PHY212 Spring 2007

Course Description

Topics: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics

Textbooks and other required hardware/software:

· University Physics, Volume 2, by H. D. Young and R. A. Freedman, Addison Wesley, 11th Edition (required).

· L. C. McDermott and P. S. Schaffer, Tutorials in Introductory Physics. (Two green books. One with punched holes and the other without. ) You should have this from Phy 211 last semester.

• PRS RF Student Clicker/Remote
• Registration to Mastering physics, the online homework system.

Laboratory

You must also register for PHY 222 (the one-credit laboratory course) unless you passed PHY 222 previously. This is a mandatory co-requisite for enrollment in PHY 212.

Physics Prerequisite Physics 211.

Math Prerequisite and Co-requisite

Completion of a first course in calculus is required, with a passing grade and enrollment in the second semester of calculus.

Blackboard

Check University Blackboard system (http://blackboard.syr.edu) for announcements and for your grade. Report any error to your Workshop TA.

Course Webpage: phy.syr.edu/~xxing/teaching/phy212

It contains the following information about this course.

· Announcement (You will receive email when updated)

· Syllabus

· Reading assignment, homeworks assignment/solutions

· Workshop activity

· Lecture notes

· Sample exams and exam solutions

· Links to Mastering Physics and Blackboard system

Check announcement every week! I will not reply any question that is answered on the web page.

Office Hours

• Prof. Sean Xing: Tue & Thu, 9:30-10:30, Room 205 Physics Buildin g.

• TA's: See physics clinic schedule.

Course objectives:

· To develop a good understanding of important concepts in electromagnetism

· To apply these concepts to familiar and unfamiliar situations

· To solve physics problems (both qualitative and qualitative ones)

Reading assignments: Reading assignments for each lecture will be emailed to you. You are strongly urged to do the reading in advance, since the lectures will assume that you are familiar with the terms used in the text.

Lectures: During the lectures we will discuss important highlights from the reading assignments, study demonstrations which illustrate key topics, work through sample problems, and consider relevant conceptual questions, where everyone in the auditorium can respond by using the rf clicker system. This will allow us to distinguish between concepts which students are having difficulty with and require more explanation and concepts which everyone grasps where we can move more quickly. These clickers are available at the bookstore and each one has a unique identification code. Thus, your effort can be registered with your name and used to assign extra credit points at the end of the semester. If you purchase a new copy of the Young & Freedman textbook, there should be a coupon so that you can get a $20 rebate from the rf clicker company, PRS -- make sure to save the receipt from your textbook purchase.

· Attending the lectures will greatly improve your odds for success in the course.

· You lose 10% final grade if you miss all lectures

· Turn off cell phone before lecture

· Respect others: keep quite in auditorium

Workshops

There are two one-hour workshops each week in which you will be working on various tutorial and problem-solving activities, often in small groups. Attendance is required. You may miss up to two workshop sessions over the course of the semester with no grade penalty; further absences will reduce your workshop participation score.

Tutorials: Wednesday's workshop hours will usually be spent on worksheets from Tutorials in Introductory Physics. You are expected to work in groups of 3 or 4 students. You will need to bring the worksheet volume to each workshop. Completed worksheets will not be turned in, but tutorial homework problems that are closely related to each workshop will be assigned, collected and graded for credit (see Homework below). The Wednesday workshop prior to each of the three mid-semester exams will be used to work through sample problems from exams from previous semesters.

Problem Solving: Friday's workshop will usually be spent on problem-solving activities. These worksheets will be handed out in class. You are expected to work in groups of 3-4 students.

Homework

There is a homework assignment due each week. Homework consists of two types:

• Written homeworks. Handed out every week, due the next week Friday before the workshop. Collected by your TA. Graded and returned to you next Wednesday. Late homeworks will not be accepted. Solutions will be posted on the course web page.

• Online homework from Mastering Physics. Handed out every week. Due time will be shown there too. Graded automatically by the system. Late homework will incur penalty. (You will need an access code to sign up with Mastering Physics. It comes with you new textbook. If you have trouble, call customer service 800 922 0579).

