Faculty of Science Course Syllabus
Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science
PHYC 1290
Introduction to Physics
Winter 2016
Primary Instructor: Prof. Thomas J. Duck, tduck@dal.ca. Office hours Wed. 1-4 PM in Dunn 128.
Laboratory Instructor: Dr. Simon de Vet, sdevet@dal.ca, Dunn 121B.
CAPA Technical Help: Friedemann Brauer, teacher@capa.phys.dal.ca.
Resource Center Coordinator: Dr. Stephen Payne, payne@dal.ca.
Lectures: 8:35-9:25 and 9:35-10:25 in Dunn 117.
Laboratories: Six total, three hours each.
Tutorials: None (but extra help is available in the Resource Centre).
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Course Description
This course concentrates on oscillations and waves, optics, electricity and magnetism. It is designed
primarily for students interested in Physical Sciences and Engineering. This course is required for all
Engineering programs. Students entering this course must be familiar with algebra, graphs, and
trigonometry, and should be taking calculus (MATH 1000.03/1010.03 or MATH 1280.03/1290.03)
concurrently. Ideas are introduced through in-class demonstrations enabling students to relate physical
theory to events in the real world. Students explore many concepts via hands-on labs.
Course Prerequisites
High School Physics equivalent to the Nova Scotia 12 level. Students not having a physics credit
equivalent to Nova Scotia Grade 12 Physics are strongly advised to take PHYC 0010.00 available in the
summer and in the fall term at the College of Continuing Education.
Although it is not a formal prerequisite, students are advised to take PHYC 1190 first.
Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Students will learn to analyze and compute:
i) the physical properties and behaviour of a) waves, including sound and light; and b) light in
geometric optical systems;
ii) the physical properties and behaviour of electric and magnetic fields;
iii) the physical properties and behaviour of electronic components (resistors, capacitors); and
iv) the physical properties and behaviour of simple circuits (e.g., RC, RL & LC circuits).
Students will also be expected to demonstrate knowledge learned in lectures in the laboratory.
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Course Materials
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OWL (BbLearn): https://dalhousie.blackboard.com/...
Text: Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd ed., by R. Knight.
CAPA: http://www.learning.physics.dal.ca/
Course Assessment
There are two marking schemes. Your final grade will be taken as the better of the two.
Scheme 1
Component
Weight (% of final grade)
Date
Midterm 1
20%
Feb. 8
Midterm 2
Final exam
Assignments
Labs
20%
33%
12%
15%
Mar. 14
Scheduled by Registrar
See pg. 6
See lab manual
Scheme 2
Component
Weight (% of final grade)
Best midterm
Final exam
Assignments
Labs
23%
50%
12%
15%
Date
Feb. 8 and Mar. 14
Scheduled by Registrar
See pg. 6
See lab manual
Conversion of numerical grades to Final Letter Grades
A+ (90-100)
B+ (77-79)
C+ (65-69)
D (50-54)
A (85-89)
B (73-76)
C (60-64)
F (<50)
A- (80-84)
B- (70-72)
C- (55-59)
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Course Policies
a) Assignments
Assignments should be picked up from the Dunn pigeonholes on the Friday before they are due.
Due dates are given in this syllabus on page 6. Instructions on how to submit the answers using the
online CAPA system will be given on the back of the first assignment. See also our How To and
Frequently Asked Questions pages about the CAPA system.
If you are sick and cannot finish an assignment by the due date, please email CAPA Technical Help
<teacher@capa.phys.dal.ca> to request an extension. You will need to provide a medical certificate.
b) Laboratory Experiments
Labs begin Monday, Jan. 11 in Dunn 114. You are expected to attend on the day you are registered.
Lab manuals will be sold in the Dunn lobby for $10 (cash only) after class on Jan. 8 and 11. After
that, the lab manual may only be purchased from the Physics Office (Dunn 218).
You are expected to come to the laboratory prepared for that day's experiment, having read the
relevant pages in the lab manual.
All labs have a CAPA pre-lab test, which is due 5 minutes before your lab session.Your personal,
printed pre-lab sheet will be handed out in the previous lab session or be left in the Dunn
pigeonholes. Pre-labs (and assignments) are also available online as PDF files, upon request from the
CAPA website <www.learning.physics.dal.ca>
If you have to miss or reschedule a lab, contact the Lab Instructor at least 24 h in advance.Your
CAPA pre-lab test is still due on your regular lab day.
c) Exams
You will be allowed to bring one 8.5″x11″ (letter-sized) info sheet to each midterm exam and one
8.5″x14″ (legal-sized) info sheet to the final exam. Write whatever you want on the info sheet (both
sides). You may not tape, staple or glue sheets together or encase your info sheet in plastic. Make a
photocopy so that everything appears on both sides of one sheet if necessary. Info sheets will be
inspected for compliance.
