Physics 232
General Physics II
Spring 2012

http://newton.uor.edu/FacultyFolder/tyler_nordgren/classes.html

 

Lecture: MWF, 11 – 12:20, Appleton 101

Instructor: Tyler Nordgren

Lab: Th 9:30- 12:20 p.m. Appleton 101

E-mail: tyler_nordgren@redlands.edu

Office Hours: TBA

Office: Appleton 126

Text: Matter & Interactions II 3rd Ed, Chabay & Sherwood.

Phone: ext. 8660

 

Physics 232 is the second course in a three-semester, calculus-based, introductory-physics sequence.  This sequence explores the nature of matter and its interactions:  Mechanics (Phys. 231), Electricity and Magnetism (Phys. 232), and Wave Phenomena, Thermodynamics, and Quantum Mechanics (Phys. 233).  Throughout this sequence, you will engage in the physics program – applying just a hand-full of fundamental principles to model the behavior of diverse systems.  Those of you who’ve taken 231 will be familiar with the emphasis of understanding over technical tricks, though you should find this semester on E & M conceptually and technically ‘rich.’

 

Policies and Expectations

 

Reading: To get the most out of our class time together, read the appropriate sections of the text first.  As you read, jot down things you’d like us to address when together. When you come to a red-Question-box, stop and think about the question (that’s actually what the authors call them, “stop and think” questions.)  They’re generally quite simple, but they help you to keep alert. In addition, you’ll be required to do some short exercises and experiments as homework.

Homework 30% of your grade. There are three types of homework: Reading Exercises, Short Experiments, and Homework Problems.

Reading Exercises: (10%) In the syllabus you’ll see daily RE (for “Reading Exercise”) assignments.  They pertain to the day’s reading and are due before the class in which that reading is discussed.  Here’s how they relate to the reading.  While reading the text, you’ll encounter exercises scattered throughout.  These are generally trivial applications of ideas just presented; doing them helps you remember the ideas and avoid silly errors later when it counts -in real ‘problems.’  I would require you to do these exercises, but there’s something logistically better.  Instead, you’ll do almost identical problems online.  The beauty of these is that you can get instant feedback on whether or not you’ve gotten them right, and you can redo them until they are right.  Here’s how to access the RE assignments.  Log in at www.webassign.net. Make your login the same as your Redlands login (firstname_lastname), your institution is “redlands”, and use whatever password you like.

 

Short Experiments: (10%) You will be given a desktop experiment kit, and you should buy a lab notebook with gridded (as opposed to lined) pages, for example, the green (not black) covered “composition” notebooks at the bookstore.  The course schedule lists the short experiments (“Exp”) in the text for you to perform. These experiments should be completed before the corresponding class.  The results of the experiments must be recorded in the notebook along with the date they are performed. You should also include any explanations or calculations in the notebook. Write enough so that you can understand what you’ve done without referring to the textbook. During chapters with experiments (14, 17-20), bring your lab notebook to class as we will discuss and reproduce some of the results. The notebooks will be collected periodically for grading.

 

Homework Problems: (10%) Weekly homework assignments consist of more involved problems than are found in the Reading Exercises.  Unlike the Reading Exercises, your work (not just the final answers) must be turned in and will be graded; thus the work must be legible and easy to follow (if your original work is not, you may want to copy it over.) Because good problem solving style and communication are crucial to success in advanced courses, you will be graded not just on the quality of your solution, but also on the quality of your communication.  For one thing, this means explaining your reasoning in words as well as doing the math. You must also include units anywhere you use numbers (not just at the end) and use proper vector notation when appropriate. You may find the problem solving technique / template (found on the website) helpful in organizing your work on these problems. Feel free to consult with each other or with me, but the work turned in must be your own.  You’ll also work in small groups on select problems during class / lab periods; if not completed during class/lab, you may be asked to turn them in later.  Homework Problems will be due at 1pm the Tuesday after we conclude a chapter unless otherwise noted in the schedule.  No late work will be accepted, so pace yourself accordingly. Some problems will be more difficult than others, so don’t wait until the last minute to start and discover which you’ve got. If you have worked seriously on a problem without success, stop and get help from the instructor or another student before continuing.  Although you are encouraged to discuss problems with your classmates, copying someone else’s work or allowing your work to be copied is cheating and will not be tolerated.

