PH 213
General Physics
(Calculus-based)Fall 2010
Faraday/ Maxwell
/ Einstein
Homework Format/Schedule Course Description Homework Projects Exams Labs Grades Climate Links
Section 1 Class times: MTh 2:00 – 3:50 PM
W 2:00 – 4:50 PM
Instructor: Dennis Gilbert, 239/16, 463-5049,
Office hours: MWTh 1:00 – 1:50 PM;
online and 20 review session hours before exams;
and by appointment
www: ILT site currently down (alternative TBA)
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Text: Giancoli, Physics for Scientists and Engineers – with Modern Physics, 4th Ed.
Student Study Guide (recommended)
Co/Prerequisite: Math 253 (third term/semester calculus or equivalent)
Journal: Hard copy weekly entries by Friday 5:00 PM
in class, instructor office, or Science Office
Reading
questions: Answered by 6:00AM the day of each class (except for days before exams or the first day of class)
Resources: Tutors in the SRC Homework Solutions
Group Study Exams and Exam Solutions
Mastering Physics Publisher website
Harvard online site (or alternative)
Homework Format and Schedule:
Format your homework according to the following rules: Label each page with your name and section. Leave adequate space for your solutions. Clearly label each problem solution. Write only on one side. If more than one page is used, staple the pages together. Following is a tentative schedule:
week / chapt / homework / due / comments1 / 21 / 2,4,16,18,22,34,40,53,57,61,67,86
2 / 22
23 / 2,4,13,15,18,21,27,34,44,52,61,62
2,6,11,16,29,32,41,44,45,51,54,59,
62,72,78,80 / Chapt 23 carries to following week
3 / 23
24 / 3,8,11,15,29,34,41,46,56,71,80,97
4 / 25 / 1,6,12,27,40,53,57,66,72,85
5 / 26 / 1,19,36,38,41,46,50,69,70,89
6 / 27 / 3,6,16,17,18,31,37,56,58,61,69,72
7 / 28 / 1,5,6,21,31,37,46,61,74
8 / 29 / 2,3,11,29,34,40,50,52,60,73,76
9 / 30 / 2,12,15,16,23,25,26,31,35,38,75,
78,79 / Skip AC(7-11)
10 / 31 / 1,2,8,11,18,23,27,29,32,49,63
Course Description:
PH 213 concerns primarily Classical Electricity and Magnetism. Within the context of Classical Mechanics we will study electrical and magnetic forces. We will briefly go beyond this Newtonian framework, however, to Special Relativity to relate electrical and magnetic forces. And we will, finally, briefly connect the wave equation for electromagnetic waves to the quantum mechanical wave equation for photons. In the study of electricity and magnetism, Electric and Magnetic Fields play an essential role. These fields and their dynamics represent a different kind of motion than studied so far. They represent both a jump from Newtonian physics that is characteristic of Maxwell’s Classical Electricity and Magnetism and a bridge to Quantum Physics and new areas of applied physics and engineering. We will continue to mention from time to time (when it suits our purposes) the connection of Classical Mechanics and Classical Electricity and Magnetism to other intellectual and cultural developments that arose from, or along with, the phenomenal success of these frameworks and their evolution into Modern Physics.
Extensive research has shown that most people enter introductory physics classes with deeply held beliefs and intuitions. This is to be expected, since by adulthood people have had much experience. Most of these beliefs and intuitions, if summed up, are not unlike the understanding of the most brilliant thinkers 400 years ago. However, the classical mechanics of Newton and the classical electricity and magnetism of Maxwell radically advanced our understanding since then. To change one’s thinking to incorporate these understandings is no small task. Physics education research has shown that for most people, it is not nearly enough to read a text or attend lectures, as necessary as these activities are. Active engagement in constructing and re-constructing your understanding is required, and these activities are an important component of the learning environment of this course.