You may use a standard scientific calculator during exams. Inexpensive scientific calculators may be
purchased at Lawtons, Staples and Superstore. Graphing calculators are not allowed.
Other electronic devices are forbidden. They must be put away and turned off.
Be warned that it is an academic offence to break any of these rules. Academic offences are treated
very seriously and will be reported.
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d) Getting Help
To get help with something that you don’t understand:
(i) Go to the Resource Centre (Dunn 108. It is open Tuesday through Friday, ), 11:30 am to 5:30 pm.
The days dedicated to PHYC 1290 are Thursday and Friday;
(ii) Visit the Primary Instructor during their office hours. Be prepared to show your work and
where your understanding breaks down; or
(iii) Ask the Physics Office (Dunn 218) for their list of tutors.
e) University Closures
In the event of a major storm, the Dalhousie administration may decide to close the university.
Closure notices are posted at http://www.dal.ca/storm.html. Lectures, labs, exams and CAPAs will be
postponed if the university is closed; otherwise, they will go ahead as scheduled.
f) Missed Exams
There are no make-up midterms. Students who miss one midterm will automatically default to
marking Scheme 2. Students who miss both midterms will receive a final grade of INC (incomplete).
There will be ONE make-up final exam for those who have been excused from the scheduled final.
The date and time of the make-up will be determined by the Primary Instructor, and is not
negotiable.
There is no “supplementary” final exam.
Documentation will be required if you miss the scheduled final exam. If you do not supply
acceptable documentation then you will receive a final grade of INC (incomplete).
You may be excused from writing the scheduled final exam under certain conditions:
(i) Special Circumstances: Examples include sports team commitments. You must notify the Primary
Instructor as early as possible in the term and provide appropriate documentation.
(ii) Illness: You must obtain a medical certificate that states you were examined and found too ill to
write the exam. The certificate must be dated and signed by a doctor, and must clearly state his/
her name and credentials.
Your medical certificate will not be accepted unless it meets all of the above criteria in full.
You must notify the Primary Instructor within 24 hours of the certificate’s expiry that you
missed the final exam, and provide an acceptable certificate to him before writing the make-up
exam. Please do not visit the Primary Instructor in person while you are sick.
(iii) Emergency situations: If there is an emergency situation that will result in you missing the final
exam, then you must notify the Primary Instructor as soon as is reasonable. Documentation will
normally be required before writing the make-up exam.
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g) Exam Marking
Your exams will be marked by Teaching Assistants (TAs). In general they do an excellent job. If you
think that a marking error has been made:
(i) Please carefully check your work against the solutions posted on OWL (BbLearn).
(ii) If you still think that an error has been made, please return your exam to the Primary Instructor
with a write-up on a separate page (no post-it notes!) explaining your concerns. Your exam will
be re-evaluated separately and in private. Exam returns will not be accepted without the written
explanation.
Exams must be submitted for remarking within one week of their return.
Do not write on your exam, or otherwise alter it. If you write anywhere on your exam then it will not be
eligible for re-marking.
The write-up of your concerns should be short and to-the-point. Lengthy submissions will not be
accepted.
Exams should be returned only if there is a reasonable case that a marking error has been made.
