PHYS 214/224 Spring 2014
Engineering Physics 2/Physics 2
Lecture: M W 2:30-3:20, 3:30-4:20 p.m. CW 103
Textbook: Physics For Scientists and Engineers,
6th Edition, Tipler and Mosca
(Extended Edition, Chapters 1 - 41)
Course Sections: Need to be enrolled three
sections: Lecture, Studio and Quiz
Instructor: Dr. Brian R. Washburn
Office: CW 36C, (785) 532-2263,
Email: EPwashburn@phys.ksu.edu
(please use this email only)
Office hours: W F, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. or by
appointment
Course Objectives: The objectives of this course are threefold: 1) to understand the foundations of
calculus-based electromagnetism, optics, and quantum mechanics; 2) to develop a strong conceptual
understanding of the physical concepts introduced in the course; and 3) to develop the problem-solving
techniques needed for scientist and engineers.
Class Technology: This is a high technology class; throughout the course you will be using:
 iclicker (or iclicker2) for in-class participation. You must purchase an iclicker and bring it to every
lecture. You must also register your iclicker at www.iclicker.com. See the separate write-up below on
iclickers.
 An internet-connected computer with a modern browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.)
 A web-based homework tool called WebAssign (www.webassign.net). You must purchase an access
code for WebAssign. See separate write-up on WebAssign below.
 You will have the option of an electronic version of the textbook which can be purchased through the
WebAssign site. For physics majors or minors, I would recommend getting a soft or hardbound copy
of the textbook.
 K-state online access to all course information
Grade Assessment: Your grade will be based on five Friday quizzes (best four used for grade), twiceweekly homework assignments, twice weekly studio labs, twice weekly studio assignments, class
participation, and a final exam. See below for class point distribution. Late homework will not be
accepted and a make-up assignment will be allowed only in highly restricted cases. Not taking the
final exam will result in a grade of F, as will a persistent lack of participation in the studio.
Class Point Distribution
Quizzes (5 total)
(Best 4)100 pts. = 400 pts.
Homework (29)
(Best 25)6 pts. = 150 pts.
Studios (29)
(Best 25)8 pts. = 200 pts.
Participation
50 pts.
Final Exam
200 pts.
Total possible
1000 pts.
Grade Assignment
900-1000 pts.
A
800-899 pts.
B
700-799 pts.
C
600-699 pts.
D
Less than 600 pts. or *
F
* no final exam or poor studio participation
Lecture Section and Iclickers: Lectures will consist of explanations and demonstrations of physic
concepts, and examples of problem solving techniques. Any material presented in a lecture, including
demonstration, may appear in the Friday quiz. Thus, it is imperative to attend all lectures and take good
notes, preferable, by hand. Copies of lecture notes will be put onto K-state Online but these do not cover
all lecture material covered. Please attend your enrolled lecture section, but you may make up a missed
lecture by attending the other section.
Bring your iclicker to every lecture! Not only will it be used for attendance, your iclicker will help
you answer questions posted during the lecture. This will provide me real-time feedback on the course
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instruction. You will not be graded on the iclicker questions posed during the lecture, but I will keep
track throughout the semester to see that you are responding. The iclicker questions will be on conceptual
material and will help prepare you for the multiple choice section of the quizzes.
Studio Section: You must be enrolled in a studio section. Here, you will learn physics using active
hands-on approach to problem solving and experimental investigations. The studio time will be used for
asking questions, performing laboratory demonstrations, and solving problems. There are tentatively
scheduled 29 studios for this semester. You can miss four without penalty and there are no makeup
studios. Absent or very late students will be given no points for the studio.
Each studio will be graded out of ten points multiplied by 0.8 for grade purposes. For each studio
points come from the laboratory notebook (7 points) and a problem solving activity (3 points).
Laboratory notebooks will be graded unsatisfactory (5 points) or satisfactory (7 points), with absent
students getting zero points. One lab notebook per group will be randomly selected and graded, and that
score will be applied to the group. The problem solving activity is worth 3 points will be graded
individually. For some studios this activity will be a problem solved in groups. For other studios this
activity may be a question about the studio, or part of the homework to be solved individually at the
beginning of the class. Therefore it is important to start the homework and read the studio beforehand.
The studio manual will be posted on K-state Online. You must bring a 5×5 quad-ruled lab book (not
spiral bound) and paper to studio. Finally, the studio instructor is a valuable resource: he or she will set
up office hours for individual questions about the lectures, homework, quizzes, or studios.
