PHYS 114 – Fundamentals of Physics II
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course Syllabus + Schedule – Spring 2010
Instructor:
D. T. Bradley, Ph.D.
office:
Sanders Physics 105
office phone: 845.437.7343
e-mail:
dabradley@vassar.edu
office hours: T 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm;
W 10:30 am – 12:30 pm;
Th 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm;
or by appointment
Time/Location:
T + Th 10:30 am – 11:45 am; Sanders Physics 207
Required Text:
Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics, 2nd Ed.,
by Randall D. Knight
Prerequisites:
PHYS 113, AP Physics C credit, or equivalent college level course, and MATH 121
or equivalent.
Course Outline:
This course covers the fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, and waves. A
working knowledge of calculus is required to successfully complete the course.
You are encouraged to actively participate in the course. Below is a tentative
course schedule with reading assignments for each unit. You should read the
sections of the text listed in the schedule both before and after the associated
class meetings to gain a firm grasp of the material. This course will require hard
work (expect 10-15 hours per week including class meetings, labs, reading, and
homework) and, hopefully, you will have fun and learn a lot along the way!
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, you will have:
 a solid understanding of electromagnetic and wave physics fundamentals
 analytic skills necessary for approaching introductory physics problems, and
the ability to design creative solutions to these problems
 effective scientific communication skills in oral, graphic, and written contexts
 an increased ability to work as a valuable member of a group
Course Structure:
The structure of this course is different from typical science and math courses in
high school and college. This course is designed to support an active learning
environment. Active learning, what’s that? Active learning requires that you
engage with the material on a deep level. This level of learning includes
participating in class activities, studying (not just skimming) the text, and
completing assignments in a timely manner. Class time will be spent actively
engaged in doing/thinking/talking physics, not listening to someone else drone
on about physics. There will be peer interaction and immediate feedback will be
provided on your work and facility with the subject matter to help you identify
areas of personal strength and areas for improvement. You must complete the
reading to be successful in the course. If you thoughtfully prepare for class, you
will gain a greater understanding of the material and will excel in the subject.
PHYS 114 – Fundamentals of Physics II
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course Syllabus + Schedule – Spring 2010
Course Website:
Announcements, syllabus, and other class materials will be made available on
moodle.vassar.edu
Tutoring:
Peer tutoring is available in the Sanders Physics Library. The tutoring program is
designed for all students and should not be considered remedial. The tutoring
service is the best place to go when you first start to have any difficulty with the
homework. The tutoring schedule will be posted in the Physics Department about
one week after classes begin.
Supplemental
Instruction (SI):
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a student-led collaborative learning program.
Specially selected and trained students lead evening sessions twice a week to
help reinforce concepts from the course and facilitate learning. Attendance at
SI sessions is voluntary. Students report that regular attendance helps them retain
and understand concepts better, develop good study habits, perform well on
exams, and form close relationships with peers. These benefits extend beyond
the introductory coursework you will do in this class, and pave the way for more
sophisticated work that you might choose to pursue in the sciences or related
fields, where collaboration is common in the pursuit of knowledge. The SI leader
for this class will be Visham Appadoo (viappadoo@vassar.edu); he will provide
you with more information about how and when the sessions will be run.
Coursework:
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given on an intermittent basis. These quizzes may be
announced or unannounced (i.e. pop-quizzes). The quizzes are designed to test
your ongoing knowledge of the course material, and to encourage you to be
actively engaged in the course. Since the nature of quizzes will be interactive,
and immediate feedback will be provided, no allowances will be made for
missing a quiz, inclusive of athletic and medical absences. However, your lowest
quiz score will be dropped from the calculation of your final grade.
Participation: Successful participation in this class will require you to actively
engage with your peers, the instructor, and with the material, both in and out of
the classroom. You must be on-time and present in class to actively participate.
For each class period, you should be prepared to ask questions and discuss the
lectures, reading, and homework assignments. Opportunities for participation will
include questionnaires and surveys, working problems on the board in class,
providing thoughtful questions and answers during class discussion, answering
questions posed by the instructor, and attending tutoring, SI, and office hours.
