Syllabus
General Physics II
PHYS 152 R.1001 – Spring 2015
Time:
9:00-9:50 a.m., MWF
Location:
Schulich Lecture Hall 1 (SLH 1)
Text:
Authors:
College Physics Vol 2, 9th Edition
Raymond A. Serway and Chris Vuille
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Dr. Paul Neill
Leifson Physics, room 206 (LP 206)
paul@unr.edu
Office Hours: MWF 10-11 am (and by appointment)
Catalog Description:
PHYS 152 R: GENERAL PHYSICS II AND LABORATORY (3 + 2) 4 credits
For non-physical science majors. Electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic waves, optics,
relativity, introductory quantum physics and nuclear physics. Laboratory experiments
illustrate many of these fundamental principles. Prerequisite: PHYS 151 R
General Comments:
This is the second semester of the algebra and trigonometry based, general physics
course. This course may partially satisfies the Silver Core Objective CO4: Physical &
Natural Phenomena, depending on your major. If you are not sure that you are in the
right physics course, please email or speak to me at your earliest convenience.
Mathematics is the "language" of the physical sciences and we will be using algebra and
trigonometry throughout this course. I will assume that students have a good grasp of the
vector tools developed and used in the first course in this sequence, PHYS 151 R.
A useful math review is presented in Appendices of the text.
Purpose of the Course
This course is a continuation of the General Physics sequence. The course presents three
units, Electricity and Magnetism, Light and Optics, and Modern Physics.
In addition to helping you understand the physical world that we live in, this course will
help you continue developing problem solving and critical thinking skills that you may
apply in a wide variety of disciplines.
Silver Core CO4 Student Learning Outcomes
The expected Student Learning Outcomes, as a result of completing the lecture and lab
components of the course, are
1. The student will be able to demonstrate problem solving skills in various types of
problems in physics using quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and
appropriate mathematical techniques.
2. The student will be able to demonstrate the ability to use scientific methods to
understand and explain concepts in electricity and magnetism, light and physical
optics and modern physics
3. The student will be able to make connections between physics concepts and
principles to a variety of practical applications such as laser printers, optical
discs, electric motors, domestic appliances, and nuclear reactors.
4. The students will be able to demonstrate skills in the collection, analysis, and
interpretation of data from laboratory experiments and reporting the results in
written form.
My Expectations
My expectation is that every student can be successful in this class. We are required to
cover sixteen chapters in 15 weeks, so the course moves quite quickly and it is easy to
fall behind. If you find that you are falling behind, please meet with me to discuss your
circumstances as soon as possible.
I expect that you will read the relevant sections in the text book BEFORE coming to
class. Reading the material also requires that you work examples and fill in the "gaps" in
the math description. This class is not about memorizing formula, rather, the aim is to
develop understanding of the concepts.
For each hour in class you should study the material for at least 3 hours outside class.
If you find that you are spending too long on each problem please make an appointment
to meet with me to discuss your approach to problem solving.
If you find that you are spending more than 30 minutes on any one problem, make some
notes, or compose some questions, about the problem and then move on to the next
problem. Then please meet with me to discuss the notes or questions about the problems.
You may also choose to email questions or comments to me. Please address difficulties
as they arise!!! If you don't, then you will get farther behind and your frustration level
will grow exponentially.
Assignments:
After each class I will make available a set of problems to be worked, and submitted
before the beginning of the next class. The problems will be posted on WebAssign.
YOU WILL NEED TO REGISTER FOR THE WebAssign COURSE AT
http://www.webassign.net/. I will send the class key by email.
I cannot offer “make-up” for any missed assignments. However, I will
drop the four lowest assignment scores (percent).
N.B. Although there may be more points for some assignments than others, all
assignments have the same weight
GRADING
GRADING for Lecture Component:
Based on
Test I
(15%)
Test II
(22.5%)
Test III
(22.5%)
Comprehensive final
(15 %)
Assigned Homework
(25%)
The final grade will be determined using 80% of the lecture score, and 20%
from your lab score.
Grades will be assigned as follows:
G
GP
Percent
G
GP
Percent
G
GP
Percent
A
4.0
89.5 +
A-
3.7
85.5-89.4
B+
3.3
81.0-85.4
B
3.0
77.0-80.9
B-
2.7
73.0-76.9
C+
2.3
68.5-72.9
C
2.0
64.5-68.4
C-
1.7
60.5-64.4
D+
1.3
56.0-60.4
D
1.0
52.0-55.9
D-
0.7
48.0-51.9
Statement on Academic Dishonesty: "Cheating, plagiarism or otherwise obtaining grades under false
pretenses constitute academic dishonesty according to the code of this university. Academic dishonesty
will not be tolerated and penalties can include canceling a student's enrollment without a grade, giving
an F for the course or for the assignment. For more details, see the University of Nevada, Reno General
Catalog."
Statement of Disability Services: "Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or
accommodations is requested to speak with the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Building, Suite
101) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations."
Statement for Academic Success Services: For example, "Your student fees cover usage of the Math
Center (784-4433 or www.unr.edu/mathcenter/ ), Tutoring Center (784-6801 or www.unr.edu/tutoringcenter ), and University Writing Center (784-6030 or http://www.unr.edu/writing-center). These centers
support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in
mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student."
Statement on Audio and Video Recording: "Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or
unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class
may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to
accommodate students with disabilities, some students may have been given permission to record class
lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be
recorded."