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Physics 212 Course Information: Fall 2011
About the Lectures and the Professor
Lectures: We shall begin promptly at the appointed hour. The first 10-15 minutes of each
lecture will be devoted to a brief recapitulation of previous results and to discussions. Your
questions or comments are indeed an essential part of lecture themselves. Let the lectures
be a conversation, a discussion participated by all!
Time: Monday & Wednesday at 16:00—17:15
Place: PSC-Building: Room-002
Professor: Roberto Petti
Office/Telephone: PSC-601; Tel:803-777-6830, Fax:803-777-2667
e-mail: petti@physics.sc.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday: 17:30—20:30 or by appointment any time between noon
and midnight including weekends.
Text Book: The text book is “University Physics”, by W. Bauer and G.D. Westfall
(BW). It has a good selection of examples and problems. The text book is meant to be read
before lectures: it is NOT a substitute for lectures. Your lecture notes, CAPA-solutions,
and the text book will provide all the reading material for Phys. 212.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of the term successful students should be able to do the
following:
• Understand foundamental laws of Electromagnetism and Optics and their implications on
different phenomena in Nature;
• Analyze everyday experiences in terms of Electromagnetism and Optics;
• Solve physics problems by applying the laws of Electromagnetism and Optics;
• Develop critical thinking and logical attitudes.
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Reading Assignments: I shall assign reading assignments — chapters from Bauer & Westfall — before starting a new topic. I require of you to complete your reading assignments
before the lecture. May I propose the following steps as reading assignment:
(i): Read the a section of a given chapter highlighting the new terms, concepts and formula;
(ii): Close the book, and write in your notebook — the same notebook you take down the
lecture notes — the new terms, concepts and formula you have just read;
(iii): If you encounter an example, do not rush into the solution. Read the example, and
try to solve it. Give yourself a few minutes. Then compare what you have written in your
notebook with the worked out solution in the book. Now, close the book and work the
example out for yourself;
(iv): Try to put what you have just read in relation with what you learnt before. Concepts
are not isolated boxes: understanding means establishing connections among apparently
distant things;
(v): Go to the next section.
Give yourself 45mins to complete the assignment before each lecture.
Syllabus: The salient topics we will cover are:
• Electric Charge and Electric Field: Coulomb’s Law; BW-Chapters: 21—22
• Electric Potential, Electric Energy and Capacitance; BW-Chapters: 23—24
• Electric Current, Ohm’s Rule, and DC-Circuit; BW-Chapters: 25—26
• Magnetism, Magnetic Force and Ampere’s Law; BW-Chapter: 27—28
• Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday’s Law; BW-Chapter: 29
• Unification of Electricity and Magnetism, EM waves, Maxwell’s Equations; BW-Chapter:
31
In addition, time-permitting, we shall endeavour to touch upon topics such:
• Special relativity: BW-Chapter: 35
• Optics and the Wave Nature of Light: Interference and Diffraction; BW-Chapters: 34
The tentative syllabus based on the chapters of the text book by Bauer & Westfall is
outlined in the Table 1 below. For example, “Ch.1/2” means Chapter-1 and -2 of BW.
Also, “Week of ..” refers to the Sunday heralding the week. We will continually evaluate
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our progress and proclivity, and if need be, deviate from the given tentative topics and
time-table (see the following page).
Attendance: Let me suggest that the attendance at the lectures be mandatory. I shall take
attendance in the class. This measure will be used for borderline cases while grading. Please
note your questions and comments are a crucial part of the lectures themselves, therefore
try to participate actively!
I strongly encourage to attend the CAPA session.
Review sessions: Before each Hourly Tests and the Final we should have some review
sessions in order to make sure you are prepared for the tests. This time is for you: you can
ask to have problems solved, discuss about the lecture material or try to clarify your doubts.
