PHYSICS 222 – section 1

University Physics with Lab II

MWF 12:00 pm – 1:50 pm

Fall 2009

SC 128

 

Instructor

Matthew Zacate

Office

SC 151

Phone

572-1365

E-mail

zacatem1@nku.edu

Office hours

To-be-announced in class and posted on Blackboard.  Additional hours by request.

Text

Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 2nd edition, volume 4 by Randal Knight and accompanying workbook

Other materials needed

Students should bring the textbook, workbook, class notes and work, blank paper, pencils, eraser, and a calculator to each class.  Students should have a red and blue pencil in addition to a regular pencil.

Course description

Calculus based introduction to classical electromagnetic theory using guided inquiry activities.  Topics include electric forces and fields, DC circuits, magnetic forces and fields, and AC circuits.

Prerequisite

PHY 220, University Physics with Laboratory I

Pre-/Co-requisite

MAT 229 or MAT 221

Grading

 

Course grade will be based on performance on homework, in-class exams, a final exam, and work done in class.  Note that grades are assigned according to how well knowledge and correct answers were communicated.

Exams will cover topics from reading assigned from the text, in-class activities, homework, and the workbook.

Grades will be assigned using the table below.  Nominally, the course grade is based on the average of the exam grades using the usual 90-100 for an A, 80-89 for a B, 70-79 for a C, 60-69 for a D, and below 59 for an F.  The final course grade can be higher or lower depending on performance on exercises as laid out in the table.

ExamExercises

100-90

89-80

79-70

69-60

59-50

49-0

90-100

A

A

A-

B+

B

B-

86-89

A-

B+

B+

B

B

B-

80-85

B+

B

B

B

B-

C+

76-79

B-

B-

C+

C+

C

C

70-75

C+

C

C

C

C

C-

66-69

C-

C-

C-

D+

D+

D

60-65

C-

C-

D+

D

D

D

50-59

D+

D+

D

D

D

F

0-49

F

F

F

F

F

F

Each in-class exam and the final exam will be weighted equally to determine the exam score (left side of the table).  The total exercises score (across the top of the table) will be comprised of grades from homework, workbook assignments, and in-class activities.  Individual homework and workbook assignments are worth differing amounts of points; however, each homework and workbook assignment will be weighted equally when determining the total exercises score.  Depending on the length of an in-class activity, it may be combined with other in-class activities when assigning a grade and the grade of the combined activities will carry the weight of a single homework assignment.

Grades will be posted on Blackboard fairly regularly.  Students are encouraged to check their posted grades to make sure that they were entered correctly.  Students are not entitled to receiving a grade that was posted inaccurately, even if the erroneous grade is higher than what was earned. 

In-class exams and final exam

There will be two exams given during regular class meetings, and there will be a cumulative final exam given on Friday, Dec. 18 at 10:10 am.  Students should bring calculators and writing tools to exams.

The instructor frowns upon giving makeup exams.  In order to be eligible to make up a missed exam, a student must notify the instructor that he or she will miss the exam in advance (exception: a medical emergency, in which case a doctor’s note must be provided), and the reason for missing the exam must be deemed appropriate by the instructor.  The instructor will choose the format of a makeup exam, and the exam more than likely will be given as an oral exam.

Homework exercises

Throughout the course, homework assignments will be turned in.  All homework problems will be checked by your instructor, but only some problems will be marked in detail.  Solutions will be provided for questions that are not graded in detail. If, after reviewing comments or solutions, a student is uncertain why he/she missed points on an assignment or is unable to determine what the correct answers are, he/she should consult the instructor.  By downloading solutions from Blackboard, students agree not to share solutions with students outside of this section of PHY 222.

Homework is due at the beginning of class on the due dates.  Students are encouraged to seek help on homework from fellow students; however, students must turn in their own work.

Grades on homework will be based on how well answers are explained and how well problem solving procedures taught in class are followed.  Students are expected to follow the general problem-solving strategy of the Knight textbook, which includes (1) models, (2) visualization, (3) solution, and (4) assessment.  Detailed descriptions of problem-solving strategies are found on pp. 802, 820, 826, 866, 892, 900, 983, and 1006.  Additional requirements may be given in class.  Getting the correct answer without a proper explanation or without all work shown will not earn full credit.  Each homework assignment will indicate which problems will be graded “in depth” using the grading rubric provided on the last page of this syllabus.

Workbook exercises

Workbook exercises are designed to give students practice using skills required to solve homework problems.  Students are encouraged to try workbook exercises as early as possible after they are assigned.  Workbook exercises are due at the beginning of class on the due dates.  Grades will be based in part on completeness and on correctness of answers.  Also, how well (thoroughly) answers are explained will affect grades.

In-class activities

Many different guided inquiry activities will be done in class.  In some cases, these will serve to illustrate principles introduced in the textbook.  In other cases, they will give students opportunities to discover principles on their own.  Still in other cases, activities will be designed to expose students to data analysis methods in Physics.  Students will not be allowed to make up missed activities.  Due dates for turning in write-ups for activities will be announced during the activity.

