This is a course in Physics for Future Scientists and Engineers. It is the second semester of a two-semester course sequence that tries to cover everything of importance in classical physics. That is impossible, of course, but we will make a good start. The general outline of topics will roughly follow the schedule listed in the syllabus. In this semester we will focus on topics from electricity, magnetism, and optics.
My approach is to teach physics as much as possible through examples of things that are important, interesting, or that will be important to you later on (like when taking the FE Exam, if you are and engineer). I assume that you have a good chance to become an outstanding leader in your field (president or CEO of a corporation, engineer, research physicist or chemist, computer scientist, physician, etc.), and that this is my chance to teach you the fundamental physics that you will want and need to know not only for later courses at the university but thoughout your professional career.
It is assumed that everyone is familiar with and is able to use all the mathematical definitions and formulae of Appendix E of your textbook. You should have completed Calculus 2 with a grade of "C" or better and hopefully be taking Calculus 3 concurrently. We will use calculus regularly in this class. I expect everyone to have and be able to use a non-graphing, scientific calculator and to be comfortable with scientific notation.
I expect everyone to have a working knowledge of the basic metric system prefixes from 1012 to 10-12 as given in Table 1-2 on page 3 or your textbook.
A fundamental prerequisite is that you
must be able to come to lectures and study for the course on a daily
basis.
An occasional absence will be
understood provided there is a reasonable excuse (e.g., you were
delayed by a car accident, you have to be away to compete in an
official university sporting event, or your boy/girl friend had to be
picked up at the airport and you were absolutely the only
possible
person able to do this).
Fundamentals of Physics, 7th Ed.by David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker
John Wiley Publishing, New York, 2005
ISBN 0-471-15183-1
You will need to get your own copy since there will be regularly assigned readings as well as homework problems assigned from it.
The lab will meet at its scheduled time for an orientation session the first meeting. You will need to bring a copy of your lab manual: Physics Laboratory Manual for PHY 1214L and PHY 2114L, Version 2.6, by the UCO Physics and Engineering Faculty. Each student must have their own manual since each experiment has tear-out sheets that are turned in with the general report at the end of each lab. Photocopies are not acceptable. You are responsible for bringing the lab manual to each lab. The lab manual is available only from
- Kopy Kat
- 401 North University Drive
A comprehensive final exam will be given on the scheduled date for this course — Monday, December 10 @ 11:00 AM - 12:50 PM. The final exam cannot be given early or late to accommodate individual schedules. The final will consist of two parts. The first part will be over material since the last hour exam and, in effect, be a third hour exam. The second part will consist of problems covering material that you have been tested over previously. Students who miss the final exam should contact their instructor as soon as possible and no later than the last day of finals week to schedule a makeup exam. If a university emergency occurs that prevents the administration of a final examination, the students final course grade will be calculated based on the work in the course completed to that point in time and the faculty member’s considered judgment. Final exams will not be rescheduled, and a grade of "I" will not be given as a result of the missed exam. Each exam will consist of problems similar to those assigned in the homework and like those some of you will encounter on the FE (Fundamental of Engineering) Exam.
Your course grade will be based on the following:
- 15% Lab
- 20% Homework Quizzes
- 45% Three In-Class Exams (15% Each)
- 20% Final Exam
- A > 90% >≥ B ≥ 80% > C ≥ 70% > D ≥ 60% > F .
INSTRUCTOR
My official office hours: MTWR, 1:00-1:50 PM in my office (Howell Hall 221H). Other times by mutual arrangement (email or telephone to arrange).
Official hours are as listed above, but I am usually around from 9-4 each day during the week whenever I am not teaching class or at other scheduled meetings. Please feel free to come by any time especially if you want to talk about physics or school. I would ask you, however, to avoid the hour just before I teach a class if at all possible. Take your chances and drop by unannounced or telephone or email to arrange.
A homework quiz will consist of one of the assigned homework problems selected at random. Makeups for missed quizzes are not given under any circumstance, but our lowest three homework quiz scores will be dropped
to offset any unavoidable absences.