Homework Grading: All weekly homework is graded on a 3 point scale: Check-plus (3), Check (2), Check-minus (1), Zero (0). You have until the following Wednesday to review the solutions posted outside the classroom and correct your answers for a re-grade. NOTE: Do not just attach a separate sheet of paper with the correct solution, but actually note on your homework in a different color pen, where you went wrong and correct it. Correcting all of your mistakes can net you up to two (2) additional points on your homework. There is therefore no reason you cannot have a perfect homework grade for the class by the end of the semester.

Laboratory Experiences: 20% of your grade. Non-exam weeks, there will be laboratory experiences. These are of two types: experiments and simulations.  In the experiments you observe and analyze the behavior of physical systems; in the computer simulations you employ the theory to model physical systems.  As it was in Phys 231, the modeling will be done in VPython in the classroom.  You can (but are not required to) install VPython on your personal machine; it is available for free at http://vpython.org.  You may wish to (but are not required to) bring a thumb drive to class to take your programs home; many of the simulation instructions include suggestions on how you might adapt and extend your programs.  No previous programming experience is necessary; you will learn what you need along the way.  Formal lab reports will be required for only one of the more involved experiments. Details about the report will be given later.

Quizzes: 10% of your grade.  There will be a short quiz over (almost) each chapter.  As with the Homework Problems, you will be judged not only on the correctness of your solution, but also on the quality of your communication (of course, in a nod to time constraints, the standard will not be as high as for homework).  The quizzes are intended to encourage you to look over the homework solutions and review anything that you didn’t understand.  Equation sheets will be provided (and are posted online) – familiarize yourself with them so you know how to use them and what material you’re responsible for knowing.

 

Exams: 40% of your grade. There will be two mid-term exams (11% each) and a final with a section on the last third of the class as well as a cumulative section (18%). All exams will be closed book, closed notes.  As with the quizzes, quality of communication, as well as solution, counts.  Some equations will be provided; the most fundamental principles must be committed to memory.  Sample exams will be available in class and on the website.  The final is 3:00pm on Wednesday, April 18th; if you’ve made travel plans for that day, change them soon (late change fees are unpleasant.)

 

 

Grade: If at anytime you are interested in reviewing your standing in the course feel free to give me a call, send me an e-mail, or drop by my office.

 

Homework                                 10%

Reading Exercises                      10%

Short Experiments                     10%
Laboratory Experiences             20%

Quizzes                                      10%
Exams                                        40%

 

Final Grade Assignments:  Final grades will be assigned according to the following: 

 

                     93           A   (4.0)       100%                                  

90               A- (3.7)     <  93                        

86            B+ (3.3)     <  90                           

83            B   (3.0)     <  86                        

80               B- (2.7)     <  83                        

76           C+ (2.3)     <  80                           

73           C   (2.0)     <  76                        

70               C- (1.7)     <  73                        

66           D+ (1.3)     <  70                          

63           D   (1.0)     <  66                        

60               D- (0.7)     <  63                        

0                 F    (0.0)     <  60                           


 

Day

Readings and Activities

Assignments Due

Wed., 1/11
Thurs., 1/12

Fri., 1/13

14.1-.4 Intros & Electric Fields
Lab 1: VPython Review, E Proton, E Dipole

14.5-.8 Superposition, Electric Dipoles, more Field Basics

 

RE0 (Intro to WebAssign) & RE1
RE2

Mon., 1/16
Tues., 1/17

Wed., 1/18

Thurs.,1/19

 Fri., 1/20

15.1-.3 Charged Particles & E. Interactions

 

15.4-.5 Conductors, Insulators

Lab 2: Force and Charge

15.6-.8 More Charging & Discharging & Sparks

RE3a

HW14: 14.X.17, P.22, X.30, P.39, P.42, P.73

RE3b

RE4

Mon., 1/23
Tues., 1/24

Wed., 1/25
Thurs., 1/26

Fri., 1/27

16.1-.3 Intro, E field of a Charged Rod (end early, MLK)

16.4-.6 Electric Fields of Rings, Discs, and Capacitors
Quiz Ch 14,  Lab 3: E Fields of Q Distributions

16.7-.11 E Field of a Sphere

RE5, Lab Notebook

HW15: 15.X.29, X.33, X.57, P.64, P.67, P.79

RE6


RE7

Mon., 1/30
Tues., 1/31

Wed., 2/1
Thurs., 2/2

Fri., 2/3

17.1-.4 Potential Energy & Electric Potential

 