Late Assignments

Homework, workbook exercises, and in-class activities that are turned in late are subject to severe point penalties.  If the work is turned in late, but it is turned in before the assignments are graded, 40% will be deducted from the assignment’s grade.  If the homework is turned in after the assignment has been graded, the student will receive zero points.  Exception: each student will be entitled to having the late penalty waved for one assignment during the semester.

Preparedness

Little time during class will be spent writing information from the textbook on the board; students are responsible for reading this material on their own.  A schedule of topics for each class indicates sections to be covered from the textbook.  These sections should be read before class on the date listed.   

Seating Policy

A maximum of three students will sit at each table and work together on in-class activities.  Except in unusual circumstances, students will not sit at the two tables farthest from the front of the classroom.

Conduct

Cheating, plagiarism, and disruptions in class will not be tolerated.  For more information about cheating and plagiarism and their consequences, students are referred to the NKU Student Honor Code, which can be found as a link on the following webpage:

http://www.nku.edu/currentstudents/policies/honorcode.php

Disruptions in class are most likely avoided simply by being courteous and respectful.  Coming to class late, letting a cell phone ring, talking on a cell phone, and browsing non-Physics related material on the web are all examples of disruptive behavior. 

First year students

First year students will receive mid-term assessments of their performance. Mid-term grades will be issued only to students who have successfully completed fewer than 30 semester hours; students will be able to access mid-term grades through Norse Express as soon as grades are submitted. Mid-term grades are not part of student's permanent records. They will be replaced by final class grades when these are submitted. Mid-term grades do not guarantee a good or bad class grade; they reflect a current level of performance that can be altered by the quality of subsequent work.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or services) for this course must register with the Office of Disability Services. Please contact the disability service office in University Center Suite 320 or by calling (859) 572-6373 for more information. Verification of your disability is required in the disability services office for you to receive reasonable academic accommodations. Visit the disability services website at www.nku.edu/~disability .

Attendance

Students missing every class in the first three weeks will be dropped from the course.  Missing class will result in a lower course grade through zeros given for grades of missed in-class activities and when missing class results in homework or workbook assignments being turned in late.

Disclaimer

The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus, as needed.  If a change is made, students will be provided with an updated syllabus.  The instructor reserves the right to make an exception to a rule contained in the syllabus to accommodate an extraordinary circumstance; however, no exception will be made that he deems is unfair to students in the class. 

Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment

Below are listed student learning outcomes for this course.  For each outcome, the method (or methods) for assessing the degree to which the outcome was achieved are listed.  Please note the following characteristics of the assessments:

o       Each assessment opportunity (i.e. each exam, each homework assignment, or each in-class activity) is unlikely to measure every learning outcome listed below as belonging to the class of a particular assessment opportunity; however, success will be measured for every outcome listed below in at least one assessment. 

o       When the success of an outcome is evaluated, the measure of success will be as a score that is scaled so that its percentage provides a measure of success in accordance with the same scale used to determine final course grades.

o       For each assignment or exam, a student receives a total numerical grade and not a report of scores for how well individual outcomes were achieved.  Students should feel free to ask the instructor how they are doing on individual outcomes. 

 

General Education

GE.01    Students will gain fundamental knowledge of material through reading assignments – in particular, from the textbook.  The instructor will assess this through the quality of class discussions and, if necessary, in performance on quizzes.

GE.02    Students will develop critical thinking and problem solving skills by applying prescribed methods for solving problems.  This will be assessed by performance on homework and exams.

GE.03    Students will gain experience writing in this course primarily by providing short answers to questions in in-class activities and short essay answers to conceptual questions on homework assignments.

GE.05    Students will discuss course topics and material in class.  The instructor will record brief notes regarding student involvement throughout the course.

GE.06    Students will work effectively and responsibly in collaboration with others.  This will be assessed through observation of students’ interactions during in-class activities.

GE.07    Students will develop computer skills primarily through the use of data acquisition software.  The instructor will record brief notes regarding students’ aptitudes using computers in class.

GE.08    Students will learn to access information and use the information effectively and ethically by using computer simulations as a part of in-class activities.  (See NS.05 below for assessment.) 

 

Natural Sciences

NS.01   Students will identify, explain, and apply established scientific theories and principles in areas of waves, optics, and electricity and magnetism to answer questions and solve problems that are representative of questions or problems they may face later in their careers.  This will be the most heavily assessed outcome in the course, and assessment will be carried out by evaluating correctness of answers to questions on homework and exams and, in some cases, on in-class activities.  More information is provided below under the Physics heading.  Additional assessment will be through performance on a standardized pretest/posttest sequence.

