Course Guide
For:
3 credit hours
Instructor: Ryan Wolfe
Office location: Science and Technical Bldg. Room S-209A
Phone: 312-4209
E-mail: ryanwolfe@sjrcc.edu
Spring 2005 Office Hours:
TBA
This course guide is designed to help you successfully navigate and complete the requirements for General Physics II, PHY 1054. This guide contains information regarding the course such as: the course description, required materials, grading system, and course calendar.
Course Title: General Physics II
Course Number: PHY 1054
Course Credit: 3 hours
Prerequisites: Two years of high school algebra and some knowledge of trigonometry
General Physics I (PHY 1503)
Corequisites: General Physics laboratory (PHY 1054L)
Course Description: Algebra based introductory physics course. The focus of this course is designed to introduce the great ideas of physics to those with limited prior physics knowledge. This is an introductory course that covers physics concepts covering thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and more. You will be introduced to many scientific ideas and theories along with their social and philosophical impacts. The class will meet two times a week and is primarily a lecture format.
Rational: No matter your background or major you are a citizen of the universe, hopefully. As such you are bound and surrounded by the laws of physics. This course is designed to give a basic understanding of the principles of physics and how that affects the world in which we live. At the very least you should be able to answer the kids when they ask, “why is the sky blue?” or “why is it colder in the winter?” In this course we will answer the questions that have puzzled mankind and ask the questions that scientists search for today.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: This is an introductory physics course and as such you need not have any previous physics classes other than the first semester of this course. A laboratory, PHY 1054L, is also offered in conjunction with the class. This laboratory will be used to offer you a hands-on approach to the concepts we’ll cover. Many of the ideas we will cover in this course will be given in the language of mathematics. You should feel comfortable with mathematical concepts and should be familiar with algebra. If you have any questions about your level with respect to mathematics, please see me.
· Textbook
– Serway, College Physics, Saunders
College Publishing Company
Course Goals: This course, being an overview of physics, is broken up into different sections. Each section has its own list of goals, which we will discuss.
I assume that those of you that has signed up for this course has some basic interest or curiosity that pertains to physics or at the very lest science itself. This class should at the very least enhance that interest and encourage you to learn more about physics or science as a whole. In order to have success, you should not simply memorize the facts or idea, but rather try to truly understand the concepts and goals that will be introduced to you over the next semester.
There are some important goals that I want you to take away from this class. I want you to have a real good idea of what the science of physics is and what it is not. Physics is present and around you everyday of your life. You should have a basic understanding of the laws of physics and how they effect not only the world, but also the universe that you live. This goal will be achieved during lecture and will be tested during our exams. I want you to develop reasoning skills and learn to apply them to your studies. This goal will be met with the examinations and homework assignments.
Grading System and Course Requirements.
Grading Scale – A
grading scale of 90% and up will be an A, 80 % to 89% will result in a B, 70%
to 79% will yield a C, 60% to 69% is a D, and 59% and below is a F. Your grade
for the course will be composed of the following: 3 hour exams, a final exam,
and homework assignments.
Homework – 50%
Hour Exams – 30%
Final Exam – 20%
Hour Exams: Your exams will be covering the lecture objectives presented in class. We will have a total of 3 hour exams throughout the course of the semester. If you must miss an exam please see me ahead of time so that we may schedule a time for you to take the test. Please take care to schedule around the days set forth for exams (see schedule below).
Final Exam: The final exam will be distributed on the day and time set forth by the university (Check racing form). The final exam will be comprehensive thereby covering all the material introduced during the semester.
Home Work: Let’s face it, Physics is a subject that requires practice for comprehension. In order to successfully learn the material that I will present to you, a little homework must be attempted. I also know that homework is not a highly favored activity among students, but it is a necessary evil. Therefore, I will assign homework problems in conjunction with the sections that we will cover in class. I expect you to have attempted these assignments and be prepared to ask and/or answer some questions about them. During the course of the semester I will ask you to turn in homework assignments on a pre-announced date. You may work with others on this assignment; in fact I encourage you to do so. Your classmates are usually a good source or alternative learning so use that time to strengthen any deficiencies. I consider the homework one of the most important parts of this course; it will count half of your final grade, so please do not ignore it.
