ADVANCED INQUIRY INTO PHYSICS
Professor: Leslie J Atkins
ljatkins@csuchico.edu
http://phys.csuchico.edu/~ljatkins/
PHYS 342
Catalog Description:
Prior completion of GEOS 141 or PHYS 202A/B or PHYS 204A/B or PHYS 100. This
course builds on concepts developed in the introductory physics course with greater
mathematical and representational sophistication. Topics addressed include kinematics,
electrostatics and electrodynamics, simple machines, and wave phenomena.
Required for Natural Sciences majors, elective for General Physics majors.
OFFICE: Holt 148
OFFICE HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10 - 12.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course builds on concepts developed in the introductory physics course in greater
mathematical and representational sophistication. There is a significant emphasis on
participation in and reflection on scientific inquiry. Topics addressed include kinematics,
electrostatics and electrodynamics, simple machines, and wave phenomena.
MATERIALS:
You will need a notebook (three-ring binder or spiral).
You should purchase Physics: The Human Adventure by Holton & Brush - an outstanding
book that can be bought online (used) for around $20. If instead of purchasing you would
like to borrow a copy from me, please let me know and I can likely loan you one.
ABOUT THIS COURSE:
In this course you will be developing scientific ideas and theories in the same ways that
scientists construct ideas and develop theories: by asking questions, constructing models,
designing tests of those models, engaging in debates, writing up your findings, and
critiquing one another’s work. In addition, we will examine the history of scientific
methodologies and the development of scientific ideas to better understand methods of
inquiry in physics. It is assumed that all students will have a background in introductory
physical science, but you will be asked to question the ideas you have learned, reinterpret
or even dismiss some of those ideas, and justify, represent, and understand those ideas in
increasingly sophisticated ways.
Much of this work will happen in small research teams with frequent discussions of your
findings and ideas. While a central goal of the course is to learn how to do science,
including blind alleyways and dead ends, I expect that you will learn a great deal of
accurate science, and you will be expected to understand the scientific ideas that are
developed in the course.
Because the nature of the course relies on active participation by all students, attendance
is required and our expectation is that you will be on time, free from distractions (no cell
phones, internet, or other work), stay for the full class period, and come with your
homework completed. Bring your research notebook to all class meetings. If you know
you will miss class, please make every effort to notify the instructor in advance; email is
preferred.
All University policies pertain to this course. If you want or need to drop this class, you
may do so for any reason during the first 2 weeks of the semester through the Portal and
during the 3rd or 4th weeks by submitting a Change of Program (COP) form. After the 4th
week, to drop a class, you must have a “serious and compelling reason” as defined by the
University or your advisor. (Reasons NOT considered serious and compelling include low
grades, failure to attend class, dissatisfaction with the course material or instructor,
difficulty of the material, pressure of other classes or extracurricular activities, or lack of
motivation.) The Department of Physics and the College of Natural Sciences interpret the
“serious and compelling” rule strictly.
If at any time you have questions or concerns, or just want to share your ideas and
opinions on the course, please drop by office hours or send me an email. I am more than
happy to talk through these concerns and questions with you.
TOPIC OF INQUIRY:
The particular topic of inquiry changes from semester to semester. This year I intend to
focus on energy - a notoriously difficult idea in physics and one that, even after students
(and physicists) learn about energy, they find difficult to explain. What is energy? Why do
we believe that it exists - or do we? How is it different from other ideas in physics, like
force, momentum, entropy, or work? Through discussions and models of energy, I expect
we will touch on a range of physics topics: machines, waves, heat, electricity, etc.
However, the ultimate direction we pursue will arise from class discussions, questions and
interests.
PARTS OF THE COURSE:
The two components of the course - lab and lecture - are completely interwoven. While
most of our time in lab will be spent in small groups and discussions, it is these
discussions and investigations that will inform and be informed by lecture.
Lab: As in scientific research communities, our class will have frequent discussions and
debates regarding scientific ideas. It is expected that you will participate actively in these
discussions. We understand that different students have different styles of participation:
some think out loud and share ideas as they spring to mind; others prefer to listen and
think things through, taking notes and speaking in small groups as opposed to whole-class.
Regardless, you are expected to listen carefully to the ideas that are being presented; when
you do not understand an idea, you should speak up; you should take notes on the ideas
you hear, keeping these in your research notebook; and you should share the ideas that
you have.
As ideas and models are generated, we will want to examine how these ideas are
supported or refuted by observation and experiment. Much of our time in lab will be spent
in small research teams where ideas and conjectures from large discussions will be put to
the test. In these groups, you are expected to participate and share responsibility for
equipment and investigations, record your observations and ideas in your own research
notebook, and prepare reports to share with the whole class. Unlike a traditional science
classroom (and more like a research lab), these experiments might be ill-defined, without
clear steps and procedures; your group will need to spend time figuring out how best to
design an experiment and develop convincing results. You should keep careful notes in
these groups regarding your investigations and your results in your research notebook.
Your research team will prepare your findings to present to the whole class and generate
future discussions and debates.
Lecture: In lecture, there will be opportunities to pause and reflect on our activities and
compare these to the ways in which scientists have answered these questions throughout
history. There will be readings and homework assignments related to this history, and we
will address how our own activities do (or don’t) replicate that history.
GRADING SCALE:
Lab notebooks (15%), homework (weekly) (40%), and papers/projects (3 a semester) (45%)
comprise the graded portions of the class. Your final grade will be calculated as a
percentage of the total available points.
In addition, missing class will deduct points from the total and can significantly affect
your grade. You have 2 “free” absences, for each absence after that, your grade will drop
by 3% unless you have a compelling reason (family emergencies, sickness, job interviews,
etc.). “Absent” means missing class OR being in class but working on other coursework.
Usual cut-off for a given grade:
92 % A
90% A88 % B+
82 % B
80 % B78 % C+
72 % C
70 % C68 % D+
62 % D
<62% F
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Please note-- the course schedule is subject to (likely to) change: we may find that we
want to spend more time on an investigation, or wrap up an experiment earlier than
anticipated. Changes will be noted on the course webpage.
First 5 weeks:
Defining and representing energy
Second 5 weeks:
Relating energy and forces
Third 5 weeks:
Applications to novel scenarios (biology, geology, circuitry, etc.)