Quiz Section and Quizzes: You must be enrolled in the quiz section. Five quizzes will be given on
Fridays from 4:30-5:45 p.m. in rooms CW101, CW102, and CW103. Part of the quizzes will consist of
conceptual questions answered on scantron cards, and part will be analytic problems worked on exam
sheets. All quizzes will be taken with no outside material allowed except a calculator. An equation sheet
will be supplied with each quiz. The lowest of your five quiz scores will be dropped. A missed quiz
cannot generally be make up and will count as zero. You must take the final exam to pass the class.
On Fridays of no quizzes I will lead an optional study session. During this session I will cover: 1)
conceptual questions on course material, 2) solutions to written homework problems from the previous
week, 3) solutions for studio problem solving assignment, and 4) quiz problems from past quizzes.
Homework and WebAssign: Homework will be due every Monday and Thursday at 9:30 a.m. starting
the first week of class, unless otherwise noted. The homework assignment can be found on online
assignment program called WebAssign (www.webassign.com). Each homework assignment will be
graded out of ten points per assignment and the score will be multiplied by 0.6 for grade determination.
Each homework assignment has two parts: Part 1 is textbook problems that are completed online and
graded by WebAssign. Part 2 are written problems found on WebAssign which will need to be written
out and turned in. Part 2 will be graded by your studio instructor. These problems will be similar to the
written questions on found on the quizzes. In fact, each quiz will have a least one written problem.
Homework assignments will take at least two hours to complete. You are encouraged to work in
groups, but individual student will need to write up the written problem on their own. If the written
problem is solved in a group, you must write down the names of the all group members. Copying worked
out solutions and presenting it as your own is a violation of the Honor Pledge. If you need to use solution
manual or other written resource, use it to guide your own work. If this is done, cite the source of the aid
at the bottom of the problem. Additional help can be found from your studio instructors, my office hours,
and from the Physics Help Room. Log onto the WebAssign course web site as soon as possible – you
will not need an access code to do this for the first two weeks of the course. See separate write-up below
on WebAssign.
Makeup Policy: Students are expected to take the quizzes and final exam at the scheduled time. I will
make rare exceptions on a case-by-case basis according to the policies below. Missed studio assignments,
homework assignments, and in-class participations problems cannot be made up.
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 Friday quizzes: All students will take the quizzes at the times listed in the syllabus unless: 1) an event sponsored
by an academic department crucial for your professional development conflicts with the quiz. I must have a
letter from the faculty member who is sanctioning this even in this case, and you must notify me at least one
week before the quiz by email. 2) You have a personal emergency (funeral, significant illness, etc.). Email me
the reason you must miss the quiz. 3) Jury duty.
 Final exam: You must take this at the scheduled time unless the official university exam policy allows for other
arrangements. You must email me two weeks before the final exam to make other allowed arrangements.
 If you are part of a K-state athletic team or other university sanctioned group, and K-state sponsored off-campus
travel prevents you from taking a quiz or the final exam at the normal time and place, then you must contact the
athletic department or the faculty member who is sanctioning this event to arrange for a proctored quiz to be
given to you on your trip. You must email me at least two weeks before the quiz or exam to arrange this.
Statement Regarding Academic Honesty “Kansas State University has an Honor System based on
personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one's work is
performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by
registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor
System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus,
off-campus, and via distance learning. The honor system website can be reached via the following URL:
www.k-state.edu/honor. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge
which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. The Honor
Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor
received unauthorized aid on this academic work." A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic
honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.”
Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities “Students with disabilities who need classroom
accommodations, access to technology, or information about emergency building/campus evacuation
processes should contact the Student Access Center and/or their instructor. Services are available to
students with a wide range of disabilities including, but not limited to, physical disabilities, medical
conditions, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, and anxiety. If you are a student
enrolled in campus/online courses through the Manhattan or Olathe campuses, contact the Student Access
Center at accesscenter@k-state.edu, 785-532-6441; for Salina campus, contact the Academic and Career
Advising Center at acac@k-state.edu, 785-826-2649.”
Expectations for Classroom Conduct: “All student activities in the University, including this course,
are governed by the Student Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Governing Association By
Laws, Article VI, Section 3, number 2. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning
environment may be asked to leave the class.”