Missed Assignments and Late work - I will not accept late homework, when the class begins on the day I collect homework I will only collect it at that time and not after. If you are late that day you will not be able to turn in your assignment. If you are absent that day I will not accept your homework without a verifiable doctor’s excuse in which case you may turn in the assignment at a later time.
Attendance: While I do not officially take attendance during the semester I would strongly encourage you to attend class. If you are absent you may possible miss a chance to turn in your homework, but also you could miss out on some information that might not otherwise be covered in the book. You class attendance and participation can only assist you in your attempt to learn this material.
Academic Dishonesty: I was a student once myself and as such I am aware of the sorts of types of dishonesty that can and do take place during the course of a semester. I encourage you not to cheat because not only are you hurting yourself, but you harm others as well. Take that time otherwise spent designing intricate hand signals or schematics for miniaturized transmitters to communicate with others, and take that time to go ahead and study. Coming to answers in the homework assignments should be the result of using yourself, classmates, the book, or me. Any other source will be considered a case of academic dishonesty.
Inclement Weather: Basically, if the college is open I will be holding class. However, do not take unnecessary risks to attend class. I will also take care not to take up homework on such days.
Meeting with Me: If you have any problems of any kind with this material I encourage you to please come and talk with me about it. Many times a student can learn something unclear in class if I talk to them one on one. My office door is usually open and if I am not there we can make an appointment to meet at another time.
|
Week |
Subjects |
Reading Assignments |
|
1 |
· Temperature/ Ideal Gas Law · Kinetic Theory · Phase Change |
· 10.1 – 10.3 · 10.4 – 10.6 |
|
2 |
· Heat/ Specific Heat/ Phase Changes · Heat Transfer Methods |
· 11.1 – 11.3 · 11.4 – 11.7 |
|
3 |
· 1st and 2nd law of Thermodynamics · Electrical Charges · Exam #1 (chpt 10 – 12 ) |
· 12.1 – 12.4 · Read 12.5 & 12.6 · 15.1 – 15.3 |
|
4 |
· Electric Fields · Electric Potential |
· 15.4 – 15.7 · 16.1 – 16.2 |
|
5 |
· Electric Potential cont. · Capacitors |
· 16.3 – 16.4 · 16.5 – 16.7 |
|
6 |
· Current and Resistance/ Ohm’s Law · Electric Power/ AC current |
· 17.1 – 17.3 · 17.4 – 17.5 · Read 17.6 & 17.7 |
|
7 |
· DC circuits · Electrical Instruments/ RC circuits |
· 18.1 – 18.3 · 18.4 – 18.6 |
|
8 |
· Magnets and Magnetic Field · Charges moving in Magnetic Fields |
· 19.1 – 19.4 · 19.5 – 19.6, 19.11 |
|
9 |
· Conductors in Magnetic Fields · Faraday’s Law of Induction · Lenz’s Law · Exam #2 (chpt 15 – 19 ) |
· 19.7 – 19.10 · 20.1 – 20.4 |
|
10 |
· Induction cont. · RL/RLC Circuits |
· 20.5 – 20.9 · 20.10 – 20.12 |
|
11 |
· Spring Break |
|
|
12 |
· Maxwell’s Equations · Electromagnetic Waves · Reflection and Refraction |
· 21.1 – 21.4 · 22.1 – 22.5 |
|
13 |
· Thin Lenses · Mirrors |
· 23.1 – 23.7 |
|
14 |
· Compound Systems · Wave Optics/ Wave Interference |
· 24.1 – 24.4 |
|
15 |
· Multiple Slit Interference · Single Slit Diffraction · Thin Film Interference · Polarization |
· 24.5 – 24.7 |
|
16 |
· Exam #3 (chpt 20 – 24 ) · Review |
|
|
17 |
· Final Exam |
|
(I reserve the right to alter this syllabus during the semester as time or needs allow.)