Course Outline for Physics 112
Course:
Physics 112 (Physics 2)
Winter Term, 2013
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo
Instructors:
James Forrest (jforrest@uwaterloo.ca), office PHYS 360
Stefan Idziak (idziak@uwaterloo.ca), office PHYS 250
Office hours will be posted on LEARN
Objectives:
To develop the ability to solve problems in areas related to oscillations and waves, electricity and
magnetism, and optics.
Text:
“Physics”, Walker, 4th edition.
Other texts available in Davis Library Course Reserves (see LEARN for call numbers)
“Student study guide and selected solutions manual” for Walker, volume 1 (oscillations, waves
and sound) UWD1408
“Student study guide and selected solutions manual” for Walker, volume 2 (electricity,
magnetism, and optics)
“College Physics”, Young, 9th edition (more advanced book) UWD1526
“Student Solutions Manual for Young” UWD1443
“College Physics”, Wilson, Buffa, Lou, 7th edition (less advanced book) UWD1403
Course Website:
http://learn.uwaterloo.ca
Additional Course material
Assignments
Assignment solutions:
masteringphysics.com
learn.uwaterloo.ca
learn.uwaterloo.ca
Course Outline (subject to change):
Oscillations about equilibrium, chapter 13: 1-6
Waves & Sound, chapter 14: 1-5, 7, 8
Electric Forces & Fields,
chapter 19: 1-5
Electric Potential & Energy, chapter 20
Current and Resistance, chapter 21: 1-5
Magnetism, chapter 22: 1-8
Magnetic Flux & Induction, chapter 23
Electromagnetic waves, chapter 25: 1-4
Geometrical Optics, chapter 26: 1-7
4 Lectures
5 Lectures
5 Lectures
5 Lectures
4 Lectures
4 Lectures
1 Lecture
1 Lecture
5 Lectures
Grading:
There are 2 possible grading schemes, you will be given the higher grade:
Scheme 1
Weekly assignments:
Weekly online tutorials:
Weekly self-marked assignments:
Participation (clickers):
Midterm:
Final examination:
10%
3%
3%
3%
31%
50%
Scheme 2
Final examination:
100% (please read section on VIF below)
Weekly assignments:
Students may consult each other on assignments, with the expectation that most of the work
submitted has been done individually. Please see the notes on academic integrity and discipline
below.
The first assignment will be available at 8:00 am on January 11th and will be due at 11:30 am on
January 18th.
Questions will be assigned each week starting January 11. A list of the questions will be
available on http://www.masteringphysics.com/ after 8:00 am each Friday. All the assignment
questions will be graded each week. This will be done using Mastering Physics where you will
be required to enter the answers for the assignment questions generated for you. The online
assignment must be completed by the following Friday at 11:30 am. In other words, you have 7
days to complete the assignment. Please note that the “Introduction to MasteringPhysics”
assignment does not count towards a grade. Some assignments have later due dates due to
holidays, midterms and reading week. Check the due dates on MasteringPhysics carefully.
You will need to register for Mastering Physics using the code in the cardboard
envelope that came with your textbook. The course ID is UWPHYS11250695 and
will be required to join the course. If you did not purchase a new 4th edition textbook
in the bookstore last fall or lost your cardboard envelope, then you will need to
purchase an access code from the bookstore (or a textbook / access code package).
There are a total of 11 weekly assignments and all are weighted equally. The lowest
grade assignment will be dropped when calculating the average weekly assignment
grade.
Weekly online tutorials:
Students may consult each other on online tutorials, with the expectation that most of the work
submitted has been done individually. Please see the notes on academic integrity and discipline
below.
The first online tutorial will be available at 8:00 am on January 11th and will be due at 11:30 am
on January 18th.
Each tutorial has a grading scheme that can be seen on Mastering Physics.
There are a total of 11 weekly online tutorials and all are weighted equally. The lowest grade
assignment will be dropped when calculating the average weekly online tutorial grade.
Weekly self-marked assignments:
Students may consult each other on self-marked assignments, with the expectation that most of
the work submitted has been done individually. Please see the notes on academic integrity and
discipline below.
The first self-marked assignment will be available at 8:00 am on January 18th and will be due at
11:30 am on January 25th.
An exam-like problem will be posted each week on LEARN. You will enter your numerical
solutions to the problem on LEARN within 7 days. Solutions with a grading scheme will then be
posted. You will compare your written solution to the problem with the posted solution and then
assign yourself a grade consistent with the marking scheme using LEARN. Do not be too harsh
in your self assessment; feel free to consult with your instructor if in doubt. Submitting a selfmarked grade without having previously submitted the numerical solutions will be considered a
violation of academic integrity and will be reported to the Associate Dean.
There are a total of 10 weekly self-marked assignments and all are weighted equally. The lowest
grade assignment will be dropped when calculating the average weekly assignment grade.
Participation (clickers):
Clickers will be used in class. Participation in 75% of the term’s clicker problems will earn you
3%. Note that clickers may not be used in all lectures and some lectures may have more
questions than others. Using more than one clicker in class will be considered a violation of
academic integrity and will be reported to the Associate Dean.
Additional problems:
Students may work together on additional questions.
Additional problems will be posted on Mastering Physics each week. These will not be graded
and are provided for students who would like more problem solving practice.
Help Session (tutorial):
A tutorial is scheduled for one hour each week starting the week of January 14. The tutorial
instructor will provide assistance in problem solving and with any difficulty you may encounter
with the material covered in the lectures. You may attend more than one tutorial session each
week but please give seating priority to those registered for the time slot.
Mid-term Test:
One midterm is scheduled for this course. It will be a long answer midterm and will not be
multiple choice. The midterm will be hand marked and part marks will be given. All work must
be shown to receive credit for any solutions. An equation sheet will be provided.
The midterm will be held Thursday, February 14, 2013 from 5:30-6:45 pm.
The location will be announced later in class and on the web site.
Final Examination:
This will be a two and a half hour exam scheduled by the Registrar’s office during the final exam
period. The exam will cover the entire semester. An equation sheet will be provided.
Class Rules:
You must contact your instructor and have a doctor’s note if you miss a midterm or final exam
due to illness. Notes should be submitted to the Science Undergraduate Office (ESC 253). If
you are ill and cannot complete an assignment on time a doctor’s note is not required unless this
happens often.
All students wishing to use computer laptops in class must sit at the back of the classroom. This
is to minimize noise and distraction for non computer users. Laptops may only be used for
course related purposes.
All cell phones must be turned off.
Verification of Illness Forms (VIF):
Verification of illness forms are not automatically accepted. Remember that a severe illness
means that you are unable to attend classes or write exams. Submitting a VIF that states you are
severely ill when you are not is misrepresentation and will be reported to the Associate Dean.
See https://uwaterloo.ca/science/current-undergraduate-students/consequences-associatedsubmission-verification-illness-form for details.
A VIF will only be accepted for a missed exam if you are in good standing in the course. This
means either that your average assignment grade is over 50% (this is calculated over all
assignments) or your midterm grade was over 50%. If neither of these are true and you submit a
VIF for the exam, the VIF will not be accepted and you will receive a grade of DNW (did not
write), which is a failure, for the course.
Academic Integrity:
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo
community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check
http://www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ for more information.]
Grievance:
A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been
unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student
Petitions and Grievances, Section 4,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm. When in doubt please be certain to
contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Discipline:
A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check
http://www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/] to avoid committing an academic offence, and to
take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an
offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about
“rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic
advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and
types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check
Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.
Appeals:
A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other
than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student
who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals)
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.
Note for Students with Disabilities:
The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132,
collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students
with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require
academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD
at the beginning of each academic term.