Professionalism: In addition to following K-state policies concerning academic honesty, I expect you to
fully embrace the high standards of professionalism practiced by engineers and scientist, which go
beyond the K-state honor code. Example statements of professional conduct are the IEEE Code of Ethics
(http://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html) and the APS Guide for Professional Conduct
(http://www.aps.org/policy/statements/02_2.cfm). A non-exhaustive set of examples of unprofessional
behavior would include:







Using an iclicker or WebAssign account other than your own
Using fully worked out solutions from web sites that provide solutions, such as Cramster, etc.
Using a solutions manual to obtained fully worked out solutions to homework problems
Copying past students fully worked out solutions to homework problems
Programming a calculator or other electronic device to aid your quiz performance
Failing to contribute in a studio laboratory or problem assignments.
Behaving in a manner that prevents others from effectively performing in this class
Copyright Notification Copyright 2014 (Brian R. Washburn) as to this syllabus and all lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or
being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course.
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Spring 2014 Tentative Course Schedule PHYS 214 and PHYS 224
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Date
1/20 (M)
1/22 (W)
1/27 (M)
1/29 (W)
2/3 (M)
2/5 (W)
2/7 (F)
2/10 (M)
2/12 (W)
2/17 (M)
2/19 (W)
2/24 (M)
2/26 (W)
2/28 (F)
3/3 (M)
3/5 (W)
3/10 (M)
3/12 (W)
3/14 (F)
3/17 (M)
3/19 (W)
3/24 (M)
3/26 (W)
3/31 (M)
4/2 (W)
4/7 (M)
4/9 (W)
4/11 (F)
4/14 (M)
4/16 (W)
4/21 (M)
4/23(W)
4/25 (F)
4/28 (M)
4/30 (W)
5/5 (M)
5/7 (W)
Lecture
Topic
Textbook
Reading
Homework
[Due Date@9:30am]
School Holiday
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Introduction
Electric fields
Electric fields examples
Gauss’ law
Gauss’ law examples
HW1 [1/27 (M)]
21-1–21.4
HW2 [1/30 (U)]
21-5, 21-6
HW3 [2/3 (M)]
22-2, 22-3
HW4 [2/5 (U)]
22-4, 22-5
HW5 [2/10 (M)]
Quiz 1 (4:30 – 5:45 pm)
Electric potential
23-1–23-3
HW6 [2/13 (U)]
Electric potential examples
23-4–23-6
HW7 [2/17 (M)]
Dielectrics and capacitance
24-1–24-5
HW8 [2/21 (U)]
Current, resistance & EMF
25-1–25-3
HW9 [2/24 (M)]
DC circuits
25-4–25-6
HW10 [2/27 (U)]
Force due to magnetic fields
26-1–26-3
HW11 [3/3 (M)]
Quiz 2 (4:30 – 5:45 pm)
Biot-Savart Law
27-1–27-2
HW12 [3/6 (U)]
Magnetic Materials
27-3
HW13 [3/10 (M)]
Ampere’s law
27-4
HW14 [3/13 (U)]
Ampere’s law examples
27-5
HW15 [3/24 (M)]
Quiz 3 (4:30 – 5:45 pm)
Spring Break
Studio
1) 1st meeting
2) 2nd meeting
1) None
2) 21.2
1) 21.1
2) 22.2
1) 23.1, 23.2
2) 23.3
1) 24.1
2) 24.2
1) 25.1, 25.2
2) 27.2, 27.3
1) 27.4, 27.5
2) 27.6
1) 28.1
2) 28.2
1) 29.1
2) 29.2
Faraday’s law
Induced electric fields
AC circuits
More AC circuits
Electromagnetic waves
Wave properties of light
28-1–28-2
HW16 [3/27 (U)]
1) 30.1, 30.2
2) 30.3
28-3–28-6
HW17 [3/31 (M)]
29-1–29-6
HW18 [4/3 (U)]
1) 31.1
2) 31.2
29-1–29-6
HW19 [4/7 (M)]
30-1–30-4
HW20 [4/10 (U)]
1) 33.1, 33.2
2) 35.1
33-1–33-4
HW21 [4/14 (M)]
Quiz 4 (4:30 – 5:45 pm)
22. More wave properties of light 31-1–31-4,
HW22 [4/17 (U)]
1) 36.1, 33.3
2) 38.1
23. Intro. to quantum mechanics
34-1–35-2
HW23 [4/21 (M)]
24. The hydrogen atom
36-1–36-4
HW24 [4/24 (U)]
1) Atom Demo
2) QBS Demo
25. Semiconductors
38-5–38-7
HW25 [4/28 (M)]
Quiz 5 (4:30 – 5:45 pm)
26. Emission of optical radiation
31-7, 31-8
HW26 [5/1 (U)]
1) 39.1
2)
LED Demo
27. Light bulbs and LED’s
31-8
HW27 [5/5 (M)]
28. Lasers
31-8
HW28 [5/8 (U)]
1) Laser Demo
2) Review
29. Summary and Review
HW29 [5/12 (M)]
Final Exam: Friday May 16 7:30 AM – 9:20 AM in CW101, CW102, and CW103
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Studying Advice
Calculus based physics is a difficult topic to learn and master, but the knowledge you will gain in this course
will help you understand how nature works, and will serve as a foundation for many engineering concepts.
