Principles of Physics II Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Course

PHYS-2426-001 Principles of Physics II

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: PHYS 2425 and MATH 2414

Course Description

Principles of physics for science, computer science and engineering majors, using calculus, involving the principles of electricity and magnetism, including circuits, electromagnetism, waves, sound, light and optics. Laboratory experiments supporting theoretical principles presented in lecture involving the principles of electricity and magnetism, including circuits, electromagnetism, waves, sound, light and optics; experimental design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of laboratory reports.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(4 sem hrs; 3 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Lecture: Physics for Scientists and Engineers 10th edition, Serway & Jewitt (optional, the WebAssign access includes an ebook version)

Lab: Laboratory Manual for PHYS 2426, on Blackboard.

Homework: You will need to get a code for WebAssign (Cengage) if you do not already have one.  If you took Principles of Physics I from Professor Van Domelen in Fall 2021 or later, your old code should still work.  If you took Physics I here prior to that, you will need to contact Cengage support to get your account upgraded to 10th Edition.

Supplies

Calculator: You will need a calculator that is not your phone that can handle scientific notation, exponents, and trigonometric functions.

Ruler and Protractor: While there are ones to borrow in the classroom, you may wish to have your own.

Student Performance

After completing the lecture part of this course, students should be able to:

1. Articulate the fundamental concepts of electricity and electromagnetism, including electrostatic potential energy, electrostatic    potential, potential difference, magnetic field, induction, and Maxwell’s equations.
2. State the general nature of electrical forces and electrical charges, and their relationship to electrical current.
3. Solve problems involving the inter-relationship of electrical  charges, electrical forces, and electrical fields.
4. Apply Kirchhoff’s laws to analysis of circuits with potential sources, capacitance, and resistance, including parallel and series capacitance and resistance.
5. Calculate the force on a charged particle between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor.
6. Apply Ohm’s law to the solution of problems.
7. Describe the effects of static charge on nearby materials in terms of Coulomb’s law.
8. Use Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws to find the electromotive forces.
9. Describe the components of a wave and relate those components to mechanical vibrations, sound, and decibel level.
10. Articulate the principles of reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference and superposition of waves.
11. Solve real-world problems involving optics, lenses, and mirrors.

After completing the lab part of this course, students should be able to:

1. Prepare laboratory reports that clearly communicate experimental information in logical and scientific manner.
2. Conduct basic laboratory experiments involving electricity and magnetism.
3. Relate physical observations and measurements involving electricity and magnetism to theoretical principles.
4. Evaluate the accuracy of physical measurements and the potential sources of error in the measurement.
5. Design fundamental experiments involving principles of electricity and magnetism.
6. Identify appropriate sources of information for conducting laboratory experiments involving electricity and magnetism.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

The lecture meetings will include class discussion and some activities, so students will not be expected to sit quietly the entire time.  Students will be expected to exercise good judgement regarding when to speak and when to listen, however, both with Dr. Van Domelen and their fellow students.

Students are expected to remain up-to-date on their own grades, and bring any disputes to the instructor in a timely manner.  Other than disputes regarding the final exam itself, all disputes must be brought up prior to taking the final exam.

To avoid disruption and potential embarrassment, please silence all electronic devices.  Outside of quizzes and exams, portable electronics will be allowed.  However, unless they are part of an assistive system (see Disability Services if in doubt), please remove any earpieces or headphones.

You may record (audio or video) lectures for your personal use or to share with other students currently taking this course.  You do not have permission to post them online for wide distribution or to sell them or otherwise profit by the distribution of the lectures.

Academic dishonesty will at a minimum be punished by a score of zero on the relevant task.  This includes cheating on exams, and turning in lab reports for a lab that was not actually attended.  (The online homework is harder to cheat than to just do honestly, but please do not take this as a challenge.)  Additional sanctions at the College level may be applied if the situation merits.

Grading Criteria

Three hour-long exams will together compose 30% of the class grade, while the final exam will count as 20%.  Homework will count for 20% of the grade, Laboratory writeups count for 15%, and Pre-Lab exercises for 5%. Participation in group work during recitation will make up the remaining 10%.

If it will raise your average, the lowest regular exam grade (unless it is a zero given for cheating) will be replaced by the percentage score of the final exam.

The laboratory grade will use the best 9 reports out of 10 assigned.  A bonus of one full lab's worth of points will be given if all 10 reports are completed (or if any absences are excused, at Dr. Van Domelen’s discretion).

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of lecture.  Good attendance will be rewarded with bonus points on the last homework assignment, with 15 problems' worth for perfect attendance, one point less for each lecture missed, to a minimum of zero.  If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to make sure you get marked present.

The harshest grading scale that will be applied will be as follows: 89.5% = A, 79.5% = B, 69.5% = C, 59.5% = D.  Dr. Van Domelen reserves the right to adjust the curve to be more forgiving, but will not make it harsher.  The final analysis will consider the grades of all students: a few very high scores will not prevent a relaxing of the curve if most of the class struggled.  The resulting curve will probably be uneven, meaning the numerical ranges of each letter grade will not be the same.

Attendance

Student attendance in lecture and lab is expected.  Note that the lecture is not just a reading of the textbook, and portions of the tests will be over material not covered in the textbook.

If a student has what Dr. Van Domelen considers to be a reasonable excuse for missing lab, it will not be counted against the "perfect attendance" bonus.

Keep in mind the compressed pace of this course when considering planned absences such as vacations.  One week is the equivalent of two weeks in a 16 week course.

Important note: Students who miss all meetings of the class in the first week will be automatically dropped.

Calendar

Additional Information

If you are going to miss class due to weather, illness, or other issues, please notify Dr. Van Domelen by email as soon as possible.  It may be possible to reschedule non-Final exams, and lab absences can be excused by the circumstances.

If you are ill or have transportation issues that prevent you from attending class in person, lectures and recitations can be attended virtually via the course Discord server, with advance approval of Dr. Van Domelen (if nothing else, he needs to make sure he brings a microphone).