SYLLABUS- University Physics II (PHYS 2204)
School of Natural Sciences, University College
Farleigh Dickinson University-Teaneck
Instructor
Dr. Giridhar Nandikotkur
Dickinson Hall, Room 4419
giri@fdu.edu; (201) 692-2257
Office Hours
Monday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Becton Hall 203 or Jeepers TBA)
Tuesday (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM - By appointment ONLY)
Wednesday 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Dickinson Hall Room 4419)
Wednesday 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM (BEC 303 - Help Session)
Lecture Timings and Location
Section 21: Mon, Wed 10:00 am - 11:45am (Becton Hall BEC 205)
Section 51: Mon, Wed 5:30 pm - 7:15 pm (Becton Hall BEC 205)
Course Description
The second half of a two-semester calculus based physics course for science and engineering
majors. Topics normally covered include: Waves, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Circuits,
Modern Physics)
Required materials
Textbook: Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics, Third edition by
Randall D. Knight
• Mastering Physics: Access code for completing online homework a
www.masteringphysics.com.
The above two along with the “etext” are sold at the FDU bookstore as a package with ISBN-13:
9780321844354
• Clicker: These are electronic response devices. More information will be provided in the
lecture.
•
Prerequisites
Physics Laboratory I: PHYS2201; Calculus I
Corequisites
Physics Laboratory II (PHYS 2202), recommended: Calculus II
Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Develop: an ability to think critically, the quantitative skills to work with equations underlying
any physical principle to solve for unknown quantities, an ability to translate mathematical
dependence of physical laws into their possible graphical interpretation, the ability to read and
interpret graphs and data and extract meaningful physical quantities, an appreciation for orders of
magnitudes of physical quantities under the different unit systems, an understanding that most of
the physical world can be modeled by simple mathematical equations at the first order.
Course Requirements
Please read the syllabus carefully within two days of the start of the semester. If
you do not have the patience to read the complete syllabus, there is trouble
ahead…
Attendance
A 3 credit complete physics course is extremely fast paced and demanding! You will be learning
new concepts every lecture and missing even one lecture can make you fall behind simply
because the concepts build on the ones covered in earlier sessions. Hence, attendance is
mandatory and will be taken almost during every lecture using clickers. Please send a note to me
(before the lecture begins) if you have a valid medical reason for not attending. Absence without
permission/valid reason, or, walking out of lectures will count towards negative points. The fact
that you are able to register for the course means that you do not have a conflict with any other
course at FDU. It also means that you have adjusted your work/exercise/recreation/socializing
schedules to be present during ALL lectures. If you decide not to show up, it means one of two
things: a) you are confident that you understand the material and you feel that you don't need to
waste your time in a lecture. b) You feel that you are so lost that lectures will not help you. If it is
the latter, then please contact me the day you begin to feel this and I will try to do my best to
address your specific problem and try to suggest a solution. Remember, nothing would give me
more happiness than you doing well. So feel free to talk to me about your concerns. If you
belong to category “a”, then remember, it is your responsibility to create an atmosphere in the
lecture and discussion that is promotes a healthy spirit and is conducive to learning. Thinly
attended lectures do not help in building the confidence of those who are a little behind and are
lost. We should move forward as a group. It is commendable that you are balancing 13-18
credits/ or a full time job with taking a physics course. But do not forget your responsibility
towards the course.
Homework
The homework consists of two components: Mastering Physics and written.
• Mastering Physics : This component of homework is assigned online. You must puchase
an access code for YOUR BOOK which can be used at www.masteringphysics.com. The
access code is sold along with the book as a package at the FDU bookstore. But if you
happen to have a used textbook, then you will have to purchase the access code from the
mastering physics website. Go to the website and create an account as a student and it
will ask you if you have an access code. Use the access code from the book. If you want
purchase the access code separately, then select that option. Make sure you buy an access
code for the book being used in this class and NOT some other book. After creating an
account on mastering physics you need to enroll in our course using the course ID given
below. The registration for the course is a straightforward procedure. The website will
ask you for some basic information. There is an introduction to mastering physics
assignment that is up already and it teaches you some of the technical pitfalls you will
face while doing homework using this site. You are instructed to complete that as early as
possible and AS CAREFULLY AS POSSIBLE. In the past various students have either
not paid attention to it or not completed it. This has led to problems later where students
have lost points on the homework as they were not aware of certain features of the
website. Each assignment has a due date and time(!) after which the system will take
points off. The exact setup will be announced before the first assignment is due.
