DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY -- (202) 806-6245 (main office), -5830 (fax)

Physics for Scientists & Engineers (PHYS 014) MWF, 11-12 noon, in TKH 300;
Office hrs.: MW 3^:30 - 5 pm, and by appointment (at least one day ahead, confirmed)
[Topics ][Daily Schedule ][Minimal Requirements ][Assignments ][e-Gear ][Welcome ]

Instructor: Tristan Hubsch

TKH.213, 806-6267 thubsch@mac.com

Recitations (attendance is mandatory !):

Thu. 1-3 PM session	Tue. 1-3 PM session	Tue. 3-5 PM session
Dr. Raja Almukahhal TKH.213, (202) 806-6267	Prof. Anand Batra TKH.115, (202) 806-6254	Dr. Lawrence Major TKH.202, (202) 806-6258
almukahhal@mail.earthlink.net	abatra@howard.edu	lmajor@physics1.howard.edu
MW: 12:30-2 PM, Th: 12:00-1:00 PM	MW: 1-2 PM	M: 12-1 & 3-4 PM, Th: 3-4 PM

HW grader: Mr. Tehani Finch: TKH.G8 (W.3:3-4:00, F.1-2:00 PM, (202) 806-4608), tfinch@howard.edu

 

Textbook (required): D.C.Giancoli, Physics for Scientists & Engineers (3rd ed.)
--- and several other sources, as given in class and available on-line .

Component	Time	Remark	% of Grade
Homework	See in daily schedule	Late HW = 0 credit !!!	20%
Class work/Quizzes	in recitation sessions	current material	20%
Exams (two midterms)	See in daily schedule	not comprehensive	(each) 20%
Now drop the one worst component of the above (for each student individually).
Final exam	Either* Tue., 04/30/02, 4:00 - 6:00 PM Or* Thu., 05/09/02, 8:00 - 10:00 AM	comprehensive	40%
* For Graduating Seniors only, the final exam is on Mon., 04/22/02, 3:00 - 5:00 PM

The aim of the course, as a sequel to PHYS-013 , is to introduce the students to the scientific description of Nature, including electricity, magnetism, the electromagnetic field, electronic circuits, propagation, diffraction and refraction of light and special relativity. Conceptual understanding rather than technical mastery is emphasized, although problem-solving skills will also developed.

A successful student is expected to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the fundamental principles of physics, but also to demonstrate-and maintain-the ability to solve practical problems involving physics phenomena. For minimal requirements, see below!

Topical schedule:

1. Electric Charge and Field, §21
2. Gauss's Law and the Electrostatic Potential, §22-23
3. Dielectrics, Capacitance and Resistance to Electric Currents, §24-25
4. DC Circuits, §26
5. Magnetism and the Magnetic Field, §27-28
6. Electromagnetic Induction,Faraday's Law and Eletromagnetic Oscillations, §29-30
7. AC Circuits, §31
8. Maxwell's Equations, §32
9. Reflection and Refraction of Light, and Optical Instruments, §33-34
10. Interference, Diffraction and Polarization of Light, §35-36
11. Special Theory of Relativity, §37

Day-to-day schedule: Students are required to read ahead (except for day 1)

