CONTENTS

Description/Text Book

Instructor

Goals

Topic Prerequisites

Outline

Grading

Tests

Absences

Homework

Instructor: Dr. John Varriano
Office: CW 116
Phone: 3439 (office)     685-9551 (home)

Office Hours:
Check my posted schedule for official office hours. Feel free to come by at other times to see if I am in.

Goals:
1. To continue your familiarization with the scientific models that we use to describe Nature, particularly those models that deal with electricity, magnetism, light, atomic particles, and nuclear processes. To deepen your appreciation of Nature.
2. To obtain a certain level of mastery in using these models to predict outcomes of physical interactions. (The determination of your grade is based mostly on how well you achieve this goal.)
3.To learn about certain applications of electrical, magnetic, optical, atomic, and nuclear phenomena.
4. To learn about the relative sizes of the physical quantities that are used in the models. To learn what is a reasonable size for each of these quantities.
5. To increase your analytic reasoning skills and build your scientific vocabulary so that you can be an active member in today’s technical world.

Topic Prerequisites:
- basic algebra, trigonometry, solving of simultaneous equations
- Newton's Laws of Motion and Law of Gravity
- Law of Conservation of Energy

Outline:
Part 1: Electricity - charge, electric force & field, voltage & current, capacitance & resistance, simple dc circuits
Part 2: Magnetism & Electromagnetism - magnetic force& field, electromagnetic induction, motors, generators, transformers, simple ac circuits
Part 3: Optics - light & electromagnetic waves, reflection, refraction, lenses, interference, diffraction, polarization
Part 4: Quantum & Atomic Physics - quantized energy, photons, lasers, wave-particle duality
Part 5: Nuclear Physics - nucleus, decay & radiation, nuclear power

Grading:
There will be 4 tests during the session and a comprehensive final exam. Each test is worth 100 points and the final exam is worth 300 points. There will be 100 points from 10 collected homework problems. There will be 200 points from 15 computer homework problems. If you miss 2 or fewer classes, your lowest test score will be dropped. If the final exam is your lowest test score, then it will be worth 200 points. Your final grade will be determined by dividing your total points by 1000 (if you miss more than 2 classes) or 900 (if you miss 2 or fewer classes) and using the following percentage point scale.

Tests/Final Exam:
Each of the 4 tests will cover only the material discussed in each relevant part of the course. Tests 1, 2, and 3 will cover Parts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Test 4 will cover Parts 4 and 5. The final exam will be comprehensive. A single side of an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper filled with handwritten notes is permitted for each test. Two sides of a sheet are permitted for the final exam. Tentative test dates are:

Absences:
Please make an effort to attend every class. You are responsible for the material covered and assignments given in each class. If you cannot make it to a test and have a valid excuse, let me know before the test date so that arrangements can be made to take the test at another time. Make-up tests will be available if you miss a test with no prior warning but you will be penalized 20 points. There will be no make-up final exam.

Homework:
a. Practice Problems:
Practice problems will be assigned from the drill and/or supplemental problem collection at every class (refer to the Problem Outline ). These will not be collected or graded but may appear on the tests and final exam.

b. Collected Problems:
Collected problems will usually be due two days after they are assigned. I will try to grade them and get them back to you by the following class. You are provided with most of the answers to the problems.

If you score less than an 8 on a problem, you may redo the problem. I will then regrade the problem, obtain a new point total, and then subtract 2 points. Thus, the maximum score that you can obtain on a resubmitted problem is 8 points. The problem must be resubmitted by two weeks after the original due date or by the last class of the session (whichever comes first). The purpose of this policy is to give you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Come and seek my help if you don't understand how to solve a problem correctly.

Late problems will be treated as resubmitted problems. That is, they are subject to the 2-week deadline and 2 points will be subtracted from the point score. No problem will be accepted 2 weeks after the original due date.

The collected problems should be done according to the following format. You will be docked points or the problem may not be accepted if the format is not followed, regardless of your final answer.

(1)Describe the problem.
State the problem you are to solve. Use your own words or copy the problem from the book or hand-out. As you write the problem, think about the kind of problem it is and possible useful models you can use to solve it.
(2)Define the givens.
Define a symbol for each given and set the symbol equal to the given value with units included.
(3)Define the objective.
Define a symbol for the unknown that you will be solving for. State the units that you expect for the unknown. Make clear what you are to find or prove.
(4)Draw a diagram.
Include the symbols for the known and unknown quantities on the diagram. (Drawing a diagram is one of the most powerful tools in solving problems. You MUST have a diagram or I will NOT accept the problem.)
(5)Set up the attack.
Write down the laws or basic equations that you will use. Include the names of the laws or describe the equations in words. Use symbols in the equations that you have defined above.
(6)Show the work and solve the problem.
Solve for your unknown. Show the algebra. Include units when you substitute in for a given quantity. Make sure that units cancel to give you the proper units for your answer. Circle or box your answer and include the units!
(A word of advice: It is best to solve for the unknown in terms of the symbols first, and then substitute in the known values at the end of the algebra to find the final answer. This avoids carrying around numbers and units in the algebraic steps and reduces the likelihood of error. Also, by solving for the unknown in terms of the symbols, you can easily find how the answer changes if one of the given quantities changes. That is, you can readily see how the unknown quantity depends on the known quantities.)
(7)Check your answers.
State if your answer seems reasonable. State if your answer has the correct units. (You can often catch a mistake by simply double checking your answer.)

An example problem solved using this format appears later in the syllabus.

c. Computer Problems:
There are 15 computer assignments that are to be completed. The computer problems are an excellent way to assist you in your learning. The computer will tell you if your answer is correct to each question of a particular problem and tell you how to go about solving the question. You can redo each problem as often as you like. Your scores are recorded by the computer in a file and can be sent to me via e-mail. I will count only your best score for each problem

Refer to the subsequent Instructions for Running the Computer Problems to see how to access the problems and submit your scores.

I will double some of the computer scores so that there is a possible total of 200 points for all of the problems. Note that sometimes two problems are due on the same date. If you perform the first set of problems on time and receive a perfect score, you earn 10 bonus points. If you perform the second set of problems on time and receive a perfect score, you earn 10 bonus points. Late computer problems will be accepted up the last day of class with a 20% penalty.

Assignments and due dates are shown below.

And remember: Physics is fun!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RUNNING PHYSICS COMPUTER HOMEWORK PROBLEMS

Obtaining the Problems*:
Download the programs.

Running the Problems:
Once you have the exe files, you can run any volume by changing to the drive and folder that has the exe file, and double clicking its icon. You can also run a volume from the DOS prompt by typing the volume's name at the prompt. Then:

1. Choose first time or repeat use as instructed.
2. Press return again if you want to store your score file in the same folder as the exe file. If you want to store the score file in a different folder, enter that folder's path. (I suggest storing the file in the same folder to make remembering its location easier.)
3. Select the appropriate course and instructor. Choose the problem and proceed.
4. When done, quit the program.

Submitting Your Scores:
The score file is entitled stres.dat. Find it. It will be in the same folder that has the exe file unless you previously specified a different folder. Then either:

1. E-mail it to me as an attachment. (I prefer this method.)
2. Put it on a storage device and turn in the device to me.

1. Go to www.cbu.edu/webmail
2. Enter your CBU username and password.
3. Click on the "Compose" button at the top.
4. Enter my e-mail address (jvarrian) in the TO line.
5. Click on the "Browse" button next to the "Attach" box and find the stres.dat file. Click "Open".
6. Click on the "Send" button.
7. Click on the "Sign Out" link at the top