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Course Content
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Good Friday (University closed)
Lenz’s law
Inductors and RL circuits
LC circuits
Radio wave communications
Review day
* This CAPA is for practice only, and will not count toward your grade
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Notes
Lab manuals for sale
Lab manuals for sale
CAPA 1 due
CAPA 2 due
CAPA 3 due
CAPA 4 due
CAPA 5 due
Labs: Waves, Interference
Topic
Introduction to waves
Traveling harmonic waves
Wave superposition and reflection
Harmonic superposition and standing waves
Sound and music
Interference
Diffraction
Light reflection and ray diagrams
Curved mirrors and image formation
Refraction and total internal reflection
Lenses
Cameras
Electric charge and Coulomb’s law
Electric fields and dipoles
Munro Day (University closed)
Midterm 1
Electric field lines
Electric fields of charge distributions
Study break (no classes)
Electric potential energy
Potential difference
Potential and field
Capacitors and dielectrics
Current and resistance
Components in series and parallel
Kirchhoff’s laws and circuit analysis
RC circuits
Magnetic fields and magnetism
Midterm 2
Lorentz Force Law
Electric motors
Magnetic field from a current
Faraday’s law
Labs: Optics, Potentials
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Date
Jan 4
Jan 6
Jan 8
Jan 11
Jan 13
Jan 15
Jan 18
Jan 20
Jan 22
Jan 25
Jan 27
Jan 29
Feb 1
Feb 3
Feb 5
Feb 8
Feb 10
Feb 12
Feb 15-Feb 19
Feb 22
Feb 24
Feb 26
Feb 29
Mar 2
Mar 4
Mar 7
Mar 9
Mar 11
Mar 14
Mar 16
Mar 18
Mar 21
Mar 23
Mar 25
Mar 28
Mar 30
Apr 1
Apr 4
Apr 6
CAPA 6 due
CAPA 7 due
CAPA 8 due
CAPA 9 due
CAPA 10 due*
Labs: Capacitance, Magnetism
Lecture
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4
5
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ACCOMMODATION POLICY FOR STUDENTS
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or
any characteristic protected under Canadian Human Rights legislation. The full text of Dalhousie’s
Student Accommodation Policy can be accessed here: http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/
policies/academic/student-accommodation-policy-wef-sep--1--2014.html
Students who require accommodation for classroom participation or the writing of tests and exams
should make their request to the Advising and Access Services Centre (AASC) prior to or at the
outset of the regular academic year. More information and the Request for Accommodation form are
available at www.dal.ca/access.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity, with its embodied values, is seen as a foundation of Dalhousie University. It is the
responsibility of all students to be familiar with behaviours and practices associated with academic
integrity. Instructors are required to forward any suspected cases of plagiarism or other forms of
academic cheating to the Academic Integrity Officer for their Faculty.
The Academic Integrity website (http://academicintegrity.dal.ca) provides students and faculty with
information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty, and has resources to help students
succeed honestly. The full text of Dalhousie’s Policy on Intellectual Honesty and Faculty Discipline
Procedures is available here:
http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/academic-integrity/academic-policies.html
STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT
Dalhousie University has a student code of conduct, and it is expected that students will adhere to the
code during their participation in lectures and other activities associated with this course. In general:
“The University treats students as adults free to organize their own personal lives, behaviour and
associations subject only to the law, and to University regulations that are necessary to protect
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the integrity and proper functioning of the academic and non – academic programs and activities
of the University or its faculties, schools or departments;
the peaceful and safe enjoyment of University facilities by other members of the University and
the public;
the freedom of members of the University to participate reasonably in the programs of the
University and in activities on the University's premises;
the property of the University or its members.”
The full text of the code can be found here:
http://www.dal.ca/dept/university_secretariat/policies/student-life/code-of-student-conduct.html
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SERVICES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS
The following campus services are available to help students develop skills in library research, scientific
writing, and effective study habits. The services are available to all Dalhousie students and, unless noted
otherwise, are free.
Service
Support Provided
Location
Contact
General
Academic
Advising
Help with
- understanding degree
requirements and
academic regulations
- choosing your major
- achieving your
educational or career
goals
- dealing with academic
or other difficulties
Killam
Library
Ground floor
Rm G28
Bissett Centre
for Academic
Success
In person: Killam Library Rm G28
By appointment:
- e-mail: advising@dal.ca
- Phone: (902) 494-3077
- Book online through MyDal
Dalhousie
Libraries
Help to find books and
articles for assignments
Help with citing sources
in the text of your paper
and preparation of
bibliography
Killam
Library
Ground floor
In person: Service Point (Ground floor)
Help to develop essential
study skills through small
group workshops or oneon-one coaching sessions
Killam
Library 3rd
floor
Studying
for
Success
(SFS)
Librarian
offices
By appointment:
Identify your subject librarian (URL below) and
contact by email or phone to arrange a time:
http://dal.beta.libguides.com/sb.php?
subject_id=34328
To make an appointment:
- Visit main office (Killam Library main floor, Rm
G28)
Coordinator - Call (902) 494-3077
Match to a tutor for help
Rm 3104
- email Coordinator at: sfs@dal.ca or
in course-specific content
Study Coaches - Simply drop in to see us during posted office hours (for a reasonable fee)
Rm 3103
All information can be found on our website:
www.dal.ca/sfs
Writing
Centre
Meet with coach/tutor to
discuss writing
assignments (e.g., lab
report, research paper,
thesis, poster)
- Learn to integrate
source material into your
own work appropriately
- Learn about disciplinary
writing from a peer or
staff member in your field
Killam
Library
Ground floor
Learning
Commons &
Rm G25
To make an appointment:
- Visit the Centre (Rm G25) and book an
appointment
- Call (902) 494-1963
- email writingcentre@dal.ca
- Book online through MyDal
We are open six days a week
See our website: writingcentre.dal.ca
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