Mastering physics website is not perfect as is true for everything else in life. But it helps
you develop useful skills. Occasionally, there might be some mistakes on the site or it
might mark you wrong. Sometimes you might be really close to the answer (say off by a
decimal point) but the site might mark you wrong. Feel free to send me an email with the
homework number, the problem # and I can give you back the points if it make sense. I
have access to every problem you have turned in and the time you started it and the time
you finished it.
Mastering Physics Course ID: MPGIRIUNIVPHYS2S14 (please type it carefully!)
•
Written Problems: You will be assigned a set of written homework through the semester.
The surest and best way to learn physics is to work through as many problems as
possible However, it is not feasible to grade each and every problem. Hence, we will
select and grade in detail one or two problems from every homework; each of which is
worth 6 points. The rest of the problems are graded out of 2 points each. An correct
solution gets 2 points, a valiant "almost there" attempt gets 1.5 points, while a good
attempt (right method with the correct equations, correct picture) could get 1 point, some
attempt gets 0.5 points. What happens if you have not attempted the problem that is
selected as the one to be graded? You will get a lot of sympathy, but no points !
Homework assignments are due at the beginning of the lecture on the date they are due
unless they are web-based. One written homework and one mastering physics grade will
be dropped and no late homework will be accepted unless accompanied by written
documentation of a University-recognized excuse (documented illness, documented
family emergency, religious observances (to be notified beforehand), participation in the
University activity at the request of a University official).
Guidelines for homework assignments:
o All homework assignments should be neatly written with answers to questions
presented in numerical order. Be sure that your name and your section number is
clearly printed at the top of all pages and that you have stapled all pages together.
Any homework that does not meet this criterion will get 2 points off. No
prescription handwriting is acceptable. You are not doctors yet! If you do not plan
to go to medschool, then why are you trying to write like doctors?
o Be sure to answer all parts of each question.
o You are encouraged to work with your peers. But plagiarizing is strictly
prohibited.
Please follow instructions given below while solving the homework.
" Make sure that you attempt problems starting at the top of the sheet proceeding
downward. If you have the habit of solving problems with sequential steps
proceeding horizontally, then you cannot have 2 problems next to each other
(horizontally) unless there is a clear line dividing the two. If you do not
understand these instructions, please clarify with the instructor.
" Have enough empty space between one problem and the next.
" Your problems must contain words and explanations for your steps. THIS IS A
MUST.
" Any answer must be explained with physical principles or concepts. A SIMPLE
YES OR NO WILL NEVER DO. Don't waste time in writing sentences like "we
know that acceleration is related to the velocity by the expression a = delta v/
delta t." We are not interested in very long English sentences. But any sentence
should go towards explaining the underlying physics.
" If you can draw a diagram or a picture of the situation, then you must draw it.
" All answers must have units. Any vector quantity must be expressed in the proper
notation.
" No late homework assignments are accepted. You can still turn the homework
(before solutions are posted) in but it will not be graded. However, we will make
note of the fact that you have turned it will not affect your participation grade.
" It is a good idea to make a photocopy of your homework before turning it in as it
will help you study when the solutions are posted.
For the 6 point problem, points will be taken off for: incorrect method, insufficient
explanations (upto 3 points!), lack of units(-1/2), lack of direction and magnitude if
vector quantities(-1/2), for not showing the equation that you use (in its complete form)
to start calculating a particular quantity(-1), lack of staples(-1 to -3), not being neat and
tidy(-1), not writing your name, section number, homework number (-1 for the first time
and -2 thereafter).
Suggested-Problems: Sometimes I may suggest extra problems to help students to
understand some concepts better. These problems are not due in class although it would
be extremely beneficial to work through them.
Grading Policy
Your grades will be based upon the following components and weights.
Category
Mid-terms
Final Exam
Quizzes
Homework
Notes
Best 2 exams 17 % each
In lecture and online. Lowest quiz will be dropped
Combination of written and mastering physics
Weight
32 %
24 %
10 %
20 %
Participation
Clickers
Based partly on effort, attitude, engaging in lecture, % of
completed homework, quizzes, improvement through the course,
attendance in lecture and discussion, collegiality.
Read the section below for clicker purchase.
8%
6%
Clickers
Please go to the site https://store.turningtechnologies.com/ and type in the code: FDuMc4. You
can either buy the device or download an app on the phone (Students Can Respond With...
