR-Circuits
Energy Stored in a Magnetic Field
LC-Circuit and Electromagnetic Oscillations
Lab: “Radio Tuner” (LC-based RF Tuner)
April 14 – April 16
Maxwells Equations
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The Basic Equations of Electromagnetism
Displacement Current and Ampere’s Law
Maxwell’s Equations
Lab: “On the Same Wavelength” (Measuring Wavelength Using Diffraction)
April 21 – May 9
• Review
May 12 – May 29
• AP Exams and Semester Final Exams