Some forethought, discipline, and hard work are needed in order to be successful in the class.
Time Management
 The course is for 5 credit hours so 10 to 15 hours working on the course outside of class is required!!
 Make a study and reading schedule. Plan your week (by hour) on a calendar. Keep to your schedule.
Preparing for Lecture
 Read the assigned sections before the lecture. This will make the lecture more effective and is the first
step to mastery of the course material.
 Physics builds upon itself. Do not fall behind in your reading or skip lectures. If you are falling behind
see the instructor sooner or later. There are many resources available (most free) to help you.
During Lecture
 It is permissible to use audio recording devices in class but in addition take hand-written notes during the
lecture if you are able. Writing helps impress the information to memory.
 You need to maintain a high level of concentration during the class. Towards this end, you may use laptop
computers, cell phones, tablets, etc. only for class related activities. Out of courtesy to your fellow
classmates, please refrain from using the device for unrelated course text messaging, web surfing, etc.
Please also do not read newspapers or similar materials in lectures or studios.
 Pay attention to the demonstrations. This will involve conceptual topics that covered on the quiz.
Doing Homework
 Start homework early so you have time to ask questions. The homework will take at least two hours.
 The first step in doing the homework is to review the examples in the book and in lecture. The text has
many good examples; use these to guide your solution. Do not ‘google’ the problem for the answer.
 If you have the solution to problem beforehand, do the problem before without looking at the solution. If
you know the solution and do the problem, it is very easy to convince yourself that you understand the
problem when you really don’t. Also, copying worked out solutions and presenting it as your own not
only is a violation of the Honor Pledge, it doesn’t help develop your understanding of the material.
 Good problem solving skills will be developed through the semester. Read the section on problem solving.
Prepare for the Studio
• Read the studio manual about the laboratory demonstration you will be doing prior to the studio.
Studying for Quizzes
 Begin studying for quizzes early.
 Studying should be an active process. Just reading your notes (which you should do) will not be
sufficient. You will need to do (and redo) problems to study for the quizzes.
 Work out the practice problems from past quizzes and the written problems from each homework
assignment. When doing this, simulate the quiz setting buy only having a blank piece of paper and an
equation sheet. Work the problem out with the book and notes closed. If you have problems doing the
problem, then refer to the textbook.
 Do not memorize equations, examples, or past quizzes. The time and effort you spend on memorization is
better spent on learning the material and by doing problems.
 Get a good night of sleep before the quiz.
Taking Quizzes
 Do not freak out. If you have studied hard, use this knowledge to provide confidence to yourself that you
can handle the material. If you haven’t studied enough, focus on the material you know.
 Ask questions if a quiz problem is unclear.
 Taking a quiz is part the learning process. Review your quiz and the solutions after it is handed back, and
work out the problems you got wrong.
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Four Step Strategy for Solving Physics Problems
An objective of this course is to develop the problem-solving techniques needed for successful scientists and
engineers. This section provides a four-step strategy that can be used for solving physics problems. The
purpose of the strategy is to provide structure to help organize given information, to focus your thoughts in
order to devise a plan, and to perform the necessary mathematical operations to find the solution.
After taking Engineering Physics 1, your physics problem solving skills should be developed to the point
where this strategy comes instinctively. The problems you will encounter in Engineering Physics 2 will be
more challenging conceptually and mathematically, so good problem solving skills will be essential for you to
succeed in this course.
The process of solving physics problems can be broken down into four steps:
Step 1: Organize the given information
 Draw a figure of the problem
 Write down known quantities (with units)
 Identify the unknown quantity to be found (with units). Keep in mind that other unknown quantities may
be needed to be found in order to find what is asked for in the problem. The solution may be a number or
symbolic (i.e. an equation).
Step 2: Determine the appropriate physical principles needed solve to the problem
 From the appropriate physical principles determine which equations are needed
Step 3: Plan and execute the mathematical operations required
 If necessary write out the steps needed to find the unknown
 Perform the mathematics symbolically: use symbols and not use numbers at this time!