Android™ smartphones and tablets, Apple® iPhone® , iPad®, and iPad touch® (must have an
Internet connection for use) BlackBerry® smartphones, Windows® Mobile devices, Laptop or
Desktop). You have one week to either download the app or show the instructor your receipt for
device purchase. The clicker questions will be based on concepts discussed in the lecture, from
the questions at the back of the book or the “stop to think” questions in the book.
Quizzes
We will have some quizzes in lecture and some online either through the mastering physics
website or blackboard. The dates will be announced 1-2 weeks in advance based on the amount
of material covered.
Exams
There will be three closed book and closed note exams midterm exams and one final exam. The
exams will be of one hour duration and a mixture of conceptual (multiple choice questions) and
work problems. There are NO makeup exams for the midterms. The best two midterm scores
will count towards your final grade. If you miss a mid term exam due to some reason, the exam
that you miss will be counted as your dropped exam. Taking the third exam is optional, as you do
not have to take it if you are confident of the first two mid term exams. The third exam is going
to be outside of class time on the day specified. It is your responsibility to free your schedule on
that day and time. Two months’ notice is more than enough in this regard. If you cannot take the
optional-exam on April 25th, please make sure that you attend the first two exams and do well on
those. The exam dates are given below and do not conflict with religious holidays. In case they
do, please contact the instructor within the first week.
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•
Exam 1: Feb. 24th , Monday
Exam 2: Mar. 31st , Monday
Exam 3 (Optional/Makeup/Drop): April 25th , Friday
Final Exam: May 12th Monday
How do I calculate my grade at any point in the semester?
During the semester, the only information you have access to is your raw scores. So you can
only compute your raw grade. Compute your % scores on the midterm, quiz, homework
without dropping anything. So if you have 16/20 in the first quiz and 12/20 in the second,
your percentage will be 32/40*100. If you scored 69 on the first mid term and 81 on the
second then your percentage score on the mid term will be 150/200*100 (=75). Compute
your “Raw percentage score” using the following formula
{[Midterm percentage score*(0.56) + quiz percentage score *(0.1) + Homework percentage
score *0.20 ] + /64 }= Raw score.
With the assumption (need not be true if you want to work hard and improve your grade) that
you will score the same percentage on the final and participation credits. Compare the raw
score with the following cutoffs:
90 A-/B+
80 B-/C+
70 C-/D+
67 and less: D and below.
•
How is the final grade computed?
There are two curves in the course. The first curve is where you drop the lowest midterm,
lowest homework and the lowest quiz. This usually boosts your score up. Then a distribution
of the scores plotted. The final cutoffs are adjusted based on how many As Bs, Cs Ds have to
be given roughly consistent with departmental guidelines. Left to me, I would like to give all
of you good grades. But you will get the best grade possible under the framework laid out.
You as a cohort have a way to influence the final number of A, B grades. This is achieved by
lowering the cut-offs and is the second curve in the course. If you show the right attitude and
work hard as a group, then we as faculty have a justification in awarding better grades to the
extent we are allowed. If you see anyone cheating from his/her phones, then it is a wise idea
to inform the instructor. In all likelihood the instructor has noticed it. If students are cheating,
then it violates the trust that the instructor places on you. Many such cases would break the
trust and takes away the reason for the second curve.
• A note about participation credits
The participation credits are a combination of the following:
o Attendance in lectures.
o % of completed mastering physics homework
o % of complete written homework.
o % of quizzes attended. If you have some extenuating circumstances for having
missed a homework or quiz or lecture please make sure that you have sent an
email to the instructor mentioning the reason and make an attempt to provide any
proof of illness etc. This will ensure that you do not lose participation points when
the final grades are calculated.
o Improvement through the course: Have you done better as the course progressed?
o Effort and attitude: If things went wrong, did you seek help proactively? Did you
help out your colleagues? Participate in discussions in Piazza (described in the
getting help section)? Participate in lectures? Disruptive behavior? Violating the
no laptop/phone policy?
o Respect towards colleagues and instructor.
o Academic honesty (Described at the end).
o If you are seen using the phone in the lecture, or talking too much to a point that
you are disturbing the lecture, you might get an email from the instructor
mentioning that you were seen using the phone. One email is fine, two is not
good, three is bad.
o Any strict violation could fetch you negative points for the course that could be in
the range of 1 - 5 % of the course.
Getting help!
This is a 3 credit class and you are expected to put in lot of effort. It is possible that there will be
times when you will get frustrated. But that is the nature of learning physics. It takes a while
before you begin to see the returns. But you should get help early! You will be surprised how
much you accomplish by discussing something with someone else, either your peers or the
instructor. There are four avenues of getting help:
Office hours: Due to the current renovation in Becton hall, the office hours will be in the office
whose details are given under instructor information. Any changes to the office hours will sent
over email.
