PHYS208H: Fundamentals of Physics II

Section 080 (Honors)

Spring 2008

 

Instructor: John Gizis

Phone: 302-831-2668   E-mail: gizis

Scheduled Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00-2:00PM, Fridays 10:00-11:00AM and 1:30-2:30PM, or by appointment. 

Office Location: 236 Sharp Lab

Website: http://www.physics.udel.edu/~gizis/PHYS208H.htm

Text:  Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 2nd edition, Randall D. Knight

          Laboratory Manual

 

Description of Class

 

This is the second course in a sequence with PHYS207 that provides an introduction to physics for students in engineering and physical sciences. The topic of the class is electromagnetism.  Topics covered include the electric force, electric potential and fields, circuits, magnetic fields, and MaxwellÕs Equations unifying electricity and magnetism.  These topics are covered in Chapters 26- 36 of Knight. 

 

Warning

 

Requires a strong mathematics background in calculus. Only one course among PHYS202 and PHYS208 can count toward graduation.

 

Class Meeting Times

 

080    LEC 12:20-1:10PM MWF          Gore 317

080D DSC   1:25PM – 2:15PM Mon               Gore 317

080L LAB   7:00-9:00PM Th                          SHL101B

 

There will be two exams during the semester.  Wednesday, March 19, and Wednesday, April 30.  The final exam will be scheduled during finals week.

 

Labs

 

Experiments play an essential role in science.  The lab manual is available at the bookstore.  After each lab meeting, you will have to write your results in a report, following the instructions in the lab manual.  You are allowed to miss one lab, or if you do them all, your lowest grade will be dropped.  Please save this for emergencies rather than attending a party in February.  There will not be an opportunity to make up labs.

  

Homework

 

Written problem sets are due on in class on Mondays.  These will be challenging problems as found in the book. 

 

There will also be online homework using the Mastering Physics website.  Your textbook should include a login for masteringphysics.com.  There will be an assignment for most class days.  If you bought a used textbook, you can buy the website access for a modest fee.  

 

You should try to do all the problems by yourself.  Please see the guide to problem solving at the end of this syllabus.  However, once you have given an honest effort, if you find you are stuck you are free to discuss the problems with other students in class.  You may not copy the solutions from someone else or have them do the problems for you.    You may not look at solutions from previous years, other classes, the web, the instructorÕs solution manual, etc.

 

Discussion Section

 

We will have a weekly quiz in the discussion section that is based on homework due the previous Monday.  We will also discuss the homeworks and practice doing problems.

 

Requirements

 

You are expected to attend lecture and participate.

You are expected to be on time for the laboratory each week and stay for all the work.

You are expected to attend and actively participate in each discussion section.

You are required to do the preparatory reading before each lecture.

 

Grading

 

Quizzes                                                10%

Mid-Semester Exam#1             20%

Mid-Semester Exam#2             20%

Final Exam                              20%

Laboratory                               10%

Written Homework                  10%

Online Homework                   10%

 

Letter Grades

A:    93.500 – 100.00

A-:  89.500 – 93.499

B+:  87.500 – 89.499

B :   83.500 – 87.499

B-:  79.500 – 83.499

C+:  77.500 – 79.499

C :   73.500 – 77.499

C-:  69.500 – 73.499

D+:  67.500 – 69.499

D :   63.500 – 67.499

D-:  59.500 – 63.499

F:   Below 59.500

 

Please note that I have already included the Ôrounding upÕ in this table, so if you get a 79.500 it rounds up to 80 and you will get a B-, but if you get a 79.499 you will get a C+.  There has to be a cutoff between grades somewhere.  

 

In addition, for each lab you miss you will lose a full letter grade, as well as getting a zero for it.  If you do not hand in all the written homeworks, I will also penalize your final grade by a full letter grade.  If you do not do the written problems sets on time, I will penalize you, but it is always better to do the homework late than not at all.

 

Cheating Policy

 

You are, as in all classes, bound by the universityÕs policy on cheating, plagiarism and academic misconduct.  It is also worth remembering you are subject to federal, state and local laws.  A few years ago a student in a physics class ended up being arrested for computer hacking. 

 

http://www.udel.edu/stuguide/07-08/code.html

 

 

Other Comments

 

Each semester is different, and it can be hard to predict the exact schedule.  If necessary, I will adjust the topics and schedule

 

 

 

Procedure for Solving Problems

 

  1. Draw a diagram, if at all possible, even if it so simple-minded as to seem silly.
  2. Play with the situation mentally or with physical models.  Try to understand the behavior of the system qualitatively.  Look for simpler special cases (zero angle, 90 degree angle, a zero length, etc.) where the answer to the problem is obvious.
  3. List all quantities given and requested.  (Leave room for more quantities you may need later.)
  4. Write down all principles and equations that apply to this kind of problem, whether or not it seems that you will use them in this particular problem.  It is easier to ignore excess information than to realize that you need something that is not written down.
  5. Work out algebra by trial and error to reduce the number of unknowns.
  6. If necessary, add to the list of quantities you made at step 3 any additional quantities that you can compute but were not asked for.  Sometimes these additional quantities can be used to finish the problem.  Now is also a good time to find any equations you may have overlooked at step 4.
  7. When you have an algebraic solution, put in numbers WITH UNITS.
  8. CHECK.  Are the units right?  Is the number reasonable?  Do your special cases in step 2 work out correctly?  Is your algebra and arithmetic reliable?