 To find a numerical answer put the values with units in the equation as the last step.
Step 4: Interpret and evaluate the solution
 If a numerical answer is required, check if your number is reasonable and has the correct units.
 If a symbolic answer is required make sure the equations will give the correct units.
These steps are based on "The Competent Problem Solver, A Strategy for Solving Problems in Physics" by
Heller & Heller. http://groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Research/CRP/psintro.html
Finally, when doing problems that are graded by WebAssign, it is strongly recommended to completely write
out the solution on paper and then input the answer into WebAssign. Do not do a rough solution and guess at
the answer. By doing complete solutions you will improve your problems solving skills and will be better
prepared for the quizzes.
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WebAssign and Homework
What is WebAssign? WebAssign is a computerized tool operating over the world-wide web to deliver,
collect, grade, and record assignments. All homework problems will be found on WebAssign, and a portion
of the homework will be graded by it.
Why use it? By using this computerized system, we are able to grade every problem on every homework
assignment. You will also be able to immediately receive feedback on how well you are doing on
assignments. WebAssign will frequently create problems for each student that have the same basic structure
and address the same physics, but contain different numerical input. This defeats “copiers” and benefits the
vast majority of you who complete their homework honestly. The combination of WebAssign and an e-book
version of the textbook additionally allows us to lower the cost of this course for you.
Getting started on WebAssign: You will use the ‘self-enrollment feature’ of WebAssign in order to get your
account and find the class. Go to the site http://www.webassign.net/ and click “I have a class key”. To get
enrolled you will need a class key based on your enrolled studio. The class key starts with an institution code
(ksu), followed by two sets of four digits (i.e. ksu XXXX XXXX). See the figure below.
These are the class keys for the studios:
PHYS 214
Studio 01T (12787)
TU
Studio 02T (12783)
TU
Studio 03T (12782)
TU
Studio 04T (12781)
TU
Studio 05T (12778)
WF
Studio 06T (12779)
WF
Studio 07T (12780)
WF
Studio 08T (12789)
TU
PHYS 224
Studio 01S
(14180)
TU
7:30 AM
9:30 AM
11:30 AM
1:30 PM
7:30 AM
9:30 AM
11:30 AM
1:30 PM
Shresthra
Dandaneau
Dandaneau
Shresthra
Golin
Golin
Dandaneau
Weaver
Key: ksu 1548 6439
Key: ksu 1518 6474
Key: ksu 5897 9371
Key: ksu 8874 4442
Key: ksu 1618 1916
Key: ksu 8413 5217
Key: ksu 2864 7391
Key: ksu 5473 6123
1:30 PM
Weaver
Key: ksu 5473 6123
Please change your password once you log on for the first time. . You will need to purchase a WebAssign
access number online from the WebAssign site as soon as possible to use your WebAssign account through
the entire semester. You can use your account for the first two weeks without an access number. If you have
issues getting onto WebAssign contact your studio primary instructor first, then Dr. Washburn.
Homework Format and Grading: Each homework assignment will have two parts. Part 1 questions are
book problems to be completed on WebAssign. Part 2 are written problems found on WebAssign but will
need to be completed and written out on paper, then turned in to your studio instructor for grading (he or she
will tell you where and how).
The total points per homework assignment are 10 points. Your primary instructor will record grades to
both parts to your Kstate Online gradebook. WebAssign’s main drawback is that it most easily handles
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problems that have numerical or simple symbolic answers. WebAssign grading will have a “right/wrong”
character, and does not assign partial credit. However there is a nice compensating feature: you will have
three tries to answer each Part I question. Since you turn in Part 2, you will get one try to do these problems
correctly.
To be fair, homework will be due every Monday and Thursday at 9:30 am for all studios. Both parts of
the homework are due at that time. Your studio instructor will tell you how and where to turn in the written
problem. It is strongly recommended that you complete, or at least attempt, your assignment before your
studio meeting. You may certainly ask your studio instructor to work out a problem, but he or she will use
the version in the textbook. Remember that your problem will differ in detail.
Finally, homework assignment due the Monday after a Friday quiz will cover material that may be on the
quiz. For those homework assignments, the written problem will be given but it does not need to be turned in.
For those homework assignments, you will get full credit for written problem and a solution to the written
problem will be given out before the quiz.
