PHY 212: General Physics II – Electricity, Magnetism, and Light
Fall 2014 Course Syllabus
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Course Details ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Textbooks, Clickers and Mastering Physics................................................................................................... 4
Calendar ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Reading Assignments .................................................................................................................................... 5
Workshops (Recitations) ............................................................................................................................... 5
Homework..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Quizzes, Examinations, and Grading ............................................................................................................. 6
Laboratory ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Disability Accommodation ............................................................................................................................ 8
Academic Integrity ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Religious Observances .................................................................................................................................. 9
Phy 212 Syllabus Fall 2014
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Introduction
In Physics 212, you will learn about three great subject areas:
• electricity
• magnetism
• light
At this point, you may think that these are three unrelated areas of study, but they are all in fact due to
one thing, electric charge! Maxwell’s equations, which you will explore in this course, relate all three to
electric charge, either at rest or in motion.
It is remarkable that the three subjects are really only one: Electromagnetism. This is an example of the
type of scientific unification that physicists most admire, and that made Maxwell a scientific hero of the
first rank. And, in case you have any doubts about whether this kind of scientific unification is useful, the
invention of radio communication was a direct consequence of improved scientific understanding of
exactly how the three subjects are unified. Our present‐day hyperconnected society owes much of its
existence to the work of the pioneers who uncovered the laws of electromagnetism.
While beyond the scope of this course, it is also fascinating to know that Electromagnetism was the “red
pill” that sent physicists down the rabbit hole which quickly led to the theories of relativity and quantum
mechanics, forever changing our notions of space, time, and the entire philosophy of what is
“knowable” to an experimenter.
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Course Details
Instructor
Prof. Hakan P. Partal
Email: hpartal@syr.edu
Office: 4‐279 CST
Telephone: (315) 443‐2134
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:30 ‐4:30pm
Lecture times & Location
Tuesdays & Thursdays,
9:30‐10:50 a.m. (Sec. M001)
5:00‐6:20 p.m. (M002)
Stolkin Auditorium, Physics Bldg. main floor, west end (towards
Dome)
Credits
3
Prerequisites:
(i) PHY 211/221 (General Physics I), (ii) MAT 285 or MAT 295 (Calculus
I).
Co‐requisites
(i) PHY 222 (General Physics II Laboratory), (ii) MAT 286 or MAT 296
(Calculus II).
Recitation
Your recitation section will meet for 55 minutes each Wednesday and
Friday. Check your schedule for your room number and TA’s name.
Getting forms signed
To add or drop this course, or to change recitation or laboratory
sections, please speak with Patricia Whitmore in the undergraduate
office, Physics Building Room 111, phone (315) 443‐5958.
Physics clinic
A physics clinic is operated in room 104S (S = south hallway) of the
Physics Building. You can drop by to get help with physics problems.
The clinic hours are posted early in the semester at
http://web.physics.syr.edu/syllabi/clinic‐
pdfs/physicsclinicschedule.pdf. The clinic is staffed by TAs including
the PHY 212 recitation instructors, who do not usually have separate
office hours, except by appointment.
Announcements
(http://blackboard.syr.edu) as of the second week &
http://hpartal.mysite.syr.edu/announcements.htm as of the first
week of the semester
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Textbooks, Clickers and Mastering Physics
Several options are provided below for material students in PHY212 are encouraged to acquire. At
minimum, you are required to have a Mastering Physics access code (which comes with access to an e‐
book) to use for homework assignments in this course.
(i) Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach. Vol. IV (Third Edition).
Randall D. Knight (Pearson, 2013). ISBN 9780321844293. Available at SU Bookstore.
Package contains textbook and Mastering Physics code and e‐book.
(Note: Knight Vol. IV includes Chapters 25‐36 of the hardcover textbook. If you already have the
hardcover version from PHY211 you do not need to purchase Vol. IV, and you may already have the
Mastering Physics access code.)
(ii) Mastering Physics Student Access Code with e-book (ISBN 9780321753052).
No physical textbook included here.
(iii) Turning Point Clicker (Response Card RF Lcd By Turning Technologies Ed: 1 St Yr: 2008 by Turning
Technologies. (ISBN: 9781934931400).
The lecturer will be asking “clicker questions" this semester. If you took PHY 211 last semester, you
should already have a clicker. If not, one can be purchased at the bookstore.
