Introduction to Physics II

General Information

Course Grading

There will be two mid-term exams and a final exam, together accounting for 400 points. In addition, up to 100 points can be earned by handing in homework assignments regularly, participating in classes (this includes answering questions with "clickers," see below), and attending recitations.   Late homework will not be accepted but the lowest homework score will be dropped allowing, in effect, for one missed assignment without impacting your grade.  Similarly, you can miss, without explanation, two lectures and one recitation during the semester for medical or personal reasons.  In case of a prolonged absence due to illness or other serious problem, please contact your class Dean.  There may be ad hoc homework quizzes as well as opportunities for extra credit.  The course grade, based on a nearly absolute scale, will be determined as follows:

 Mid-term Exams (2)

200 points

 Final Exam

200

 Homework & participation

100

                                        Total

500


Lectures and Reading

Lectures will stress the key concepts, techniques, and problem-solving strategies, leaving some of the material for individual study.  Occasionally, topics will be discussed which are not included in the text.  Approach to many concepts and sample problems selected for lectures will differ from those in the book, complementing your reading.  Reading the text will be helpful but will not substitute for lectures.  On the other hand, to benefit fully from the lectures, it will be necessary that you read or at least carefully look over the assigned text before coming to the corresponding class.

Part of each lecture will be devoted to interactive learning with students' active participation using "clickers," hand-held remote answering devices operating at radio frequency (915 MHz).  Clickers are required at each lecture and during exams.   They will also be used to take roll-call (attendance is mandatory and punctuality expected, as per BC general procedures).

 
Recitations

Recitation classes (PH 214) are an integral part of the course (attendance will be checked). They will be interactive and will focus on developing skills for solving problems. Assigned homework problems will not usually be discussed. However, you may ask any of the course instructors to provide you with a hint or help in solving homework problems. Recitation problems will be selected by your instructor from the book. They will be solved algebraically, with students' participation, and then the solutions will be evaluated numerically.  This approach has many advantages and will be helpful on the exams.

 
Homework

Problem assignments are posted on the syllabus.  Homework is due on Friday of the week for which it is assigned and will be collected before the lecture. Homework should be handed in to the lecturer (never to the TAs).  Current homework solutions will be posted here. They can be also obtained from your recitation instructor.


Exams

All exams will be "closed book," but a list of potentially useful equations will be provided. Calculators will not be needed (and will not be allowed). There will be no makeup mid-term exams. Mid-term exams missed for valid reasons will be "graded" by prorating numerical scores on the corresponding final exam problems.

 Exam I

Wednesday, October 14

 Chapters: 1-6

 Exam II

Monday, November 16

 Chapters: 7-11

 Final Exam

Tuesday, December 15

 Chapters: 1-17

Note that the final is the "common exam" for sections PH 211-01 and PH 211-02 together.  Any final exam scheduling issues (such as having three or more exams in one day) should be reported to the lecturer before October 10.   If necessary, a make-up final exam will be arranged.

Premedical Program

Although the primary purpose of the course is to give a good background in the basic principles of physics, it will also aim to be helpful to students in the pre-medical program.  In addition to standard topics in kinematics and dynamics, an introduction to fluids (chapter 14) has been included keeping in mind that gases and liquids are central to all living organisms and many medical devices. For similar reasons, waves and sound (chapters 16 and 17) will also be discussed.  The Special Theory of Relativity, which is not required on the MCAT exam, and thermodynamics, which is typically included in a general chemistry course, have both been omitted.

Students interested in medical applications of physics will find many in General Physics by Sternheim and Kane (Wiley, 2-nd ed. 1991).  A few copies of the book are available in the O'Neill Library.  Lectures will occasionally draw examples from it.

 

Back to PH 211 main page.