DRAFT

HELP!

There are other sources of help with the material (besides me of course).

Physics is a field in which we attempt to describe, explain and predict how things happen. A law in physics is a concise summary of a broad collection of observations. The primary tools in physics are observation and mathematics. The latter allows us to make simple yet concise statements of physical law. Our simple mathematical statements of law become a vehicle for precisely predicting the behavior of the physical world we live in. It is also important to be able to use words to describe and predict the behavior of systems.

If you have a question, please ask it. If you have a comment, please make it. Even an anonymous note under my door or in my mailbox is fine. Communication is the essence of the classroom experience. I am pleased to see you any time you can find me. I encourage you to use email, although it is tough to give detailed help with problems via email.

Preparation
I expect you to have studied the relevant material for each day, such that you could answer simple questions about the material before it is presented in class. Assume that I may give you a short quiz at any time to help motivate you to be prepared for class. The best advice I can give you is come to every class, participate, take good notes, read the book, do the problems and keep up. The most common, and perhaps the deadliest habit is to postpone your assault of the material.

Bring your calculator every day!

To document an absence for any class

General Objectives

• Learn the fundamentals of electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic phenomena, geometrical and physical optics, as well as atoms and atomic nuclei.
• Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as demonstrated in multi-step conceptual and numerical problem solving listed below
• Demonstrate the ability to relate physics concepts to other disciplines through assignments that include topical, real world problems.
• Develop an appreciation of the historical and contemporary impact of physics on daily life as demonstrated through written assignments or presentations

Learning Outcomes

• Apply Coulomb’s law and vector methods to calculate the force between two or more charges.
• Use vector methods and principles of electricity to add two or more electric fields together
• Apply conservation of energy methods to analyze the motion of charges in electric fields
• Apply Ohm’s law to analyze simple DC circuits including parallel, series and combinations.
• Calculate the power provided by power supplies and dissipated by circuit components.
• Apply Faraday’s Law to solve problems associated with electromagnetic induction
• Apply Snell’s Law and the Law of Reflection to numerical problems involving the propagation of light through specific materials
• Apply the thin lens equation to single and multiple converging and diverging lenses
• Apply the appropriate numerical methods in the analysis of optical interference, diffraction, and polarization.
• Calculate the energy of a photon and use this concept in problems involving hydrogen emission and absorption spectra.
• Apply the photoelectric equation to analyze typical experimental data for the photoelectric effect.
• Calculate half-life and activity for radioactive nuclei

• Describe the behavior of electric charges in electric fields and relate various types of motion and interaction of charged objects to Newton’s Laws
• Distinguish between electric potential energy and electric potential and describe electrical potential in biological tissues.
• Explain magnetic fields and forces including the types of interactions of materials with magnets and magnetic fields.
• Explain the importance of Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws in electromagnetic induction.
• Explain the general principles of electric motors and generators including energy transformations.
• Describe the basic principles and components behind electric power generation and transmission.
• Explain the formation of images by plane and curved mirrors and lenses.
• Describe the properties of waves and use the wave nature of light to explain interference, diffraction, and polarization.
• Interpret photoelectric phenomena and blackbody radiation using the particle (photon) concept in light.
• Explain atomic structure, energy levels, light absorption and emission, and interpret the atomic spectra of simple atoms.
• Explain radioactivity, nuclear fission and fusion, and recognize the importance of nuclear medicine.

Responsibility
You have responsibilities to yourselves, your classmates and me. One responsibility is to be to class every day and on time. Another responsibility is to keep up with the pace of the class. Do not think it is my responsibility to teach you. IT IS NOT. It is my job to create an environment and situations in which you can teach yourself. This course is organized by the above goals and objectives in order to achieve this end. The goal of education is to empower the individual student to be self-taught. I can't really do this for you, but I can help a lot.

Calculators may be prohibited for use on quizzes and exams without notice. This is not a cause for panic. The math will be simpler to accommodate the lack of a calculator. It is also possible that you may be provided with another calculator at any time. It is expected that you do not have your calculator programmed such as to give you an unfair advantage on tests and quizzes.

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, 5 Dec 2013, 8:00-11:00 am. If you have a problem with the final exam schedule, please read further.

There are rules on how to deal with conflicts or if you have too many finals in too short a period of time. We can work out an alternative time if and only if you satisfy the rules the Registrar has established. The rules are you can get it changed when [a] two or more exams are scheduled simultaneously, or [b] you have three examinations within a 24-hour period. Permission to reschedule one exam may be obtained from the Registrar with written permission of the instructor. THIS PERMISSION MUST BE OBTAINED PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE EXAM PERIOD.

Grades
I will give you specific letter grade on each test, so you should always have a pretty good idea where you stand. You must pass the final exam to pass the course. I encourage you to see me at any time for my assessment of your work.

updated: 8 May 2013 - jlw