In order to obtain credit for class participation, you must register your clicker via Blackboard
(http://blackboard.syr.edu), by following the instructions at
https://answers.syr.edu/display/clicker/Registering+a+TurningPoint+Clicker+in+Blackboard. Make sure
your clickers are responding properly at the start of the semester, and thereafter (see manual for your
clicker, available online from the company, if you do not have it). If your clicker has been registered but
is not operating properly, you can obtain support from the ITS Service Center through the interior glass
doors in the Milton Atrium which joins the Life Sciences Complex and the Center for Science and
Technology buildings
( http://its.syr.edu/supportsvc/; http://its.syr.edu/supportsvc/servicecenters.html ).
For problems requiring expert attention, you can contact Jeffrey Fouts, Instructional Technology Analyst
(to obtain his contact information, enter his surname at http://suds.syr.edu ).
Phy 212 Syllabus Fall 2014
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Calendar
All announcements including the Calendar and updates will be posted online. Check Blackboard
(http://blackboard.syr.edu)
as of the second week of the semester, and also
check
http://hpartal.mysite.syr.edu/announcements.htm as of the first week of the semester.
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments (relevant chapters and topics therein) for each lecture are indicated on the course
calendar and in more detail on weekly assignment (and information) sheets on Blackboard. Students are
expected to do the assigned readings in advance (and review them afterwards), since the lectures will
contain only a limited presentation of the material, with emphasis on particularly important and possibly
difficult points. Lectures will also include demonstrations and representative problem solving; make sure
you have writing paper and a pen or pencil with you in class so you can work actively on problems and
clicker questions during lecture, besides taking notes.
Workshops (Recitations
(Recitations)
Recitations)
There are two one‐hour recitation workshops each week, during which you will be asked mainly to work
on problem solving. Assignments will be handed out in workshop. Bring a scientific calculator. You are
expected to work in groups of 3 or 4 students, unless instructed otherwise. These workshops are an
essential part of the course. Attendance is required and will affect your final grade. You can miss up to
two workshops (to allow for needs like medical and family emergencies) with no penalty. A graduate
Teaching Assistant (TA) will be in charge of your workshop sessions. The TA will record your attendance
and effort. An undergraduate coach may also be present to assist students during the workshop (for
some of the sections). You are not allowed to attend a different workshop section than the one you are
registered for, and thus you will not receive credit for attendance or homework turned in at a wrong
section.
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Homeworks
Homeworks
Homeworks will consist of web‐based Mastering Physics (MP) assignments. To register for MP and then
use it during the semester, you can conveniently use the Pearson custom site for our course:
http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ny/su_phy212.
www.masteringphysics.com;
you
would
You
then
can
need
also
our
access
Mastering
what
you
Physics
need
via
course
ID:
PHY212PARTAL2014FALL. Either way, you will also need to register using the access code included
in your Mastering Physics student access code card packet. If you already have a used textbook or if you
bought a new one alone (not the special SU package at the University Bookstore) without an access
code, you can purchase an MP access code online via the Mastering Physics site linked above.
‘Get started flyer’ for the MP registration can be found on
(http://hpartal.mysite.syr.edu/Get_Started_Flyer_MasteringPhysics.pdf)
NOTE that if you are having any trouble with your MP online access, you need to contact the
publisher, not the instructor or TAs. Check “Need help” section on the Get Started Flyer.
New assignments will usually be released on Wednesday (otherwise on Thursday), and the posted due
date will normally be the following Wednesday evening. The two lowest scores (assuming one
assignment per week) for the assignment sets will be dropped.
Late homework will not be accepted. In particular, the MP homework will normally expire
automatically at 8 pm on Wednesdays (partial credit will be given for assignments completed until
midnight; percentage of credit decreases linearly (and hourly) from 100% to 0% between 8pm and
midnight). To avoid deadline hassles and frustration, as well as diminished credit after 8 pm, please
work on the online assignments well ahead of the deadline, since computer or network problems may
prevent you from submitting solutions when the deadline is near.
Quizzes, Examinations,
Examinations, and Grading
Quizzes
There will be a 15‐minute written quiz given at some Tuesday lectures, as indicated in the course
calendar. There are two types of problems on the quizzes. Some will be based on the homework
assignments. The remainder will be problems based on topics discussed in lecture or in the assigned
textbook reading.