Computer Assisted Personalized Approach — CAPA — System
The CAPA system allows you to test your understanding by solving problems and check your
answers. Every erroneous effort you make is an invaluable experience. Do not discard the
wrong solution; note the erroneous equations and ideas you have used. The CAPA teaches
you when not to use an equation. When you do get the correct answer, compare the ‘right’
ideas and formulae to the earlier erroneous ones. Save all the incorrect and correct solutions
for each problem. It is a wonderful self tutorial.
The grading of this course is largely based upon the CAPA system.
The CAPA section for this course will be held each week except the first one or as
announced in the class. The time and place of the CAPA sessions is in PSC208 on Monday
at 17:30–18:20pm for section 003 and on Wednesday at 17:30am–18:20pm for section 004.
How to login into CAPA
• Use one of the following procedures:
(i): CAPA room - direct connection to the server named
loncapa2.physics.sc.edu
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Week-of....
Monday
Wednesday
21/Aug
22/Aug:Intro
24/Aug:Ch.21
28/Aug
29/Aug:Ch.21
31/Sep:Ch.22
4/Sep
Labor Day
7/Sep:Ch.22
11/Sep
12/Sep:Ch.22
14/Sep:Ch.23
18/Sep
19/Sep:Ch.23
21/Sep:Ch.24
25/Sep
26/Sep: 1st. Test
28/Sep:Ch.24
2/Oct
3/Oct:Ch.25
5/Oct:Ch.25
9/Oct
10/Oct:Ch.26
12/Oct:Ch.27
16/Oct
17/Oct:Ch.27
19/Oct: 2nd. Test
23/Oct
24/Oct:Ch.28
26/Oct:Ch.28
30/Oct
31/Oct:Ch.28
2/Nov:Ch.29
6/Nov
7/Nov:Ch.29
9/Nov:Ch.29
13/Nov
14/Nov:Ch.31
16/Nov:Ch.31
20/Nov
21/Nov: 3rd. Test
Thanksgiving
27/Nov
28/Nov:Ch.34
30/Nov:Ch.35
Final
5/Dec/11
at 14:00
Monday
in PSC-002
14/Aug
Table 1: Tentative Syllabus and Schedule for the course Phys. 212, Fall, 2011.
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(ii): Through the Departmental Web Page (link on the left) to the server as above
(iii):
Type-in
in
the
browser’s
address
line
loncapa2.physics.sc.edu
or
loncapa4.physics.sc.edu etc.
• User ID/Password:
A student named Jane Doe with official USC email address like ”doej123@mailbox.sc.edu”
will have userid ”doej123” and as the password the full Student ID Number (full 9 digit
passwords including leading zeros), unless the login was already used earlier in the system.
In the latter situation the last two digits of the SSN are appended to the login.
• Discrepancies/Freshly enrolled students:
Contact by e-mail Prof. Jeff Wilson (jwilson@sc.edu) with ”CAPA problem” as the subject.
Grading
The grading for this course will include homework, three hourly tests, and a final. The most
important of these is the homework. If you have done your homework, you should have no
problems with the tests and the final.
Homework: Approximately each week you will be given your personalised set of homework
assignments. Work the problem with your group. But do not copy solutions. It will prove
fatal. Be convinced of the correct procedure and equations and try to understand the main
concepts behind. If you blindly copy a formula and plug in the numbers, it defeats the
purpose of learning.
While working on the CAPA homework, CLOSE your book and lecture notes. Keep
ONLY the formulae sheet, appended below, a non-programmable calculator, pencil, paper,
and a cheerful disposition: Just like taking the hourly tests, or the final. This work ethics
will serve you well in the tests and the final. If you need to look at the notes/book, go to it,
review the material, CLOSE the book, and return to your CAPA.
Do not discard your erroneous calculations; save them along with the final correct answer.
The former will tell you what not to do. Having worked the problem, get on the Internet and
log into the CAPA computer. Please make sure to log out correctly otherwise your answers
are not recorded. A Lon-Capa “Cookbook” is attached to the handout.
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If you are unable to solve a problem, first discuss it with other colleagues. Then there are
the CAPA sessions where I will give you essential hints and help to understand the concepts.
