Physics 130A - Course Information

Spring 2020

Professor: Mark Shroyer,  Office D109 SMC, Phone: 7847                        

e-mail: mshroyer@knox.edu                                                                                     

Office Hours: I will be in my office 8:30 am to 5 pm most days.  I will be checking my e-mail regularly during business hours and occasionally throughout the evening.  I will try to answer questions posed through e-mail either by setting up a quick 1-1 google meeting or by e-mailing a response.

Class Meetings:  MTThF 1st 9 am {as scheduled , once we get rolling in the online environment, some of these meetings will get converted to on-line office hours.  I’ll make that clear.}

Text: Douglas C. Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th ed. (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 2008).  ISBN: 978-0-13-227559-0

Also, you will need a Physics 130 Lab Manual.  These will be distributed on-line (see website).

Course website: http://courses.knox.edu/physics130/

 Topics: In this course, you will learn about Electricity and Magnetism (including an introduction to electric circuits) and have a basic introduction to the physics of fluids and to early models for the atom, which were the first steps in the development of quantum physics.  We will assume no prior background in physics.  While your text treats some topics with the use of calculus, no mathematical competency beyond algebra and trigonometry will be necessary to succeed in this course.

Homework. Homework problem sets, adapted from Giancoli's text, will be available on-line at the course website.  The Physics software displays the problems, with your own individually-customized random numerical parameters, provides hints if requested, and gives instant feedback by telling you when your answer is correct.  For full credit, homework sets are due by 9:00 am on the due day.  Generally, homework problems can be completed up to one week after the due date for half-credit.  The last two homework sets must be completed by noon of reading day class for half-credit.

Working out the homework problems is probably the most important single aspect of the course for learning physics.  It is in the effort to find solutions to specific problems that you will make real progress in understanding.  You are encouraged to work together in groups on the homework problems; you may consult other books or people, and especially, you may feel free to consult me if you have trouble with a problem.

The use of online homework aids or solution manuals is prohibited.  Allowing someone to do a problem for you is a violation of the honor code.

Finally, with regard to homework, you should not view the problems assigned as representative of the amount of homework necessary to learn the material.  These problems are representative of an amount necessary to assess progress.  Each student is strongly encouraged to work through the many examples in the text and to do as many problems (many with answers in the back of the text) that are required to understand the physics being taught.

Labs: Required.  You will have access to electronic versions of the labs for this component of the course.  See your invitation from Prof Schulz regarding lab details.

Lab instructor:  Chuck Schulz, cschulz@knox.edu

Exams: There will be two one period midterm exams (Tues. April 28 and Fri. May 15).  There will be a comprehensive final exam in this course.

Quizzes: There will be frequent quizzes (most days we meet synchronously is what I anticipate)Quizzes can be made up only on account of documented illness (via the Dean) or being off-campus for activities representing the college (e.g. athletic competition, jazz band performance etc.).  It is your responsibility to inform me at the beginning of the term (or ASAP) about conflicting off campus activities. 

OK, the highlight portion is what I would normally have in my syllabus.  Things are strange this term.  I will announce when there will be a quiz ahead of time.  Please attend for quizzes or tell me by e-mail AHEAD OF TIME if you will not be able to take the quiz at the same time as the rest of the class.  That said, I will endeavor to be accommodating to all things so long as I don’t feel that flexibility is being taken advantage of.

I will also try to find a reliable way to give asynchronous timed quizzes.   Not there yet.

Grade Weighting:     

Homework

10%

Quizzes 

15%

Labs

15%

Midterm Exam -1

15%  

Midterm Exam -2

15%  

Final Exam

30%  

Course Description:

     This course concerns the phenomena of electricity and magnetism.  We will find that electrical and magnetic forces constitute a basic kind of interaction between bodies, somewhat akin to the gravitational force.  Electrical forces are the most important forces in everyday life, accounting for friction, the contact force exerted by surfaces, and the tension force holding a solid object (like you) together, as well as all the changes in molecular structure studied in chemistry.  The description of electrical phenomena is simplified by the concept of a force field called the electric field, envisioned as a region of influence surrounding an electric charge.  The field concept, one of the great creative leaps in the history of ideas, is basic to our modern understanding of nature.  We will see that electric and magnetic phenomena are related, so much so that one may in fact speak of the electromagnetic field.  It turns out that light is essentially a propagating wave of the electromagnetic field--your personal electromagnetic wave detectors are reading these words now.  In the last week or so of the course, we will shift our attention to a new topic--fluids, an area of physics that is often unintuitive and full of interesting surprises.

     Throughout the course, we will concentrate on developing two kinds of skills: (1) a qualitative, intuitive understanding of physical phenomena, and (2) quantitative reasoning and problem solving.  Problem solving is an important part of the course, and it is certainly one of my goals to convince you that thinking hard about a puzzle in physics can be a lot of fun. 

 

Physics 130A -- Approximate Calendar

 

Week   Chapter            Topic                                                                          

  1-2     21                    Electric charge and electric field

  2-3     23                    Electric potential, Capacitance

  4        25                    Electric currents and resistance

     Exam 1

  5        26                    DC Circuits

  6        26, 27              DC Circuits, Magnetism

  7        28                    Sources of magnetic field

     Exam 2

  8        29                    Magnetic induction

 

4-8          13                    Fluids