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The quizzes are closed book. Do bring a calculator. The quizzes will be graded by your recitation
instructor and returned to you during your recitation section meeting. You do not need to show up to
your specific lecture session (morning/evening) for the quiz; however you may take the quiz only once. If
you take both the morning quiz and the evening quiz, your evening quiz will be discarded.
There are no makeup quizzes. To allow for illness or family emergencies, the two lowest quiz grades
will be dropped before computing your final quiz grade. If you miss more than two quizzes entirely due
to illness or family emergencies, please consult the professor before the scheduled quiz.
Examinations
Three midterm examinations and one final examination will be given in this course. For the three
midterms, you must take your exam at the class time for your lecture section (M001 at 9:30 and M002
at 5:00). The date and time of the final examination is listed on the course calendar. There will be
separate locations for the two lecture sections (M001 and M002), so make sure to go the correct
location for your section. The final exam locations will be announced by the registrar after the semester
starts, and this information will then be added to the course calendar.
The midterm examinations each occupy an entire 80‐minute lecture period. Lists of examination seating
assignments will be posted near the auditorium entrances prior to each examination; please sit in your
assigned seat for the exam (let the professor or TAs know if there is a mechanical problem with your
assigned seat). The midterm examinations are closed book. However, you may bring a single sheet
(8.5×11 inches) of your own handwritten notes (no photocopies, etc.) to each examination. You can
write on both sides of your sheet. The notes should be turned in with your exam, and will be returned to
you.
Do bring a basic scientific calculator to the examinations (no mobile phones, including smartphones; no
laptops, tablets, or other computers; any such device must be turned completely off, and stowed).
During the examination, any permitted device with wireless communications must have that
functionality disabled. See Academic Integrity section below.
There are no makeup midterm examinations; if you are ill, or if you have a family emergency, the
examination that you miss will be dropped in computing your grade. For students who take all three
examinations, the lowest of your three midterm examinations scores will be dropped before your
course grade is computed. If you miss two exams entirely due to illness or family emergencies, please
consult the professor.
Phy 212 Syllabus Fall 2014
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The final examination is cumulative and covers all the material in the course. You will be allowed to
bring four (4) sheets of handwritten notes (2 sided) to the final examination, which is otherwise closed‐
book; a recommended option is to re‐use your sheets of notes from the earlier examinations, and to add
a fourth sheet.
Grading
The distribution of points used in determining your final grade, tentatively, is:
Recitation: 10%
Mastering Physics Homework: 10%
Quizzes (best 4 out of 6): 15%
Midterm Examinations (20% apiece, best 2 out of 3): 40%
Final Examination: 25%
Grading scale
Your grade in this course is not based on how well other students are doing. It is possible for every
student in the class to get an "A". Your course grade will be based on the following scale:
A 85-100
A- 80-84
B+ 75-79
B 70-74
B- 65-69
C+ 60-64
C 55-59
C- 50-54
D 40-49
F 0-39
Laboratory
PHY 222 is the laboratory component of PHY 212, but it is taught independently of PHY 212.
Disability Accommodation
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability
Services (ODS), http://disabilityservices.syr.edu, located at 804 University Avenue, suite 303, or call
Phy 212 Syllabus Fall 2014
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(315) 443‐4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting
accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability‐related accommodations and will issue
students with documented disabilities "Accommodation Authorization Letters," as appropriate. Since
accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please
contact ODS as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity
The Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the integrity of the
work they submit. Students should be familiar with the Policy and know that it is their responsibility to
learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in
written work. The policy also governs the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments as well
as the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verifications of participation in class
activities. Serious sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort.
For
more
information
and
the
complete
policy,
see
the
Academic
Integrity
Policy
(http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/academic‐integrity‐policy).
Religious Observances
The Syracuse University religious observances policy recognizes the diversity of faiths represented
among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious
holy days according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make
up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance
provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. For fall and spring
semesters, an online notification process is available through MySlice/ Student Services/ Enrollment/ My
Religious Observances from the first day of class until the end of the second week of class.
For more information and the complete policy, see:
http://supolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm.
In accordance with the 2 week deadline and MySlice procedure above, students who miss a midterm
exam due to a religious observance may either elect to have that exam dropped as their lowest score, or
have an oral make‐up examination. Similar consideration can be given for missed a quiz or recitation due
to a religious observance; in such cases, please consult with your teaching assistant.
Phy 212 Syllabus Fall 2014
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