Electricity and Magnetism involves things we cannot see. Therefore, it will be important to find ways to visualize what is going on. In addition, the mathematical sophistication of this course is somewhat greater than for the previous two courses in this sequence. Therefore, it will be even more important to create bridges from the physics to the mathematics, and to sharpen, as needed, mathematical skills.
Asking questions is a component of active engagement. You are invited and encouraged to ask questions about the subject matter and also about the structure of the class learning environment. Your understanding of the pedagogical issues will help you get the most out of the class.
The course operates within a lecture-lab format, which means we will move between lecture, small group work, problem solving, demonstrations, short laboratory exercises, and lengthy lab investigations. Activity in class will also be coordinated with work outside of class.
Even though most people cannot learn physics just from a text, reading the text before discussions is extremely valuable to gain familiarity with the subject matter and the way you are currently thinking. This will prepare you for the class activities and the deep learning that we expect to be taking place. Reading the text again later will help in sharpening and solidifying your thinking.
To support use of the text in the course and to keep us working together (“on the same page”!), answers to brief reading questions will be due each evening before we meet the next day for the classes. You will also be able to raise concerns you want addressed in the next class as well. (Work schedules or online access may make this unworkable for some students, so other arrangements will be made as necessary.)
You will also submit, in hard copy, weekly journal entries, which are due by each Friday. They will be read and commented on by the instructor each weekend and handed back to you in class. Journal entries provide you the opportunity to carry on a mindful conversation with the instructor about the course subject matter as well what is working (or not) to support your learning. Taking the time to think about your learning has been shown to help you learn better. In addition, journaling supports and encourages the development of a robust internal conversation that is part of an intellectual life.
Practice is useful and necessary to gain mastery of physics concepts and develop and refine problem-solving skills. This is the primary purpose of regular homework assignments throughout the course, which is an important component of your learning.
Advice concerning the general goals of the course1. Physics is the study of matter and motion in its most fundamental forms. You will see in classical electricity and magnetism that there are relatively few abstract concepts. Because of their great power and generality, precision of understanding is necessary, and this takes some effort to accomplish. On the other hand, the electrical and magnetic interactions are deeply related, but we will treat them more separately. Thus there will be additional formulas that will be presented, understood and used independently. While this has practical benefits, it adds to what needs to be understood.
Several kinds of conceptual representations will be used – graphs, diagrams, mathematics, narrative, etc. It will be useful for you to understand them and apply them individually and together. Conceptual understanding is the foundational element of this course.
2. Physics can make quantitative predictions and reach quantitative conclusions. Calculation is an essential part of theoretical work in physics as well as part of the practical application and investigation involving physics. Mathematics provides an important representation of physics concepts as well as the language of calculation, and thus is an important tool of problem solving and problem posing. The novice physics problem-solver usually uses trial and error within a framework of searching for sufficient formulas and data and using mathematical skills to solve for unknowns (“plug-and-chug”).
In contrast, the expert physics problem-solver has a much wider variety of strategies and tactics, uses a wider variety of representations, and begins with a conceptual understanding of the physics involved and applies mathematical tools in a targeted manner. While the novice is, at best, a problem solver, the expert can creatively pose problems. The course will support your development toward being an expert physics problem-solver and problem-poser. Problem solving is an essential element of this course.
3. In this calculus-based version of General Physics, you will use the mathematics in which physicists express elementary physics, namely calculus. At this point, you need to be co-enrolled in the third term of Calculus (Math 253), or to have successfully taken Math 253 or the equivalent previously. We will continue to need to use some elements of calculus before you encounter them in the calculus math classes, if you are taking them concurrently. You will see that this is not a significant problem. We will take the time to provide explanations as needed, and generally need to do so anyway because everyone’s knowledge of calculus is not perfect. You will also find that understanding the physics in this class will help you understand calculus if you are taking it concurrently. If you believe, or wonder if, you need better understanding of the mathematics used in the class, you are welcomed and encouraged to raise questions specifically pertaining to the mathematics.