You are encouraged to work together on homeworks.

Mastering Physics: http://session.masteringphysics.com/myct?productID=yf11

It is an online homework system. This software contains multi-part, multi-step physics tutorials and problems that incorporate a range of answer types – from symbolic math and numerical values through to true/false. To enter the Mastering Physics site a student must go through a registration process which will be discussed in class. To access the software you will need access to a computer with an Internet connection and a web browser such as Explorer or Netscape.

Physics Clinic

A Physics Clinic is operated in Room 113 of the Physics Building. The hours are posted near the door. The clinic is designed to provide help for all physics courses. You may go to any TA in the clinic at any time. If you wish to find your TA or a TA who specializes in PHY212, consult the schedule posted outside the clinic. You are encouraged to visit the clinic if you have trouble with the homework or have any questions. In addition, your TA’s clinic time is his/her office hours. In the past, some students have used the clinic as a free tutoring service, spending many hours there. This is an excellent idea! The performance of those students improved dramatically during the course of the semester, on the exams as well as on homework.

Exams:

Midterms: There will be three eighty-minute exams during lecture time. Each exam will focus on material from the three or four weeks prior to the week of the exam but may include earlier material as well. Sample problems from exams from previous semesters will be posted on the course website. The problems you will see in real exam will be in similar format, but different content. One of three midterms will be dropped.

Final: there will be a two-hour final. The final exam will be comprehensive.

Exam policy:

· All exams will be closed book.

· You may bring one double-sided sheet (8.5" x 11") of handwritten notes.

· Scientific calculator allowed.

· There will be NO makeup exams.

· Students must not miss the final exam.

· Students miss more than two exams will not pass the course.

· Seating arrangements for the exams will be posted outside of the auditorium before the exam.

· You must work alone in exams.

Course Grade

Your grade is based on your lecture attendance, answering clicker questions, your participation in the workshops and your homeworks (both written and online), and exams.

Breakdown of your final grade:

· (C) Clicker questions and lecture attendance: 10%. Notice that clicker is the ONLY way to check lecture attendance. You will get half of this 5% for just answering questions. The other 5% depends on the correctness of answers

· (W) Workshop attendance: 5%.

· (H) Homeworks: 20% (written homeworks 10% + Mastering Physics 10%)

· (M) Midterm Exams: 40%. (Three mid terms, drop one)

· (F) Final Exam 25%. The rest of the points for the final are determined by your score on the exam.

Your home works are as important as exams!

The grades are normalized such that the average grade is a B- or better, depending on the performance of the class as a whole.

Regrading requests: If you think a serious error has been made in the grading of your exam, you may request a regrade. To do so, please fill in a copy of the Regrading Request Form (available on the course web page), attach it to your exam, and resubmit at the beginning of the lecture period following the return of the exams. It is important that you do not make any changes or marks on the exam. Please note that you must have a specific complaint. Unspecified requests for additional points will not be accepted.

Academic integrity:

During the exams, it is a violation of the academic code to give or seek assistance -- the only person you may communicate with is the instructor. In the case of violations, the academic integrity policy from the Office of the Vice Chancellor & Provost will be followed.

Special accommodation: Students requiring special accommodation because of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services and make an appointment with the instructor.

How to succeed in this course

This class proceeds at a fairly rapid pace. Most lectures will build on the previous material. As a result, it is important not to fall behind! To succeed in this class you are strongly advised to:

• Read the reading assignments before lecture.

This will allow you to identify and focus on the most important parts of the lecture, and to ask good questions at the appropriate time.

• Attend the lectures. Join discussions, use you clicker.

• Do the Homework and Participate in workshops.

• Work together.

• Get help early and often.

You can get help from: intructor, TA, and coaches. Attend the clinic and the instructor’s office hours. You’ll more personal feedback than in the recitations.

Course outline (tentative):

· Weeks 1-4: Elecstatics

· Weeks 5-6: DC circuits

· Weeks 7-9: Magnetostatics

· Weeks 10-12: Electromagnetic Induction

· Week 13: Maxwell Equations and Electromagnetic Waves

· Weeks 14-15: Optics