Labs: The lab is an essential part of the course. Mr. Lawrence will be the lab
instructor for this course, and the lab will be explained in more detail at the first
meeting of your lab section.
Exams: There will be one 75-minute, in-class midterm exam, and one regularly
scheduled 2-hour final exam. Exams will be divided into two parts, a closed-book
section testing conceptual understanding of the course material, and an open-
2
PHYS 114 – Fundamentals of Physics II
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course Syllabus + Schedule – Spring 2010
book, open-notes section focused on quantitative problem solving. You are
encouraged to bring a calculator to exam sessions.
Homework: Homework assignments will be given on a regular basis. The
homework assignments in this course will be a combination of written problems
and on-line assignments using the MasteringPhysics system. Further information
regarding the MasteringPhysics system will be given in class. All work should be
turned in by the beginning of the class period on the due date. Late work will be
deducted by 20%, and no work will be accepted after 24 hours beyond the
deadline.
Grading Policies:
There are several categories of graded material in this course, weighted as
shown below. The final grade for this course will be determined from these
weighted categories. You may discuss an assignment grade up to one week
after it has been returned; after one week, the score will not be changed. The
guidelines for acceptance and grading of coursework may be modified if you
have extraordinary circumstances; in this case, discuss the appropriate strategy
for meeting the requirements with the Dean of Studies office and the instructor.
Category
Percentage
Quizzes
Homework
Labs
Participation
Midterm Exams
Final Exam
5%
15%
15%
15%
25%
25%
Academic Honesty: You should feel free to study and discuss class concepts with your classmates.
Working with a group can be beneficial to your understanding of the course
material. However, you should refrain from claiming someone else’s work as your
own. Suspected use of homework solution sets will result in an automatic 0% for
that assignment. Violations of academic honesty, such as in the form of cheating
or plagiarism, will be handled according to the rules and regulations set forth by
Vassar College.
Support Services:
Academic accommodations are available for students who are registered with
the Office of Disability and Support Services. Students in need of
accommodations should schedule an appointment with the instructor early in
the semester to discuss accommodations that have been approved by the
Office of Disability and Support Services, as indicated in your DSS letter. The DSS
will proctor exams and provide any other time and equipment accommodations
that may be needed. To access these accommodations, you are responsible for
contacting DSS at least one week in advance of each exam date to request
their services.
3
PHYS 114 – Fundamentals of Physics II
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Course Syllabus + Schedule – Spring 2010
Course Schedule:
Unit
1
Date
Topic
Reading Assignment
01.21
Course Structure + Introduction
01.26
Electronic Circuits
26.2, 32.1-32.2 + 32.4-32.7
Electric Charges and Forces
Ch. 26
Electric Fields
Sec. 27.1-27.6
Electric Fields and Gauss’ Law
Ch. 28
Electric Potential and Field
Sec. 29.4-29.7 + 30.1-30.4
03.02
Electronic Circuits Revisited
Ch. 31
03.04
Midterm Exam (units 1-6)
03.09
Spring Break!
03.11
Spring Break!
03.16
Spring Break!
03.18
Spring Break!
03.23
Magnetic Field
Sec. 33.1-33.8
EM Induction + Maxwell’s Equations
Sec. 34.1-34.7 + 35.2-35.4
Traveling Waves + EM Waves
Ch. 20 + Sec. 35.5-35.7
Ray Optics
Sec. 23.1-23.7
Ray Optics Project
Sec. 24.1 + 24.4
Superposition + Wave Optics
Sec. 21.1-21.5, 21.8, + 22.1-22.2
01.28
2
02.02
02.04
3
02.09
02.11
4
02.16
02.18
5
02.23
02.25
6
7
03.25
8
03.30
04.01
9
04.06
04.07
10
04.13
04.15
11
04.20
04.22
12
04.27
04.29
05.04
TBA
Review
Final Exam (units 1-12)
4