Homework:
► Homework will be assigned from the text and will be due as posted above. Providing constructive feedback to your classmates on their homework after they hand it in will be part of your homework assignment.
► You are required to show your work and reasoning as appropriate to receive full credit. A model solution will be posted in week one. What constitutes good solutions will be an ongoing topic of discussion.
► You are welcome and encouraged to work on homework with your classmates. Please feel free to seek help from instructors, tutors, and in the Science Resource Center. The work you turn in must be your own.
► Complete solutions will be available soon after the due date. These solutions will be useful in giving feedback on other student homework. As you use these solutions, however, you will find that you may occasionally need to do a little thinking about how one step follows from the next, and you will encounter the fact that there are often many different good ways to solve a problem. Your aim in using these solutions is not to memorize them for use on similar problems, but to develop general problem-solving skills to enable you to solve problems you haven’t seen before.
► Some homework will make use of website, Mastering Physics, providing instant feedback or tutorial support. A schedule of this work will be provided in class.
► Since homework is an essential mode of practice, there will be penalties for late homework.
Projects:
In the class, there will be ongoing and specific projects, which will count toward your grade (under projects – see below). Ongoing projects include your participation in the online reading questions, Mastering Physics, online forums, daily class activities, and weekly journaling. During the course, a few specific projects will also be assigned.
Exams:
There will be two midterms and one final exam. Exams will cover the broad range of subject matter and course learning activities. Exams are closed book, but generally useful equations and physical constants will be provided. For full credit, you must show all work necessary to demonstrate the result. The instructor, time permitting, will provide practice exams and solutions approximately a week before each mid-term.
Exams are not used only to measure your current level of understanding, but are organized and used as opportunities for learning. Expect to spend time analyzing and learning from your exam experience.
Labs:
The facilities we use allow the course to be organized in a lecture-lab format, which allows a fuller integration of lecture-like and lab-like activities. There will be both short, directed lab activities as well as a few longer investigations that involve skills of inquiry, experimental design and presentation. In general, the aims of lab work include the following:
· To support the development of conceptual understanding
· To provide experience in investigation and inquiry
· To support the development of analytical skills of experimentation, including data analysis, error analysis, modeling, estimation and ethics
· To provide familiarity with experimental equipment, including software interfaces
· To support the development of presentation skills, including use of data presentation software
Students will keep and maintain Lab Notes that document an honest record of experimental work in the class, and students will produce Lab Reports on specific longer investigations. More information about these lab reports will be provided at the time of the first major investigation.
Help:
Many forms of help are available including tutors in the Science Resource Center, online help, reading materials, and instructor office hours. Contact the instructor as soon as possible, if you are not learning at the level you desire, or if you could use help thinking through how you will deal with unexpected difficulties.
Grades:
The instructor has the responsibility for determining grades. Different components of the course will generally contribute in the proportions listed below; however, because these components are not linearly independent, the instructor will exercise a more holistic and non-linear grade determination as the situation warrants.
Exams - 60% Homework - 15% Labs - 10% Projects - 15%
Letter grades are based on the following criteria:
A excellent performance
B good performance
C satisfactory performance
D less than satisfactory performance
F unsatisfactory performance
Please note that grades are not based on ranking in the class (for example, a “C” is not defined as average). Grades are based on performance, a standard set by the instructor that does not immediately fluctuate with student performance. Thus, learning from each other and helping and encouraging each other, instead of competition, is the optimal strategy for getting good grades.
Class Climate:
Student Rights and Responsibilities: Students have both rights and responsibilities. You have the right to be taught by a qualified teacher, graded fairly and expeditiously, and provided with a respectful, stimulating learning environment. Students also have a role in creating and maintaining a respectful, stimulating learning environment. You should participate in a thoughtful manner by sharing your ideas and responding to the ideas of others. When another person in the class is speaking, you should give that person your full attention. You should treat everyone in the classroom with respect; belittling or derogatory remarks are not appropriate.