Tips for Answering Problems:
 A numerical problem in WebAssign will be counted as correct if it differs by 1% or less from the true
answer. As a practical matter, this means you should keep three significant figures in all numerical answers
(e.g.: 3.05, not 3 or 3.0; 1.94×10-11, not 1.9×10-11). Exceptions to this rule will be noted if necessary on the
particular problem.
 You will need to enter numbers in scientific notation in a way that your computer can understand. This is
accomplished with the “E” or “e” format, which is standard for nearly all computer applications. For the
number 1.94×10-11, you type 1.94E-11 or 1.94e-11 (both work). Notice the lack of spaces between
characters. If the exponent is positive, you can either change the sign to + or leave the sign off, so 1.02×103
is input as 1.02E3 or 1.02e3.
 At some point in the class we will use the number e, the base of the natural log system, in the exponential
function. Computers use the form “EXP(x)” or “exp(x)” for the exponential function. 1.94E-11 as not the
same as 1.94*exp(-11).
 WebAssign can understand mathematical expressions. If an answer turns out to be the square root of 2,
you can input this as 1.41 or as sqrt(2). WebAssign accepts either 9 or 6+3, and so on. Division is like this:
5 = 10/2.
 Common functions with fairly obvious meanings are sqrt(x), sin(x), cos(x), tan(x), exp(x), ln(x). A power
law is written like 2^3 for 8. The inverse trigonometric functions have an “a” in front: asin(x) is the inverse
sine function, or the arcsine.
 WebAssign evaluates expressions from left-to-right, unless you override the order with parentheses. This
can be important: 9/3*2 = 6. 1.5 is 9/3/2 or 9/(3*2).
 You can always evaluate a number with your calculator, if you prefer, and type the number in. If you don’t
have one, use Google as a calculator; it uses the same syntax and rules as WebAssign.
 WebAssign also can accept text answers sometimes, or symbolic answers. Follow the online help
suggestions in these occasions.
Where to get help: If you are having problems with the mechanics of WebAssign, first try asking somebody
else in the class. Next, try one of your studio instructors. If an EP instructor is in the Physics Help Room,
you can try that person. It these avenues fail, contact Dr. Washburn. Finally, you can try to contact
WebAssign directly. For help on the physics problems themselves, see your studio instructors or the Physics
Help Room.
More information about the physics help room can be found here:
http://www.phys.ksu.edu/teaching.html
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Iclickers
Research in teaching and learning science has shown that you retain only about
5% (!) of the material presented to you in a lecture that involves only the
instructor talking and doing examples for you. Much better learning occurs if
you have the chance to answer short questions in class. The iclicker technology
permits this sort of interaction in a large lecture format like EP1 and EP2. Both
the K-state physics and chemistry departments have decided to use iclickers.
You may use the same device, which may be purchased at Varney’s or the book
store, in both classes. The following provide some information about your
iclicker. In this class, only the iclicker1 and iclicker2 will be supported, and not
the iclicker+ and iclickerGO.
iclicker2
iclicker1
Online Registration: Your iclicker has a unique identity given through the number on
its bar code sticker on the back. This number will be associated with your name,
allowing me to keep track of your answers in class. You need to register your iclicker
for this purpose. We will use online web-based registration for this, which you should
attempt as soon as possible, preferably before the first lecture. To register, go to the
site www.iclicker.com/registration and follow the directions. Enter your first and last
names exactly as they appear in K-State Online. Enter your WID as your student ID.
Your WID is the number of your K-State ID card. Do not enter your social security
number. A tip: the iclicker serial number tends to become obscured with use. Write it
down somewhere else so you can use it again if necessary.
Power on/off: Just press on the ON/OFF button. The iclicker2’s screen turns on after pushing the ON/OFF
button. The screen shows the class code and battery life. For iclicker2, if the blue light comes on, your
iclicker is on. If the flashing red LOW BATTERY comes on, you need new batteries. If you turn the iclicker
off after every lecture, your batteries will last a long time.
Answering questions: This is called “voting”. You just push the appropriate letter button for your poweredup iclicker. If the VOTE STATUS light is green, your selection has been recorded. If it flashes red, then you
are most likely voting too early or too late. If too early, try again. If too late, pay more attention. You can
vote as many times as you like. The system will record only your last answer. No need to aim; the
radiofrequency technology (RF) works like the wireless card on your computer.
Grading your answers: I will not penalize wrong answers; however, you will get zero points if you don’t
respond to a majority of the questions. Bring your iclicker to every lecture! You will not need it for studios
or quizzes.
BRW 1/17/2014