Physics 202-General Physics

Tags Physics

Section 1M, 7:30-8:25 am MWF

Beauregard 141

Spring, 2008

Professor:Dr. Chad Young

Office: 121 Beauregard Hall

Office hours: 7:00-7:30 & 8:25-10:35 am MWF; 10:00-Noon TR

Phone: 985-448-4879 (work)

E-mail:

Website:

Catalog Description: Phys 202. General Physics. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Physics 201 and credit for or registration in MATH 166. A technical study of electromagnetism, electromagnetic waves, optics, modern physics, and astronomy; course designed for students majoring in chemistry. Credit toward graduation may be earned in this course or in PHYS 202 but not in both. Students enrolled in this course should schedule PHYS 104.

Prerequisite: PHYS 201 and registration in MATH 166

Required Text: “Fundamentals of Physics” by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker. 7th ed.

Class Materials: Documents discussed in class will periodically be placed on the Blackboard site for download. Exams from previous classes are on the professor’s website.

Student Outcome Objectives:

PHYS 202, as a Core Curriculum course, fulfills three hours of general education requirements in the area of the natural sciences and is thus designed to enable students to meet the following broad outcomes for all the natural sciences:
Upon completion of the undergraduate curriculum, students will be able to comprehend and to apply the basic principles of science and methods of scientific inquiry.
Graduates will be able to comprehend and to use quantitative concepts and methods to interpret and to critically evaluate data and to effectively problem-solve in a variety of contexts demanding quantitative literacy.
Graduates will be able to comprehend and to apply the basic principles of science and methods of scientific inquiry.
For further explanation of the learning objectives associated with these goals, visit
The student will demonstrate a conceptual and mathematical understanding of electrostatics and electrodynamics.
The student will show a working knowledge of electric circuits, their components, and how they are used.
The student will understand the concepts and mathematics concerning the nature of light and be able to apply these in their study of optical instruments.
The student will demonstrate a conceptual knowledge of relativity, quantum mechanics, and astronomy.

Topics:

The primary topics for this course include those in chapters 21-36 in the textbook. These chapters cover electricity, magnetism, and optics. In addition, we will apply the physics we’ve learned to topics of interest in modern physics and astronomy.

Testing: All examinations will be closed book. Data and constants will be provided. The following are the exam dates:

Exam #1: Friday, 8 February 2008

Exam #2: Friday, 29 February 2008

Exam #3: Wednesday, 2 April 2008

Exam #4: Friday, 25 April 2008 (tentative)

Final Exam: Tuesday, 6 May 2008, 10:30 am

Homework: I will assign the homework at the beginning of each segment. I will not collect the homework, but you will have periodic and announced quizzes whose problems will be taken directly from the homework.

Quizzes: For each segment prior to the hour-exams, you will take 1-2 quizzes. These quizzes will be announced one class before the quiz date. The problems on each quiz will come directly from the homework assignment. In addition, 2-3 unannounced quizzes may be given during the semester. These quizzes will test your knowledge of material covered in class on that particular day.

Grading: There are a total of 640 points. Each hour exam counts 100 points, and the final exam is worth 200 points (600 points). Quiz grades combine to a total of 40 points. The grading scale is percentage-based with A (90-100%), B (80-89%), C (70-79%), D (60-69%), and F (0-59%) grades being assigned at the end of the semester.

For example, a student might receive these grades:

Hour exams: 85, 92, 73, 98

Quiz grades: 10, 10, 0, 5

Final Exam: 188

Extra Credit: 15

This student’s final grade would be the total of these points divided by 650, or 90% (A).

Extra Credit: The student will have several opportunities for extra credit. The criteria for these credits are outlined in a separate document available on BlackBoard. A student can receive up to 20 extra credit points.

Make-up Policy: Make-ups for examinations will be determined by the instructor on a case-by-case basis; there are no make-ups for quizzes.Excused absences include illness, university-sponsored activities, or other adverse situations; the student must have written documentation justifying their absence. For unexcused absences, I will deduct fifteen points from your exam grade for the first missed day and 1 point for every subsequent weekday until you contact me to arrange a make-up. For example, if you miss the exam on Tuesday and contact me on the following Monday, 18 points will be deducted from your exam grade.

Academic Honesty Policy: Dishonesty in taking examinations will follow the guidelines set in the “Code of Student Conduct” manual. Consequences for academic dishonesty span from a failing grade on the assignment to suspension from the university.

Plagiarism

By taking this course, students agree that all assignments are subject to submission to Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism prevention and detection service. All work submitted to Turnitin.com will be added to its database of papers. Turnitin's privacy policy and a description of the service are available at Specifically, this service compares your paper with Internet webpages, articles in databases, and all papers previously submitted from this university or any other. Turnitin then either confirms the originality of your work or gives the source of plagiarism. In cases of detected plagiarism, the paper and supporting evidence will be handled in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct (

Attendance Policy: Attendance is essential and mandatory.

Drop Date: Friday, 4 April 2008, is the final date to receive an automatic “W” when dropping a course or resigning from NichollsStateUniversity.

Disabled Students: If you have a disability that requires assistance, please let me know. Also, you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Office of Disability Services is located in Peltier Hall, Room 100-A. The phone number is 985-448-4430 ( TDD 449-7002).

Academic Grievances:
The proper procedure for filing grade appeals or grievances related to academic matters is listed in Section 5 of the Code of Student Conduct and at the following link:

Continued Learning following an Extreme Emergency:
In order to make continued learning possible following an extreme emergency, students are responsible for:
● reading regular emergency notifications on the NSU website
● knowing how to use and access Blackboard (or university designated electronic delivery system)
● being familiar with emergency guidelines
● evacuating textbooks and other course materials
● knowing their Blackboard (or designated system) student login and password
● contacting faculty regarding their intentions for completing the course
Faculty are responsible for:
● their development in the use of the Blackboard (or designated) software
● having a plan for continuing their courses using only Blackboard and email
● continuing their course in whatever way suits the completion of the course best, and being creative in the continuation of these courses
● making adjustments or compensations to a student’s progress in special programs with labs, clinical sequences or the like only in the immediate semester following the emergency.