17.5-.7 Non-Uniform & Path Independence

Quiz Ch 15, Lab 4: Electric Potentials and Fields
17.8 - .9 Insulators and Distributions

RE8

HW16: 16.X.14, P.22, X.34, P.44, P.60

RE9

 

RE10

Mon., 2/6
Tues.,2/7

Wed., 2/8
Thurs., 2/9

Fri., 2/10

Homework Help

Review

Exam 1 (14-17) Electric Field and Stationary Charges

Lab 5 Equipotential Lab

 

HW17: 17.X.24, X.33, P.60, P.69, P.80, P.94, P.103

 

Mon., 2/13

Tues., 2/14

Wed., 2/15
Thurs., 2/16

Fri., 2/17

18.1-.4 Biot-Savart law for Currents


18.5-.8 Magnetic Field For Distributions
Lab 5
: Biot-Savart – B fields of moving charges
18.9-.11 Permanent Magnets

RE11

RE12

RE13

Mon., 2/20
Tues., 2/21

Wed., 2/22
Thurs., 2/23

Fri., 2/24

19.1-.3  Micro. View of Electric Circuits

19.4-.7 E. Field of Surface Charges, Transients, Feedback

 

19.8-.10, Quiz Ch17, Energy, App’s of the Theory, Detecting Surface Q

RE14

HW18: 18.X.36, X.40, X.51, P.56, P.60, P.73

RE15

 

RE16

 Spring Recess

Mon., 3/5
Tues., 3/6

Wed., 3/7
Thurs., 3/8

Fri., 3/9

20.1-.2 Capacitor Circuits

20.3-.4 Capacitor & Resistor Circuits

Quiz Ch 18, Lab 7 RC Circuits (focus on exp. uncertainty)

20.5-20.9 Meters and RC Circuits

RE17                       

HW19: X33, X.39, P.42, X.62, P.66, P.69, P.71

RE18                                                                                                    

Mon., 3/12
Tues., 3/13

Wed., 3/14
Thurs., 3/15

Fri., 3/ 16

21.1, .3-.4 Magnetic Force

 

21.2, .5 Current and Motional Emf

Quiz Ch 19, Lab 8 Cyclotron & Electron Mass Lab

21.6-.7 Reference Frames and Relativity, Torque

 

RE19

HW20: X.32, X.44, P.52, P.61, P.73, P.84, P.85

RE20

 

RE21

Mon., 3/19
Tues., 3/20

Wed., 3/21
Thurs., 3/22

Fri., 3/23

21.8-.10 Dipole’s Potential Energy, Motors & Generators

 

Review

Exam 2 (18-21) Magnetic Field and Moving Charges

22.1-.3 E Flux and Gauss’s Law

RE22

HW21:  X.34, P.37, P.40, P.42, P.50, X.76, X.91, P.104

 

RE23

Mon., 3/26
Wed., 3/28
Thurs., 3/29

Fri., 3/30

22.4-.6 Using Gauss’s & Intro to Ampere’s
22.7-.9 Maxwell’s, Gauss’s, and Ampere’s

Quiz Ch 22, Lab 9 Ampere’s Law (write up)

23.1-.3 Intro to Faraday

RE24

RE25

RE26

Mon., 4/2

Tues., 4/3
Wed., 4/4
Thurs., 4/5
Fri., 4/6

23.4-.6 Faraday & Emf & Inductance

23.7-.9, .5  Energy, Diff. form, Superconductors
Quiz
Ch 23, Lab 10 Faraday’s Law

Review Gauss’ and Ampere’s laws

RE27

HW22: P.19, X.20, X.21, P.23, P.30, P.34

 

 

 

Mon., 4/9
Tues, 4/10

Wed., 4/11
Thurs., 4/12

Fri., 4/13

24.1- .2 Ampere- Maxwell, E&M Pulse

24.3-.4 Accelerating Charges Radiating

 

24.5-.7 Effects of Radiation on Matter

RE28

HW23: X.19, X.21, P.35, P.40, P.46
RE29


RE30

Mon., 4/16

Review

HW24: X.20, P.21X.29, P.37, X.45, X.47,X.49

Wed. 4/18, 3 p.m.                    Final Exam

 

This schedule is subject to change.