NS.02   Students will evaluate the credibility of certain arguments or results by making measurements and analyzing data in laboratory exercises in class.  The instructor will evaluate this by observing students’ discussions and actions during activities and grading short answers to questions about in-class laboratory exercises. 

NS.03   Students will discuss one or more specific examples of how science affects everyday life primarily by considering questions and problems related to wave and optics phenomena that are experienced in everyday life.  The instructor will assess this through in-class discussion and by correctness of answers in homework and exams.

NS.04   Students will execute appropriate scientific methods and use appropriate technologies in activities or experiments to test theories.  (See GE.07 and NS.02 above.)

NS.05   Students will advance their scientific literacy by reading procedures for carrying out in-class activities and experiments.  The instructor will evaluate this by observing students’ actions during activities and grading written analysis that students hand in.

NS.06   Students will interpret experimental outcomes taking into consideration uncertainty and error.  The instructor will evaluate this by observing students’ actions during activities and grading written analysis that students hand in.

 

Physics

The following three areas will be the most heavily evaluated learning outcomes:

§         Students will know fundamental equations and secondary, but important, equations from classical electricity and magnetism.  Equations to be memorized are as follows.

Fundamental equations

DV = IR  

 

 and

 or

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondary equations (many can be derived or deduced)

 

 

 

Equivalence relations for circuit components

 

resistance

capacitance

series:

parallel:

hints:

You can “deduce” the above relations from .

The capacitance relations are “opposite” the resistance relations.

 

Relationships among quantities related to electric force

 

§         Students will communicate fundamental principles in classical electricity and magnetism by being able to paraphrase the principles or write equations that describe the principles.  Principles of interest are the following.

Coulomb’s law

Gauss’s Law

Ohm’s Law

Kirchhoff’s Laws

Ampere’s Law

 

Lenz’s Law

Faraday’s Law

Superposition of vectors and vector fields

Addition of energies to get total energy

 

§         Students will apply equations and principles to solve the types of problems found at the end of chapters in the course textbook. 

§         Although not explicitly tested, students will need to use the following concepts from PHY 220 extensively to succeed in PHY 222:

Trigonometric relations

Vector addition (graphical and component-wise)

How to find magnitudes and components of vectors (especially force and electric-field vectors)

Newton’s laws, especially the second law.

Kinematics equations (hint: use “a = a,” a=dv/dt, v=dx/dt, and integrals)

Qualitative results of 2-D kinematics, especially projectile motion and free-fall (motion under constant acceleration) and uniform circular motion.

Conservation of energy

Work–kinetic energy theorem

 

 

Course and Instructor

The course and instructor are evaluated as described briefly below.

1        Course content will be restricted to material contained in the course description at a level that is appropriate for a 200-level university course.  Examples of graded homework and exams will be made available to the chair of the Department of Physics and Geology for assessment.  Students will have the opportunity to evaluate course content in a course evaluation near the end of the term.

2        Students also will evaluate aspects of the instructor’s teaching, treatment of students, and adherence to class policies in a course evaluation near the end of the semester. 

 

Students’ evaluation of the course and the instructor more than likely will be in the form of an online evaluation.  The evaluation is confidential, and the data collected (without students’ names) will be made available to the instructor after the course grades are submitted.  Your evaluations are taken seriously, and they can be very helpful in shaping the future of this course and the instructor.    More information about online evaluations is available at http://eval.nku.edu/ .

 

Problem Grading Rubric

 

·      Neatness and organization (up to 2 points)

□      Solution is easy to read (1 pt)

□      Solution is well organized (1 pt)                                                                  score: ___/2

·      Correctness of answer (select one)

□      All parts are correct (3 pts)

□      Half or more is correct (2 pts)

□      Fewer than half the answers are correct (1 pt)                                            score: ___/3

·      Model (select one)

□      All essential assumptions are stated (3 pts)

□      Some essential assumptions are stated (2 pts)

□      There are assumptions; however, the essential ones were
missed (1 pt)                                                                                             score: ___/3

·      Visualization (up to 4 points)

□      A diagram (or diagrams if more than one is needed) is given (1 pt)

□      All objects relevant to the problem are included (1 pt)

□      Directions of vector quantities and relative magnitudes are
included (1 pt)

□      Symbols/labels are provided (1 pt)                                                              score ___/4

·      Solution (up to 6 points)

□      Statement(s) of principle(s) used / brief explanations why equations
selected are given (1 pt)

□      Fundamental equations listed (without substitutions) (1 pt)

□      Algebraic steps shown (including brief explanations of why steps
were performed) (1 pt)

□      Algebraic steps are (mostly) correct (1 pt)

□      Correct use of notation (especially vectors) (1 pt)

□      Substitution of values at end (or near the end) of the solution (1 pt)              score ___/6

·      Assess (select one)

□      A meaningful assessment was given (2 pts)

□      A superficial assessment was given (1 pt)

□      An incorrect assessment was given (1 pt)                                                    score ___/2

·      Total                                                                                                                             ___/20