Monday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Becton Hall Room 203 or Jeepers. Will be announced)
Tuesday
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (By appointment only)
Wednesday 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Dickinson Hall Room 4419)
Wednesday 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM (BEC 303-Help session)
Piazza: It is an online site www.piazza.com where our course has a page. There is a topic for
every homework and general discussion. Please try to address your question in the appropriate
category. If you know the answer to some question your classmate has asked, then feel free to
answer it. The instructor will also monitor the site once a day. Please create an account on the
site and enroll in the class:
https://piazza.com/fdu/fall2013/phys2203/home
Chat: I will a 1 hour online chat sessions somewhere between Thu – Sun where you are free to
come online and ask a question and carry out a discussion. All attempts will be made to enable
audio. Please use a gmail account for this purpose. The gmail account for the chat will be
provided during the first week. Unfortunately it is not possible to have the same hours for chat
session every-week. We might use blackboard collaborate this semester.
Study Groups: I will pass out a list at the beginning of the second lecture for students to enroll in
study groups. If you do not have a strong high school background in physics, then it is better to
get together in study groups and progress faster. If you know physics well, you are encouraged to
help out your colleagues and make friends. You will find that you understand something better
and enjoy the subject content more if you explain it to someone.
A few other points
No-laptop/phone policy: You are not allowed to open laptops and use phones during
lectures. This is strict rule!
Disciplinary Issues: The goal of this course is simple... to *try* to appreciate the beauty of the
physical world. Physics is an exciting subject if you put in the effort and it changes the way you
view the world. Being able to understand how things work gives you a great joy! But all this is
possible if we create the right atmosphere for learning as mentioned above. So no laptops! no
Cellphones! no web browsing! We as faculty respect you, your effort, your goals and your
ambitions. We expect you to do the same with respect to your classmates. Distracting the class is
not welcomed. If you are found to indulge in any kind of behavior that interferes with the class,
you will be politely warned. After the second warning, you should make an appointment with the
instructor to discuss why you are not able to concentrate in the class so that I can help motivate
you to focus. After this, any future incidents will lead to negative points (up to 5 %) and you will
be referred to the disciplinary council. Hopefully we will never get to that stage. This is not
about treating you like kids. This is not about understanding that you are responsible adults now
and in college and you should be paying attention for your own good and other similar kinds of
emotions. This is just about learning Physics in a nice environment. I love and respect all my
students. Your goals are my goals. Your ambitions are my ambitions. If you feel frustrated it
would be my pleasure to help you. The joy you experience when you learn a concept will be felt
by instructor too!
Academic Honesty: Giving/receiving help on exams or plagiarizing homework and other
assignments is not acceptable behavior in this class. Please refer to the
http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=7682 page for the university policy. As mentioned earlier,
you are allowed to discuss with your peers while attempting homework problems, but the work
that you turn in must be your own. In the past some students were observed cheating. As a
consequence of this, on the days of the exams and quizzes there will be no clicker questions. So
you will not need to use the phone. In case you bring the phone, please put a post-it note on it
and tie it with a rubber band and put it on the instructor’s table. If you write your name clearly,
no one else will take the phone. If you are worried about the phone, then please don’t bring it to
the class. If you want to keep it inside the bag, then you must deposit the bag in the front of the
room. You must sit in alternate seats and alternate rows during exams and quizzes. If we run out
of space you will sit in the front two rows. You might be allotted a seat number on the day of the
midterm.
Lecture Schedule
Wk # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Date 01/27 01/29 02/03 02/05 02/10 02/12 02/17 02/19 02/24 02/26 03/03 03/05 03/10 03/12 03/17 03/19 03/24 03/26 03/31 04/02 04/07 04/09 04/14 04/16 04/21 04/23 04/25 04/28 04/30 05/05 05/07 05/12 Day Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Wed Friday Mon Wed Mon Wed Mon Chapter 20 20/21 21 21 22 22/23 23 23 24 24 25 25/26 26 26/27 27 28/29 28/29 30/31 30/31 32 32 33 33 33 37 37 Topics Mid-­‐term exam 1 (1-­‐7) Spring Break Spring Break Mid-­‐term Exam 2 Optional 3rd Exam 17.5-­‐17.8 18.1-­‐18.4 19.1-­‐19.4 FINAL EXAM (Cumulative)