01/09: Electric Charge and the Coulomb Force, §21.1-5
01/11: Electrostatic Field and its Effect on Charges, §21.6-11
01/14: Introductory Matters: Details of the Syllabus
01/16: Gauss's Law, §22
01/18: The Electrostatic Potential, §23.1-4 [HW#1 due]
01/21: Observed Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
01/23: The Electrostatic Potential and Field, §23.5-9
01/25: Capacitors and Dielectrics, § 24 [HW#2 due]
01/28: Electric Currents and Resistance, § 25.1-5
01/30: Household Circuits, AC, and its Microscopic View, § 25.5-10
02/01: DC Circuits, §26 [HW#3 due]
02/04: Magnetic Field and its Effect on Moving Charges, § 27.1-4
02/06: Magnetic Dipole Moment, Applications and the Discovery of The Electron, §27.5-9
02/08: Sources of Magnetism and Ampere's Law, §28.1-4 [HW#4 due]
02/11: Biot-Savart Law, Solenoids and Magnetic Materials, § 28.5-10
02/13: Review
02/15: 1st Midterm Exam : §21- § 28; 1-hour in-class
02/18: Observed Holiday: Presidents' Day
02/20: Faraday's and Lenz's Laws, § 29.1-5
02/22: Applications of Electromagnetic Induction , §29.6-8 [HW#5 due]
02/25: Inductance and Electromagnetic Oscillations, §30
02/27: Simple AC Circuits, § 31.1-4
03/01: Resonance and Phase in AC Circuits, § 31.5-8 [HW#6 due]
03/04: Maxwell's Equations, §32.1-5
03/06: Light, Radiation, Radio and Television, § 32.6-9
03/08: Charter Day Convocation
03/11: Reflection of Light, §33.1-4 [HW#7 due]
03/13: Refraction of Light, §33.5-8
03/15: Lenses, § 34.1-4 [HW#8 due]
03/18-22: Spring Recess
03/25: Application of Lenses, §34.5-10
03/27: Review
03/29: 2nd Midterm Exam : §29- § 34; 1-hour in-class
04/01: Review
04/03: Huygens' Principle and Geometric Optics, §35.1-4
04/05: Light Interference, §35.5-8 [HW#9 due]
04/08: Light Diffraction, § 36.1-3
04/10: Limits to Resolution in Imaging, §36.4-7
04/12: Light Spectra and Polarization, §36.8-12 [HW#10 due]
04/15: Relativity of Unaccelerated Motion, Simultaneity and Time Dilation, §37.1-5
04/17: Length Contraction, Spacetime and Lorentz Transformations, §37.6-8
04/19: Relativistic Energy and Momentum, § 37.9-13 [HW#11 due]
04/22: Review
04/24: Review

Minimum requirements :

To pass the course with a grade B or better, a Student must at the time of the final exam be able to demonstrate the ability to:

1. state and apply Gauss’s, Ampere's, Lenz's and Faraday's (i.e., Maxwell's) laws;
2. analyze and construct simple DC and AC circuits, applying Kirchoff's laws;
3. analyze and construct simple optical devices with mirrors and lenses, using ray-tracing;
4. state and apply Huygens' principle;
5. state and apply lenght contraction and time dilation effects.

A student who cannot demonstrate the above listed skills at the time of the final exam automatically forfeits a grade of B or better -- regardless of the total number of points acquired in homework, quizzes and exams, and regardless of the success in completing any other course requirement.

All assignments refer to end-of-chapter problems (not "questions", not "general problems"!) as given in the text . See also homework solution suggestions . In each set, the problems in first group are recommended for practice. The alternate odd problems (3, 7, 11… i.e., 4n-1 where n=1,2,3…) are solved in detail in the Study Guide and are an excellent collection of worked examples. Finally, he problems in the second group (after the specified due date) are assigned and will be graded.

All homework assignments are in class, on the day indicated. Late homework will not be accepted, except in cases of proven (medical) emergency.

Collaboration policy
Collaboration -- but not blind copying -- on the homework assignments is strongly encouraged; students should use this to learn from each other. All exams and quizzes are open text and open class-notes (including notebooks and class handouts), but no collaboration is allowed; by signing the exams and quizzes, the student implicitly agrees to abide by this policy. Violation of this policy is covered under the University regulations on academic dishonesty and cheating.

Coursework presentation and organization
While a neat presentation of home,- quiz- and exam-work is not required for full credit, it certainly makes it easier to assess the quality of the work and give the proper credit due. In all cases, include a simple sketch if it might help conveying the approach or the calculations. Where necessary, include all units and symbols such as the measure of an integral, arrow on a vector, vertical bars for the absolute value of a quantity, for the magnitude of a vector or for the determinant of a matrix, etc.

• Homework: Submitted answer sheets should be stapled (preferably in the top-left corner). The Student's full name (and ID number) should be indicated on the first (cover) page. Solutions should be labeled and ordered consecutively by the problem numbers. Include all calculation/work and give full reference to any result quoted from any source other than the text, and page/equation number for results quoted from the text. All homework assignments will be graded and returned to the individual students.
• Quizzes: The Student's full name (and ID number) should be indicated on the first (cover) page, unless otherwise requested at the time of the quiz. Include all calculation/work and give the page/equation number for results quoted from the text. Speed and efficiency is important, but the presentation must be legible. All quizzes will be graded and returned to the individual students.
• Mid-term exams: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled, in the top-left corner, on the top of the answer sheets. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation. All mid-term exams will be graded and returned to the individual students, but no detailed solutions will be provided.
• Final exam: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled, in the top-left corner, on the top of the answer sheets. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation. The final exams are stored by the instructor, but are available to the individual student for review and photocopy after the exam;, no detailed solutions will be provided.

© Tristan Hubsch, 2002