Of course, you are ALWAYS welcome to come to me!
There is a deadline for the homework answer to be entered in the computer. Please do
not wait till the last hour to enter your answers. No answer will be accepted after
the deadline since the answers are made available after the appointed hour.
The homework will carry a 20% weight for the course.
Hourly Tests: We shall have three hourly tests. Each test will count. Tests will be composed of some problems drawn from the CAPA sets. The remaining of the problems will
be drawn from the examples discussed in the class and from simple variants of the CAPA
problems. If you have mastered the CAPA homework, you should have no trouble in the
tests.
The tests and the final are strictly closed book and notes. Except for the Fundamental
Laws you do not need to remember any formula. Either the formula will be given or I will
expect you to derive it during the tests. I append a list of formulae and constants at the end
of this handout.
The grades of the hourly test, typically, will be posted no earlier than seven working
days from the day the test is administered.
There will be no make-up for a missed homework or the hourly test. Only a debilitating
illness lasting a week or more (may it never happen!), or an exigency, will induce me to grant
you a make-up. I will decide it upon a case-by-case basis.
The hourly tests will carry a 40% weight for the course.
Calculators in Hourly Tests and the Final: You will need a scientific calculator. In the
hourly tests and the final, however, a programmable calculator is strictly for-
bidden. Do not use a programmable calculator even for homework. I strongly recommend
you to commence using your non-programmable calculator from the start while you do
your CAPA homework.
Final Examination: The final examination will constitute a comprehensive test of the
material covered in the course. Its format will be identical to that of the hourly test. It
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will be held on 5/Dec/11 (Monday) at 14:00 in PSC-002. The final examination will
carry a 40% weight for the course.
Important Dates: The important dates pertaining this course are listed in Table 2 below.
Course Grade: The grades will be decided on the overall rating whose approximate cutoff points are as follows in Table 3.
Overall Grading: You can continuously evaluate your grades using the following formula:
Course P ercentage =
!
H
1
0.20 ∗ max + 0.40 ∗
H
3
"
T1
T2
T3
+ max + max
max
T1
T2
T3
#$
/ 0.60,
where, H and T refer to the home-work and hourly test scores, while H max and T max refer to
the corresponding maximal scores (i.e. 100%). Once you have the course percentage, please
look up the Table 3 to find your grade. Thus, if you are keeping a 91% (or up) in homework
and hourly tests you have an ‘A’; if your score in homework and hourly tests is between
71% and 80%, you have a ‘B’, and so on. Specifically, suppose in November your homework
score is 90%, and the hourly test score, averaged over two tests, is 80%, then your midterm
percentage is:
(90*0.20 + 80*0.40)/0.60 = 83.3% which corresponds to a B+ .
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Date
Subject
18/Aug/11(Thu)
Class Begins
24/Aug/11(Wed)
Last Date to Drop Without a “W” Grade
5/Sep/11(Mon)
Labor Day Holiday - no classes
15/Sep/11(Thu)
Last day to apply for December Graduation
26/Sep/11(Mon)
1st. Test
13/Oct/11(Thu)
Last Date to Drop Without a “WF” Grade
13/Oct/11(Thu)
Midpoint in Semester
19/Oct/11(Wed)
2nd. Test
20-21/Oct/11(Thu-Fri)
Fall Break - no classes
21/Nov/11(Mon)
3rd. Test
23-27/Nov/08(Wed-Sun)
Thanksgiving recess - no classes
2/Dec/11(Fri)
Last day of Class
3/Dec/11(Sat)
Reading day
5/Dec/11(Mon) at 2:00pm
Final Exam
15/Dec/11(Thu)
Final Grades Posted
Table 2: Important Dates for this Course.
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Range
Grade
91-100%
A
81- 90%
B+
71- 80%
B
66- 70%
C+
56- 65%
C
46- 55%
D+
36- 46%
D
< 35%
E
Table 3: Range of Score in Percentage and Grades.